Friday Talking Points [242] -- Obama's Second Inauguration
[ Posted Friday, January 25th, 2013 – 18:20 UTC ]
President Barack Hussein Obama's second inauguration pretty much dominated the political news this week.
Archive of Articles in the "Congress" Category
"No Budget, No Pay" Smoke And Mirrors
[ Posted Thursday, January 24th, 2013 – 17:00 UTC ]
The Republican House just scored a political victory. While meaningless in financial fact, they successfully co-opted a dandy slogan -- which may have real political consequences for Senate Democrats -- and they also managed to pull the wool over the eyes of a large portion of the mainstream media while doing so. Which, as I said, has to be chalked up as a big political victory for the House Republicans.
Handicapping Obama's Second Term Agenda
[ Posted Wednesday, January 23rd, 2013 – 17:26 UTC ]
The ceremonies are all over and Congress has slunk back into Washington, meaning President Obama's second term can now truly begin. Obama laid out an impressive and optimistic agenda in his speech on Monday, which leads to the question of how much of this agenda will actually be passed into law. Obama faces a Senate with a Democratic edge, but not a filibuster-proof edge. Obama also faces a House with fewer Republicans in it, but still enough for a solid majority. From the viewpoint of the past two years, this seems to indicate that not much of what Obama wants will get done. But perhaps -- just perhaps, mind you -- things will be a little different for the next two years.
Friday Talking Points [241] -- Revive The "No Budget, No Pay Act"
[ Posted Friday, January 18th, 2013 – 16:02 UTC ]
Eric Cantor, much to our surprise, almost just did something we not only would have agreed with, but in fact given our wholehearted support to. Almost.
No Silver Bullet
[ Posted Wednesday, January 16th, 2013 – 16:51 UTC ]
There is no silver bullet.
--Vice President Joe Biden
Obama's Line In The Sand
[ Posted Monday, January 14th, 2013 – 17:29 UTC ]
President Obama held the last press conference of his first term in office today. He used the opportunity to clearly stake out his position on the looming debt ceiling fight. Obama's position: he's not going to have this fight. Period. Congress can either pass a bill he can sign, or we're going to hit the debt ceiling. Either way, Obama will not treat the debt ceiling as a bargaining chip in the ongoing partisan struggle over the federal budget. Obama will refuse to negotiate over the debt ceiling at all, and is not even entertaining ideas of any sort of "Plan B."
Friday Talking Points [240] -- Time To Dust Off The Fourteenth Option
[ Posted Friday, January 11th, 2013 – 17:24 UTC ]
According to the news media, America's biggest concern right now should be the silliness of Jack Lew's signature. That's the kind of week it's been, at least among the inside-the-Beltway cocktail party circuit.
Friday Talking Points [239] -- Talking About The Deal
[ Posted Friday, January 4th, 2013 – 17:32 UTC ]
If we had a "best quote" awards category, we'd certainly have to nominate what outgoing House Republican Steven La Tourette had to say about the whole situation, after the Senate had voted 89-8 to approve the fiscal cliff avoidance deal: "We should not take a package put together by a bunch of sleep-deprived octogenarians on New Year's Eve." Now that's funny!
My 2012 "McLaughlin Awards" [Part 2]
[ Posted Friday, December 28th, 2012 – 18:02 UTC ]
Welcome back to our annual year-end awards column!
Missing The Two Percent Story
[ Posted Thursday, December 27th, 2012 – 16:22 UTC ]
The mainstream media is letting American taxpayers down, once again. Because there's a change coming in everyone's first paycheck of the new year that most of the news stories about the fiscal cliff negotiations only occasionally mention, and usually just in passing. But the impact will be widely (almost "universally," in fact) felt, and it's going to mean a pay reduction for all workers of two percent. Taxes are going up by this two percent, meaning paychecks will be smaller. And -- here's the important part that gets lost in all the breathlessness over the fiscal cliff by blow-dried newsfolks -- this change is going to happen no matter what gets agreed upon to deal with the rest of the fiscal cliff.