Print Mike Flynn Follow Read Full Bio 2014: NE GOP Sen. Johanns to Retire First term Nebraska Senator Mike Johanns surprised the political world this afternoon with an announcement that he would retire at the end of his term, rather than seek reelection. Sen. Johanns had been widely considered to be running for reelection next year and was the prohibitive favorite to win. The state is strongly Republican, but Johanns departure could set up a competitive primary race. 18 Feb 2013 Dems Purge Pro-Gun Heretics Local and national Democrats are mobilizing against former congresswoman Debbie Halvorson, the front-runner for next week's Democrat primary in Illinois' special congressional election. The special election is to fill the term of disgraced Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., who recently pled guilty to campaign fraud. Halvorson has run afoul of the current Democrat dogma on guns, staking out a strong position in support of gun rights. 18 Feb 2013 Min Wage Hike Is About 2014 Turnout President Obama surprised political observers with a strong push to increase the minimum wage in his State of the Union address last week. Obama called on Congress to increase the federal minimum wage to $9/hour by 2015, from its current level of $7.25. In his post-SOTU tour, he has made the issue a central tenet of his economic proposals. Obama's push, however, isn't about the particular merits of a mandated wage hike. Rather, its purpose is to provide an issue around which Democrats can organize for the 2014 midterms. Its a playbook they've used before. 18 Feb 2013 With Congress in Recess, Sequester Looks Inevitable With Congress out of session next week, due to the Presidents' Day holiday, it looks inevitable that the sequestration cuts will take effect March 1st. Replacing the $85 billion in cuts scheduled through the rest of the fiscal year isn't necessarily difficult itself, but Republicans and Democrats are deeply divided over whether or not increased revenues should be used to off-set the cuts. Democrats insist that some portion of the cuts be replaced with new tax hikes. 16 Feb 2013 House Overrides Obama, Votes to Freeze Federal Pay The House on Friday passed legislation to preserve, for an additional year, a pay freeze for federal workers. The freeze has been in effect for the past three years. The action was necessary because President Obama recently announced that he would move, through executive action, to boost federal pay in March. The pay freeze bill attracted the votes of more than 40 Democrats. 16 Feb 2013 CIA Finds Seven New Bin Laden Photos, Still Won't Release This afternoon, DOJ informed Judicial Watch that the CIA has uncovered another 7 photos of Osama bin Laden's body, taken after the raid that ended his life on May 1st, 2011. The previous known photos of bin Laden have been classified and withheld from the public. Today's letter from DOJ states that these new photos are "of the same nature" as the other photos and will also be classified and withheld. 15 Feb 2013 Dems Face Uphill Task to Take Back House It's almost two years until the midterm elections in 2014, so people can be excused their occasional flights of fancy. Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY), chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), released a memo to his colleagues arguing that the Democrats are well-poised to win a majority in the House in next year's elections. His three-page memo has a veneer of plausibility to it. That veneer, however, is no match against the headwinds of reality. 15 Feb 2013 Obama Hubris on Cabinet Gives Rocky Start to 2nd Term On Thursday, Obama faced the first set-back of his second term as the Senate blocked a vote on Chuck Hagel's nomination to head the Defense Department. Politico recalls today that Obama was warned by several advisors and Democrats on the Hill that tapping Hagel as SecDef would spark a firestorm. In what is becoming a theme for his final term in office, Obama pressed ahead anyway, apparently confident that his reelection gives him a personal mandate. His over-interpreting the election results is providing a rocky start for the next four years. 15 Feb 2013 Jack Lew: History's Most Ironic Cabinet Nominee President Obama's reelection campaign was built on class warfare and resentment of the wealthy. He spoke broadly about the sins of Wall Street and the financial sector. He vilified his opponent, Mitt Romney, for making money on financial transactions and investing money overseas. He particularly singled out investments Romney had in the Cayman Islands for scorn. These facts, in Obama's campaign rhetoric, disqualified Romney from the Presidency. They were, however, the exact traits Obama looks for in a Treasury Secretary. 14 Feb 2013 Keeper De Gea Hero of Man U, Real Madrid Grudge Match It is something of a parlor game among American sports fans to make fun of European football (soccer). It is true that many games end in a draw, or even with no goals scored at all. There are no breaks in the action, as the ball if "live" continuously. Many Americans are convinced the game is boring. Would that they had watched today's Champions' League match between Manchester United and Real Madrid. 13 Feb 2013 Previous 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 Next
