TPM Reader DG gets it …

So Democrats think they are better off facing Republican ads saying that Dems are going to increase taxes on all Americans by $3.9 trillion than Republican ads saying that Dems are going to increase taxes on the wealthiest 2% by $700 billion.

TPM Reader KK sets the stage:

If the reports are true that the Senate is going to close up shop without holding the damn votes on the tax cut proposals, I think it’s worth considering the double whammy the Democrats have set themselves up for.

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Bill Clinton says Dems should present a national platform for the midterm. See the video.

I mean, yeah. What an idea.

Sounds like some of the opposition to a pre-election vote in the Senate may be coming from some very unexpected quarters.

Dorgan on tax cut question …

“The question is when–it’ll be before the end of the year–and the question is what is extended, is it all of it or just up to $250,000. I mean, I think those questions need to be answered, and they certainly will be answered before the end of the year.”

Did Barbara Boxer really put the brakes on a tax cut vote in the Senate?

So now Republicans are talking up reconciliation as a way to repeal ObamaCare. You remember reconciliation, right? During the health care reform debate, Republicans called it a threat to democracy and to all that is right and good in the world.

But rather than focusing on the hypocrisy, Matt Yglesias makes the excellent point that this is the way it’s supposed to work: Read More

Karl Rove says O’Donnell ‘Handled The Witchcraft Thing Great.’

It looks like there was a big plan in the works by the tea party and the GOP to purge voters from the rolls in Wisconsin. The state GOP now says the plan has been shelved. Ryan Reilly takes a look at the details of the plan.

In our investigation into the growth of Sharia Law in the USA we came across some surprising findings. Numerous American cities now have one or more Muslim ‘religious courts’ in operation where believers go to adjudicate family law disputes, real estate transactions and various other matters according to Sharia Law by binding arbitration. These religious court verdicts can then be enforced by civilian American courts. Various states have also passed laws to codify Muslim dietary laws, though a few of these laws have been struck down. And numerous national corporations now process foods to suit Muslim dietary standards. Finally, one jurisdiction in New York has been settled entirely by devout Muslims; no candidates run for office except those approved by the local imam; road signs in the town are all printed in both English and Arabic; and various local practices have been brought into line with Sharia. Read More