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The Progressive Fix

Good News For Health Care From California, a Growing Backlash Against the Sequester, and Bloomberg Group Goes After Pryor

As the Memorial Day weekend gets underway, political news becomes quieter and more random. But there’s plenty of choice cuts for the grill “behind the…

The War on Poverty We’re Not Waging

Since 2000, the nation’s poverty rate has been creeping inexorably upward, from a near-historic low of11.3 percent in 2000 to 15 percent in 2011. But…

The President’s Counter-Terrorism Speech: Let the Endless Chatter Begin!

A day which began with more scandal-talk is now being dominated by the president’s remarkably wide-ranging “counter-terrorism” speech, just concluded.  A lot more “behind” than…

IRS Investigation Disconnects, Bernanke Lashes Congress, and the $33 Million Election Nobody Noticed

Despite the made-for-TV drama of IRS nonprofits director Lois Lerner invoking the Fifth Amendment to refuse questioning by the House Oversight Committee, that is hardly…

Tornado Politics, the Benghazi Investigation’s New Focus, and a Dilemma for the GOP

A horrendous tornado in Oklahoma holds politics very briefly at bay, but as the day goes by there’s more “behind the headlines.” 1. It took…

From 501(c)(4) Applications to Tax Audits, an Unmoved Public, and the Self-Exile of Mark Penn

After Friday’s Ways & Means Committee hearing, Beltway focus on IRS “scandal” continues unabated. But there are some shifting sands “behind the headlines.” 1. With…

Hearings Fish for IRS Misdeeds, Republicans Mull Scandal Strategy, and the House Gang Agrees to Disagree

After a wild week, political news settles down into a dull roar, amidst shifting assessments of Scandalmania “behind the headlines.” 1. The first day of…

A Government Takeover of Student Debt Won’t Solve the Problem

If you believe the recent blitz of student debt coverage, private student lenders are to blame for the economic woes of recent college graduates. Lending…

Obama Wins a News Cycle, Second Thoughts on Scandalmania, and a Possible Filibuster Showdown in Senate

President Obama responds to the three-headed hydra of “Scandalmania 2013″ on all fronts, and is awarded a “win” of the news cycle by Politico.  Figuring out what it…

“Triple Play” Hysteria, Rolling Heads at IRS, a New Impasse on Immigration, and the Return of the Fair Tax

The “triple play” of scandals (Benghazi, IRS, AP) is now dominating mainstream news coverage to a remarkable degree (there are currently thirty-six separate stories on…