Grimes sues Kentucky GOP over McConnell mailer

Alison Lundergan Grimes Calls For Federal Investigation Into McConnell Voter Intimidation

http://www.politicususa.com/2014/10/31/alison-lundergan-grimes-calls-federal-investigation-mcconnell-voter-intimidation.html
"McConnell is betting that by breaking federal and state law so close to election day, he will get the benefit that comes from his illegal activity at the cost of a slap on the wrist later. As the Michele Bachmann case illustrates, the federal government doesn’t take kindly to illegal campaign activities.
Sen. McConnell is taking a huge risk by openly violating state and federal law. The fact the McConnell campaign chose to go down this desperate path demonstrates that the election in Kentucky is very close. The race is close that intimidating a few thousand voters into not showing up at the polls might make the difference between victory and defeat.
It isn’t surprising that the big champion of the Koch brothers’ efforts to buy the government is so willing to keep regular folks from voting. What is shocking is the brazen stupidity of McConnell’s tactics."

Alison Grimes Files For Injunction Against McConnell For Illegal Voter Suppression Tactics

http://www.politicususa.com/2014/10/31/alison-lundergan-grimes-files-injunction-mcconnell-illegal-voter-suppression-tactics.html
"The mailer looks like an official document, but it’s not. The presentation is designed to scare voters with “ELECTION VIOLATION NOTICE” in all caps across the envelope."

Grimes Suing KY GOP, McConnell For Campaign Mailer Aiming To Suppress Vote

Grimes Suing KY GOP, McConnell For Campaign Mailer Aiming To Suppress Vote

"because if he can't win it fairly, he's fine with cheating, as are his billionaires.

Come on, Kentucky. You can pull this off. Just ignore this crap and go vote."

Guess Who’s About to Buy Congress | The Nation

Guess Who’s About to Buy Congress | The Nation

"Thanks to weak campaign finance laws, however, we will likely never know who exactly is bankrolling this massive presence in the midterm elections. “When large corporations decide they want to get their own candidates into office but they don’t want to be seen doing it, they call the US Chamber,” said Lisa Gilbert, director of Public Citizen’s Congress Watch division."

Hurricane Sandy Activist: Christie Still Sitting On $800 Million In Disaster Relief. Why?

Hurricane Sandy Activist: Christie Still Sitting On $800 Million In Disaster Relief. Why?

"It would be nice to see some follow up on this story to find out just what happened to that money and why no one's been auditing how it's been spent."

Meet the Sandy victim Chris Christie told to ‘sit down and shut up’

Ernst Lies, Gardner Won't Answer Questions, And Other Tales From Koch-fueled Election

Ernst Lies, Gardner Won't Answer Questions, And Other Tales From Koch-fueled Election

"The lies, the evasion, the phobic avoidance -- it would all be pretty entertaining if the stakes weren't so high. But they are, indeed: McConnell promised the Kochs and their billionaire friends that the Senate just wouldn't debate proposals to help low and middle income folks like minimum wage, unemployment comp, and student loans, and that he would help Wall Street, big oil and coal companies, and health insurance companies by attaching riders to budget bills to force deregulation of those industries.

The biggest question of this election is whether the Republicans will win control of the Senate, so that McConnell can work his magic for his billionaire friends. But right behind that in importance is this inextricably linked question: do the Koch candidates win their incredibly close elections? The biggest investments (as they call them) the Kochs have made are in Senate races in NC, LA, AK, AR, IA, CO, and of course to support their loyal follower McConnell in KY. And they have made winning the Governor's races in WI, MI, FL, NE, KS, and AZ a huge priority as well. And pretty much all of these races are too close to call."

Washington has a dark money problem

Papantonio: The Republicans Trained Circus Monkeys on Minimum Wage

This C.E.O. Destroys GOP Lies About The Minimum Wage By Paying $50K Annually

This C.E.O. Destroys GOP Lies About The Minimum Wage By Paying $50K Annually

"the company has a 10 percent turnover rate - 65 percent below the industry average of 75 percent, and he credits the company's exemplary treatment of workers for that particular success."

