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Pema Levy

Pema Levy is an assistant editor at The American Prospect.

Recent Articles

There's Always a Catch

House Republicans offer tax-revenue increases ... in exchange for an extension of the Bush tax cuts.

Pema LevyNov 09, 2011

Republicans seemingly broke with their anti-tax orthodoxy last night when they offered Democrats $300 billion in revenue increases over the next decade, largely from reducing tax deductions on things like mortgage payments. But there was a catch: In return, Republicans want to extend the Bush tax cuts, which are currently set to expire in January 2013. The extension would cost $4 trillion over the next decade. Democrats refused the GOP offer, saying it would increase the deficit over the next ten years rather than reduce it. Strategically, the Republican offer made perfect sense; they came across as willing to compromise and can now accuse Democrats of blocking a deal. With two weeks until their deadline, the Super Committee has made little progress.

Is There a "Bradley Effect" for Abortion?

Pema LevyNov 09, 2011
Amendment 26 supporter Sandy Comer puts out a campaign sign at the polls at the Chamber of Commerce in Oxford, Mississippi, on Tuesday, November 8, 2011. Mississippians go to the polls today for state and local elections, as well as referendums including the so-called personhood amendment, a referendum on whether to define life as beginning at conception. (AP Photo/Oxford Eagle, Bruce Newman)

Yesterday, Mississippi voters soundly defeated Amendment 26, an anti-abortion ballot initiative that would have altered the state's constitution to define personhood as beginning at fertilization. Going into the election, a survey from Public Policy Polling showed 45 percent of voters in favor, 44 percent opposed, and 11 percent undecided—much closer than the vote turned out to be. A personhood amendment like the one in Mississippi has never been enacted and would have had radical implications, even in a strongly pro-life state like Mississippi. Not only would it have banned all abortions without exception, but popular forms of contraception like the morning after pill, IUDs, and even the pill would have been outlawed as well.

Democrats Misbehave, Obama Gets the Time-Out

Pema LevyNov 08, 2011
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When it comes to addressing the economic crisis, creating jobs, or tackling the deficit, Congress is at a standstill and the American people know it. This morning, a poll from the National Journal shows Americans have little faith that Congress will take on the issues that matter most. For example, 68 percent of respondents said it was "very important" for Congress to spend money in order to create new jobs, but only 27 percent thought it was likely to happen. Another poll, this one by The Washington Post, found that 50 percent of Americans believe Republicans are holding up President Obama's jobs bill for political reasons.

Cain's High Crimes, Not Misdemeanors

Pema LevyNov 07, 2011

Union Busters Going Down

Polls for a referendum on an anti-union law in Ohio indicate repeal.

Pema LevyNov 07, 2011
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Tomorrow, Ohioans will vote on Issue 2, a referendum to repeal an anti-union law that threatens to destroy public-sector unions in the state. Last spring, the governor and majority-Republican legislature passed Senate Bill 5, restricting public unions' ability to strike, collectively bargain with employers, and collect dues. In response, state Democrats and unions put the law on the ballot. Going into tomorrow's vote, it looks like labor will pull it off. A new survey from Public Policy Polling shows 59 percent of voters plan to reject SB 5 on Tuesday, while only 36 percent of voters will vote to approve it. It would be an immediate victory for workers' wages and job stability. As a crucial swing state, the win for labor also bodes well for Democrats in the 2012 elections.

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