Pete Buttigieg Is the Past

Paul Blest Oct 16, 2019 He may be the youngest candidate in the race, but as Tuesday’s debate made clear, the mayor's politics are as cynical as they are stale. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Truthdigger of the Week: Anonymous Obamacare Explainer

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Feb 10, 2013 Mindful of the bewildering complexity of the issues they report, the best journalists are also teachers who patiently explain the deep meanings and consequences of their findings in language literate audiences can understand. With the Affordable Care Act going into full effect in less than a year, a detailed lesson on how it will impact many Americans' finances is urgent.With the Affordable Care Act going into full effect soon, a lesson on its financial impact is urgent. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Congress Might Actually Make a Payroll Tax Deal Soon

Staff / Truthdig Feb 15, 2012 It's remarkable how political infighting in Congress can be resolved by a healthy dose of bad news from opinion polls. On Wednesday, the outlook for the Obama-supported payroll tax cut and jobless benefits bill that has been contested for months was suddenly better, and the timing was no accident. Above, Sen. Max Baucus, one of the legislative bargainers. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Senate Liberals to Majority Leader: No More Compromise

Staff / Truthdig Nov 17, 2009 Sherrod Brown and other progressive senators held a meeting Monday night with Harry Reid to let the majority leader know they don't intend to give up any more of an already weakened public option. (continued) Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Bill Clinton Urges Senate Dems to Support Health Care Reform

Staff / Truthdig Nov 11, 2009 Arguing that "the worst thing to do is nothing," former President Bill Clinton rounded up Senate Democrats for a talking-to about their upcoming vote on the health care reform legislation passed by the House of Representatives last weekend. Clinton emphasized the need for action and reminded his audience that "there is no perfect bill." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Attn. Senate: Most Americans Want a Public Option

Staff / Truthdig Oct 20, 2009 There may not be enough support in the Senate for a public option, as Finance Committee chair and health industry plaything Max Baucus contends, but according to a new poll, a growing majority of Americans wants one President Obama says . Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Health Care Reform Insurance Companies Can Believe In

Bill Boyarsky / Truthdig Oct 20, 2009 It’s now clear that health care “reform” is a bonanza for the insurance companies But these acquisitive businesses want even more Their efforts to increase their profits are at the center of the clandestine Senate and House negotiations currently shaping the health bill. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Public Health Before Wall Street Wealth

Robert Scheer / Truthdig Oct 14, 2009 There is an odd disconnect between the furious public debate over health care reform, with its emphasis on the cost of an increased government role, and the nonexistent discussion about the far more expensive and largely secretive government program to bail out Wall Street. The health care debate has become a convenient distraction from the far more pressing issues surrounding the banking meltdown. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Snowe Helps Baucus Bill Pass Committee Hurdle

Staff / Truthdig Oct 13, 2009 Maine's Olympia Snowe explained her vote for health care reform by saying "when history calls, history calls." It called, she answered, and now the Senate Finance Committee's Baucus bill, which would force Americans to buy health insurance without offering a public option, is off to get married to the more progressive Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee bill.Max Baucus' health care bill has passed the Senate Finance Committee, with the help of lone wolf Sen. Olympia Snowe. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Bribe, Vote, Repeat

Marie Cocco / Truthdig Oct 13, 2009 The votes of lawmakers are so routinely purchased by corporations that it takes a scandal of unusual proportions to generate news coverage.With corporate cash habitually sloshing into campaign coffers, it takes a scandal of unusual proportions to generate news coverage. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

The Poor Will Have to Wait for Health Care Help

Staff / Truthdig Oct 12, 2009 Democrats have lousy timing, according to the AP: "Under the Democratic bills, federal tax credits to help make health insurance affordable for millions of low- and middle-income households won't start flowing until 2013—after the next presidential election. But Medicare cuts and a sizable chunk of the tax increases to pay for the overhaul kick in immediately." Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Obama Pressures Senate on Public Option

Staff / Truthdig Oct 5, 2009 Like a reluctant Sisyphus, the president is still pushing the public option up Capitol Hill According to a report in the L Times, Obama has been trying to sell moderate Democrats on the idea That's no easy task, as many have taken gobs of money from the private health industry and coincidentally oppose meaningful reform. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )