Jonathan Zasloff

Really! Former Washington Monthly editor Amy Sullivan notes how Michigan’s Republican-controlled legislature agreed to allow anti-bullying legislation only if it contained an exemption for “a sincerely held religious belief or moral conviction”. (h/t Cohn) It’s obvious where this is coming from: Republicans wanted to empower evangelical bullies to harass gay and lesbian children on campus. […]

Really! Today is 11-11-11. Happens once a century. And of course, this 11-11-11 will be the best ever, because we have the best way to commemorate it: For those of you with younger children, you can celebrate this way: [Cross-posted at The Reality-Based Community]

…tens of thousands of children have died from the ongoing drought, and in fact, even though conditions have gotten worse, most of the international media has moved on to other things. One who has not is the New York Times’ Jeffrey Gettleman, whose report two days ago from the ground was horrifying. And westerners appear […]

In the middle of his evisceration of the House Republicans’ attack on the Affordable Care Act, MIT’s Jonathan Gruber notes that the attack claims that the ACA’s tax credits are a form of spending. But…but…but…Grover Norquist says that we cannot get rid of any corporate welfare tax credits because that is a tax increase! So […]

Well, not quite a chat, but a fundraiser at my colleague Ken Klee’s house. (Ken and Elizabeth are old friends, both being law professors who specialize in bankruptcy). There were about 30 people there. The obvious reactions are those that many have had: she is very dynamic and intelligent. She has thought through the campaign […]

Mitt Romney claims that he could. In the GOP President debate earlier this week, Romney said that because the Affordable Care Act was enacted via budget reconciliation, which cannot be filibustered, it can be repealed that way. Now, in typical Romney fashion, this is out-and-out false, because of course the Affordable Care Act was not […]

The other day I received an invitation from the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) for its annual fundraising dinner in Los Angeles. But what struck my eye was the icon in the middle of the invitation: “Walmart: Gala Chair.” Let’s be clear what it means to be a gala chair: it’s essentially […]

Via Andrew Sullivan, Jon Stewart’s take-down of multiple-choice Mitt is as good a short summary of the GOP’s front-running chameleon. But I can’t help but think that Romney’s transparent hypocrisy would help him in a general election campaign. Democrats should avoid making it the center of their 2012 anti-Romney strategy. First, it would detract from […]

For the third time this year, Republicans in Congress seem to be angling for a government shutdown. Not only will there be disagreements on funding levels, but the House will insist on attaching riders to appropriations bills preventing agencies from doing various things. I realize that this may come as a shock, but the House […]

Really. Explaining why the Republicans are rejecting President Obama’s jobs package, which includes things like rebuilding schools and spending on infrastructure like roads, bridges, etc., Cantor said: I think at this point Washington has become so dysfunctional that we’ve got to start focusing on the incremental progress we can make. Both sides have their desires […]