Can Romney Win Without Fox News?
How Mitt Romney handles Fox News will tell a lot about whether he has the cunning and the toughness to be a successful president. Three take-aways from Gabriel Sherman's important piece on Fox News and the GOP in New York mag: 1) What Republicans have been producing since January 2009 is a …GOP Picks the Wrong Spending Fight
The GOP seems convinced inciting a debt ceiling crisis is the best way to restrain spending. But even a short increase in the limit can stave off a bigger crisis. One might note within many ostensibly conservative discussions about the debt ceiling a strain that comes far more from Leon Trotsky …GOP Freshmen: Job Numbers Still Too Weak
GOP freshmen were dismissive of Friday's report that the economy had added jobs. Instead, they pushed the White House to do more to boost the recovery and cut energy prices. Friday’s unemployment numbers were greeted almost unanimously by discontentment from freshmen Republican Congressmen over …GOP Retreats From Ryan Medicare Plan
Two weeks of recess, complete with ginned-up demonstrations against Medicare and Social Security reform were enough to lead to a GOP collapse on the fiscal front. That’s all it took for House Republicans to begin to scatter like a covey of quail? Two simple weeks of recess, complete with …Rep Pushes Frosh to Focus on Illegal Immigration
Rep. Lou Barletta, who as a mayor was known for his tough stance on illegal immigration, is forming a new freshman-only caucus to propose new ideas to tackle the issue. Rep. Lou Barletta, known in his district as a mayor who passed controversial illegal immigration measures, has taken his interest …GOP Plays Weak Hand in Debt Debate
A look at the current set of Republican debt limit vote negotiating points ought to disappoint any committed fiscal conservative. Plenty of people have already spilled ink on why Congress should raise the debt limit and why failing to do so would be a catastrophe. Nearly all of the arguments …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 …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 …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…