In her weekly newsletter sent early this morning, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords told supporters: “The most effective way for me to do my job is for me to keep in touch with you.” Doing so may have cost her her life. The Arizona Democrat was shot in the head at her “Congress on Your Corner” event at a Safeway supermarket in northwest …
Tea Party
Playing Chicken with the Nation’s IOUs
This morning the Treasury officially requested that Congress raise the debt ceiling. This has been a long-anticipated move and Congress cannot fail to act as the consequences would be catastrophic: think downgrading our AAA credit status – in other words, sorry China, we will not be able to pay our debts.
But, the prospect of …
The Dawn of the House of Boehner
John Boehner stood before the packed House chamber; its members and their families were giving him a standing ovation. He took out a handkerchief and wiped the tears from his eyes – he always hated about himself that he’s prone to crying at important moments – and waved his audience to their seats. “I’m still just me,” he …
The Longest Day
Those waiting for a change in the Senate filibuster rules may be waiting a while. Senate Democrats have been toying with the idea of softening the rules to ease the logjam in the Upper Chamber for years. The dawn of the 112th seemed like an ideal time to make the change, especially in the face of lots of potential objections from the …
Obama’s Not-So-Lame Record
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Just over a year ago, Saturday Night Live lampooned President Obama for his record, or lack thereof. “There are those on the right that are angry, they think that I’m turning this great country into something that resembles the Soviet Union, or Nazi Germany,” said actor Fred Armisen, …
The Wives Win!
The end of the lame duck is in sight.
The House late last night passed the tax bill after progressives gave up their demands to strengthen the estate tax provision — demands that nearly brought down the bill. Members are sticking around Washington now, waiting until how the government is funded the next few months is resolved by the …
Playing Chicken with Christmas
I can just imagine conversations going on between senators and their spouses right about now.
“Sweetie, I’m sorry, but I’m going to be stuck in Washington all of next week.”
“Darling, no way. You left me alone last year with your in-laws and the kids. I’m not doing another Christmas in Florida without …
Morning Must Reads: Review
–As Mark reports, the Obama administration’s Afghan war review depicts a fragile effort nonetheless on track for draw-down starting next year. The Times gets a Taliban commander on record saying “the government has the upper hand now” in Kandahar.
–The standalone “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” repeal heads to the Senate as the tax deal …
The Tea Party and the Tax Bill
In a piece for Time.com this morning, I take a look at the Tea Party’s reaction to a tax bill that flies in the face of the movement’s organizing principles. After vowing to serve as conservative watchdogs for a wayward Congress, what’s their response when the nation’s capitol has immediately reverted to business as usual?
President Palin?
This week I have a cover story on Sarah Palin: is she running for President or to become a right wing Oprah? Certainly, celebrity is a major part of her persona – much as it was with Barack Obama early on. Time was politicians ran for higher office to get famous. Now, fame is a momentum-building tool that greases the tracks to the …
Democratic Tax Tantrums
This morning, ABC’s Jake Tapper reported that the White House wanted a fight but congressional Dems “wouldn’t throw a punch.” From his story:
The White House has two arguments for what they acknowledge are “frustrated” Democrats:
1) We wanted a fight on these tax cuts, and Congressional Democrats never took up the charge and
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McConnell’s First Test
On Meet the Press yesterday Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell took a victory lap, gloating that he’d forced the administration to bend to Republican will.
We’ve had more conversations in the last two weeks than we’ve had in the last two years, and I think that’s a good sign, a growing awareness that the power’s going to be more
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Tea Party Caucus Members Were For Earmarks Before They Were Against Them
Combing through records compiled by the spending watchdog group Citizens Against Government Waste, Hotline‘s Reid Wilson writes that members of the 52-person Congressional Tea Party Caucus requested more than $1 billion in earmarks during the 2010 fiscal year. From Wilson’s piece:
[…]the 52 members of the caucus, which pledges to cut
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