We got him …

White House (Photo credit: HarshLight)

just another rant …

My first thoughts when we first heard the news of the elimination of Osama Bin Laden was a great relief. Then a need to clarify that “I” am not into war or killing but this person killed thousands of Americans as well as thousands of others all over the World in a ways that cannot be forgotten and while friend’s family and or co-workers cannot come back, it is with a great sigh of relief that at least one head of terror has been eliminated. The news that folks want to see the photo is odd in my opinion because it will not bring back anyone’s family member, why not just trust our government took care of the world’s worst criminal. I am not sure it translates into getting out of Afghanistan sooner than what our President has announced and since there are questions about how much Pakistan knew before our Navy SEALs eliminated Osama Bin Laden our military may need to stay longer.

War is easier to declare than end and the consequences even worse …. remind your favourite member of Congress

Though we have pulled most of our troops out of Iraq, there are still thousands serving and protecting on behalf of all Americans. We still have Corporations in the private and or public sector companies … still not hiring enough as our slow recovery takes shape, or have changed the rules by limiting the work available as well as redefining what part-time means or is. The Democratic Party was voted out of the majority in 2010. Unfortunately, We had far too many public servants with personal agendas, Republicans, Conservadems, Tea Party or Tea baggers, who were only a small group a while ago have been able to put a few in the US Congress after the midterm elections. I was unhappy then but now somewhat pleased because the current nasty rhetoric, almost negative and or competing exchanges among themselves are encouraging if not telling.  Teapublicans clearly used the lack of jobs; an unstable economy to win Election2010, the distraction won them the House but not the White House.  While we were all watching, waiting the truth slowly unfolded and folks who voted them into office saw the ugly Teapublican agenda, which is that they are going after President Obama instead of creating jobs or a better economy. We all know this group has very extreme ideas about what they will do when on the floor of Congress and while the voters decided to send a message to the folks on Capitol Hill I am still confused about what voting against your best interest does for anyone but make things even worse. I was upset about it and as a member of the Democratic Party; feel people need to take control over their own ability to get good information and dissect it to make intelligent choices. The loss of the House, the things we all wanted as Dems, libs and or progressives were put at risk by all the “anger votes” made me sick. I want to believe people truly had no idea what was at stake and treated the midterms as the no big deal state based elections as per usual.

The only problem is, 4.7% of Blacks Women and Gay voters decided to lean right. The fact is, the 2010midterm elections mattered and will continue to as long as the TeaParty & Republicans grab onto more control of local city state and federal levels. My first thought was outrage then confusion that folks who usually support sometimes need support from the Government vote against their best interest. Only time will tell how much we all will suffer or for how long.

If that lean to the right in 2010 was a tantrum, you have to admit at some point that this is childish behavior. I would also say people need to stop whining and understand the governing process because if not we all will suffer for it and how selfish could someone be to hold their vote hostage or vote right of center just because they are angry is not only offensive but makes me wonder how American is that.

I will never understand anyone willing to vote against his or her best interests.

Media Matters for America: FOX and misinformation about Renewables

Despite Being Warned, Right-Wing Media Buy Into The “BS” Claims About Obama’s Spending Record
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told reporters not to buy into the “BS” of GOP-driven tax and spending claims and pointed to a Wall Street Journal MarketWatch column that noted that government spending is rising at its slowest pace since the 1950s. Far from heeding that advice, right-wing media figures relied on misleading economic talking points to attack Carney. Read More

Fox Serves As Mouthpiece For Mountaintop Mining Industry
In strikingly one-sided reports, Fox News assailed an anticipated regulation protecting streams from mountaintop coal mining waste. Among other misleading claims, Fox accused the Obama administration of punishing a contractor who said the rule would kill jobs, when in fact, extensive evidence indicates the contract was halted simply because the firm did shoddy work. Read More

Right-Wing Sites Baselessly Accuse WH Of Leaking “Classified Information” To Filmmakers
Conservative websites are claiming a new release of documents show that the “White House” gave “classified information” to filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal for their upcoming film about the Osama bin Laden raid. However, even the group that released those documents, Judicial Watch, does not claim that the “White House” gave Bigelow and Boal “classified information.” Read More

– Following relentless attacks on the solar industry in the wake of Solyndra’s bankruptcy, wind power has become the latest target of the right-wing campaign against renewable energy. But contrary to the myths propagated by the conservative media, wind power is safe, increasingly affordable, and has the potential to significantly reduce pollution and U.S. reliance on fossil fuels.

