The Filibuster Is the Ultimate Excuse for Democrats
The filibuster saga isn’t simply about Joe Manchin. It’s about the Democratic Party overall, and their continued interest in allowing process to prevent them from governing.
240 Article(s) by: Andrew Perez
Andrew Perez is senior editor and a reporter at the Lever covering money and influence.
Nobody Should Be Celebrating the Affordable Care Act
Presidents Obama and Biden yukked it up this weekend in a video celebrating the Affordable Care Act. But the real thrust of Obamacare was always finding ways to pretend to address the health care crisis while protecting the health insurers fueling it.
Joe Biden Is Not Protecting Workers From the Pandemic
Joe Biden promised to safeguard workers in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. So far, that hasn’t happened.
Obama Labor Secretary Tom Perez Just Joined an Anti-Union Law Firm
Former DNC chair and Obama labor secretary Tom Perez just joined a law firm that brags about its lawyers who “regularly counsel and train clients on union avoidance” — another member of an administration that posed as “progressive” yet was anything but.
The Family That Created the Opioid Epidemic Wants Legal Immunity
The Sackler family behind Purdue Pharma became incredibly rich off of America’s opioid crisis. Now, they are trying to shield themselves from the punishment for creating that crisis.
Jeff Bezos Weaponizes the Washington Post Homepage
The Washington Post’s website — owned, of course, by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos — became a giant native ad Tuesday for Amazon. Bezos is using the paper as his personal megaphone to push back against criticism over wages and working conditions.
Corporations Are Still Funding the GOP Campaign to Roll Back Voting Rights
Many corporations made a big show of rejecting the GOP’s most reactionary leaders after the January 6 capitol riot. But records show that, post-riot, big business kept funneling millions to GOP groups to roll back voting rights.
Charles Koch Funded the Push to Lift the Eviction Ban — While Expanding His Real Estate Holdings
Billionaire Charles Koch has bankrolled the campaign to end eviction bans during the pandemic. At the same time, his company has been buying up real estate, giving him a strong financial incentive to kick tenants out.
Ronald Reagan’s “Welfare Queen” Lie Has Been Resurrected
To supply bosses with exploitable low-wage workers during a deadly pandemic, Republicans are reviving a grotesque lie: the myth of the “welfare queen.”
Pharma Giants Who Got Rich Off the Opioid Crisis Are Now Desperate to Avoid Accountability
New legislation aims to ensure the executives behind the opioid crisis are held accountable — which is why health care giants are now lobbying furiously against the bill.
Will Joe Biden Betray His Big Pharma Friends?
Joe Biden and many of his appointees have links to drug companies trying to delay and weaken the COVID vaccine patent waiver he’s now promising to negotiate.
Joe Manchin Mocked Bernie’s $15 Minimum Wage Bill at Lobbyist Event
Democrats Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema were at a closed-door event with restaurant lobbyists yesterday bragging about defeating the $15 minimum wage. Manchin even mocked Bernie Sanders for his efforts. It’s a disgrace.
Democrats’ Lies About Tax Breaks Sound a Lot Like Republicans’
Against the opposition of AOC and other progressives, key Democrats are demanding a tax break for their wealthy donors more regressive than even Trump’s notorious tax cuts.
Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin to Headline Event for Anti-Union Group Fighting $15 Wage
Weeks after voting to kill a $15 minimum wage, senators Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin will discuss “finding bipartisan solutions” at the conference of a major lobbying group fighting minimum wage and labor legislation. They know which side they’re on.
Never Trust a CEO Who Says They Want to Help
The Business Roundtable, a group of CEOs of major corporations, was lauded by mainstream media in 2019 for pledging to prioritize the common good over shareholders. Well, now they’re demanding to protect tax cuts that disproportionately enrich CEOs.
Democrat Blanche Lincoln Is Helping Big Business Avoid Paying Taxes
Blanche Lincoln, a former two-term “Blue Dog” conservative Democrat from Arkansas, is lobbying against increases in the corporate tax rate in Joe Biden’s infrastructure plan. It’s all about protecting the highly profitable business interests filling her wallet.
Joe Manchin Wants to Keep the Corporate Tax Rate as Low as Possible
West Virginia senator Joe Manchin is threatening to block President Joe Biden's higher corporate tax rate as part of Biden’s infrastructure bill — a move that could shield private equity firms whose executives boosted Manchin’s campaign and bet big on Trump’s tax bill.
Corporations Like McDonald’s Don’t Believe Their Own Anti–Minimum Wage Talking Points
Restaurant chains have told their investors that a minimum wage hike wouldn't be a big deal — even as their corporate lobbying groups in Washington fight plans for a $15 minimum wage.
Rahm Emanuel Wants Big Carve-Outs to a $15 Minimum Wage
Rahm Emanuel recently argued that states should be able to opt out of a $15 minimum wage. He’s being rewarded for it with a keynote speaking slot at an event organized by the National Restaurant Association, one of the key opponents of a minimum wage hike. Why won’t Rahm go away?
The Right Wing of the Democratic Party Is Playing Hardball. The Left Wing Is Not.
Conservatives in the Democratic Party are willing to go to the mat for the rich, to the point of threatening to take down Joe Biden’s infrastructure and climate plan. But the left wing of the party has not yet been willing to play the same kind of hardball for the working class.