Acerbic Politics

Republicans on Social Security - From Think Progress

SOCIAL SECURITY -- HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER PLEDGES TO PRIVATIZE SOCIAL SECURITY: In a interview this weekend with the Washington Times, House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-OH) promised to privatize Social Security. "If I'm around in a leadership role come January, we're going to get serious about this ," Boehner said. Privatization plans championed by Boehner and others would sharply cut guaranteed benefits and are opposed by the overwhelming majority of Americans . Nevertheless, Boehner is just the latest prominent conservative to reaffirm his commitment to privatize Social Security in the months and years to come. Last month, President Bush said, "If we can't get it done this year, I'm going to try next year. And if we can't get it done next year, I'm going to try the year after that," while House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee Chairman Jim McCrery (R-LA) argued that "Congress should make Social Security overhaul its top priority next year ."

Democrats on Abortion Rights - from Think Progress

Finding Common Ground

There is no issue as politically-divisive in America as abortion. But beneath the rancor, there is an opportunity to find common ground. At a speech yesterday at the Center for American Progress, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said "whether you are pro-life or pro-choice, there is no question that the rate of unintended pregnancy in America is unacceptably high. Half of the six million pregnancies each year are unintended, and nearly half of these unplanned pregnancies end in abortion." Poor women are "four times as likely to have an unintended pregnancy" than their higher-income counterparts. Meanwhile, the right-wing has blocked efforts to expand access to birth control, "threatened the existing coverage of contraception for women in 25 states," and "shown no interest in making emergency contraception available to victims of sexual assault." Reid called on members of both parties to "stop using abortion for political gain" and "start supporting common sense measures" to reduce the number of unwanted pregnancies and help women have health pregnancies and healthy babies. Reid's speech comes on a day when America -- from Washington D.C. to South Dakota -- seems poised to reject hard-right ideology and embrace common sense solutions.