2012

Report: Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) To Retire

Benjy Sarlin | June 21, 2011, 11:33AM

Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA)

Democratic Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey is expected to announce her retirement on Monday, according to the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat.

The 73-year old lawmaker has held the seat since 1993, taking over after fellow Democrat Barbara Boxer won her election to the Senate. She was known for her progressive politics and was a very active opponent of the Iraq War, at one point securing an invitation for protestor Cindy Sheehan to attend President Bush's State of the Union. The California activist was arrested at the event.

Woolsey has previously discussed a possible retirement and said she wanted to make her intentions clear early in the term in order to give her potential successors a chance to campaign in the district. Two Democrats are already poised to jump into the race should she retire: Assembly member Jared Huffman and local activist Norman Solomon.

David Petraeus

Dem Rep Accuses Petraeus Of Using 'Charlie Sheen' PR Strategy On Afghanistan

Susan Crabtree | March 16, 2011, 1:50PM

Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) accused Gen. David Petraeus, the commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan, of employing a "Charlie Sheen" strategy in trying to convince the American public to stay the course in Afghanistan.

"General Petraeus is giving us the Charlie Sheen counter-insurgency strategy, which is to give exclusive interviews to every major network, and to keep saying 'we're winning' and hope the public actually agrees with you," Woolsey said during a speech on the House floor Wednesday.

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2012 elections

Is Dem Rep. Lynn Woolsey Considering Retirement in 2012?

Jillian Rayfield | December 17, 2010, 1:38PM

Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA)

Dem Rep. Lynn Woolsey (CA) hinted yesterday that she might not run for an 11th term in 2012.

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Bush Tax Cuts

Progressives Press -- Lightly -- For Ending Tax Cuts For Wealthy

Brian Beutler | November 15, 2010, 12:54PM

Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)

Leading House progressives are joining outside advocates to pressure Democratic leaders to let the Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest two percent of Americans to expire at the end of the year.

In a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Progressive Caucus co-chairs Lynn Woolsey and Raul Grijalva gently make the case for extending tax cuts to middle-income brackets alone.

As Co-Chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, we would like to reiterate our support for President Obama's Fiscal Year 2011 budget proposal that would extend the Bush tax rates for the middle class, but permit the tax levels to return to previous levels for single taxpayers making more than $200,000 or married couples making more than $250,000," the co-chairs write. "We respectfully request that we have a Caucus discussion regarding our position before any proposal is brought to the Floor.

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James Clyburn

Clyburn: Don't Count Me Out!

Brian Beutler | November 9, 2010, 9:39AM

Rep. James E. Clyburn (D-SC)

After watching Majority Leader Steny Hoyer conduct an overt campaign to become House minority whip next year, current Whip Jim Clyburn is starting to make a more public play for the leadership office.

Last night, the Democratic Conference's Vice Chair Xavier Becerra became the first member of leadership to endorse in the contest -- and picked Clyburn.

"James Clyburn deserves to be reelected Democratic Whip in the 112th Congress," Becerra said in a statement. "Through some of the toughest legislative efforts in recent history--from health care to Wall Street reform--Mr. Clyburn found us the votes when they counted most. He fought to pass legislation that is putting America back to work and laying the foundation for a future where America leads the world in the new energy economy. He is a stalwart supporter of fixing our broken immigration system and providing every American a decent education and an equal shot at the American Dream. James Clyburn has my vote to continue as our Whip in the 112th Congress."

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Social Security

55 Dems Sign Letter To Obama Opposing Social Security Cuts, Privatization

Brian Beutler | September 20, 2010, 3:18PM

Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ)

Over 50 House Democrats have now signed on to a letter, first obtained by TPM earlier this month, warning President Obama they'll oppose any effort on his part, or on the part of his fiscal commission, to cut Social Security benefits or privatize the program.

The letter was spearheaded by Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus. It was originally cosigned by Rep. John Conyers (D-MI), Dan Maffei (D-NY), Mary Jo Kilroy (D-OH), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), and CPC co-chair Lynn Woolsey (D-CA). The advocacy groups Social Security Works, P Street Project (the lobbying arm of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee) and MoveOn helped organize the effort to add signatures.

They will continue to round up signatures through tomorrow, before the letter goes to the White House.

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Health Care

Pelosi: No Hope For Public Option At This Time

Brian Beutler | February 2, 2010, 5:23PM

Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA)

The public option already died once. Today it died again.

House progressives have been trying to use the health care stalemate to revive the public option. Almost 100 have signed a letter urging Congressional leaders to include a public option in a separate bill, which could in theory pass the Senate with a simple majority of votes. If that happened--a big if--it could then be included as part of comprehensive legislation, securing progressives a major victory. But on a conference call today, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi put a second set of nails in the public option's coffin, saying it would not be part of any grand bargain to push ahead with health reform. But in so doing, she took a veiled swipe at the White House for not standing enthusiastically behind the proposal.

"The Senate never supported the public option," Pelosi said.

There was talk that there would be 51 votes for it, but it never passed on the floor of the Senate. It did pass in the House and, of course, I think it would be the way to go. But it isn't the way that the Senate went. And so I think that what you might see coming out of some reconciliation would be those areas of agreement that all three--the White House, the Senate and the House--had already agreed to...more than two weeks ago.

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Health Care

Top Progressive: Public Option Unlikely To Be Revived In Health Care 'Plan B'

Brian Beutler | January 28, 2010, 10:44AM

Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA)

For the first time in the year-long debate over health care, House liberals have real leverage and are demanding changes to Senate legislation before they agree to charge ahead. Many members of the Congressional Progressive Caucus would even like to see the public option revived and passed in a separate bill through the filibuster-proof budget reconciliation process.

But in a brief interview last night, one of the House's top progressives told me leadership isn't even considering it.

