Republican Split, Democratic Opportunity

Republican Splits, Fiscal Opportunity
An informative and potentially productive political debate has broken out over fiscal policy.  Ironically, this is not between Democrats and Republicans - the leadership on both sides of the aisle is trying hard to agree that a moderate stimulus is worth increasing the National Debt by nearly $900 billion.  And the new debate is not particularly due to the Bowles-Simpson Bipartisan commission or other serious efforts to put the real math on the table; those technical discussions ...

What Obama Should Do Next
President Obama has an opportunity on his hands. Now that he's cut a grand tax-cut bargain with Republicans, the time is ripe—from both a policy and a political standpoint—to shift toward a comprehensive program of fiscal stabilization and Economic Growth, integrated into a narrative of American success in the twenty-first century. He should do so during next year's State of the Union address, which, if used correctly, may well be the pivotal Speech of the Obama presidency. This is ...

House passes Obama's huge tax-cut bill
(12-17) 04:00 PST Washington - -- Enraging the liberal wing of his party, President Obama won the biggest Bipartisan victory of his presidency Thursday as the House passed his $858 billion, two-year Compromise with Republicans that temporarily extends all the Bush-era Tax Cuts and Unemployment Insurance. Furious Democrats - who in one of their last acts in the House majority found themselves extending the policies of former President George W. Bush - delayed passage until late in the evening, ...

House passes Obama's huge tax-cut bill
(12-17) 04:00 PST Washington - -- Enraging the liberal wing of his party, President Obama won the biggest Bipartisan victory of his presidency Thursday as the House passed his $858 billion, two-year Compromise with Republicans that temporarily extends all the Bush-era Tax Cuts and Unemployment Insurance. Furious Democrats - who in one of their last acts in the House majority found themselves extending the policies of former President George W. Bush - delayed passage until late in the evening, ...

Ron Paul Catches Shutdown Fever: I Dont Think It Would Hurt One Bit
Earlier today, Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) appeared on Fox News with 9/11-truther Andrew Napolitano. With funding for the Federal Government set to run out this weekend, Napolitano asked Paul if it was worth continuing to provide funding or if we should just “go on without the Federal Government for a little while?” Paul agreed, arguing that he didn’t think a government shutdown would hurt “one bit”: NAPOLITANO: Would it be good fiscally and philosophically if the govern...

Poll Watch: PPP (D) 2012 Ohio GOP Primary
PPP (D) 2012 Ohio GOP Primary Sarah Palin 21% (20%) Mike Huckabee 19% (17%) Newt Gingrich 18% (19%) Mitt Romney 15% (14%) Ron Paul 6% Mitch Daniels 5% (3%) Tim Pawlenty 3% (6%) John Thune 2% (0%) Someone else/Undecided 11% (18%) Among Conservatives Sarah Palin 24% ( 21% ) Newt Gingrich 21% ( 21% ) Mike Huckabee 18% (19%) Mitt Romney 14% (13%) Mitch Daniels 4% (2%) Ron Paul 4% Tim Pawlenty 4% (6%)  John Thune 2% (0%) Someone else/Undecided 10% (15%) Among Moderates Mike Huckabee 23

The VERY Wide Open 2012 GOP Presidential Race
Despite the persistent myth that the Republican rank-and-file are all patiently waiting to be told by Great Big Grownups which leader to follow in 2012 (you know, a Great Big Grownup Candidate like Mitch Daniels or Haley Barbour or John Thune) there's remarkably little evidence that conservative Activists, the true rulers of the GOP, are converging behind any particular candidate. For a good indication of the landscape, check out the reader poll recently conducted at the highy influential rig...

