Let’s put the news that Alabama Representative Parker Griffith has switched from the Democratic Party to the Republican Party in its proper context: that of his policy behavior in the House of Representatives. In his consequential voting and cosponsorship behavior, it’s clear that Parker Griffith switched over to the Republican Party long ago. To his [...]

Rep. Michael Michaud of Maine won re-election in 2008 by a margin of 34 points, a pretty big margin. Such a margin gives Michaud a fair amount of latitude in the Congress to do as he sees fit. It’s also a sign for Democrats that the 2nd Congressional District of Maine is fairly secure, and [...]

On December 8, 2009, 4 major candidates are vying for the Democratic Party nomination for Senate in Massachusetts. Only 2 of those candidates strongly support a woman’s right to choose legal abortion. The Stupak Amendment to health care reform legislation in the House was added in order to prohibit any private insurance plan (even those [...]

On Saturday, November 21 2009, author and public advocate Lois Herr drew attention in her congressional campaign against Republican congressman Joseph Pitts when she appeared at a rally to speak against the Stupak-Pitts Amendment. This amendment, which would prohibit private health care plans paid for with private money from covering abortion, is a major effort [...]

Tim Ryan won election to Ohio’s 17th District congressional seat by a whopping 56 point margin in 2008. Such an overwhelming election result signifies that Ryan has quite a bit of wiggle room when it comes to policy. A landslide winner like Ryan could follow his policy dictates with a fair amount of free will, [...]

Republicans of a certain economic libertarian stripe fondly sing the praises of Rep. Ron Paul of Texas. They say he is the only politician who really, truly understands freedom and the need for free markets and free enterprise. They like to say that if Ron Paul were elected president, America would once again freely let [...]

Rep. Janice Schakowsky of Illinois stood in the floor of the House of Representatives this evening to speak against the health care bill amendment offered by fellow Democrat Bart Stupak of Illinois. Under this amendment, as Schakowsky explains, even women who are NOT national health care plan participants — women who are paying for their [...]

Tonight, Rep. Mike Quigley of Illinois took to the floor of the House of Representatives to declare his opposition to a health care bill amendment by Rep. Bart Stupak. The Stupak Amendment would make it illegal for any health care plan accepting any national health care plan participants to provide abortion coverage for anyone at [...]