Barack Obama

More Backlash For Wyden Than For Ryan On Controversial Medicare Plan

Brian Beutler | December 15, 2011, 3:35PM

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI)

Sen. Ron Wyden wants to assure his colleagues he hasn't undermined them politically. In a head-turning move, Wyden announced Wednesday that he's teamed up with House GOP budget chair Paul Ryan on a policy framework to partially privatize Medicare -- a move that stunned his fellow Democrats.

Setting aside the policy -- which would in essence turn Medicare into ObamaCare with a robust public option -- the very existence of the plan has deep implications for the 2012 elections, most of them bad for his own party.

Speaking to reporters Thursday after an event with Ryan, Wyden said the political ramifications are overblown.

"Nobody ducks their past votes and their previous statements," Wyden said. "That's just a given."

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Afghanistan

GOP Rep: Republicans Are Turning On The War In Afghanistan

Evan McMorris-Santoro | March 9, 2011, 4:09PM

Rep. Walter Jones (R-NC)

A bipartisan group of House members are pushing a new plan to end the war in Afghanistan. Many of the lawmakers who spoke at event on Wednesday announcing the new effort have been outspoken on ending what has become America's longest military conflict for years, but one Republican, Rep. Walter Jones (NC), says the names on the list of legislators opposing the Afghanistan conflict are expanding on his side of the aisle.

"The number of Republicans is slowly growing," Jones told reporters. "There were 12 tea party-types who won election that we checked to see what their position was on Afghanistan and 12 said for either policy reasons or financial reasons we need to get out."

Jones said some veteran Republicans are also signing on to an end to the war, which has has been met with growing public discontent according to public opinion polls. "In time, they're beginning to say, 'I don't know what we're trying to accomplish, there seems to be no end point,'"Jones said. "It is slowly on the Republican side changing to [support for] getting our troops out."

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Health Care

Top Dem: GOP 'Dangerous To America's Health'

Brian Beutler | December 16, 2010, 11:14AM

Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA)

Here's a more political health care report, put together by the office of Rep. Pete Stark (D-CA).

This one's more of a playbook for Democrats, who in 2011 and 2012 will be batting back GOP efforts to repeal the health care reform law. For months now, Democrats have noted that full repeal of the health law will eliminate popular provisions like the ban on discrimination against people with pre-existing conditions.

Stark's report goes into greater depth, bullet pointing for the law's supporters the key reforms that will be repealed if the Republicans get their way.

Among the less well-known consequences of repeal, according to Stark:

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Ways and Means Committee

Rangel: I've Asked For 'Leave Of Absence' As Ways And Means Chair

Justin Elliott | March 3, 2010, 8:57AM

Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY)

Less than a week after the ethics panel found he violated House rules by taking corporate-funded junkets to the Caribbean, Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY) announced this morning that he has asked Nancy Pelosi for a "leave of absence" from his duties as chair of the Ways and Means Committee, pending completion of various ethics investigations.

Rangel took no questions from the press, but added that "from the very beginning I have offered this to Speaker Pelosi."

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