Once again, something is rotten in the people’s House. Earlier today, the Republican-controlled U.S. House of Representatives voted two hundred and ninety-two to one hundred and twenty-two to pass H.R. 992, officially titled the Swaps Regulatory Improvement Act. Like MSNBC’s Chris Hayes, we’re calling H.R. 992 Citibill because it was primarily authored by Citigroup lobbyists. It […]
Monthly Archives: October 2013
Posted inElections
Poll Watch: Tim Eyman’s Initiative 517 is sinking like a rock, new surveys show
It looks like our efforts to educate voters about the cost and consequences of Tim Eyman’s initiative on initiative (I‑517) are starting to pay off. Hurrah! The last two surveys to gauge support for Initiative 517 both show support for the measure dropping, and the most recent of the two — just released today — […]
Posted inEconomic Security, Policy Topics
Tentative deal averts grocery strike here; Bay Area’s BART work stoppage ended by accord
And now, for some good news! The United Food and Commercial Workers announced this evening that its negotiating team has been able to reach an agreement with Allied Employers on a new (and presumably fair) contract, thereby averting a strike against Fred Meyer, QFC, Safeway, and Albertson’s stores throughout western Washington. Meanwhile, down in California, striking […]
Posted inEconomic Security, Policy Topics
Know where to shop for groceries in the event that UFCW members go on strike
As of this morning, we are twelve hours away from a possible strike against Fred Meyer, Safeway, Albertson’s, and QFC by our brothers and sisters in the United Food & Commercial Workers, Local 21. The hardworking members of Local 21 are trying to negotiate a new contract with the big chains, but so far, they […]
Posted inHealthcare, Policy Topics
Marco Rubio is wrong: Setting up a website where people can buy something is not simple
This morning, Senator Marco Rubio of Florida appeared on Fox Noise Channel’s Sunday morning show to talk politics with Chris Wallace. One of the topics the two men discussed was the rollout of the Patient Protection Act’s online exchanges, which unfortunately hasn’t gone too well. (Many people have tried to use the exchanges, only to […]
Posted inAnnouncements, Elections, Meta
NPI launches BallotGuide.info, a microsite that demystifies ballot measures
On behalf of the team at here at the Northwest Progressive Institute, I’m pleased to announce this evening that we have launched BallotGuide.info, a new microsite designed to help progressive voters navigate the many measures on the 2013 general election ballot in Washington State. (Microsites, for those who don’t speak tech, are very small standalone websites […]
Posted inParty Politics, Public Service
House Speaker Tom Foley: 1929–2013
This morning, we lost a legend in Washington and U.S. politics. Tom Foley, who served the Evergreen State with distinction in the House of Representatives for several decades, died of complications from multiple strokes in the early hours of the day today, his family has announced. He was eighty-four. Foley, the last Democrat to represent […]
Posted inBreaking News, Economic Security, Policy Topics
President Barack Obama signs legislation to reopen government and avert default; federal employees directed to return to work
Our latest Republican-instigated manufactured fiscal crisis is over. Finally. From the White House, received moments ago: On Thursday, October 17, 2013, the President signed into law: H.R. 2775, the “Continuing Appropriations Act, 2014,” which provides fiscal year 2014 appropriations for projects and activities of the Federal Government through Wednesday, January 15, 2014. The effective time for the continuing […]
Posted inBreaking News, Economic Security, Policy Topics
U.S. House signs off on deal to reopen the federal government and pay America’s bills
An eleventh-hour agreement negotiated by Harry Reid and Mitch McConnell to reopen the federal government and pay America’s bills was accepted by the U.S. House of Representatives Wednesday night after top House Republicans admitted that their attempts to extract a ransom in exchange for simply fulfilling their basic responsibilities as representatives had failed miserably. With […]
Posted inBreaking News, Economic Security, Policy Topics
U.S. Senate votes overwhelmingly to reopen federal government and pay America’s bills
At long last, we finally have some decent news out of the Other Washington. By a vote of eighty-one to eighteen, the United States Senate has voted to approve legislation that reopens the federal government through mid-January and allows the U.S. Department of the Treasury to pay America’s bills through mid-February. More than half of […]
Posted inEconomic Security, Policy Topics
An open letter to the Pacific Northwest members of the House Republican caucus
Editor’s note: The following letter was transmitted by facsimile to the offices of Dave Reichert, Greg Walden, and Mike Simpson this morning. A slightly different letter was sent to Raul Labrador, Cathy McMorris Rodgers, and Doc Hastings, who are known for being hardliners. All of the aforementioned individuals represent (or purport to represent) portions of […]
Posted inUnscheduled Programming
Live from Whatcom: Senate Republican Transportation Listening Tour
It’s been a foggy day here in Bellingham, but the low visibility has not kept people from coming to the Bellingham leg of the Senate Republican’s listening tour, because this place is packed. As we covered earlier this month, Bellingham was not originally a place scheduled to be part of the tour, but the size […]
Posted inEconomic Security, Policy Topics, Public Planning
Tim Eyman gets an earful in Seattle after stepping to the mic to recite his talking points
Initiative profiteer Tim Eyman got a taste of what it’s like to be interrupted and heckled tonight when he showed up in Seattle to speak at the second to last stop on Rodney Tom and Curtis King’s transportation autumn “listening tour”, which has been traveling around the state since mid-September. Eyman, who was also at […]
Posted inEconomic Security, Policy Topics, Public Planning
LIVE from Seattle: Transportation “listening tour” comes to the Emerald City
Good evening from Seattle. I’m here at the First Presbyterian Church on First Hill, where a dozen members of the state House and Senate are holding a public meeting to talk about Washington State’s transportation needs. This is the latest stop on what’s been called a “listening tour” instigated by Rodney Tom and Senate Republicans […]