Papantonio: Republican Budget Cuts Are Breeding Corruption

Papantonio: SCOTUS Laughs At Your Voting Rights

Why GOP Control of the Senate Would Be a Disaster | The Nation

Why GOP Control of the Senate Would Be a Disaster | The Nation

"Mitch McConnell, the Senate minority leader, has already promised the Koch brothers that “we’re not going to be debating all these gosh-darn proposals…like raising the minimum wage…extending unemployment…the student loan package"."

Supreme Court’s corruption naiveté: What a new report says about money’s poisonous effect on politics

Supreme Court’s corruption naiveté: What a new report says about money’s poisonous effect on politics

"Does money in politics foster corruption?

To most observers, the answer is a plain “of course.” But under Chief Justice John Roberts, the U.S. Supreme Court has answered in the negative, making sweeping statements about the innocuousness of a political system drenched in contributions from corporations and wealthy and individuals."

In Record 'Dark Money' Election, Chamber of Commerce Top Shadowy Spender: Report

In Record 'Dark Money' Election, Chamber of Commerce Top Shadowy Spender: Report

"The term "dark money" refers to funds spent to influence elections by 501(c) groups such as the Chamber, which are not required to disclose the sources of their funds. The U.S. Supreme Court's 2010 Citizens United decision opened the door to unprecedented outside spending to influence elections"

In The Battle Of Billionaires, Karl Rove Wins And America Loses

Yet Another Chapter Of 'They Only Win When They Cheat'

Yet Another Chapter Of 'They Only Win When They Cheat'

"Of course they're going to remove names of legitimate voters! They're going to steal this election, as they've done before. Is anyone ever going to stop them?"

What Happens When People—Rather Than Politicians—Are Given the Chance to Vote for a Higher Minimum Wage? | The Nation

What Happens When People—Rather Than Politicians—Are Given the Chance to Vote for a Higher Minimum Wage? | The Nation

"You can tell how popular the upcoming state minimum wage ballot initiatives are from the opposition tactics conservatives are deploying."

Georgia governor’s corruption shocker: Right-winger’s shady get-rich scheme could be wildest GOP scandal

Georgia governor’s corruption shocker: Right-winger’s shady get-rich scheme could be wildest GOP scandal

"No-bid contracts, backroom arm-twisting, sweetheart deals for family. Add the FBI and this is one juicy scandal"

PERRspectives: Why It's Time for Myth McConnell to Go

PERRspectives: Why It's Time for Myth McConnell to Go

"As it turns out, Mitch McConnell is also the GOP's mythmaker-in-chief, a hyper-partisan more than willing to tell the biggest lies on the biggest issues in order to mislead the American public, all in the service of his Republican Party.

Whether he's discussing taxes, health care, the economy, the debt or pretty much anything else, virtually all of Myth McConnell's talking points are tried--and untrue."

Mitch McConnell Desperately Tries To Backtrack On ACA Repeal

Mitch McConnell Desperately Tries To Backtrack On ACA Repeal

"If every single one of the people who are benefitting from the ACA in Kentucky chose to vote for the Senator most likely to preserve it, McConnell would be dead in the water.

He's running scared."

Brownback Covered Budget Deficit By Tossing Disabled People Off Medicaid

Brownback Covered Budget Deficit By Tossing Disabled People Off Medicaid

"That Kansas "experiment" just keeps getting worse and worse. Between the draconian cuts to public schools, the teacher abuse, and the big tax benefits for the Koch brothers, Sam Brownback has created a Third World country right in the heartland."

Chris Christie Isn’t Just Tired Of Minimum Wage, He Simply Can’t Care

BREAKING: Court Refuses To Intervene In Case of 40,000 Missing Voters In Georgia

http://thinkprogress.org/election/2014/10/28/3585449/court-allows-voter-suppression/
"On Tuesday, Judge Christopher Brasher of the Fulton County Superior Court denied a petition from civil rights advocates to force Georgia’s Secretary of State to process an estimated 40,000 voter registrations that have gone missing from the public database."

Republicans scramble to hide their real minimum wage stances

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/10/28/1339823/-Republicans-scramble-to-hide-their-real-minimum-wage-stances
"No wonder Republicans in close races are changing positions on this issue: raising the minimum wage is enormously popular, with even a majority of Republicans in some states supporting it. In fact, minimum wage support is an outlier issue in some extremely red states. The key is letting voters know where Republicans really stand."

