Brinkmanship Works

It seems that everyone is deploring the “tactics” of the House Republicans in refusing to pass a two-month extension of the payroll tax cut and by doing so, drawing out the standoff until the last minute. Is this the way resolve a dispute? Yes, deadlines force the combatants to make concessions…

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Written by Howard Foster on Wednesday December 21, 2011

Boehner is Trapped by His Caucus

An old joke heard often in the Southwest ends this way: “It isn’t always your enemies that get you into it; it isn’t always your friends who get you out of it; but, when you are in it up to your neck, keep your damned mouth shut.” Unfortunately, Speaker John Boehner’s predicament confirms …

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Written by Steve Bell on Wednesday December 21, 2011

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 …

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Written by Steve Bell on Monday December 12, 2011

Boehner Can't Control his Caucus

At some point, Speaker John Boehner was going to have to show the most conservative members of his caucus that he would get work done in the House without them. Yesterday revealed that day has not yet come. The ramifications of the failure to pass the Continuing Resolution (CR) for FY12 in the …

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Written by Steve Bell on Thursday September 22, 2011

Reg Reform, Meh.

Eric Cantor has announced that regulatory reform of the Clean Air Act and labor laws will top the GOP agenda when Congress resumes its work. As far as these proposals go, baring the National Labor Relations Board from restricting where employers can locate (a key component of economic freedom), …

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Written by Eli Lehrer on Wednesday August 31, 2011