Republicans

If you’re living comfortably in your upper class lifestyle, you’re going to love Ryan’s budget plan.

On the national stage tea party numbers appear larger than they really are. The House tea party caucus only consists of 49 members. And of the 100 members of the Senate only Paul and Cruz fit the 2010 tea party mold. But, most importantly, American public opinion does not find itself on the extremes.

It’s a popular analogy among fans of the political game to call Republicans the “Daddy Party” and assign “Mommy Party” to Democratic folk. Deadbeat dads are famous for withholding financial support from children. So Republicans seem to fit the mold here.

A minimum wage increase is enjoying broad support across the board among voters. Democrats are currently championing the cause and are in position for a major political victory if the legislation passes. Interestingly, research shows that voter turnout dramatically increases when the minimum wage is part of a ballot initiative.

If Republicans stop a wage hike at the federal level, they may be welcoming a barrage of minimum wage ballot initiatives that not only would allow states to forge ahead on their own, but also would increase progressive voter turnout.

A records request by ProPublica to the IRS turned up a list of the original funders of the group: Exxon, Pfizer, Time Warner, and other corporations put up at least 85 percent of the $1.3 million the foundation raised in the first year and a half of its existence, starting in 2003.

The dreadful awfulness of Rubio’s speech has unleashed a torrent of bizarre and unprofessional media coverage, all of which is intended to prove that Rubio gave a great speech.

The transportation bill passed the House of Delegates with only 53 percent of the vote, and only 12.5 percent of Democrats. The plan passed the House with 53 votes, of which just 4 were Democrats. This plan raises the gas tax by 5 cents and indexes it to the cost of the construction materials it takes to build roads.

Leahy: "In time when a terrorist attack in Algeria has led to security alerts for U.S. facilities abroad, House Republicans once again blithely torpedoed embassy security funds approved by the Senate."

Some of the states' few dozen data volunteers are so devoted that they log into the party database daily from their home computers. Deb Pitzrick, 61, of Eden Prairie, convinced a group of her friends to form the "Grandma Brigade." These women, in their 50s, 60s and 70s, no longer want to knock on doors for the Democrats. Instead, they support the party by gathering public information about other voters.