• What Is The Impact Of Wind Farms On Wildlife?
• Do Wind Turbines Affect Human Health?
• Can Wind Power Compete With Fossil Fuels?
• What Portion Of Our Energy Needs Can Wind Realistically Satisfy?
• How Would Switching To Wind Power Impact The Climate?
• Have Federal Incentives For Wind Been Effective?

Media Matters for America: Bin Laden, FOX, Right-Wing

Unlike The Right-Wing Media, General Petraeus Thinks We Should Talk To The Taliban Right-wing media are attacking the Obama administration for engaging in “direct discussions” with the Taliban over the future of Afghanistan. But General David Petraeus and other national security experts who have served in every administration since the presidency of Richard Nixon say that it is in America’s interest to negotiate with the Taliban. Read More

Contrary To Claims On Fox, Obama Has Repeatedly Thanked And Praised Troops Who Killed Bin Laden Fox News figures celebrated the anniversary of the operation that killed Osama bin Laden by attacking President Obama for not giving the military personnel that carried out the mission “the credit that’s due to them.” But Obama has repeatedly praised and thanked the Navy SEALs and other military and intelligence individuals who participated in the mission. Read More

Fox Promotes Deceptive Ad Accusing Obama Of Taking All The Bin Laden Credit Fox News figures are promoting an ad produced by Veterans for a Strong America that deceptively edited statements by President Obama to portray him as taking all the credit for the raid that killed Osama bin Laden. In fact, fuller context of the speeches that the ad excerpts makes clear that Obama did give credit to the troops for the bin Laden raid, a fact that Fox’s own Megyn Kelly has noted. Read More

Truth to Power … just the facts from Stephanie

The general election began in full force  …

In today’s tipsheet, we look at just how unsuited Romney is to handle the role of commander-in-chief and debunk the distortions he’s spreading about President Obama’s foreign policy record to cover up his own shortcomings. And if you haven’t heard what Mitt Romney said about Osama bin Laden a few years ago … well, you’re not going to believe it. Take a look, then pass these along:
#1 Video: One chance The President of the United States has to make some incredibly tough decisions as commander-in-chief. President Obama has shown he can make those types of hard decisions — never more so than when he ordered the operation against Osama bin Laden almost exactly a year ago. Would Romney have made that same call? Watch our new videoof President Bill Clinton talking about the responsibilities of a commander-in-chief and share it with others:

#2 President Obama vs. Romney on foreign policy Romney and his foreign policy advisors — who think that “Czechoslovakia” and “the Soviets” are still threats — have disagreed with the President on several key foreign policy decisions. Time and again, Romney has shown himself to be on the wrong side of many of these issues. Check out this postthat details five of these occasions, and share it with others:

We also released our latest installmentin a series of videos that compare Romney’s statements to reality, this time on foreign policy. Make sure people see this video:

#3 Romney vs. reality: Student loans edition In the surest sign yet that the GOP primary is really over, we saw Mitt Romney try to appear reasonable on something this week. He said he agreed with the President that we shouldn’t allow the interest rate for many federal student loans to double this year. The problem with that? It’s not actually true. Romney is a supporter of Rep. Paul Ryan’s “marvelous” budget, which would lock in higher student loan interest rates and cut Pell grants. Pass along our other Romney vs. reality videofrom this week to others and let them see if they can figure out where Mitt Romney stands on this issue:

#4 College affordability With the average cost of a four-year public college now exceeding $17,000 a year, students are worried about how they’ll pay for higher education. In this post, we show how Romney’s proposals would dismantle the President’s plan to make higher education more affordable for middle-class families. Share it with others and help show the clear choice voters have on this issue:

#5 Romney’s adventures with the truth If you’re detecting a common theme in these tipsheets, you’re right — Romney’s frequent struggles with telling the truth give us a lot to cover. This week, we wrote a post that chronicles many of Romney’s whoppers, including this one that’s laden with irony: “If I’m President of the United States, with your help, I will tell the truth.” Check out this list, and make sure others see it, too:

#6 Five steps President Obama has taken to protect our environment Earth Day was this past weekend, which was a good time to note some of steps the President has taken to help protect the environment. Show others the environmental progress we’ve made over the past few years by sharing this post:

Thank you, as always, for your help.
Until next time,
Stephanie
P.S. — In case you missed it, President Obama got creative in making his point about student loan interest this week.