The GOP is tired of the minimum wage

Power Players Behind the Corporate Takeover of Pennsylvania Schools

Power Players Behind the Corporate Takeover of Pennsylvania Schools

"In 2007, Philly rolled out the red carpet for state legislators and lobbyists attending the annual “State and Nation” policy summit of the American Legislative Exchange Council. Pennsylvania legislators appropriated a whopping $50,000 of taxpayer money to help pay for the event, including $3,000 for cheesecake lollipops.

The event apparently had a lasting impact as the ALEC agenda has continued to roll though the hallways of the state capitol in Harrisburg in the years since. After Governor Corbett took office in 2010, ALEC bill after ALEC bill was introduced and signed into law. To accomplish this feat a well-orchestrated cast of characters -- including politicians, state “think tanks” and advocacy organizations -- are singing from the same hymnal, and being bankrolled by the same interests. Behind the scenes, we find charter school magnates, ideological interests and deep-pocketed investors pumping millions into campaign coffers while playing the education “market” like a game of poker."

The Project 2017: GOP ACA Replacement They Don't Want You To See

The Project 2017: GOP ACA Replacement They Don't Want You To See

"Let me introduce you to The Project 2017, headed up by Bill Kristol and Dan Senor, among others, and presumably funded by the usual billionaire suspects. The Project 2017 has a comprehensive plan outlined on their website for how they propose to replace the ACA.

First, we start with full repeal of the Affordable Care Act. That means pre-existing conditions are once again in play, no premium assistance, no co-pay assistance, no state exchanges, no minimum benefits, and annual and lifetime caps on what insurers must pay are reinstated. Also, premiums would not be limited for different age bands, so that 60-year olds could pay as much as 10 or 15 times what a 20-year old might pay."

Mitch McConnell finally confirms he wants to repeal health insurance for 500,000 Kentuckians

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/10/27/1339535/-Mitch-McConnell-finally-confirms-he-wants-to-repeal-health-insurance-for-500-000-Kentuckians#
"For the past several months, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell has tried to have it both ways on Kynect, Kentucky's popular implementation of Obamacare that has delivered health insurance to more than 500,000 Kentuckians. On the one hand, McConnell has said he wants to repeal Obamacare, but on the other hand, he also says Kynect should remain in place if Kentucky wants to keep it.
There's no reasonable way to square those two positions—you can't repeal Obamacare without repealing Kynect, and you can't keep Kynect without keeping Obamacare—but that hasn't stopped McConnell from taking them both."

Pig In A Poke: Mitch McConnell Refuses To Admit His Plans For Social Security

Pig In A Poke: Mitch McConnell Refuses To Admit His Plans For Social Security

"Mitch McConnell doesn't want to discuss what he'll do if reelected -- especially when it comes to Social Security:"

Watch Mitch McConnell Dodge a Simple Question About His Senate Agenda

http://www.newrepublic.com/article/119981/mitch-mcconnell-social-security-privatization-dodge-raises-questions
"he wouldn’t answer a straightforward question about whether the GOP will resume efforts to privatize Social Security, if they regain control of Congress."

Gov Chris Christie Refuses To Release Results Of Pay-To-Play Investigation

Gov Chris Christie Refuses To Release Results Of Pay-To-Play Investigation

"The documents being withheld pertain to an investigation of Charlie Baker's $10,000 contribution to the New Jersey Republican State Committee."

The Great Kansas Tea Party Disaster

http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/the-great-kansas-tea-party-disaster-20141023
"That word, "experiment," has come to haunt Brownback as the data rolls in. The governor promised his "pro-growth tax policy" would act "like a shot of adrenaline in the heart of the Kansas economy," but, instead, state revenues plummeted by nearly $700 million in a single fiscal year, both Moody's and Standard & Poor's downgraded the state's credit rating, and job growth sagged behind all four of Kansas' neighbors. Brownback wound up nixing a planned sales-tax cut to make up for some of the shortfall, but not before he'd enacted what his opponents call the largest cuts in education spending in the history of Kansas."

