Author name: davidswanson

McGovern: Reporter Made It Up, I'm Voting NO

By David Swanson

I just spoke with Keith Stern, communications director for Congressman Jim McGovern and asked him whether the report in Congress Now yesterday was true, that McGovern, who has been one of the most reliable members of Congress in opposing wars, would now be voting Yes on the war money.

Stern said: “That is absolutely untrue. We are trying to correct it. He is a No vote. We are asbsolutely livid about that. It could not be further from the truth. Frankly, the reporter just read more

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Panetta Panders to Power

By David Swanson

At his confirmation hearing, now CIA director Leon Panetta made clear that he believed a president can order torture, and said that he would not hesitate to ask President Obama to use torture “if we had the ticking bomb situation and I felt that whatever we were using wasn’t sufficient.” Panetta is, according to Michael Waldman, “one of the most honorable, decent, and principled people in government.”

Jane Mayer’s new profile of Panetta in read more

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Funding Wars Is Good for Babies and Your Garden

By David Swanson

The executive director of something called the National Security Network, named Heather Hurlburt, offers — I kid you not, and that’s really her name, so try not to hurl — Six Reasons to Love the Supplemental and Celebrate Progressives in Government.

Hurlburt begins with her own warning not to vomit:

“Usually, there are lots of reasons for progressives not to love supplemental spending bills. And I won’t argue that this one is perfect. But before you read more

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Senate Candidate from NY Jonathan Tasini Opposes War Funding

War And Peace

The majority in Congress in the past two elections has been elected to end wars. If you elect me I will put your money where my mouth is. I will vote against funding to support the continuation of foreign occupations. I will oppose any new wars of aggression.

I will vote No on every procedural vote to advance unnecessary wars and occupations. I will work toward the closure of US military bases around the world that are hurting our relations with other nations at great financial expense read more

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An Invitation to Join the Peace Movement

To: True Majority, Moveon.org, Open Left, David Sirota, TPM, Campaign for America’s Future, the Center for American Progress, and Daily Kos

The following groups and individuals are working very hard to block a war supplemental bill in Congress that would fund the continued war and occupation of Iraq and an escalated war and occupation in Afghanistan: After Downing Street, American Friends Service Committee, Nick Baumann, Brave New Films, Jennifer Brunner, Brendan Calling, Buzz Flash, Cindy read more

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The Last Temptation of Congress

By David Swanson

And now abideth funders, broadcasters, and party bosses, these three; but the greatest of these is the party bosses.

Everyone’s familiar with the corrupting influence on Congress of “campaign contributors.” Our system of legal bribery allows senators to openly tell us that single-payer healthcare is not “feasible” for people who want to get reelected, people whose campaigns are paid for by health insurance companies.

Most people are familiar with the read more

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The Rise of Single-Payer Health Care

By David Swanson, t r u t h o u t | Report


Single-payer health care supporters rally in Los Angeles in April. (Photo: Getty Images)

    Health care reform plans are being drafted and passed around on both sides of Capitol Hill, but the plan with the greatest number of Congress members behind it was first introduced as a bill six years ago. With two new co-sponsors having just signed on, Congressman John Conyers’s single-payer health care plan, HR 676, now has 80 Congress read more

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Congressional Heroes and Frauds

By David Swanson

Congress members know they were elected to end the war and that their constituents want them to follow through. Fifty-one Democrats recently voted against a war supplemental funding bill, knowing that the bill would easily pass. Now (because an IMF bailout scam opposed by all Republicans has been added to the bill) only about 40 Democrats need to vote No to block the war money. However, voting No when it could actually matter is very different from voting No for show only. We are read more

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Cheney's Policies Gone? What Planet Are You On?

By David Swanson

Greg Sargent is right to criticize Cheney and to ask him to go away, but then Sargent says this:

“[Cheney’s] media tour isn’t even about helping the current GOP. It’s narrowly focused on salvaging his own reputation by defending policies he championed that aren’t even operative or relevant anymore.”

Huh?

Republicans are upset about this, according to Sargent, but listen to this Republican from a hearing hidden away in the U.S. Senate a full 2 days ago:

read more

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