My main obsession these days is President Obama’s misunderstood stimulus bill—why, yes, thanks for asking, The New New …
budgets
Fear of the ‘Fiscal Cliff’ Inspires More Grand Bargain Talk
It can be a little hard to follow the teachings of Washington’s centrist cognoscenti. In arguing that a grand fiscal bargain is feasible even in this heated election year, the New York Times today talked to middle-way thinktankers and Gang-of Senators (your Warners, Grassleys and Wydens)–in other words, the types who always think the …
Jerry Brown’s Risky Crusade: How to Raise Taxes in California
On a sunny February morning at the Los Angeles Athletic Club, Jerry Brown’s cup of black coffee was getting cold. When a concerned waitress in the club restaurant poured him a fresh cup and offered to clear the original one, the …
The Power of the Minority: Can the Supercommittee Sell A Deal to Pelosi and McConnell?
As Capitol Hill enters a critical 48-hour stretch, the sense on the Hill is that momentum is gaining, however incrementally, for a supercommittee deal on deficit reduction. Negotiations kicked up a level as House Speaker John …
With Deadline Looming, (Tiny) Signs of Progress for Supercommittee
Just when everyone had written off Congress as too dysfunctional to produce a bipartisan agreement on deficit reduction, the supercommittee is actually showing a pulse. Up until this week there was nary a wonk, flack or politico …
Why Congress’s Next Budget Battle Will Be Bigger
The Senate’s deal to sidestep a government shutdown is a respite from, not a resolution to, the Congressional fiscal mire. It didn’t solve the substantive disagreements between the two parties about entitlements or taxes or the economic policies that foster job creation or even why the debt problem driving the budget brinkmanship exists. …
In Minnesota Shutdown, Wider Budget Conflict Comes to a Head
“We will not saddle our children and grandchildren with mounds of debts, with promises for funding levels that will not be there in the future,” said the Republican House Speaker, publicly feuding with the Democratic executive over how best to trim yawning deficits. “This is debt that they can’t afford. It’s debt that we can’t afford …
McConnell: Obama Has ‘Made It Worse’
Last month, for this story in the dead-tree edition, I asked Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell if defeating President Obama is still his No. 1 priority. “Yeah, sure. I think every Republican in the country would like to elect a Republican president,” McConnell told me. “But that’s next year. The question this year is: what …
Possible GOP Slogan: We Didn’t Invent Error and Hypocrisy!
Maybe Von Drehle is right. Maybe it’s silly to be irked that Republicans—after putting trillions of dollars in tax cuts, two wars, a prescription drug benefit and an unprecedented earmark spree on the Visa card—are threatening to force the U.S. into default if President Obama doesn’t adopt their agenda. After all, that hypocrite …
Pawlenty’s Torpedo of Truth
“Truth” is the theme of Tim Pawlenty’s campaign kickoff this week, and while much of his message isn’t taboo shattering–the former Minnesota governor’s warnings about the debt and so-far-vague talk of reforming entitlements aren’t particularly audacious–his challenge to the politically sacrosanct $7 billiion in annual federal subsidies …
Governor Moonbeam: California’s Responsible Adult
SACRAMENTO—Forget the former California governor who’s once again a tabloid sensation. Let’s talk about the former California governor who’s once again a California governor. Jerry Brown, the Golden State’s 34th and 39th chief …