Debunking Chris Christie's Minimum Wage Nonsense

http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/debunking-chris-christies-minimum-wage-nonsense
"After Christie vetoed an increase in the Garden State, Democratic legislators put it on the ballot, and the voters approved raising the minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $8.25. Yet while four of the top 10 states in employment performance this year were among those that raised the wage -- specifically Washington, Oregon, Colorado and Florida -- Christie's New Jersey was not among them.
So bad was his economic management that New Jersey marked the worst performance of any state, period -- with a net decline in employment of more than 0.5 percent by last summer.
No wonder he's tired of hearing about higher wages. And no doubt working families are equally tired of hearing from him."

The Republican Party’s electoral philosophy: Cheating wins

The Republican Party’s electoral philosophy: Cheating wins

"To a large extent, the radicalism of the Tea Party and the Republican Party at-large is due to the fact that they don’t represent the population at large; they represent a primarily white and middle- to high-income voting bloc. And that’s how Republicans want to keep it; they know they can’t win in fair race, so like Dick Dasterdly and Muttley, they set all sorts of obstacles in their opponents’ way. Hopefully, much like Dick Dasterdly and Muttley, their plan will blow up in their faces: Voters will be so angry about Republican attempts to suppress the vote that they’ll turn out in even higher numbers."

'Koch Congress' Could Make Oligarchy Official

'Koch Congress' Could Make Oligarchy Official

"At a time when most Americans agree that the country has too much power in too few hands, the world’s two wealthiest men are only six seats away from seizing the Senate and consolidating their current control of the House. The result could be a full “Koch Congress” that further rigs the rules in their favor.

Libertarian billionaires Charles and David Koch have a combined net worth four times that of well-known Democratic donor George Soros, and one hundred times that of Tom Steyer.

This summer, participants in the Kochs’ secret billionaires’ summit pledged to raise $500 million to take the Senate in 2014 midterm elections. After four decades of funding front groups and an elaborate ideology they call “economic freedom,” the Kochs embody today’s emerging American oligarchy. No one else can even compare.

At risk are the rights of all Americans, especially women, workers, voters, veterans, as well as the protection of our rapidly warming Earth, since the Kochs’ end game is to defend their carbon based wealth by continuing to pollute politics and the planet for free. In all the noise of this election season, there has been little discussion of the fact that two billionaire brothers are about to have “power of the purse” over the world’s wealthiest nation."

First Look At A Mitch McConnell-Run Senate

First Look At A Mitch McConnell-Run Senate

"McConnell often talks out of both sides of his mouth, as he did when he stood on the Senate floor and claimed that Republicans were fighting against stagnant wages, and then turned around two days later and announced a plan to lower the wages of construction workersin order to fund the building of a new bridge in Kentucky. So much for looking out for the people that put in a hard days work."

Mitch McConnell Reminds Everyone He Tried to Privatize Social Security | The Nation

Mitch McConnell Reminds Everyone He Tried to Privatize Social Security | The Nation

"With less than two weeks to go in the Kentucky Senate race, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell made the unusual choice to bring up his past support for privatizing Social Security. In a speech before the Louisville Rotary Club, McConnell recalled how hard he worked to get then-President George W. Bush’s plan through Congress in 2005."

Mitch McConnell Won't Admit He Pays People To Attend His Rallies (Hint: He Does)

Mitch McConnell Won't Admit He Pays People To Attend His Rallies (Hint: He Does)

"Nothing new for McConnell, but when you're as flush with Koch money as he is this election his habits have just become even more blatant."

Scott Brown’s Big-Money Sellout

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/10/scott-brown-big-money-sellout
"As a state legislator, Brown bragged that he was someone who "bucks the system often." Today, he is relying on the system—dominated by millionaires and billionaires, overrun with money, and cloaked in secrecy—to get back to the Senate."

Christie’s gross confession: “Moderate” admits GOP’s voter suppression agenda

Christie’s gross confession: “Moderate” admits GOP’s voter suppression agenda

"Now it looks like Christie thinks the road back to the White House for the GOP is the tried and true path of voter suppression."

Rick Scott’s minimum wage nonsense: Watch the Republican humiliate himself with stumbling debate response

Rick Scott’s minimum wage nonsense: Watch the Republican humiliate himself with stumbling debate response

"Scott’s response was patently ridiculous and nonsensical, of course, but it’s worth noting that the minimum wage hasn’t kept up with key market measures like inflation and worker productivity"

AG Candidate Supports Reforming John Doe Law to Protect Politicians

AG Candidate Supports Reforming John Doe Law to Protect Politicians

"When asked how he would reform the John Doe law, Schimel cited a law passed by politicians to protect politicians in the middle of an investigation."