Poll Watch: PPP (D) 2012 Wisconsin GOP Primary
PPP (D) 2012 Wisconsin GOP Primary Sarah Palin 21% (18%) Mike Huckabee 18% (15%) Mitt Romney 17% (12%) Newt Gingrich 13% (14%) Tim Pawlenty 10% (8%) Ron Paul 4% John Thune 3% (1%) Mitch Daniels 2% (2%) Someone else/Undecided 12% (28%) Among Conservatives Sarah Palin 23% (20%) Mike Huckabee 18% (14%) Mitt Romney 16% (12%) Newt Gingrich 14% (16%) Tim Pawlenty 9% (8%) Ron Paul 4% John Thune 3% (1%) Mitch Daniels 2% (2%) Someone else/Undecided 11% (26%) Among Moderates Mike Huckabee 20% (

The Importance of Watching Morons
That body language of Joe's told me the truth: GOP really threatened Obama's Presidency. During that deal discussions he traded the governing and the principle for their promise not to oppose him seriously in Y2012. The scheme worked as follows: I, Obama will do what you want, folks. I will push the Tax Cuts for the rich, I will open for you the path to gut Social Security, Pensions, Medicare and Medicaid. I will finance the wars that make you richer. I will paralyze the governmental institut...

Tax cuts pass --recapping a hectic day on Capitol Hill
A big win for President Obama as the Controversial Tax Cut agreement he brokered with GOP leaders passed the final hurdles in Congress last night and is poised to become law --the most significant tax bill in nearly a decade.    The measure, which breezed through the Senate, faced stiff opposition from Liberal Democrats in the House opposed to extending tax cuts for the Richest two percent of Americans. But their last-minute campaign to amend the agreement failed by a midnight vote of ...

Tell the President: Stand Up to the Hostage-Takers! Defend Social Security and Medicare.
Republican hostage-takers got President Obama to go along with their Tax Cuts for the wealthy by threatening to raise taxes on the Middle Class and blocking even modest stimulus funds for our struggling economy. Now the Republicans have identified their next hostage: They're going to threaten to destroy the international financial stability of the United States by refusing to raise the Debt ceiling. What are they demanding for ransom? They want President Obama to slash Social Security and Med...

Roger Hickey: Tell the President: Stand Up to the Hostage-Takers! Defend Social Security and Medicare.
Republican hostage-takers got President Obama to go along with their Tax Cuts for the wealthy by threatening to raise taxes on the Middle Class and blocking even modest stimulus funds for our struggling economy. Now the Republicans have identified their next hostage: They're going to threaten to destroy the international financial stability of the United States by refusing to raise the Debt ceiling. What are they demanding for ransom? They want President Obama to slash Social Security and Med...

Tell the President: Stand Up to the Hostage-Takers! Defend Social Security and Medicare.
Republican hostage-takers got President Obama to go along with their Tax Cuts for the wealthy by threatening to raise taxes on the Middle Class and blocking even modest stimulus funds for our struggling economy. Now the Republicans have identified their next hostage: They're going to threaten to destroy the international financial stability of the United States by refusing to raise the Debt ceiling. What are they demanding for ransom? They want President Obama to slash Social Security and Med...

House Roll Call: Bill to extend tax cuts
The 277-148 roll call Friday by which the House passed a bill to avoid a Jan. 1 spike in income taxes, renew jobless benefits and cut Social Security taxes. A "yes" vote is a vote to pass the measure. Voting yes were 139 Democrats and 138 Republicans. Voting no were 112 Democrats and 36 Republicans. X denotes those not voting. There is 1 vacancy in the 435-member House. House sends Obama bill to avoid Jan. 1 tax hikes...

BREAKING: Tax cut deal passes House, heads to Obama's desk
Late last night, the House of Representatives passed extension of currents Tax Rates and Unemployment Benefits by a vote of 277 to 148, despite a failed effort by Democrats to increase the Death Tax from 35% to 45%: A tax-cut Compromise between President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans - a harbinger of a new era of divided government in Washington - cleared the House around midnight Thursday, sending the $858 billion bill to the president’s desk. The bill, which passed 277 to 14

BREAKING: Tax cut deal passes House, heads to Obama's desk
Late last night, the House of Representatives passed extension of currents Tax Rates and Unemployment Benefits by a vote of 277 to 148, despite a failed effort by Democrats to increase the Death Tax from 35% to 45%: A tax-cut Compromise between President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans - a harbinger of a new era of divided government in Washington - cleared the House around midnight Thursday, sending the $858 billion bill to the president’s desk. The bill, which passed 277 to 14

Obama should take Churchill's advice
Turbulent times often cause Western opinion leaders to seek out appropriate Winston Churchill quotes. Perhaps a few of Sir Winston's observations would be useful to President Obama in the aftermath of the Midterm Elections as a weak Economic Recovery and problematic actors abroad threaten to cloud his prospects for re-election in 2012. Hopefully, the resentment of the president's acquiescence on extending the Bush-era Tax Rates is short-lived, for a clear majority of Americans now share Churchi...

