Here’s just another reason why I’m not buying this about-face from Republicans on $1 trillion in tax increases, which would be needed to secure the “going big” deal hoped for by Barack Obama. If you open your Wall Street Journal editorial page, as I’m sure you do every day, you will see an op-ed by [...]

In the new Senate, when we’re not in an endless quorum call we’re using amendments to tack on major legislation to innocuous bills. The handshake agreement between Democrats and Republicans at the beginning of the year traded less filibusters on the motion to proceed with more leeway on amendments. As a result, Republicans still filibuster [...]

While some in the GOP ranks are still trying to play both sides of the street on the debt limit, demanding spending cuts as a condition of passage while reassuring Wall Street that default is not an option, there are definitely some in the Republican caucus who really have no problem with default. In fact, [...]

Dave Weigel has a pretty good take on the role of the tea party within the larger Republican structure, one that progressives have yet to impose on the Democratic Party. Simply put, the Tea Party activists move the goalposts to the right. Witness this activist pushing on Jim DeMint – Jim DeMint! – from the [...]

I don’t think calling a debate over the debt limit “insanity” will call off the Republicans from engaging on that debate. They know perfectly well that they have a couple opportunities to force spending cuts, and they’re already preparing the ground by making outlandish claims about $200 billion in government waste (waste is the last [...]

Chuck Schumer ran his mouth on Morning Joe and gave the impression that the 9-11 health care bill was a done deal. It’s not. There’s no specific timetable for a vote; Schumer said there would be one at noon and we’re well past that, with no sign of calling the question. In fact, Tom Coburn [...]

The omnibus spending bill is rife with interesting backstories and competing agendas. It’s clear to me that Jim DeMint’s pressure to read the full omnibus, which stands at over 1,900 pages, has three parts: 1) to cement his standing with the Tea Party against “pork” and really spending in general; 2) to run out the [...]

Lisa Murkowski will support repeal of the military’s Don’t Ask Don’t Tell policy and specifically, the standalone bill that executes the legislative repeal, according to her spokesman. Murkowski’s spokesman specifically references the passage of the tax cut bill and the “glide path” to funding the government as clearing the way for support. “Sen. Murkowski will [...]

Jim DeMint decided against forcing a reading of the new START treaty on the floor of the Senate. He’s hilariously trying to spin this as a victory because Harry Reid delayed the opening of the debate one day. “Senator DeMint opposes ramming the controversial START Treaty in the lame duck session. After Senator DeMint asked [...]

Just briefly, the Senate as expected passed the tax cut deal by a 81-19 vote. The bill moves to the House, and all expectations are it will pass there as well. Here are the 19 no votes: Sanders, Sessions, Udall (CO), Udall (NM), Voinovich, Wyden, Feingold, Gillibrand, Hagan, Lautenberg, Leahy, Levin, Merkley, Bingaman, Coburn, DeMint, [...]

After the Senate dispenses with the tax cut bill today, they want to move to two other bills – the omnibus spending bill and the START treaty. There’s going to be a test vote on proceeding to the START treaty today at 2:15pm ET. Technically, they don’t need to file cloture on a motion to [...]