I was asked not long ago on CNN which candidate would better end the gridlock on Capitol Hill. I replied Obama, of course, because Democrats are likely to control both chambers and intra-party gridlock is always less time consuming than inter-party fights: witness the 80+ cloture motions Reid has filed so far this session. But, truthfully, McCain would likely work pretty well with the Dems given his bi-partisan record (McCain-Lieberman, McCain-Feingold, Gang of 14, etc). But, then again, just about anyone would probably work better with Congress than Bush. After a week’s vacation, here’s a story today about laying the groundwork for next year’s legislative calendar.
-
Latest on Swampland
Political Picures of the Week, May 18-25
TIME’s photo editors bring you the best pictures of the past week from the Beltway and beyond.
From our PartnersObama Administration Blocks Global Health Fund To Fight Disease In Developing NationsHuffPost Politics
The Phony War: Obama and Romney Are Debating Character, Not Policy
More than five months from Election Day, the back-and-forth about Mitt Romney’s record at Bain already feels played out. Unfortunately, there’s good reason to expect the campaign continues in this vein indefinitely. Neither Barack Obama nor Mitt Romney are terribly interested in dwelling on policy platforms. Romney’s plan to slash spending and keep taxes low on the wealthy isn’t especially popular, at least not at any level of detail beyond a blithe promise to shrink the deficit. Meanwhile, Obama’s signature first-term achievements, like health care, the stimulus and Wall Street reform, are all unpopular or tricky to sell. (The Dodd-Frank bill is the most popular of these, but hyping it means offending wealthy donors.) So what we’re getting instead is a superficial duel about character–and, worse, one that’s based on the largely false premise that the better man can better “manage” the economy back to health.
