Brent Budowsky

This is the first of a multi-part series unfolding in the coming months about the future of news, media and entertainment as they relate to our civic and popular-culture lives.

Testifying under oath during confirmation hearings, Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Samuel Alito offered assurances about their respect for legal precedent and the appropriate role of the judiciary.

Strong advice for President Obama: Remove Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and replace him with former Senate Majority Leader George Mitchell as Treasury secretary and former Federal Reserve Board Chairman Paul Volcker as deputy secretary.

Today, Massachusetts voters will either keep hope alive or deal a powerful and devastating blow against change.

The leadership of Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) moving a healthcare bill through the Senate under impossible circumstances was one of the great legislative achievements in modern history, equal to the majority leadership of Lyndon Baines Johnson at his best.

The Progressive Caucus in Congress can save Democrats from a disaster in the 2010 elections that could destroy any semblance of a governing majority and erase any hope for the mandate for change that voters gave Democrats in 2008.

The coming election for governor of Texas could be a surprisingly tight race with the real possibility of a Democratic upset. The result could determine whether a future Congress is controlled by Democrats or Republicans, with a reapportionment that will give Texas a number of new seats and a potential gerrymandering swing that could move from five to seven seats from one party to the other.

When President Barack Obama denounced “fat cats” during his performance on “60 Minutes,” and made weak comments after his meeting with bank CEOs, I was reminded why so many Americans are angry with everyone in Washington.

Now the White House staff is reduced to attacking the Gallup organization, while Democrats believe their popularity goes up by passing an unpopular healthcare bill while destroying the highly popular public option.

I support President Barack Obama’s latest proposals to create jobs and support small businesses and have long advocated using money from the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) to support consumers and small businesses. The problem is, the president’s proposals do not go nearly far enough. We can do better. We must do more.