Common Blog

They turned democracy and our Constitution inside out in the U.S. Senate on Wednesday afternoon and nobody even flinched. Senators voted 54-46 in FAVOR of legislation to close a legal loophole that lets thousands of gun purchasers, including criminals and people with a history of mental illness, evade a background check that might prevent them [...]

Something truly remarkable happened Thursday on Capitol Hill. Senators agreed to talk to each other. Sixty-eight senators, eight more than required, voted to proceed with a debate on gun control legislation. Sixteen Republicans voted with 52 Democrats to proceed, while two Democrats voted with 29 Republicans to block debate. (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-fix/wp/2013/04/11/which-senators-voted-for-and-against-debating-the-gun-bill/) Now that the threatened filibuster [...]

News from Capitol Hill. A Senate subcommittee is hearing testimony this morning on the woeful state for enforcement of our campaign finance laws. The Federal Election Commission is one of the most important and arguably the most dysfunctional agency in the federal government. At the end of this month, all of its members will be [...]

The Sacramento Bee is reporting on the depressing, yet openly honest admission from a state Assembly Member who opened a new candidate campaign committee just to get around the contribution limits and raise money for other candidates. No joke!

(Crossposted from the Huffington Post) January 22, 2013 Dear Mr. President: Your inaugural address was an inspiring call to action by “we the people” to address the great challenges posed by economic inequality, climate change, immigration reform, human rights and security at home and around the world. I write to suggest respectfully that we cannot [...]