In a rebuke to President Obama, a Senate panel last week gave a thumbs-up to the creation of an alternative Gulf oil spill commission to rival that previously announced by the President. The bipartisan commission was approved by five Democrats
The death of Senator Robert Byrd on Monday has upended the administration’s cap and trade offensive, as observers of West Virginia politics suspect his yet-to-be-named interim successor will defer to the state’s pro-coal politics on pending climate legislation. Byrd, whose
Among my favorite stories from political lore is that of a candidate who runs on a platform of eliminating the office they seek. It mostly plays out on the local level, where slightly odd and antiquated offices can stack up
The Left is far more organized than you might imagine, but a little investigation can turn up some fascinating examples of how they coordinate with front groups and the media to advance their policies. Consider this New York Times editorial.
A New York Law School study released this month warns that tinkering with the broadband regulatory regime could spell the loss of hundreds of thousands of jobs and reduce GDP by $80 billion. The study, authored by Charles Davidson and
In last year’s federal budget, Illinois Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky introduced and then withdrew what appears to have been a multi-million dollar earmark for the Save-A-Life Foundation (SALF), a now-defunct nonprofit that claims to have provided first aid training for nearly
In the wake of the BP oil spill, efforts have been afoot on the part of the Obama administration to ban drilling off the U.S. coast outright, ostensibly to stop future disasters like that which continues to unfold in the
New York Attorney General and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Andrew Cuomo is proving a canny politician the further he progresses in his career. Thursday, the son of former Gov. Mario Cuomo trashed outgoing Gov. David Paterson’s budget plan, saying he opposes
The Louisiana oil crisis continues unabated. Oil continues to pollute the Gulf and the Obama Administration continues to fiddle while Louisiana suffers. In addition to being angry with BP and the Obama Administration’s weak response, activists have taken to the
The number of congressional Democrats who oppose the Federal Communications Commission’s bid to reclassify broadband as a traditional telecommunications service has reached seventy-six. Senator Debbie Stabenow, a Michigan Democrat, last week urged Commission chief Julius Genachowski to search for a
The parallels to 1994 are all around us. A Democrat president is elected. He pushes big government agenda items like health care. His presidency gets mired by scandal and circumstances. His poll numbers begin to drop quickly. In 1994 Republicans
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) recently hit a major stumbling block in its effort to impose net neutrality via the “reclassification” of broadband services. Following months of civil rights groups, artists, and a major union voicing their opposition to net
The violent left has attacked conservative activists protesting big government, big spending and big bailout scheme proposed by Congress. Tea Party activists in Tampa and St. Louis were beaten by left wing activists earlier this year. Add Greensboro to that
California’s Air Resources Board (CARB)–long considered a foe of conservatives nationwide– has shelled out close to $800,000 to bolster its latest pet “green” initiative, Capitol Confidential has learned. A study released last month, which draws positive conclusions regarding CARB’s favored
The Senate will soon vote on the American Jobs and Closing Tax Loopholes Act; a counterproductive bill that, purportedly, extends unemployment benefits for millions of out of work Americans. And yet ironically, found in the bowels of this legislation is
Across the country, states big and small are facing significant budget gaps. In California, the worst case by far, candidates for state office are debating how to close a $19 billion budget deficit. In Florida, meanwhile, another multi-billion dollar budget
When Washington opened the doors to taxpayer bailouts of Wall Street firms they set off a modern day gold rush for lobbyists, corporations and unions looking to get their piece of the pie. The car companies lined up for their
The Federal Communications Commission’s bid to subject broadband services to stricter regulation encountered a new hurdle last Friday, as an informal count of legislators revealed more than half of the members of the House oppose reshaping the regulatory framework through
It’s hard to imagine that the Senate Financial Reform legislation could get worse, but thanks to an amendment offered by Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), not only did the legislation get worse, it now adds insult to injury. It’s no secret
Four senior congressional Democrats inadvertently confirmed Monday that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)–which, under Chairman Julius Genachowski’s leadership has been trying for months to impose contentious net neutrality rules–lacks the authority needed to regulate the Internet. For weeks, the FCC
A comment made by a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) staffer at last week’s NCTA 2010 Cable Show is attracting attention of the wrong sort. As the debate surrounding net neutrality, and alleged FCC moves to institute it by the back
Ways and Means Ranking Republican Dave Camp (R-MI) and Health Subcommittee Ranking Member Wally Herger (R-CA) today released a new road map that shows America’s small businesses and their employees how to calculate the so-called small business health care tax
It takes a special ad to get a candidate for Senate so upset they hire lawyers to censor it. But that is what is happening in Illinois as the Alexi Giannoulias campaign has unleashed its lawyers on television stations who
The conservative, grassroots movement has successfully shown that gerrymandered congressional districts and state boundaries no longer limit citizen involvement in any campaign regardless of where you live. In 2010, all politics are still local, but every campaign in the country
