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Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT)

Some leading Republicans are starting to openly talk of once against holding the debt ceiling hostage in order to get Democrats to agree to painful cuts. Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN) even suggested using the debt ceiling as “leverage” to force Democrats to agree to cuts in Medicare and Social Security Benefits.

House Democrat Peter Welch (D-VT) has had enough with these hostage tactics. This week, he began circulating a letter among his colleagues that asks President Obama to use every means at his disposal — including invoking the 14th amendment — to unilaterally raise the debt ceiling in the event that Republicans once again try to hold it hostage. Here’s a full copy of the letter:

Dear Mr. President,

As you know, Speaker Boehner has explicitly stated that he will withhold support for raising the debt ceiling as leverage to win concessions in fiscal negotiations with the White House.Ai?? This is the same tactic he used in August 2011 at great expense to the American economy.Ai?? The result was an additional $18.9 billion in interest over 10 years and Americaai??i??s first ever credit downgrade.

We fully support your view that Congress should not ai???play this game.ai??? Threatening default on our nationai??i??s debt is an economic weapon of mass destruction that will have immediate and catastrophic consequences for the economy as well as Americaai??i??s standing in the world.

In the event the Speaker follows through on his reckless threat, we would support your use of any authority available to you, including the 14thAi??amendment, to preserve Americaai??i??s full faith and credit and prevent further damage to our economy.

Earlier, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC), too, threatened to use the debt ceiling to force President Obama to cut Medicare benefits.Ai??In the event that Republicans should follow through with …

As thousands continue to protest late into the night to try to stop Michigan’s radical “Right To Work” law from being enacted, many activists are risking bodily harm to speak out.

In this video from Progress Michigan, state police push an elderly protester to the ground, and another policeman appears to try to intervene to stop the excessive use of force:

We’ll continue to keep you updated on the protests.

This former Democratic congressman stood with protesters today.

Over ten thousand people are protesting at Michigan’s capitol building, trying to stop a radical “Right To Work” law from being passed that would undermine labor unions in the state.

One of those protesting is former Democratic Rep. Mark Schauer (MI). Schauer told the Battle Creek Enquirer that he was actually pepper sprayed by police earlier today:

Former congressman Mark Schauer said he was pepper-sprayed by police today while leading anti-right to work protesters outside the state Capitol.

Schauer said he was part of a crowd of protesters outside the Capitolai??i??s north wing as the Michigan House was voting on controversial right-to-work measures. Schauer said police came to move the protesters away from the building. He said he tried to negotiate a line away from the Capitol that police would accept when he and ai???a numberai??? of people were sprayed.

ai???I immediately began to retreat and began to cover my eyes and my mouth,ai??? Schauer said. ai???It was not good.ai???

Recall thatAi??Schauer himself is not only a former Democratic congressman but also a member of a union himself. He’s a part of the Laborers union Local 355.

Today, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder (R) is working with Republicans in the legislature to pass an anti-union “Right To Work” law that he earlier said would be “inappropriate” to pursue.

Over ten thousand Michiganders are protesting at the capital of Lansing today to try to stop this radical law. Standing alongside them are progressive Democrats in the Michigan legislature. One of these is State Senator Gretchen Whitmer, the minority leader. Here’s an excerpt from a floor speech she gave last week:

WHITMER: This legislation is petty and vindictive politics at its most disgusting. […] And now for one of your final pieces of business in this legislative calendar, you want to pass “right to work” legislation that hurts workers and our economy by lowering employee wages, benefits, and workplace protections. Another bow to big business and wealthy special interests at the cost of our people.

Watch her entire speech:

Towards the end of her speech, she promised to walk out of the chamber and join the protesting workers if her words were cut off. She was then allowed to finish.

Earlier today, Michigan Republicans killed an amendment that would’ve allowed the “right to work” bill to be subject to a popular referendum. It appears that the state’s business elites and their allies in the legislature are afraid of letting people vote on this radical change to labor law.

Nurses engaging in silent protest at the Michigan capitol. (Photo credit: Flickr user firedancersmith)

In launching their assault on labor unions by trying to enact a so-called “Right To Work” law, Michigan’s Republicans are trying to skirt democracy. After all, they specifically launched this push during a lame duck session to be able to pass the bill — if they had waited until January, they wouldn’t have had the votes to do it thanks to November’s election.

Here’s another sign that they’re simply scared of democracy. House Democrats introduced an amendment today to the “Right To Work” bill that would’ve allowed it to be canceled by a popular referendum. House Republicans killed the amendment.

Michigan’s Republican Lieutenant Governor Brian Calley has taken to Twitter to defend his administration’s push for an anti-union “Right To Work” law which would allow workers to be represented by unions without having to pay union dues.

Here’s one weak defense Calley offered for enacting “Right To Work.” He said that he isn’t required to donate to any church he attends, so workers should be able to represented by unions in the workplace without being asked to pay dues:

Calley’s analogy widely misses the mark. Unions represent workers at their workplace and need dues to be able to do that. Almost all people have to work to be able to provide for their families, and representation in the workplace is explicitly part of a democratic society.