Harry Reid Senate Dems and Congress in the Newsroom … May 2012

Reid: Republicans Deny War On Women, Then Oppose Legislation To Help Women Achieve Equal Pay For Equal Work

Reid Statement On Nomination Of Dr. Allison Macfarlane To Chair The Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Reid Statement On CBO Report

Reid: Bill To Enable Better Communication Between Manufacturers, FDA Will Prevent Drug Shortages And Save Lives

Reid: Republican Obstruction, Infighting Threaten More Bipartisan Legislation

Reid Statement On Chairman Dr. Gregory Jaczko

Reid: Bipartisan FDA Bill Will Ease Drug Shortages And Speed Life-Saving Medicines To Market

Reid Statement On Judicial Ruling Against Union Election Rules

Reid: Time Republicans Waste Refighting Old Battles Could Be Spent Creating Jobs

Reid: Republicans Should Drop Filibuster, Join Democrats To Reauthorize The Export-Important Bank Without Delay

Schumer Statement On Speaker Boehner’s Threat To Wage Another Showdown Over Debt Ceiling

Washington Post: Boehner Is “Setting The Stage For Another Tense Standoff” Over Debt Limit

Reid: Export-Import Bank Helps American Companies Succeed In Global Economy, Hire Workers Here At Home

Reid Statement On Mother’s Day

Reid On Department Of Justice Civil Rights Lawsuit Against Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio

Reid: Republicans Should Put Aside Ideological Extremism, Cooperate With Democrats To Create Jobs

Reid Statement On Marriage Equality

Reid: Democrats Will Not Go Back On Tough But Balanced August Budget Deal To Benefit Billionaires, Defense Contractors

Reid Statement On House Republican Attempts To Undo Last Summer’s Budget Deal

Reid Statement On President Obama’s Legislative Priorities For Job Creation

Reid Statement On Republican Obstruction Of Bill To Prevent Student Loan Interest Rates From Doubling

Reid: If Republicans Truly Share Democrats’ Goal Of Keeping Student Loans Affordable, They Will End Needless Filibuster

Reid Marks One Year Since The Mission Against Osama bin Laden

Reid: America Can’t Afford To Put Higher Education Out Of Reach For 7 Million Students

the Progress Report :3 Charts for May Day

THREE Charts For May Day

By         ThinkProgress War Room              on May 1, 2012 at 5:49 pm

Why Our Economy Isn’t Working for Workers

Today is May Day, an international holiday honoring workers.  Unfortunately, our economy — and its tax code rigged to benefit the wealthiest few — isn’t working for many workers.

ThinkProgress’ Annie-Rose Strasser highlights three charts showing why we need an economy that works for everyone, not more conservative policies that give all of the benefits to the wealthy in the vain hope that some of it will trickle down to the rest of us.

1. The 99 percent are extremely productive workers, but aren’t compensated for their productivity. While productivity has been on the rise among workers, average wage and compensation has remained nearly flat. That means while workers are producing more, they’re being compensated the same. This chart from the Economic Policy Institute details the change:

2. Corporations don’t notice income inequality, but workers sure do. The 99 percent may be pivotal in the productivity of a company, but they aren’t reaping any of the benefits of success. This chart from the New York Times illustrates exactly how companies profit while workers do not:

3. Workers who don’t organize are getting the short end of the stick. While productivity goes up and wages stay flat, the middle class sees itself shrinking. This income inequality is in direct correlation to union participation. As union membership falls, the middle class shrinks.

Evening Brief: Important Stories That You May Have Missed

Why Mitt Romney’s latest attempt to explain away his previous statements on killing Osama bin Laden is also wrong.

Can you be fired for “liking” a Facebook page? One federal judge has ruled that yes, you can be.

New Mexico ALEC Co-Chair is surprisingly candid and on the record about the shadowy group.

Religious groups, dioceses, churches fund anti-gay initiative in North Carolina.

An intellectual debate…between two superhero movies?

A report from a key committee in the UK Parliament says Rupert Murdoch is “not a fit person” to run a company.

Sen. Scott Brown (R-MA) wants to repeal ObamaCare, but is happy to reap its benefits.

House Republicans demand offsets for everything else, but won’t offer any spending cuts to pay for an extension of the Bush tax cuts for the wealthy.

Mitt Romney thinks it is “inappropriate” to suggest he meant what he said.

