Republicans claim that even though they used reconciliation in the past, it was not to pass partisan legislation. However, the facts confirm that under Republican-controlled Congresses, reconciliation was not limited to bipartisan bills and many of the reconciliation bills passed with thin margins and along partisan lines, including: the 1995 Balanced Budget Act, 2001 & 2003 tax cuts, 2005 Deficit Reduction Act and 2006 Tax Relief Extensions. Read the rest of this entry »

Republican candidates start the year by opening a nine-point lead over Democrats, the GOP’s biggest in several years, in the latest edition of the Generic Congressional Ballot. The new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that 44% would vote for their district’s Republican congressional candidate while 35% would opt for his or her Democratic opponent. Get full story here.