"I don't believe it fits in the reconciliation," said Progressive Caucus co-chair Lynn Woolsey (D-CA). "All that is is budget."

"I haven't heard why, exactly, but when [leaders] list the things that have budgetary components, the public option's not on it," Woolsey added.

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State Of The Union

Dems Laud Obama's Speech As Health Care Breakthrough--But To What Avail? (Video)

Brian Beutler | January 27, 2010, 11:47PM

Democrats in both the House and Senate and beyond hailed President Obama's State of the Union address tonight as a major step forward on health care reform. But when the speech ended, and members filed out of the House chamber, one thing was abundantly clear: no matter how good tonight's speech was, it did not break the congressional health care logjam.

Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) said the President sent "exactly the right message."

"He made it very clear that he isn't walking away from health care with his tail between his legs," Wiener added.

That view was echoed by members in both chambers, and at least one powerful Democratic ally.

"This was an important message to get it done," Anna Burger, president of the labor federation Change to Win, told me in a brief interview. "They can do reconciliation...I think it's perfectly doable."

But for all the plaudits Obama's words won tonight, it appears that neither the House nor the Senate--stuck in a health care face-off since Democrats lost a Senate seat in Massachusetts last week--is prepared to blink.

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Health Care

Leading House Progressive Says, Despite Concessions, Health Care Bill Will Pass

Brian Beutler | January 14, 2010, 8:08PM

Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA)

Congressional progressives have had to swallow a number of hard health care concessions over the last several months. Just today, an agreement was reached between the Obama administration and Labor to largely preserve an excise tax on expensive health insurance policies, opposed by the overwhelming majority of House members, that could impact middle class Americans. But nonetheless one of the leading progressives in the House says both chambers are ready to pass reform.

"I heard that we're very close to a final decision, that we will be having a bill soon, and it's not going to have everything anybody wants in it, but it will be a bill that can pass the House and the Senate and it will be a start for health care reform in the United States of America," Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA)--co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, told me in an interview this evening. "It is moving ahead. [Obama is] very committed to having a health care bill that will be good for America."

"I think we're beyond any one caucus," Woolsey said, before correcting herself to point out that pro-choice Democrats could still withhold their support over the issue of abortion.

Nevertheless, that could be an indication that, despite all the heartache and all the compromises, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi might not lose many progressive votes when health care comes to a final vote.

Health Care

Progressives Demand Meeting With Obama In Wake Of Troubling Health Care Signs

Brian Beutler | December 14, 2009, 2:04PM

Rep. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ)

In the wake of some troubling signs that the progressive wishlist might get cut out of health care legislation, Reps. Raul Grijalva (D-AZ) and Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), co-chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, have sent a curt letter to President Obama, requesting a meeting to discuss the push for reform.

"On behalf of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, we write to request a meeting with you to discuss health care reform legislation," they write. 'We have attached the Congressional Progressive Caucus' Principles that we expect to be included in the health care reform bill conference report."

Those principles include: "The creation of a nation-wide public option, such as the one in the House bill that increases competition, affordability and access for all Americans."

But, of course, all indications in the Senate are that the public option will not be part of the package, and now it appears as if even the consolation prize--a Medicare buy-in--might have to be stripped from the legislation as well. You can read the entire letter here. This could get ugly.

Congressional Progressive Caucus

Key House Progressive: This Public Option Compromise Stinks

Brian Beutler | December 9, 2009, 3:57PM

Rep. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, isn't pleased with the public option rumblings she's heard out of the Senate, and suggests that, unless the final product has the same impact as a public option, her Caucus could reject it.

"I am looking at, Where's the competition in this compromise?" Woolsey told me today. "Are we offering competition to the private insurance providers? I don't see where that is. That's what the public option was all about was having competition so that premiums don't spike."

"We have 30 million new customers for the insurance industry, and what, we don't let them choose an option that would be less expensive?" she said incredulously.

Woolsey said the Medicare buy-in plan is a good one, though too limited.

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Health Care

Democrats Optimistic, Progressives Coming To Terms, On Health Care Bill

Brian Beutler | October 29, 2009, 12:22PM

Before House Democrats unveiled their health care bill, the caucus huddled in the basement of the Capitol to get fired up. As the meeting broke, Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC) darted down the hall and a reporter asked him how many votes he had.

"All we need," Clyburn shouted back, cheekily.

Inside the caucus room, members broke into applause.

Unsurprisingly, optimism was the theme of the morning among House Democrats, though some progressives aren't completely pleased with the outcome.

Rep Lynne Woolsey (D-CA)--co-chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus--said, emphatically, that when she and other liberal leaders meet with the President tonight, she wants to hear him say "that he supports a strong public option and he will take that over to the Senate." As for whether she can support the bill in the House with a somewhat weakened public option, Woolsey told me she needs to learn more.

"We're looking at what they've put in the bill to make up for it not being Medicare-plus-five, to see if it covers...our same goals," she said.

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Health Care

House Progressives and the White House on a Collision Course Over Public Option

Brian Beutler | September 3, 2009, 5:34PM

Reps. Lynn Woolsey (D-CA) and Raul Grijalva (D-AZ), co-chairs of the Congressional Progressive Caucus are laying down a new mark. Though President Obama appears to be laying the groundwork to scrap the public option, and progressives are pessimistic about his upcoming health care speech before Congress, the CPC is digging in on its earlier vow to block health care legislation that does not include a public option, setting the stage for a potential rift in the Democratic party.

"We look forward to meeting with you regarding retaining a robust public option in any final health reform bill and request that that meeting take place as soon as possible," they wrote in a letter to Obama today. "Any bill that does not provide, at a minimum, a public option built on the Medicare provider system and with reimbursement based on Medicare rates--not negotiated rates--is unacceptable."

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