Other recent Progress Reports

Apr 30, 2012: The Facts About The Death of Osama bin Laden

Obama: “I Said That We’d Go After bin Laden if We Had a Clear Shot at Him and I Did.” This week marks the one-year anniversary of the death of Osama bin Laden. The president’s campaign has taken the opportunity to remind the American people of one of his greatest achievements, as well as Mitt [...]

Apr 27, 2012: The Latest GOP Assaults on Women

The Republican War on Women Is Only Getting Bigger While continuing to deny there is any such thing, the Republicans continue their all-out war on women, their health care, and their families. Here’s the latest. All of the Senators Voting Against the Violence Against Women Act Were Republican Men Yesterday, the Senate passed the Violence [...]

Apr 26, 2012: Did You Like George W. Bush’s Foreign Policy?

Mitt Romney’s Misguided, Mistaken, and Misbegotten Foreign Policy Today, Vice President Biden gave a speech at New York University laying out a broad attack on Mitt Romney — a candidate whose only foreign policy experience comes from shipping jobs overseas — and his approach to foreign policy.  Biden said that Romney was relying on the [...]

Apr 25, 2012: INFOGRAPHIC: What You Need To Know About The Violence Against Women Act

Will Republicans Really Oppose the Violence Against Women Act? As soon as the Senate finishes a massive postal reform bill, it is expected to take up a bill to reauthorize the landmark Violence Against Women Act. Shockingly, as we discussed last week, some Republicans are actually opposed to this vital legislation.  House Republicans already refused [...]

Media Matters for America : Oklahoma, Tax Rate and more

How Oklahoma’s Largest Newspaper Distorts The Facts About Fracking The Oklahoman‘s straight news coverage of the controversial natural gas extraction process of hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) has been slanted in favor of the process under the ownership of energy tycoon Philip Anschutz, who acquired the paper in September 2011. The paper’s opinion page has been one-sided — devoid of voices warning readers about the potential health risks and environmental dangers of loosely regulated fracking activities. Read More

The Truth About The U.S. Corporate Tax Rate The Right-Wing Media Doesn’t Want You To Know Nobel-prize winning economist Paul Krugman rebutted the right-wing talking point claiming the U.S. has the highest corporate tax rate in the world. He’s right: Studies have concluded that U.S. rates are similar to other countries, and the Congressional Research Service  has found that a reduction in corporate taxes would have a limited impact on growth. Read More

Fox Uses Misleading Numbers To Attack Obama’s Economic Record Mocking the Obama campaign‘s “Forward” slogan, Fox News displayed a graphic purporting to show that the economy has worsened under President Obama. But the data in the graphic hide the economic recovery under Obama and ignore the effect of the economic downturn and fiscal policies that started under President Bush. Read More

Obama Derangement Syndrome: The Right Attacks Obama For Visiting Troops In Afghanistan President Obama today made a surprise visit to Afghanistan to speak with U.S. troops and meet with Afghan President Hamid Karzai to sign a “Strategic Partnership Agreement.” The right-wing media have responded by claiming that the visit constitutes an example of Obama “spiking the football” and “celebrating” the death of Osama bin Laden. Read More

the Progress Report: Osama bin Ladan

The Facts About The Death of Osama bin Laden

By         ThinkProgress War Room

Obama: “I Said That We’d Go After bin Laden if We Had a Clear Shot at Him and I Did.”

This week marks the one-year anniversary of the death of Osama bin Laden. The president’s campaign has taken the opportunity to remind the American people of one of his greatest achievements, as well as Mitt Romney’s very different record on the issue. As a result, the Romney campaign and some in the media like Arianna Huffington have accused the president of “politicizing” the occasion.

Here are the facts.

• FACT: President Bush turned his focus toward Iraq and the trail for Osama bin Laden went “stone cold.”

Just a few months after we were attacked on 9/11, President Bush remarked:

Who knows if he’s hiding in some cave or not. We haven’t heard from him in a long time. The idea of focusing on one person really indicates to me people don’t understand the scope of the mission. Terror is bigger than one person. He’s just a person who’s been marginalized. … I don’t know where he is. I really just don’t spend that much time on him, to be honest with you.

