National Politics
It shouldn’t go unremarked upon that the Tea Party Republicans in the US House of Representatives took a stand and prevailed earlier this week. The revolt of freshman and conservative Republicans over spending cuts for this fiscal year ended almost before it began, because it prevailed so rapidly. The rebellion started in rumblings back in…
On Sunday, ProJo columnist Froma Harrop (I know, I know….) cried crocodile tears over the loss of the Moderate Republican. I used to vote for select Republicans running for national office. That’s become next to impossible because Tea Party groups have pushed GOP leaders to treat any cooperation with the Democratic foe as abject surrender.…
I suspect that those of you who watched the state of the union speech heard it recited similarly to this: (via the Corner)
So what were my impressions of President Obama’s State of the Union speech? Don’t have any. Didn’t watch it and had a pleasant night. These things have way jumped the shark and long-ago devolved into an inside-the-beltway circle jerk dominated by the post-game spinmeisters trying to tell you what it all “really” means. It took…
The first state of the union speech that I’m aware of having watched was one given by President Bill Clinton, and I remember being astonished at his series of promises to everybody. All hands out would be filled. Such speeches are little more than political drama, pumped by media organizations looking for some easy, pre-generated…
Among the articles on my list to mention is this profile of House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R, CA) from the December 20 National Review. To be honest, I haven’t had a chance to investigate the progress of the following promise (and it’s not something that I’d expect the mainstream media to promote), but it’s…
RealClearPolitics reports that he has chosen a political director (what the heck is that??) and a pollster. The Boston Globe reports that, on Tuesday, he resigned from the Board of Directors of the Marriott. Meanwhile, as we speak, Mitt Romney is on an educational tour in the Middle East. And a poll taken last week…
Speaking of propaganda, here’s an interesting political whack from the gay-issues Washington Blade: “No doubt [David Cicilline] will carry on the record of retiring Rep. Patrick Kennedy in ensuring Rhode Island’s first district is represented by an effective congressman in promoting equality for all people,” Cole said. Cicilline defeated John Loughlin, a Rhode Island State…
What’s the point of a debt ceiling if Congress is going to spend in such a way as to make changing it obligatory? And shouldn’t it require a vote to change the debt ceiling before enacting policies that will certainly exceed it? The federal debt is limited to $14.3 trillion, but the debt now stands…
The question could be posed, it would seem, whether Ross Douthat is more broadly representative in his apparent desire to return to the two-party script (emphasis added): But in the past month of lame-duck activity, we’ve witnessed a return to political normalcy. The Republican midterm sweep delivered the coup de grace to the liberal fantasy…