GOP Senate candidate exposed: How Thom Tillis helped banks shaft poor borrowers

GOP Senate candidate exposed: How Thom Tillis helped banks shaft poor borrowers

"A new report sheds light on how the North Carolina House speaker went to bat for his financial industry backers"

Christie Pretty Much Admits GOP Needs To Control State 'Voting Mechanisms' To Win

Christie Pretty Much Admits GOP Needs To Control State 'Voting Mechanisms' To Win

"Governor Christie pushed further into the contentious debate over voting rights than ever before, saying Tuesday that Republicans need to win gubernatorial races this year so that they’re the ones controlling “voting mechanisms” going into the next presidential election."

Financial guru Dave Ramsey: Jesus was wrong to say rich people can’t go to heaven

Financial guru Dave Ramsey: Jesus was wrong to say rich people can’t go to heaven

"The financial self-help author Dave Ramsey dismissed as heretics Christians who took Jesus at his word on his famous quote about rich people, camels, and heaven."

Corrupt Congressman Threatens Critics With More Corruption

Republicans Have Sold the Soul of the American Worker to the Devil Known as Corporate Greed

Republicans Have Sold the Soul of the American Worker to the Devil Known as Corporate Greed

"What Republicans have done is managed to convince tens of millions of Americans to sell the soul of this nation to the greed of corporate America all for promises that will never be delivered."

Billionaires Answer Call To Donate To Republican Super PACs For 2014 Homestretch

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/10/22/2014-republican-billionaires_n_6025488.html
"Billionaires are rushing to the aid of Republicans in the homestretch of the 2014 elections with a massive super PAC infusion after a plea from big money mastermind Karl Rove."

Chris Christie Says He's 'Tired of Hearing About the Minimum Wage'

Chris Christie Says He's 'Tired of Hearing About the Minimum Wage'

"Chris Christie, governor of New Jersey and potential Republican candidate for the 2016 presidential election, is facing criticism after he declared on Tuesday that he is "tired of hearing about the minimum wage"."

Spending for ALEC Member Tillis Breaks All Records in NC Senate Race

Spending for ALEC Member Tillis Breaks All Records in NC Senate Race

"The Kochs are spending big to advance the career of American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) leader Thom Tillis."

My personal Scott Walker travesty: Why I can’t make ends meet in Wisconsin

My personal Scott Walker travesty: Why I can’t make ends meet in Wisconsin

"I'm a personal care worker in Wisconsin who can't pay my water bill -- and here's what my governor thinks about it"

Businesses Agree—It’s Time To Raise the Minimum Wage

Businesses Agree—It’s Time To Raise the Minimum Wage

"The last barricades in the right wing’s fight to prevent increases in the minimum wage are starting to fall, as even the businesses that minimum wage opponents are supposedly protecting from having to pay a decent wage are saying, “Enough! It’s time to raise the minimum wage"."

GOP’s minimum wage disaster: How Chris Christie and Scott Walker are stepping in it

GOP’s minimum wage disaster: How Chris Christie and Scott Walker are stepping in it

"The GOP, it seems, is functionally incapable of talking about the minimum wage without botching basic facts or seeming downright insensitive. No, minimum wage hikes don’t kill job growth, and no, Joni Ernst, most minimum wage earners aren’t high school students who just need a little “starter wage.” The callousness caucus, though, will hear none of it."

Chris Christie Is So Tired Of Hearing About The Minimum Wage

Chris Christie Is So Tired Of Hearing About The Minimum Wage

"No, Chris, I'm sure what parents aspire to is having their son go to work as a Wall Street lobbyist, buy his way to a U.S. Attorney appointment and then lie his way into the state house!"

Purchase of Election by Chevron Shows We Have 'Oligarchy, Not Democracy': Sanders

Purchase of Election by Chevron Shows We Have 'Oligarchy, Not Democracy': Sanders

"The Independent U.S. Senator from Vermont Bernie Sanders was in the city of Richmond, California on Thursday and said local elections in the city have become prime examples of how U.S. politics, at all levels, have become corrupted by the unlimited amount of money wealthy corporations and individuals can spend on campaigns."

