The Progressive Caucus, despite greater numbers than the Blue Dogs, has never had the same impact on the national debate. They tried a co-chair framework this year, with Lynn Woolsey and Raul Grijalva leading the caucus. But Woolsey is just a poor communicator, and the split in the leadership served to weaken its message. Grijalva [...]

Raul Grijalva says he’s up to 112 lawmakers signing on to the vow to vote against any Cat Food Commission recommendations that cut Social Security benefits or raise the retirement age, and he expects to reach 150. Grijalva thinks it would be a natural move for Democrats to see the program as a part of [...]

The Cat Food Commission actually deigned to hold a public meeting today, and Terry O’Neill, the President of NOW, handed co-chair Alan Simpson a bag full of baby bottle nipples to symbolize Simpson’s “Social Security is a milk cow with 310 million tits” comment. The ensuing discussion was interesting, as Simpson clearly didn’t want to [...]

In addition to the demise of Don’t Ask Don’t Tell and the broader changes in the defense authorization bill (including increases in military pay, no permanent military bases in Afghanistan, and more), the DREAM Act failed to get a chance to be offered as an amendment to the bill. When Mitch McConnell tried to offer [...]

Brian Beutler notes that Raul Grijalva’s letter opposing any benefit cuts to Social Security has the support of 55 House Democrats, with more expected before tomorrow’s circulation deadline. But this could just be a first step. I reported earlier this month that other options beyond a letter have been under discussion in the caucus: An [...]

When Raul Grijalva and Lynn Woolsey told the co-chairs of the Cat Food Commission that they would 100% oppose Social Security cuts, it was pitched as the opening salvo in an aggressive pushback against any changes to benefits. There would be plenty of “CPC-wide follow up” in September, particularly when Congress returned to session, I [...]

The activity on the left to fire Alan Simpson from the Cat Food Commission is growing. Today, Rep. Alan Grayson joins the effort. From an email to supporters: Deficit Commission Republican Co-Chair Alan Simpson just called Social Security a “milk cow with 310 million tits.” Simpson seems to know a lot about farm animals. Which [...]

That’s Raul Grijalva, co-chair of the Progressive Caucus, fighting the fearmongering designed to cut Social Security benefits. Throughout this Congress, Grijalva hasn’t been afraid to speak out, even calling for a boycott of his own state after the legislature passed and the Governor signed a draconian immigration law that a federal judge eventually ruled partially [...]

This August has become the season of Congressional letters, whether to the President on Elizabeth Warren, or to the Speaker on the use of food stamp cuts as offsets to future bills. Today, we have another installment. Raul Grijalva and Lynn Woolsey, the co-chairs of the Progressive Caucus, have sent a letter directly to Erskine [...]

The partial implementation of the Arizona immigration law, SB1070, began today in earnest, and already we’re seeing the friction between supporters and immigration rights advocates play out. Adam Sarvana, a spokesman for Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), an outspoken critic of the law, just sent out this release: The Yuma district office of Rep. Raúl M. [...]

Progressive Democrats issued a challenge this morning to their colleagues in the House on the eve of a scheduled vote on the war supplemental: the only fiscally responsible stance is to end the emergency funding. It is disingenuous to say this is an “emergency” supplemental. The only “emergency” is this: In funding the longest war [...]