The Bush administration, of course, blew a huge opportunity to capture bin Laden early in the War in Afghanistan when bin Laden was allowed to escape from Tora Bora after pleas from commanders and intelligence officials for more resources were rebuffed by top Bush national security officials. In 2005, Bush passed on a mission to capture “senior members of Al Qaeda” in 2005 because “it was too risky and could jeopardize relations with Pakistan.” Later that year, the CIA shuttered its bin Laden unit entirely as part of a broader shift in resources toward Iraq. By 2006, Bush told Fred Barnes of the Weekly Standard that capturing bin Laden was “not a top priority use of American resources.” By late 2006, bin Laden’s trail had gone “stone cold.”

See the complete bin Laden timeline here.

• FACT: President Obama ordered the military to kill Osama bin Laden and Osama bin Laden is dead.

During the 2008 campaign, the president promised that “if we have actionable intelligence about high-level al Qaeda targets in Pakistan’s border region, we must act if Pakistan will not or cannot.” During an October 2008 debate with Sen. John McCain (R-AZ), the president stated:

We will kill bin Laden. We will crush al Qaeda. That has to be our biggest national security priority.

As he brought the Iraq War to a responsible end, the president refocused attention back toward the terrorists that attacked us on 9/11 and those who still seek to do us harm. Making good on his promise, President Obama made the decision to order a daring raid into Pakistan and brave members of our military killed Osama bin Laden.

• FACT: In 2007, Mitt Romney publicly attacked Obama for proposing the very tactic that ultimately killed bin Laden.

In 2007, Mitt Romney injected himself into the Democratic primary campaign and criticized Barack Obama for vowing to go after “high-value intelligence targets” in Pakistan with or without permission. Romney said, “I do not concur in the words of Barack Obama in a plan to enter an ally of ours.” Here was the August 4, 2007 headline from Reuters:

While Romney claimed today that “of course” he would have also ordered the raid to kill bin Laden, he attacked the president in 2007 for vowing to do just that.

• FACT: Mitt Romney called killing Osama bin Laden “insignificant” and said it wasn’t “worth moving Heaven and Earth.”

In April 2007, Romney said, “It’s not worth moving heaven and earth spending billions of dollars just trying to catch one person.” According to the Associated Press, Romney also said “the country would be safer by only ‘a small percentage’ and would see ‘a very insignificant increase in safety’ if al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden was caught because another terrorist would rise to power.”

At a press conference earlier this afternoon, President Obama addressed the issue in response to a question from a reporter:

As far as my personal role and what other folks would do, I just recommend that everybody take a look at people’s previous statements in terms of whether they thought it was appropriate to go into Pakistan and take out bin Laden. I assumed that people meant what they said when they said it, that’s been at least my practice. I said that we’d go after bin Laden if we had a clear shot at him and I did. If there are others who have said one thing and now suggested they’d do something else, then I’d go ahead and let them explain it.

Watch it:

IN ONE SENTENCE: President Obama ordered the raid into Pakistan that killed Osama bin Laden — the very same thing Mitt Romney once publicly denounced then-candidate Obama for saying he would do.

Other recent Progress Reports

Apr 27, 2012: The Latest GOP Assaults on Women

The Republican War on Women Is Only Getting Bigger While continuing to deny there is any such thing, the Republicans continue their all-out war on women, their health care, and their families. Here’s the latest. All of the Senators Voting Against the Violence Against Women Act Were Republican Men Yesterday, the Senate passed the Violence [...]

Apr 26, 2012: Did You Like George W. Bush’s Foreign Policy?

Mitt Romney’s Misguided, Mistaken, and Misbegotten Foreign Policy Today, Vice President Biden gave a speech at New York University laying out a broad attack on Mitt Romney — a candidate whose only foreign policy experience comes from shipping jobs overseas — and his approach to foreign policy.  Biden said that Romney was relying on the [...]

Apr 25, 2012: INFOGRAPHIC: What You Need To Know About The Violence Against Women Act

Will Republicans Really Oppose the Violence Against Women Act? As soon as the Senate finishes a massive postal reform bill, it is expected to take up a bill to reauthorize the landmark Violence Against Women Act. Shockingly, as we discussed last week, some Republicans are actually opposed to this vital legislation.  House Republicans already refused [...]

Apr 24, 2012: Will Republicans Stick It To Students? (Again.)

Will the GOP Force Students & Their Families to Take on Even More Debt? As it stands now, the interest rate on loans for many students will DOUBLE come July 1.  This change would impact more than 7.4 MILLION students, forcing them to pile on even more debt at time when student debt is already [...]

the Progress Report – Mitt Can’t Erase Everything … it’s caught on tape

By ThinkProgress War Room

TEN Outrageous Positions That Mitt Romney Can’t Erase

Yesterday, Mitt Romney’s top adviser, Eric Fehrnstrom, explained the Romney campaign’s strategy for the general election: try and erase all of Romney’s extreme right-wing positions. Watch it:

HOST: Is there a concern that Santorum and Gingrich might force the governor to tack so far to the right it would hurt him with moderate voters in the general election?