"More Money Than I Could Count": Mitch McConnell's Very Special Relationship With Lobbyists

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2014/10/mitch-mcconnell-k-street-lobbyists-senate
"There may be no Washington lawmaker cozier with K Street than Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.). DC law firms and lobbying shops are stuffed with ex-McConnell staffers and pals. And he uses them well to preserve his power and position."

Koch Group Sends Fake Voter Information To Discourage Illinois Voters

Koch Group Sends Fake Voter Information To Discourage Illinois Voters

"This is how they do it. Peel off a few votes here, and a few there. Send some fraudulent, official-looking forms out with incorrect dates to dead people, whatever. They might be caging, which is the act of sending mailings out to see what comes back, so they can challenge voters at the ballot box."

Public education, private profits: Inside a charter school power broker’s million-dollar scam

Public education, private profits: Inside a charter school power broker’s million-dollar scam

"In late February, the North Carolina chapter of the Americans for Prosperity Foundation — a group co-founded by the libertarian billionaire Koch brothers — embarked on what it billed as a statewide tour of charter schools, a cornerstone of the group’s education agenda. The first — and it turns out, only — stop was Douglass Academy, a new charter school in downtown Wilmington."

Raising the Federal Minimum Wage to $10.10 Would Save Safety Net Programs Billions and Help Ensure Businesses Are Doing Their Fair Share | Economic Policy Institute

Raising the Federal Minimum Wage to $10.10 Would Save Safety Net Programs Billions and Help Ensure Businesses Are Doing Their Fair Share | Economic Policy Institute

"Raising the minimum wage would lift incomes for millions of working Americans and their families, while providing budgetary savings in means-tested public assistance programs—savings that should be repurposed into either new programs or expansions of existing programs to further leverage the poverty-fighting impact of this spending. Raising the minimum wage is one simple and long-overdue step toward rebalancing the social contract so that the private and public sectors are more equal participants in improving living standards for American workers."

Pay to Prey: Governors Facilitate the Predatory Outsourcing of America's Public Services

Pay to Prey: Governors Facilitate the Predatory Outsourcing of America's Public Services

"While large corporations are the winners in this scenario, all too often taxpayers are the losers when transparency, accountability and the public interest are sold out to for-profit firms."

Companies Warn That Income Inequality Is Hurting Their Business

http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2014/10/15/3580001/retail-middle-out-analysis/
"After decades as the dominant economic theory in American politics, trickle-down economics is starting to lose its grip on the debate. For evidence of that slippage, look no further than the business community’s own communications with investors.
Two thirds of the largest retail companies in the country say falling incomes for their customers threaten their business"

Scott Walker Thinks $7.25 Is a Living Wage—He’s Wrong | The Nation

Scott Walker Thinks $7.25 Is a Living Wage—He’s Wrong | The Nation

"Worse yet, when the governor was asked about the issue in the first gubernatorial debate last Friday, he avoided responding to the issue. Pressed a second time by the panelist who had asked the initial question, Walker again refused to address the living-wage law or issues relating to it. He did not even acknowledge what his own administration had just done.

There are many matters on which Scott Walker has broken faith with Wisconsin. But few are so chilling, so deeply unsettling, as his disregard for the condition of the Wisconsinites who work full-time but live in poverty.

This is about much more than politics; Republicans and Democrats have historically respected Wisconsin’s living-wage standard, and it has served the state and its citizens well. Walker’s disregard for it marks him as a political careerist who is more interested in pleasing billionaire campaign donors from Kansas and New York than keeping his oath to “faithfully and impartially discharge the duties” of his position."

The great Republican tax cut scam of 2015

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/10/12/1335556/-The-great-Republican-tax-cut-scam-of-2015
"for over 30 years, tax cuts have been the GOP's one and only prescription for both economic booms and busts, recessionary slowdowns and budget surpluses, and probably even male pattern baldness and erectile dysfunction. Ever since Arthur Laffer first bottled his supply-side snake oil, the GOP's best and brightest have promised that the explosion of economic activity unleashed by lower tax rates would more than offset the tax revenue lost. That's why, as President Bush boasted, "tax cuts pay for themselves" and why, as former Arizona Sen. John Kyl lectured, "You should never have to offset the cost of a deliberate decision to reduce tax rates on Americans."
Of course, things didn't work out that way. In eight short years, President Ronald Reagan tripled the national debt. George W. Bush nearly doubled it again. (The Bush tax cuts made permanent in 2013 still continue to produce red ink into the indefinite future.) But Laffer's supposed supply-side miracle failed because it had to. To put it another way, the budgetary math simply cannot work. Which is why Paul Ryan and his Republican allies instead want to change the way math itself works as soon as they control both chambers of Congress. And if they succeed, voodoo economics will become a feature, not a bug."

