"Words that make actions speak louder."
We’re headed into the end game for health care reform. The president has put himself in the arena. The insurance lobby is unleashing the scare campaign. A strong bill will pass the House. But at this point, too many senators are still standing in the way. The reform includes a broad range of measures to […]
I stopped reading The Wall Street Journal editorial page when it soared off into wingnuttery, writing tomes on the imaginary conspiracy to off Vince Foster and other fantasies. The news pages remain useful; the editorial page hasn’t improved much. But as they say, even a monkey at a typewriter eventually will write something interesting. And […]
Facing congressional criticism for secreting the names of the banks that have benefited from the trillions in Fed guarantees, swaps, loans, and what have you, the Federal Reserve has decided to hire a public relations pro to scrub its image and soothe the legislators. The choice, as reported by Bloomberg, is a trifecta. Worked for […]
President Obama has deep and strong support from progressives. But in Washington, the media is increasingly focused on areas where Obama’s base is disappointed or restive In recent weeks, we seen the uproar over his retreat on preventive detention and military tribunals, dismay over the dallying on “don’t ask, don’t tell,” growing opposition to the […]
Congressional Republicans are marginally more popular and significantly less contagious than the swine flu. Even conservatives are keeping their distance. House leader John Boehner’s perpetual tan has become a presidential punch line. Senate leader Mitch Dr. No McConnell is known only for obstruction. Ideologues like Rush rush to fill the leadership vacuum, seeking to purge […]
A crisis that demands fundamental change. A president with a mandate to drive it. A Congress, controlled by Democrats, ready to act. Now comes the hard part: actually getting something real done. These are salad days for Democratic lobbyists, because deep pocket interests—health insurance companies, Big Pharma, oil and gas and coal companies, the utilities […]
Is the Obama administration saving General Motors or is it saving auto industry jobs in the U.S.? Is it saving GM as an American brand or GM as an American manufacturer? These aren’t academic questions. General Motors, which has been buttressed by $15.2 billion in loans from taxpayers with more to come, has been circulating […]
Wrong Way Riegels became a football legend when Roy Riegels, captain of the California football team in the 1929 Rose Bowl picked up a fumble and rumbled the wrong way down the field. He was prevented from scoring a touchdown for the opposing team only when one of his own players tackled him. Wrong Way […]
“And the banks — hard to believe in a time when we’re facing a banking crisis that many of the banks created—are still the most powerful lobby on Capitol Hill. And they frankly own the place” That was Sen Richard Durbin, the powerful Senate Democratic whip, irate as the banking lobby, with foreclosures soaring across […]
Grading a president after 100 days always strikes me as presumptuous. The only real grade is an incomplete. And as good teachers will tell you, letter grades—as opposed to written evaluations—are inherently arbitrary and misleading. One thing is clear. If we’re grading on a curve, Barack Obama ranks near the top, just below FDR. In […]