FEHRNSTROM: Well, I think you hit a reset button for the fall campaign. Everything changes. It’s almost like an Etch A Sketch. You can kind of shake it up and restart all of over again.

Here’s ten outrageous positions that Mitt Romney won’t be able to shake off no matter how hard he tries.

Mitt Romney supports…

• ending Medicare in order to pay for tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and corporations.
• slashing Social Security in order to pay for tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and corporations.
• a tax cut package FOUR TIMES larger than the Bush tax cuts that slashes taxes on the wealthy and corporations by trillions of dollars while raising them on the poorest Americans.
• extreme anti-immigrant laws in states across the country and he has promised to veto the DREAM Act.
• ending funding for cancer screenings for low-income women and wants to “get rid of” Planned Parenthood funding.
• the extreme Blunt amendment that would put your boss in your bedroom — and in between you and your doctor.
• repealing new rules that crackdown on Wall Street oil speculators and wants to let the banks go back to playing by their own set of rules.

Mitt Romney opposed…

• saving the American auto industry.
• the strategy that killed Osama bin Laden.
• finally bringing the Iraq War to a responsible end.

Evening Brief: Important Stories That You May Have Missed

After public outcry, the Idaho House Republican majority put a forced-ultrasound bill on hold.

The Republican-controlled New Hampshire House of Representatives overwhelmingly voted to preserve marriage equality.

Former George W. Bush and Obama administration Secretary of Defense Robert Gates says attacking Iran would be “a catastrophe.”

In 2006, Romney supported higher gasoline prices to reduce consumption. Now he wants to Etch-a-Sketch this fact away.

Rep. Paul Ryan’s (R-WI) $3 trillion giveaway to the rich and corporations nearly dies in committee.

The Senate GOP wants Trayvon Martin’s killer to be able to carry a concealed firearm in nearly every state.

Etch A Sketch company’s stock up over 240 percent.

Republican primary voters embrace government. No, really.

Karl Rove: Obama order to get Osama bin Laden not an ‘epic‘ achievement.’

Other recent Progress Reports

Mar 21, 2012: Jim Crow Redux? Why Millions May Be Denied The Right To Vote In 2012

Last year, Republicans opened up an attack on voting rights unseen since the Jim Crow era. In states as varied as Kansas, South Carolina, and Wisconsin, conservative legislators passed a range of new laws directly intended to make it more difficult to vote. Voter ID laws, which require certain forms of government-issued photo ID in [...]

Mar 20, 2012: The Tragedy Of Trayvon Martin

On February 26, 2012, a 17-year-old African-American named Trayvon Martin was shot and killed in Sanford, Florida. The shooter was George Zimmerman, a 28-year-old man. Zimmerman admits killing Martin, but claims he was acting in self-defense. Florida’s “Stand Your Ground” law, passed in 2005, allows people to use deadly force if they believe they’re in [...]

Mar 19, 2012: The 9-Year Lesson From Iraq

Today marks the ninth anniversary of the beginning of the Iraq war. The final convoy of U.S. troops withdrew from Iraq on December 18, marking the end of the U.S.’s major troop presence in Iraq. The end of the Iraq war relieved a major strain on the U.S. military and permitted the Pentagon to shift [...]

Mar 16, 2012: The Fight With Flat-Earthers

The Republicans on the campaign trail continue to hit President Obama for failing to act to offset high gas prices despite several conservative groups conceding that there is little a president can do to affect short term costs. Newt Gingrich’s gimmicky pledge to bring $2.50 gallon/gas has been derided by Obama, conservative commentators, and even [...]

the Progress Report … The Facts: #SOTU … read them

FACTS: The State of Our Union

By ThinkProgress War Room on Jan 24, 2012 at 4:44 pm

NINETEEN Facts You Ought to Know Ahead of Tonight’s Speech

Tonight, President Obama will deliver his third State of the Union address. He will lay out a sweeping vision of what’s a stake for the middle class (more than ever) and two visions for the economy: an economy that works for everyone, not just a wealthy few or an economy where the game continues to be rigged for the rich and the middle class falls further behind.