House passes president's tax-cut compromise
(12-16) 04:00 PST Washington - -- Enraging the liberal wing of his party, President Obama won the biggest Bipartisan victory of his presidency Thursday as the House passed his $858 billion, two-year Compromise with Republicans that temporarily extends all the Bush-era Tax Cuts and Unemployment Insurance. Furious Democrats - who in one of their last acts in the House majority found themselves extending the policies of former President George W. Bush - delayed passage until late in the evening, ...

Tax Cut Deal Heads to White House
Politico reports: A tax-cut Compromise between President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans - a harbinger of a new era of divided government in Washington - cleared the House around midnight Thursday, sending the $858 billion bill to the president’s desk. The bill, which passed 277 to 148, provides a two-year extension for all Tax Cuts that were due to expire Dec. 31 - including for families earning more than $250,000 a year — and extends Unemployment I

Romney - Why tax cut is a bad deal
Death and taxes, it is said, are life's only two certainties. But in the wake of President Obama's tax Compromise with congressional Republicans, only death retains the status of certainty: The future for taxes has been left up in the air. And uncertainty is not a friend of investment, growth and job creation. The deal has several key features. It reduces Payroll taxes, extends Unemployment Benefits and keeps current Tax Rates intact. So far, so good. But intermixed with the benefits are conside...

Congress passes extension of Bush-era tax cuts
Congress approved the most significant tax bill in nearly a decade late Thursday, overcoming liberal resistance to continue for two more years Tax Breaks enacted under president George W. Bush and to provide a fresh boost of federal support to the tepid Economic Recovery. This Story Congress passes extension of Bush-era Tax Cuts Senate Democrats give up on earmark-laden spending bill Brown Says Tax Cuts Blow `Outrageous' Hole in Deficit Republicans and tax cuts? Now that's rich. Graphic: How ...

Tax Bill Passes
Via the Washington Post:Congress approved the most significant tax bill in nearly a decade late Thursday, overcoming liberal resistance to continue for two more years Tax Breaks enacted under president George W. Bush and to provide a fresh boost of federal support to the tepid Economic Recovery. The package, brokered by President Obama and Republican leaders in the wake of the November Elections, angered many Democrats, who have long argued that the Bush Tax Cuts were skewed to benefit the wea...

Sarah Palin vs. Simon Johnson and Washington wisdom
This is the kind of thing that really burns me. Here is Simon Johnson, former chief Economist at the IMF, over the at the NYTimes econ blog: The weakness in the Palin-Gingrich position is that while they want to balance the Budget, they want to do so primarily by cutting spending. This is very difficult to do, as most of the spending issues over the next 30 years are about Social Security (a little) and Medicare (a lot). … Cutting or limiting nonmilitary Discretionary Spending may play we...

Next year's economy: Good enough may be as good as it gets
WASHINGTON — 2011 should be a happy new year for the U.S. economy, according to forecasts from mainstream Economists, although their predictions over the past several years have been about as accurate as the local weatherman's. Most economists predict growth in the range of 3 percent next year. The more optimistic ones see 4 percent. That's a remarkably positive outlook compared to the past three years, but it's not enough to push Unemployment down much. "The story for ...

Strong week for economy raises optimism for 2011
In this Nov. 30, 2010 photo, a battery pack is shown prior to being installed... WASHINGTON (AP) - Buoyed by a string of hopeful government reports on layoffs, factory production and Consumer Spending, Economists are predicting that hiring and even housing will pick up in 2011 and make it a better year after all. The reports issued this week, along with a tax-cut plan that Congress is set to pass, point to stronger overall growth next year, experts say. Growth "has improved as the year is comi...