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The New Payroll Tax Strategy

House Republicans have made a bid to boldly reverse their public relations disadvantage as gridlock over the extension of the payroll tax holiday and other legislation vital to the economy continues. For the past month or more, Republicans had been scolded as the bastion of the rich and …

Written by Steve Bell on Monday December 12, 2011

Newt is Confused by Democracy

Newt Gingrich believes in much more democracy than the founding fathers. They believed the U.S. House should consist of representatives elected by white male property owners. Voting at the time was a public act. On election day the voters would show up at a public place, usually a county seat, …

Written by Howard Foster on Monday December 12, 2011

The '90s Make a Comeback

The holidays are always a time for nostalgia, and this year has seen a growing outbreak of nostalgia for one decade in particular. Democrats are ranking Bill Clinton (who left office ranked by most historians in the 25-30 range of our forty-odd Presidents) now tied with JFK (and well ahead …

Written by Telly Davidson on Saturday December 10, 2011

GOP Zombies vs. Dem Vampires

A statistical study indicates that our pop culture churns out more vampire-related entertainment under Democratic administrations and more zombie stories under Republicans. The implication of the research is that those icons act as archetypes for each party. Naturally, as a Republican I’m …

Written by Chris Ladd on Friday December 9, 2011

Can My Generation Make More Zuckerbergs?

Galatea’ is a columnist writing about her experience looking for work after her recent downsizing. Previous entries in her series can be strong> read here

Written by Galatea on Thursday December 8, 2011

The Coming GOP Gingrich Freakout

Today's question is: will the Gingrich balloon deflate like all the previous Not Mitt balloons? The answer is: yes of course--but given that these balloons take typically 6-8 weeks to shrivel, the impending Gingrich bust may not arrive soon enough to save Romney. No question though, it will …

Written by David Frum on Thursday December 8, 2011

How An Entrepreneur Sparked the Arab Spring

I recently had the great pleasure of hearing economist Hernando de Soto speak to a group of think tank types and media members about his perspective on the Arab Spring. De Soto is most famous as an advocate for property rights for the world’s poor. Henando de Soto’s big argument about the …

Written by Noah Kristula-Green on Thursday December 8, 2011

He Went to Kansas to Say That?

In my column for The Week , I discuss how Obama's speech on income inequality fell short: The Kansas speech was composed of two main parts: a critique of the performance of the U.S. economy over the past generation, and a program for "rebalancing" in the years ahead. The trouble is that …

Written by David Frum on Wednesday December 7, 2011

One Continent, Under France and Germany

Looks like the EU has found an alternative to German domination of everybody else. It's French-German domination of everybody else . The grand "deal" announced earlier this week has something for both France and Germany. For the Germans, France will temporarily stop talking about eurobonds and …

Written by Jeff Cimbalo on Wednesday December 7, 2011

Why I Like (George) Romney

With the race for the Republican Presidential nomination now seemingly down to two candidates – Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney – suddenly Romney is in the uncharacteristic role of underdog. Astonishingly (to me), polls show Gingrich some 10 points ahead of Romney in the upcoming Iowa primary; …

Written by Peter Worthington on Tuesday December 6, 2011

Democracy's Friends in Pakistan

Pakistan's national security establishment may be the most dangerous force threatening world peace. Yet not all the news is bad. Eli Lake has produced an astonishing report detailing the construction of a pro-American counter-establishment within the Pakistani services which is struggling at …

Written by David Frum on Tuesday December 6, 2011

Government Gives Up on Basic Tasks

All you really need to know about the state of Washington, D.C. are three facts: A--a majority of Republicans in the Senate defeated a bill to extend the payroll tax holiday that was introduced by their own Senate Minority Leader last week; B--President Obama has decided that the only real …

Written by Steve Bell on Tuesday December 6, 2011

The GOP Fumbles the Payroll Tax Cut

The Republicans have finally found a tax increase many of them can get behind. Unfortunately it's the first middle class tax increase in decades. Make no mistake, failure to renew the payroll tax cut would mean a significant tax increase. If nothing is done, then starting next month everybody …

Written by Andrew Pavelyev on Monday December 5, 2011

Why Kagan Has Skin in the Game

In my last post I argued that Justice Elana Kagan is obliged by 28 U.S.C. 455 (b)(3) of the federal recusal statute, which applies to Supreme Court justices, to recuse herself from the challenge to the Obama Health Care law. The provision requires a judge to recuse if he or she “has served in …

Written by Howard Foster on Monday December 5, 2011

The Man Who Invented the Euro

The Telegraph today posts an interview of Jacques Delors by Charles Moore. I ask the man who prides himself on being an architect of European Union whether he got it all wrong. Unhesitatingly, he denies it. It is a fault in the execution, not of the architects, which he claimed to have …

Written by David Frum on Saturday December 3, 2011

I Heart Romneycare

‘Galatea’ is a columnist writing about her experience looking for work after her recent downsizing. Previous entries in her series can be strong> read here

Written by Galatea on Friday December 2, 2011

The EU's Plan: Raise Taxes With Bailouts

The past two weeks have seen a dizzying array of proposals from virtually every organ of the EU claiming that they can make the eurozone more efficient, durable, and solvent. If you noticed that no one is saying that they will make the eurozone more democratic, you’re not the only one . The …

Written by Jeff Cimbalo on Thursday December 1, 2011

Who Made Norquist's Pledge Sacrosanct?

Grover Norquist’s Taxpayer Protection Pledge is not even 100 words long, yet it has been blamed for gridlock in Congress and for making it impossible for Republicans to make any constructive negotiations and compromises over the budget. Because of the importance of the pledge (which commits …

Written by Noah Kristula-Green on Wednesday November 30, 2011

Jobless, With Dwindling Options

‘Galatea’ is a columnist writing about her experience looking for work after her recent downsizing. Previous entries in her series can be strong> read here

Written by Galatea on Tuesday November 29, 2011

Poland to Germany: We Need You to Act!

In an important speech in Berlin, Poland's Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski expressed a thought maybe has never been heard before on German soil from a Polish leader: What, as Poland’s foreign minister, do I regard as the biggest threat to the security and prosperity of Poland today, on 28 th …

Written by David Frum on Monday November 28, 2011