2014: NE GOP Sen. Johanns to Retire First term Nebraska Senator Mike Johanns surprised the political world this afternoon with an announcement that he would retire at the end of his term, rather than seek reelection. Sen. Johanns had been widely considered to be running for reelection next year and was the prohibitive favorite to win. The state is strongly Republican, but Johanns departure could set up a competitive primary race. 18 Feb 2013
Dems Purge Pro-Gun Heretics Local and national Democrats are mobilizing against former congresswoman Debbie Halvorson, the front-runner for next week's Democrat primary in Illinois' special congressional election. The special election is to fill the term of disgraced Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., who recently pled guilty to campaign fraud. Halvorson has run afoul of the current Democrat dogma on guns, staking out a strong position in support of gun rights. 18 Feb 2013
Min Wage Hike Is About 2014 Turnout President Obama surprised political observers with a strong push to increase the minimum wage in his State of the Union address last week. Obama called on Congress to increase the federal minimum wage to $9/hour by 2015, from its current level of $7.25. In his post-SOTU tour, he has made the issue a central tenet of his economic proposals. Obama's push, however, isn't about the particular merits of a mandated wage hike. Rather, its purpose is to provide an issue around which Democrats can organize for the 2014 midterms. Its a playbook they've used before. 18 Feb 2013
With Congress in Recess, Sequester Looks Inevitable With Congress out of session next week, due to the Presidents' Day holiday, it looks inevitable that the sequestration cuts will take effect March 1st. Replacing the $85 billion in cuts scheduled through the rest of the fiscal year isn't necessarily difficult itself, but Republicans and Democrats are deeply divided over whether or not increased revenues should be used to off-set the cuts. Democrats insist that some portion of the cuts be replaced with new tax hikes. 16 Feb 2013
House Overrides Obama, Votes to Freeze Federal Pay The House on Friday passed legislation to preserve, for an additional year, a pay freeze for federal workers. The freeze has been in effect for the past three years. The action was necessary because President Obama recently announced that he would move, through executive action, to boost federal pay in March. The pay freeze bill attracted the votes of more than 40 Democrats. 16 Feb 2013
CIA Finds Seven New Bin Laden Photos, Still Won't Release This afternoon, DOJ informed Judicial Watch that the CIA has uncovered another 7 photos of Osama bin Laden's body, taken after the raid that ended his life on May 1st, 2011. The previous known photos of bin Laden have been classified and withheld from the public. Today's letter from DOJ states that these new photos are "of the same nature" as the other photos and will also be classified and withheld. 15 Feb 2013
Dems Face Uphill Task to Take Back House It's almost two years until the midterm elections in 2014, so people can be excused their occasional flights of fancy. Rep. Steve Israel (D-NY), chair of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC), released a memo to his colleagues arguing that the Democrats are well-poised to win a majority in the House in next year's elections. His three-page memo has a veneer of plausibility to it. That veneer, however, is no match against the headwinds of reality. 15 Feb 2013
Obama Hubris on Cabinet Gives Rocky Start to 2nd Term On Thursday, Obama faced the first set-back of his second term as the Senate blocked a vote on Chuck Hagel's nomination to head the Defense Department. Politico recalls today that Obama was warned by several advisors and Democrats on the Hill that tapping Hagel as SecDef would spark a firestorm. In what is becoming a theme for his final term in office, Obama pressed ahead anyway, apparently confident that his reelection gives him a personal mandate. His over-interpreting the election results is providing a rocky start for the next four years. 15 Feb 2013
Jack Lew: History's Most Ironic Cabinet Nominee President Obama's reelection campaign was built on class warfare and resentment of the wealthy. He spoke broadly about the sins of Wall Street and the financial sector. He vilified his opponent, Mitt Romney, for making money on financial transactions and investing money overseas. He particularly singled out investments Romney had in the Cayman Islands for scorn. These facts, in Obama's campaign rhetoric, disqualified Romney from the Presidency. They were, however, the exact traits Obama looks for in a Treasury Secretary. 14 Feb 2013
Keeper De Gea Hero of Man U, Real Madrid Grudge Match It is something of a parlor game among American sports fans to make fun of European football (soccer). It is true that many games end in a draw, or even with no goals scored at all. There are no breaks in the action, as the ball if "live" continuously. Many Americans are convinced the game is boring. Would that they had watched today's Champions' League match between Manchester United and Real Madrid. 13 Feb 2013