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Friday, 12 February 2010 |
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Large majorities of the population favor a public option for those who cannot afford insurance. Photo: Urban News
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by Michael Hopping
Prospects for major healthcare reform dimmed dramatically last month. Massachusetts Republican Scott Roberts won the Senate seat that once belonged to reform champion Edward Kennedy. Roberts’ election broke the Democrats’ shaky supermajority in the Senate and opened the way for a united Republican caucus to block Democratic initiatives with a threat of filibuster.
Congressional Democrats, aware of slipping poll numbers in favor of reform and fearful of a national backlash against incumbents in this fall’s elections, were undecided about how to respond.
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Friday, 12 February 2010 |
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South Carolina Senator Jim DeMint.
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by Moe White
Last month Jim DeMint, South Carolina’s junior senator, became one of the most powerful elected officials in America. He shares his power with former Rep. Dick Armey, who founded “Freedom Works” and its public face, the Tea Party movement.
Armey was the third-ranking Republican in the House during the Gingrich era, and he worked closely with Tom DeLay to ensure absolute loyalty from their rank and file. That method produced lockstep congressional votes for the George W. Bush agenda well into Bush’s second term, and allowed the Republicans to push through even the most controversial bills without compromise.
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