By GLENN THRUSH & MARIN COGAN

Politico: Democratic Incumbents Call for Less Legislative Ambition

Moderate Democrats, coping with the electoral fallout of President Barack Obama’s grand and ground-down legislative ambitions, have a message for their leaders: Stop supersizing us.

If the first year of Obama’s term was dominated by the so-called Big Bang push for enormous, politically risky initiatives — the stimulus, cap and trade and health care — Year Two is fast shaping up to be year of small ball, retrenchment and backlash. Continue reading >>

Andy Stern, International President, SEIU

In another move that may send frustrated voters running to the polls in November, a special deal has been struck between the White House and organized labor unions. According to The Washington Post, the deal would exempt union members from a 40 percent excise tax on “Cadillac” health insurance plans until 2018 – five years after the legislation kicks into gear.

A few other perks in the deal include removing dental and vision benefits when applying the tax, and raising the $23,000 income threshold to $24,000. According to White House officials, the deal took over 15 hours to negotiate and included influential participants AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, SEIU’s Andy Stern, Change to Win’s Anna Burger, union leaders from various trades, Deputy Chief of Staff Jim Messina, and Vice President Joe Biden. Continue reading »»

The American Senior Association website

CBS News Investigative Correspondent Sharyl Attkission’s video report AARP Backlash, reveals a sobering trend for the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP). Because of AARP’s supposed support of President Obama’s health care plan, as many as 60,000 people have canceled their AARP memberships since the beginning of July.

During a town hall meeting at Portsmouth High School in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, President Obama confidently stated that AARP had already endorsed his health care plan. Continue reading »»