GOP Makes a U-Turn on Earmarks
Voters want more funds spent on roads to ease traffic congestion. But how do you fund highways and roads without earmarks? Two stories on transportation infrastructure spending caught my eye this morning: one in which Rep. Reid Ribble (WI-08) praised Gov. Scott Walker for investing $1.5 billion …Can the GOP Break Its Oil Addiction?
The House GOP wants to cut spending. Why then are they so reluctant to take on big oil's subsidies and tax breaks? The problem with intellectual inconsistency is that it usually comes back to bite you. The House Republican leadership is getting a painful lesson in this regard because of their …GOP Freshmen Take Heat For Ryan's Medicare Plan
During the two week recess in their home districts, Republican freshmen are getting challenged by constituents for their votes on Medicare. During the two week recess in their home districts, Republican freshmen are getting challenged by constituents on their votes which would drastically change …Washington Abandons the Jobless
More than 13 million Americans are unemployed, yet neither party is offering a real plan to boost employment. In the fall of 1984, I was a student living in Boston. A high-tax manufacturing state, Massachusetts had been hit hard by the economic troubles of the 1970s. But now suddenly there were …The GOP's Hardest Sell
Using social issues to rally the base isn't enough. Eventually, the GOP has to speak to middle-class anxiety and actually sell their proposed spending cuts. A few weeks back, I wrote for Frum Forum on the ongoing battle in Alabama between Republican legislators and the state’s two largest …Bond Markets Brush Off Tea Party Threats
Bond markets are shrugging off the debt ceiling debate as political theater. That's a relief. But isn't it also kind of insulting to the Tea Party? Philip Klein of the DC Examiner correctly observes that bond markets are shrugging off the debt ceiling debate as political theater. From the …GOP Won't Win Debt Blame Game
If the U.S. does experience a credit downgrade, the Republican party's reputation for economic competence will take a big hit in the eyes of voters. There may be less in Standard & Poor’s new negative outlook on US debt than meets the eye. There’s no actual downgrade of the US credit rating …Wall Street's Wake-Up Call
Neither President Obama's deficit reduction plan speech nor Congress' response seem to have settled market fears about America's soaring debt. This morning Standard and Poor’s put its long-term rating on United States sovereign debt on negative outlook. The equity market, as I write, is off by …Debt Default Fears Hit Wall Street
Wall Street's reaction to S&P's downgrade of the outlook on U.S. debt should be a warning to Republicans not to use the debt ceiling as a political football. S&Ps recent downgrade of the outlook on American debt isn't surprising. But the market's rapid decline in its wake should be a warning …Obama Dems Back Away From Big Government
Before his budget negotiations with the GOP, Obama's accepted an important fact: a large part of his base doesn't want to be tied down defending the welfare state. In a recent Washington Post piece Sally Kohn suggested that the liberal emphasis on tolerance as a social good has hampered the …How Hoyer and Boehner Saved the Deal
The passage of the FY11 budget is only one win, but Boehner and Hoyer's ability to cobble together the needed votes is a hopeful sign for budget battles to come. Those of us in politics need to be careful about overreacting to or over-interpreting a single event. As any sports fan knows, an …State Debt: Washington's Next Budget Headache?
As Capitol Hill takes a breather from the budget battles, here’s an overview of the unresolved debates and still-mounting spending skirmishes. Congress may have finally approved the FY11 budget this week, but the next battles have already begun. The deficit debate awaits a proposed centrist …GOP Freshmen Rally Behind Ryan Budget
The GOP allied behind Ryan's budget Friday. Yet amongst freshmen members, many who voted for the Ryan plan were also expressed support for the more aggressive RSC plan. The Republican Conference rallied around Rep. Paul Ryan budget plan this afternoon and approved the framework for the 2012 fiscal …Centrists' Deficit Numbers Don't Add Up
The Gang of Six's efforts to reach a budget deal deserve praise. But by using Obama's deficit commission report as a starting point, their plan may not be much good. The Senate Gang of Six's efforts to reach a budget deal deserve a lot of praise: by putting everything including defense, security …GOP Freshmen Revolt Picks Up Steam
Over the course of the budget battles of the last few months, a growing group of freshmen have begun to lead a revolt against Republican leadership. Over the course of the budget battles of the last few months, a growing group of freshmen have begun to lead a revolt against Republican leadership…