What would happen under a Republican Senate?

These ballot measures may shake up your state

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/10/12/1335618/-These-ballot-measures-may-shake-up-your-state
"More and more of the important policy decisions are happening at the state level, whether it's via state legislature or via direct democracy."

Papantonio: What Republican Obstruction Has Cost

In Supreme Control: What do justices owe voters in exchange for taking their cash?

http://www.southernstudies.org/2014/10/in-supreme-control-what-do-justices-owe-voters-in-.html
"Judges raising campaign dollars, particularly from attorneys and firms likely to appear before them in court, is a scenario so obviously rife with the potential for undue influence and bias that it's been banned in most places."

What do the Koch Sisters Have On the Koch Brothers?

Scott Walker: We Don't Have A Jobs Problem, We Have A Work Problem

Scott Walker: We Don't Have A Jobs Problem, We Have A Work Problem

"Federal data puts Wisconsin in the 37th spot of all 50 states for new job creation and dead last among its Midwestern neighbors in job creation."

Workers file complaint against Walker admin.

Corporations Are Trying to Take Your Right to Complain About Their Products Away

http://www.alternet.org/economy/why-consumers-are-fighting-their-right-gripe
"Customers may unknowingly sign away their right to free speech by accepting the terms of service without reading the fine print. To prevent consumers from posting negative reviews, some companies are slipping non-disparagement clauses into contracts."

The Ayn Rand Self-Obsessed Cult Has Run Amok!

In 22 States, a Wave of New Voting Restrictions Threatens to Shift Outcomes in Tight Races

In 22 States, a Wave of New Voting Restrictions Threatens to Shift Outcomes in Tight Races

"Of the 22 states with new restrictions, 18 passed them through entirely Republican-controlled bodies."

Six States Where GOP Voter Suppression Tactics Could Sway The Outcome

http://www.alternet.org/election-2014/six-states-where-gop-voter-suppression-tactics-could-sway-outcome
"Anyone who pays attention to American election knows that the Republican Party’s favorite tactic to try on win on Election Day is to change the rules of who can vote and which ballots get counted."

The Supreme Court Approves the Country’s Worst Voting Restrictions in North Carolina | The Nation

The Supreme Court Approves the Country’s Worst Voting Restrictions in North Carolina | The Nation

"It’s the second time the Supreme Court has ruled against voting rights in the past ten days, after the court also overruled an appeals court decision reinstating a week of early voting and same-day registration in Ohio."

Mailers Sent By Koch Group Appear Designed to Misdirect Voters in Key U.S. Senate Race

Mailers Sent By Koch Group Appear Designed to Misdirect Voters in Key U.S. Senate Race

"the conservative advocacy group Americans for Prosperity Foundation (AFPF) sent to thousands of state residents that contained inaccurate information about voter registration."

Senate Candidate: Sending Jobs Overseas Is The American Way

http://thinkprogress.org/election/2014/10/07/3576809/senate-candidate-sending-jobs-overseas-is-the-american-way/
"Most business people who run for public office emphasize their record of creating private sector jobs for the people they hope to represent. But David Perdue, Georgia’s Republican candidate for Senate, is taking an entirely different tact: bragging about the jobs he sent overseas."

Sen. Warren draws distinction between parties for 2014 midterm elections

This Is A BFD: CFPB Shuts Down Incompetent Bank's Default Loan Services

This Is A BFD: CFPB Shuts Down Incompetent Bank's Default Loan Services

"another reason Republicans want the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to fail: Because they can shut down bad banks in a way the Department of Justice can't"

Senator Bernie Sanders Warns of the Dire Consequences if the Republicans Take Over Congress

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/pearl-korn/senator-bernie-sanders-wa_b_5926920.html
"Are you concerned about the need to raise the minimum wage to a living wage? The new Republican Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee could be Sen. Lamar Alexander, who has publicly stated that not only should we not raise the minimum, but that we should eliminate the concept of the minimum wage - which means workers in high unemployment areas could be working for $3 or $4 per hour."

