Everyone notices when Congress fails to do its job (for example, the government shutdown). It’s important to notice when they do things right. Over the past few weeks, the House passed a bipartisan compromise budget that will avoid going from crisis to crisis for the next two years. The Senate changed its rules to reduce abuse of the filibuster. And despite a lot of counterproductive rhetori... »
Matt Flamm, Candidate for Palatine Township Democratic Committeeman, wrote this letter to the Daily Herald: Cokie and Steve Roberts are half right (“Fallout from the ‘nuclear option’ in the Senate,” 12/3/13). They correctly say that “Republicans were totally unjustified in using the filibuster to block three of President Obama’s eminently qualified nominees to t... »
Matt Flamm, a Democratic activist and organizer for President Obama’s campaigns, is a candidate for Democratic Committeeman of Palatine Township. Flamm filed his nominating papers with the Cook County Clerk on Monday morning. Flamm is running to succeed incumbent Committeeman Sue Walton, who is not seeking reelection. “Under Sue Walton’s leadership, Palatine Township has changed ... »
Matt Flamm, candidate for Palatine Township Democratic Committeeman, has announced the formation of his campaign committee. “I am honored to have the support of so many public-spirited, progressive people,” said Flamm. The committee is chaired by Sue Walton, the incumbent Palatine Township Democratic Committeeman. Nancy Shepherdson and Lauren Beth Gash, Democratic State Central Commtte... »
Yesterday, the Illinois General Assembly voted for marriage equality. Governor Quinn will sign the bill into law. This is the kind of “good news” that shows us our society is moving in the right direction. Of course, there will always be dissenters like my State Representative, Tom Morrison (who defeated me in the 2010 general election). Tom is of the mistaken belief that allowing gay ... »
We pay too much attention to “bad news.” This includes government programs that aren’t implemented as well as they might be, inability of politicians to agree on even basic facts, and outrageous things said or done by extremists on either end of the political spectrum. We don’t talk enough about “good news.” This includes programs that accomplish what they were ... »
Tonight’s vote to end the government shutdown represents a watershed moment. The New York Times headline, “Republicans Back Down, Ending Budget Crisis,” understates the importance of this vote. The extreme right wing has controlled the Republican Party for too long. Using the so-called “Hastert Rule,” the most extreme members of Congress forced the rest of the party t... »
The editorial page of The Wall Street Journal has consistently followed the right-wing line, blasting the Affordable Care Act at every opportunity. Perhaps if they read their own paper, they’d sing a different tune. This Sunday’s WSJ contained an article titled, “How Obamacare Benefits Older Workers.” The article points out that, for older workers not yet eligible for Medi... »
The New York Times published an extensively-researched article about the “blueprint for defunding Obamacare” created “shortly after President Obama started his second term.” The plan was devised by the usual right wing conspirators: Tea Party Patriots, Americans for Prosperity, Freedom Works, the Club for Growth, and Heritage Action. Where did the money come from? Charles a... »
Robert Creamer, progressive organizer and husband of Jan Schakowsky, hits the nail on the head in this Huffington Post article. GOP Desperate to Defund ObamaCare Now Because They Know Its Popularity Is About to Skyrocket | Robert Creamer. It’s the same reason they were desperate to stop social security: once people get it, they’ll never want to lose it. They’ll realize that the ... »
