The strategic miscalculation of Republicans in DC has been to think they are in actual negotiations with the White House and Democrats. They approach any major debate with an initial list of what they will cede, assuming the Democrats will
In the days leading up to the vote for Speaker for the 113th Congress, Breitbart News reported extensively on a growing movement among conservative members of the House to challenge John Boehner’s reelection. The nation’s political media either ignored these
To get an indication of how much some in the pundit class are dreading the looming fight over the debt ceiling, consider the latest daft idea to get around the nation’s borrowing limit. A great swathe of the on-line world
The conservative revolt against John Boehner’s leadership failed to block his reelection as Speaker. The effort, however, came surprisingly close. A dozen of Boehner’s colleagues very publicly either voted for someone else for Speaker or chose not to vote. If
This afternoon, the House easily passed legislation expanding FEMA’s borrowing authority to meet claims related to Super-Storm Sandy. The bill would authorize over $9 Billion in new borrowing for FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program, in order to meet claims made
This afternoon, the new 113th Congress convenes. Its first order of business will be to elect a Speaker of the House. For most of the media, this is merely a procedural hurdle to John Boehner’s reelection as Speaker. As Breitbart
The next Congress will be dominated by budget and fiscal issues. Almost immediately, the 113th Congress will have to grapple with Obama’s demand to lift the debt ceiling and pair any further spending cuts with increased tax revenue. The budget
Rep. Tom Price is a respected leader of conservatives in the House. A former chair of the Republican Study Committee, the in-house caucus of conservative legislators, he has long been at the forefront of crafting conservative solutions to our nation’s
Tonight’s vote on the Senate-brokered deal to avert the “fiscal cliff” may set the stage for a Leadership challenge when the new Congress convenes at noon on Thursday. Almost two-thirds of the House GOP caucus voted against the Senate plan
Tonight, the House voted to accept the Senate amendments to House Resolution 8, setting in motion the enactment of the McConnell-Biden brokered deal to avert the “fiscal cliff.” The House will next hold a quick vote to pass the underlying
As more details emerge about the Senate’s hastily-passed deal to avert the “fiscal cliff”, the scale of the GOP’s capitulation grows more troubling. This morning, it looked as if the Senate GOP had overwhelmingly voted for a $620 Billion tax
On a host of social and cultural issues, the American public has moved away from positions traditionally held by the Republican party. Yet, the party has remained competitive electorally because of two core tenets of the party; keeping taxes low
Throughout the “fiscal cliff” negotiations, Speaker Boehner promised that only legislation that had the support of a “majority of the majority” would come to the floor for a vote. It was his nod to reassure conservatives that he wouldn’t accept
This afternoon, in one of the more bizarre appearances of his presidency, Barack Obama gave a televised address to a room full of supporters on the “fiscal cliff.” He broke no news, but mocked Congress, and hinted at future tax
In the wake of his reelection victory last month, President Obama has enjoyed a steady rise in his approval ratings. According to Gallup’s daily tracking poll, Obama’s approval rating reached 58% on December 21st, a 52-week high. Election winners typically
In today’s chapter of “The Fiscal Cliff,” Senate Leaders Reid and McConnell are working behind the scenes to craft a deal to meet Monday’s midnight deadline. Yesterday, President Obama met with congressional leaders, for the first time in six weeks,
This afternoon, at 3pm EST, the five principal players in the tragi-comedic tele-play, “The Fiscal Cliff“, meet at the White House to begin the final maneuvering ahead of Monday’s midnight deadline. The four Congressional Leaders and President Obama will initiate
Speaker Boehner and his Leadership team have mishandled negotiations over the “fiscal cliff.” Setting aside their tactical moves, their overall strategy going into the talks was misguided. They assumed that Obama wanted to reach a deal and that getting there
Today, it finally dawned on the media–and the markets–that we are very likely going over the “fiscal cliff.” With the House out of town, speculation turned to the Senate and expectations rose that Reid would offer his own plan to
Today, the Senate takes up legislation to reauthorize FISA, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The law allows the government to conduct wiretaps without a warrant in certain limited cases. This article is not about this law. It is about how,
The last few weeks were apparently so much fun, DC has decided to get the gang back together to stage another round of talks on the “fiscal cliff.” Last night, the White House announced that Obama will cut short his
The holidays are traditionally a time where we renew our optimism about the future. Gatherings with friends and family, festive meals and sparkling decorations are all powerful elixirs to the wear-and-tear of daily life. A new ABC/WaPo poll, however, shows
On January 3rd, the new 113th Congress will convene for its first day of business. The first action in the House will be electing a Speaker, the chamber’s presiding officer. The vote is conducted by a public roll-call, where each
Friends and family of Judge Robert Bork gathered in McLean, VA Saturday to lay to rest the legal titan. Six current Supreme Court Justices attended the service, a testament to Bork’s legal legacy. The former Judge and one-time nominee to
The future leadership of the House GOP conference may be decided by a procedural motion on the morning of January 3rd. When the new 113th Congress convenes that day, the first order of business will be to elect a Speaker