ThinkProgress’ Judd Legum rounds up 19 essential facts you should know before tonight’s speech:

• Since the last SOTU, the economy has created 1.9 million private sector jobs. [Source]

• The top 1 percent take home 24 percent of the nation’s income, up from about 9 percent in 1976. [Source]

• Private sector job creation under Obama in 2011 was larger than seven out of the eight years Bush was president. [Source]

• The top 1 percent of Americans own 40 percent of our country’s wealth while the bottom 80 percent owns only 7 percent. [Source]

• Thanks to the Affordable Care Act, 2.5 million young adults gained health insurance. [Source]

• For every one job opening, there are four people looking for work. [Source]

• Last year, China spent 9 percent of its GDP on infrastructure. The U.S. spent 2.5 percent. [Source]

• 2.65 million seniors saved an average of $569 on prescriptions last year thanks to the Affordable Care Act. [Source]

• “In 2011, the United States killed Al Qaeda’s most effective propagandist, Anwar al-Awlaki; its operating chief, Atiyah Abd al-Rahman; and of course its founder, chief executive and spiritual leader, Osama bin Laden.” [Source]

• Union membership is at a 70-year low. [Source]

• Unemployment benefits have lifted 3.2 million people out of poverty. [Source]

• The United States used to have the world’s largest percentage of college graduates. We’re now #14. [Source]

• One quarter of all contributions to federal campaigns come from 0.01 percent of Americans. [Source]

• 47.8 percent of households that receive food stamps are working, because having a job is not enough to keep them out of poverty. [Source]

• In the last three years, 30 major corporations spent more on lobbying than they paid in taxes. [Source]

• 50 percent of U.S. workers make less than $26,364 per year. [Source]

• More than one in 70 homes faced foreclosure last year. [Source]

• Oil and gas jobs increased by 75,000 under President Obama. [Source]

• Since 1985, the federal tax rate for the 400 wealthiest Americans dropped from 29 percent to 18 percent. [Source]

BONUS CHART: The Cost of the Iraq War v. Libya

Evening Brief: Important Stories You May Have Missed

We don’t need more foreign oil and gas, say John Podesta and Tom Steyer.

Newt Gingrich was wrong when he said the White House canceled a joint U.S.-Israeli military exercise.

Younger Americans are less likely to be uninsured as a result of health care reform.

According to a new study, women are 14 times more likely to die during childbirth than during an abortion.

AFL-CIO head Richard Trumka has joined calls for an investigation into big banks.

Mitt Romney makes more in one day than the average American makes in a year, all while paying a lower rate than millions of middle class Americans.

Gingrich claims entrepreneurship is understood “by most of the Asians, partially by Latinos,” and to a “small degree” by African Americans.

What the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau has done for you already.

The Supreme Court lays a marker against police sticking GPS tracking devices on suspect’s cars.

Other recent Progress Reports

Jan 23, 2012: VIDEO: Mitt Romney’s Greatest Hits — Sympathy For The Corporation

Mitt’s Most Out of Touch Moments Evening Brief: Important Stories That You May Have Missed Mitt Romney has lost independent voters to his rivals in all three early contests and performs poorly with all but high-income earners. If the feds can shut down Megaupload, why do we need SOPA? 61 percent of Americans say making [...]

Jan 20, 2012: Huge Victory for Women (and Men Too)!

Obama Administration Guarantees Near Universal Contraception Coverage Women’s groups were outraged by a recent Obama administration decision to limit access to the Plan B morning after pill, but today they are smiling. After months of anticipation and debate, the Obama administration today announced a huge victory for women’s health — near universal, no-cost coverage of [...]

Jan 19, 2012: Mitt Romney’s TOP FIVE Tax Giveaways to the Rich

The Loopholes & Giveaways Mitt Loves to Love While much attention has focused on Mitt Romney’s own shockingly low tax rate — a 15 percent rate far lower than that paid by millions of middle class Americans, less attention has been paid to the details of his tax plan. It’s a plan that would slash [...]

Jan 18, 2012: Romney Tax Plan: Cut Mitt Romney’s Taxes Nearly In Half

A $4 MILLION Tax Cut for Himself, A Tax Increase for You? When it comes to Mitt Romney’s taxes and his tax proposals, there is a lot to be shocked about. You can be shocked that Mitt Romney uses unfair tax loopholes to pay a 15 percent tax rate — a rate far lower than millions [...]