President Obama’s political demise isn’t because of his ideas, or values or intentions. He simply stinks at negotiating. We first learned this during the health care debate. And now comes lesson number two, in which Obama has given away his second term, seemingly without even realizing it. Read more» 2

Leading Republicans in Congress are blaming the new health care law for double-digit rate increases being sought by insurance companies in Washington state, New York and Connecticut. But insurance regulators, leading health care experts and the companies themselves mostly blame an old culprit: rising medical costs. Read more»

The Bechtel Corporation. PriceWaterhouseCooper. The Tribune Company. These are not the sort of companies that immediately jump to mind when one hears the phrase “small business.” But if conservatives in Congress have their way, the owners of these behemoths of U.S. business are going to receive a tax cut next year—under the guise of tax relief for small businesses. Read more»

An AP-GfK poll has found that "the GOP is now leading Democrats on virtually every measure" except health care and social security, which is split nearly evenly. Read more»

Those asking for money include Arizona's John McCain, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and Rep. Mike Pence of Indiana. Also, Tea Party favorites like Sen. Scott Brown and Rep. Michele Bachmann. Read more»

Perhaps you’ve noticed that extending the Bush tax cuts is conservatives’ answer to everything. We understand why this is the case. After all, Dick Cheney defended a second set of Bush tax cuts following the midterm election by explaining, “This is our due.” Read more»

This campaign season, "bailout" is a dirty — and often misused — word. Those who abuse the word "bailout" aren't appealing to logic, or trying to describe what they oppose accurately. They are seeking to trigger a gut response in an audience inclined to recoil instinctively at the word, and hoping nobody stops to think or ask questions. Read more»

News outlets are reporting on the politics surrounding Medicare payments to physicians. Read more»

Do legislators vigorously back the agendas of their top patrons? Find out in this four-part series. Read more»

The latest strategy House Democratic leaders have considered for passing the health overhaul bill would allow lawmakers to approve a Senate-passed version of the bill without a direct vote Read more»

President Obama has told lawmakers to bring "comprehensive" ideas to a health care summit set for Feb. 25. Read more»