Overview for congress

The GOP's Followership Problem

Here's a question to worry about in 2012: Does the inability of Speaker Boehner to lead his House caucus foreshadow the inability of a President Romney to lead a dual-chambered Republican Congress? One of the dominant factors motivating the decisions of rank-and-file right-wing House …

Written by David Frum on Monday December 26, 2011

Congressional Quagmire

The problem is bigger than the House of Representatives. The prior question is: why did the Senate adjourn having passed such a ridiculous thing as a two-month extension of the payroll tax holiday? It's the answer to that question that reveals the true dysfunction in Congress. The Senate …

Written by David Frum on Tuesday December 20, 2011

Don't Be Fooled, Congress isn't Working

For the seventh time this year alone, Congress appears poised to pass another continuing resolution for spending for a fiscal year that has already begun. If any fact indicts the dysfunction of both the Executive and Legislative Branches, that fact does. Late last night, the House of …

Written by Steve Bell on Thursday December 15, 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

And the Super Winners Are...

“Winners and Losers” headlines abounded after the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (JSC) whimpered to an end. One of the most interesting analyses was in The Hill , written by Bob Cusak, although we disagree with some of his picks. Here is our analysis. "and, the winner is…the …

Written by Steve Bell on Tuesday November 22, 2011

What SOPA Says About Congress

Although I did have a brief and not-so-glorious career with a big IT firm, I probably don’t qualify as an expert on the exact consequences of the new intellectual property bill--called either SOPA or PROTECT IP- -that’s currently moving through Congress. That said, I do think it’s important …

Written by Eli Lehrer on Thursday November 17, 2011

How Gingrich (Literally) Cleaned Up Congress

Newt Gingrich’s surge in the polls raises at least an outside chance that the former House Speaker is going to end up topping the GOP ticket next November. Nobody disputes that Gingrich is very smart and a good debater. He also has the sort of high-level political experience (including foreign …

Written by Eli Lehrer on Tuesday November 15, 2011

When the Senate Functioned

img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-105651" title="howardbaker" src="/files/wxrimport/2011-10/howardbaker2.jpg" alt="" width="535" height="340" /> Then, miracles of miracles, the amendment was debated and voted on. Next, another amendment might emerge from another Senator. And, so on. …

Written by Steve Bell on Wednesday October 19, 2011

This is What Anonymous Funding Looks Like

Who paid William McKinley's presidential campaign expenses? The short answer is: we have no idea. Prior to the 20th century, and especially prior the 1970s, campaign finance was the darkest secret of American politics. Money was raised in secret, often in very large amounts, and spent in ways …

Written by David Frum on Tuesday October 4, 2011

Solyndra's Solar Flame-Out

img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-104652" title="0914-solyndra_full_600" src="http://www.frumforum.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/0914-solyndra_full_600.jpeg" alt="" width="480" height="320" />

Written by Hank Adler on Sunday October 2, 2011

Enough Washington Drama

These certainly are interesting times. The United States is in an increasingly precarious position. Growth at home is anemic. There’s not much in Europe to be up about either. Markets are increasingly skiddish, and yesterday plunged. But America just fought a great battle! The forces of …

Written by Bryce McNitt on Friday August 5, 2011

Boehner's New Plan - Even Deader

A few thoughts on the implications of Boehner adding a "Balanced Budget Amendment" to his debt-ceiling bill (which would now require that Congress pass a BBA before a second debt-ceiling increase could take place early in 2012): Adding the BBA makes the bill very likely to pass the House. …

Written by Fred Bauer on Friday July 29, 2011

This is Scary

Early this morning, I had breakfast with a member of Congress—a person I like, respect, have donated to in the past, will donate to in the future, and know isn’t crazy. This man shares at least 90 percent of my views. He’s not a Tea Party Caucus member but is a stalwart in the conservative …

Written by FF Washington Insider on Thursday July 28, 2011

Ratings Agencies Want to See Bush Tax Cuts Lapse

The suggestion that the US needs to cut $4 trillion in projected debt over the next ten years in order to avoid a downgrade in its debt rating, posed here in an S&P report , has gained significant traction among many on the right. Erick Erickson, when he's not denying "absolution" to the …

Written by Fred Bauer on Tuesday July 26, 2011

Reid's $40 Billion: Yeah, Right

On balance, Harry Reid's plan for raising the debt ceiling and cutting spending looks pretty good to me. Congress will eventually need to do more but the plan he's devised is a fair enough middle ground: real spending cuts with no broad-based tax increases. One feature of the plan, an effort to, as …

Written by Eli Lehrer on Tuesday July 26, 2011

Obama: "Make Your Voices Heard"

President Obama last night appealed to supporters to make their voices heard, to pressure Congress to raise the debt ceiling. The demand he emphasized most: that any deal extend the administration enough credit to get past the next election. Odd priority, no? You might have expected that this …

Written by David Frum on Tuesday July 26, 2011

Jim DeMint's Nation-Wrecking Fantasy

NRO has a report on the Republican members of Congress willing to force default in order to get a Senate vote on the Balanced Budget Amendment. In the Senate, DeMint is also counting noses, hoping to stir an eleventh-hour movement. Conservative voters, he says, will lose faith in the …

Written by David Frum on Thursday July 21, 2011

The Prowl: Lobbying For Sex

I have been seriously wondering how successful I would be in this city if I were less attractive. I realize I have written about this before, but once again this week I have been seriously wondering how successful I would be in this city if I were less attractive. On Monday, I had a dinner …

Written by Vivian Darkbloom on Friday July 15, 2011

Deal Will Come, but May Disappoint

Confusion usually reigns in Washington, D.C., negotiations just before a solution emerges. Small signs can signal big things to come. Confusion usually reigns in Washington, D.C., negotiations just before a solution emerges. Thus, small signs can signal big things to come. As Federal Reserve …

Written by Steve Bell on Wednesday July 13, 2011

Here's How To Get To A Debt Ceiling

Here’s the dirty little secret of the endlessly protracted debt ceiling negotiations —it actually isn’t that hard to meet the targets set out by either side. The theatrics of the past two weeks aside, the wink and the nod seem to be already communicated as the President, the Speaker of the …

Written by Steve Bell on Monday June 27, 2011