Unlike the workplace, religious worship Ai??is a fundamentally private and voluntary activity and is not subject to the same government oversight (and for good reason).

If Calley wants to invoke the church, he should listen to one of its most famous men, the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Here’s what he had to say about “right to work”:

ai???In our glorious fight for civil rights, we must guard against being fooled by false slogans, such as ai???right to work.ai??i?? It is a law to rob us of our civil rights and job rights.
Its purpose is to destroy labor unions and the freedom of collective bargaining by which unions have improved wages and working conditions of everyoneai??i??Wherever these laws have been passed, wages are lower, job opportunities are fewer and there are no civil rights. We do not intend to let them do this to us. We demand this fraud be stopped. Our weapon is our vote.ai???

Thousands of …

Right now, Michigan’s Republican Governor Rick Snyder is working on passing a so-called “Right To Work” law that would crush the state’s unions and disempower its workers. Snyder is doing this in direct contradiction to his words earlier this year, when he said it wouldn’t be “appropriate” to try to pass such a law.

Over at the Maddow Blog, Laura Conaway has a very interesting find. The so-called “Michigan Freedom Fund” (MFF) is running a commercial supporting the new anti-union law, and it features teachers in classrooms, and a young boy waving an American flag. Watch it:

Here’s Conway’s interesting find. Both the boy in the ad and the teacher in the classroom are parts of stock footage reels — meaning that they are actors, and not even actors that Michigan Freedom Fund paid to employ. Rather, they are simply bits of reel footage. In fact, the same flag-waving boy was used in an attack ad that was aired against Democrat Rep. Peter DeFazio — all the way out in Oregon.

MFF is trying to create popular support for the crackdown on unions, but it seems like it can’t even find real Michiganders for its commercials. Recall that MFF is run by Greg McNeilly, who is an employee of Dick DeVos’s Windquest Group. DeVos is a billionaire heir of the Amway fortune, and a major right-wing Republican donor.

Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA)

As Democrats and Republicans continue to negotiate over the contours of a fiscal deal, many Democrats have propositioned the idea that any agreement should include a ratio of cuts-to-revenue of 2-to-1. This is a model that President Obama chose for his most recent budget request, for example.

But 2-to-1 isn’t balanced. Balanced means at least equal parts cuts and revenue. Progressive Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA) has stepped up to the plate and unveiled a new petition to Obama that not only calls on him to reject damaging cuts to Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security benefits, but also assure a 1-to-1 ratio of cuts to revenue in any deal:

Senator-elect Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) has a credible approach to dealing with the deficit over the long term that lays out specific cuts to wasteful spending as well as making the rich pay their fair share in taxes.

Here’s her alternative, truly “balanced approach” to tackling the deficit. During a campaign debate, she laid out a popular vision for dealing with the debt: cut back on wasteful military and agriculture subsidy spending, and make the rich pay their fair share with higher tax rates. Watch Warren explain:

Show your support for Warrenai??i??s “balanced approach” by clicking here to add your name as a citizen supporter of her vision.

Michigan governor Rick Snyder (R)

Elections have consequences. And when Michigan voters went to the polls this November, they did not vote to crush the rights of labor unions, as Republican Governor Rick Snyder is now attempting to do by implementing a so-called “Right To Work” law.

In fact, Snyder explicitly said that he opposed signing such a law in Michigan this year. Here’s Snyder at a hearing earlier this year:

SNYDER: Right to work is an issue that’s a very divisive issue. … I don’t believe it’s appropriate in Michigan during 2012.

Watch it:

Snyder’s new push to break the backs of labor unions represents a stunning reversal from his pre-election comments.

Sen. Bob Corker (R-TN)

Senior Republican Senator Bob Corker (TN) made headlines this weekend when he said he would be willing to let the Bush tax cuts for the richest Americans expire. But Corker wanted something else in return — major cuts to Social Security and Medicare benefits. He has laid out a plan that not only includes so-called “means testing” but also a hike in the eligibility/retirement age for both programs.

He even explicitly talked about using the debt ceiling as “leverage” in order to enforce such a deal. Watch it:

Here’s the important thing to remember about Corker’s offer. The Bush tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans are already expiring. Even if Congress does nothing, the tax policy will once against return all the rates to those of the Clinton era starting in 2013. Congress would then be free next month to pass tax cuts for working class and middle class people, without necessarily having to once again lower taxes on the top 2 percent of Americans.

The Republicans are essentially asking the Democrats to cut benefits for all Americans in exchange for something that is going to happen, anyway. That’s not a deal they should even think about taking.

We think that any Democrat who would endorse a deal that cuts Social Security, Medicare, or Medicaid benefits needs to be held accountable. Click here to sign up to help us hold their feet to the fire.Ai??