David Perdue: 'I spent most of my career' outsourcing to Asia

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/10/03/1334092/-David-Perdue-I-spent-most-of-my-career-outsourcing-to-Asia
"Georgia Republican David Perdue has spent his Senate campaign defining himself as a businessman and a job creator. But if any Georgia voters were duped into thinking Perdue's business experience might help create jobs in Georgia, they should check out what he had to say about his career in outsourcing in a 2005 legal deposition"

Ayn Rand's Continued Influence Adds a Bizarre Twist to Conservative Politics

http://www.alternet.org/ayn-rands-continued-influence-adds-bizarre-twist-conservative-politics
"Almost seventy years after she first became involved in the American political process, Rand has finally made it into the halls of power. She has the extreme right wing to thank. Representatives Steve King (R-IA), Mike Mulvaney (R-SC) and former Rep. Allen West (R-FL) all tout her. Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) pitched her book on the Senate floor. Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) claims he’s not named after her; nobody believes him."

We Are Way Better Off Than We Were When Bush Left Office As Jobless Rate Falls To 5.9%

http://www.politicususa.com/2014/10/03/bush-left-office-jobless-rate-falls-5-9.html
"When Obama took office in January 2009, the country was in the grips of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression. That month, the unemployment rate stood at 7.8% and climbing. The next month, it rose to 8.3% and kept rising until it hit a peak of 10.0% in October 2009. However, President Obama’s stimulus package, along with other initiatives, helped create jobs and reverse the trend.
In 2014 alone, the unemployment rate has dropped by 1.3 percentage points and 1.9 million jobs have been added. Therefore, whenever you hear someone like Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) claim that “Obamacare is the biggest job killer in this country,” as he has done numerous times, you know he is completely full of it. Seriously, since the full implementation of the law last year, the country has added well over 2 million jobs."

Papantonio: Citizens United Has Ruined Democracy

EXCLUSIVE AUDIO: How the Koch Brothers Are Molding the Next Scott Walkers | The Nation

EXCLUSIVE AUDIO: How the Koch Brothers Are Molding the Next Scott Walkers | The Nation

"Walker has, since his 2010 gubernatorial run, been a top recipient of campaign contributions from the Kochs, and a beneficiary of the “independent” campaigns of Koch-fueled groups such as Americans for Prosperity. The Koch-Walker connection runs deep."

The Koch Agenda And The Republican Party: Why Won't They Answer The Question?

The Koch Agenda And The Republican Party: Why Won't They Answer The Question?

"This is the Koch agenda, laid out clearly and unequivocally at the Koch secret meeting in June, the agenda that Mitch McConnell found so inspiring. This agenda is so stark that since the news of his attendance at the conference came out, McConnell has either downplayed the meeting, contradicted what he said at the meeting- for example here on the minimum wage, or just refused to answer the question here and here.

McConnell isn't the only Republican candidate refusing to answer questions about their allegiance to the Koch agenda. The issue came up twice in the Joni Ernst-Bruce Braley debate in Iowa on September 28th, and Ernst avoided the topic entirely the first time, and defensively and immediately changed the subject the second time. And Con. Jim Jordan, another speaker at the secretive Koch conference, simply refused to answer the question as well."

Koch-backed Americans for Prosperity Busted Sending Out Misinformation About Voter Registration

Koch-backed Americans for Prosperity Busted Sending Out Misinformation About Voter Registration

"The North Carolina state Board of Elections is being swamped with calls from confused residents who were sent blatant misinformation about voter registration by the Koch brothers-backed Americans for Prosperity."

Chomsky: Corporations and the Richest Americans Viscerally Oppose the Common Good

www.alternet.org/visions/chomsky-corporations-and-richest-americans-viscerally-oppose-common-good-0
"The Masters of Mankind want us to become the "stupid nation" in the interests of their short-term gain."

Robert Reich: The Reagan revolution is killing America’s middle class

Robert Reich: The Reagan revolution is killing America’s middle class

"The real job creators are not CEOs or corporations or wealthy investors. The job creators are members of America’s vast middle class and the poor, whose purchases cause businesses to expand and invest."