Keith Ellison

Last week the Republicans gathered under the hurricane skies of approaching autumn, their convocation punctuated by thunder and underlined by rain. But there are storm clouds over Charlotte, too: clouds of cynicism and despair, clouds of joblessness and fear, clouds charged with the ionized smell of burning hope and dying dreams. more »

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As online "Countdown Clocks" count the hours before there's a debt ceiling disaster, the spotlight is on the individuals and groups who can make or break a deal. We've heard a lot about the Senate's Gang of Six, members of the Administration, House leaders Boehner and Cantor, and the radical Tea Party Republicans who allegedly hold 'veto power' over any proposed deal.

But another group holds at least as much power as those radical Republicans, and it has the added advantage of representing views that are widely supporting by Americans in both political parties. That group is the House Progressive Caucus.

The media coverage is revealing. Tea Party Republican Joe Walsh holds no official position in Congress except that of a freshman Representative, and his economic views are far to the right of the American mainstream. Yet as we write this, a Google News search on "Joe Walsh" (excluding "guitar" and "Eagles" to eliminate "Rocky Mountain Way" Joe Walsh) gets 1,461 hits. Rep. Keith Ellison, on the other hand, co-chairs a large Congressional caucus whose support may be vital to the passage of any deal. Yet his name only gets 157 hits - a figure that falls even more when you eliminate references to his religion. more »

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A group of Democratic representatives has joined consumer groups- along more »

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We thought we'd write a little radio ad for the SAFE Banking proposal being put forward in the House and Senate. But this ad's not just promoting a policy - it's selling a litmus test. This amendment finally gives us a chance to find out whether those politicians who are giving great speeches about "too big to fail" and "no more bailouts" mean what they say or not. So imagine you're listening to the radio and you hear this ...

Financial reform: It's so confusing! CDO, MBS, CDS ... it's like alphabet soup out there! Sure, we hear politicians in the House and Senate say they want to stop "too big to fail." They say they don't want to bail out rich, greedy bankers again just so they can give themselves more fat bonuses. They all say that. Then they fight each other tooth and nail! How's a poor voter to know who's telling the truth? more »

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