Will the Super Committee Act Out of Fear?

“Messiness” has been a prime characteristic of legislation since the days of Solon. So, the mess surrounding the operations of the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction and Congress’ “work” on a jobs bill shouldn’t surprise anyone. What does always seem to surprise observers almost every …

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Written by Steve Bell on Friday October 7, 2011

Memo to GOP: Don't Run on What Voters Don't Want

With the national debt skyrocketing, a faction on the right is hoping to turn the 2012 election into a debate on entitlement reform. No doubt, many Democrats are hoping the very same thing. Democrats would view that development as a chance to gain politically, while some Republicans would see it …

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Written by Fred Bauer on Thursday September 1, 2011

Huntsman Goes All in For Ryan

While watching Jon Huntsman give his remarks on his jobs plan, I paid attention to how his speech described the existential threat of US debt. Huntsman made clear he supports a Balanced Budget Amendment because "our debt is immoral and should be unconstitutional." During a question-and-answer …

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Written by Noah Kristula-Green on Thursday September 1, 2011

S&P Was Right to Downgrade

The dispute between the Treasury Department and Standard and Poor’s over America’s sovereign bond rating is a tempest in a teapot.  Worse, it overshadows the reality about America's debt: Congress cannot handle it politically and Americans will have difficultly handling it personally. The …

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Written by Steve Bell on Monday August 8, 2011