Last week, a grand jury in Austin, Texas indicted Governor Rick Perry on two counts of abusing his official office. The charges stem from a public threat Perry made to veto appropriations to a department of the Travis County District
Higher taxes aren’t generally a path to economic growth and job creation. Higher cigarette taxes, however, are increasingly boosting at least one sector of the economy, organized crime. ‘Smuggled cigarettes have become the new currency of organized crime, and a
An old rule of politics is to ignore what campaigns say and watch, instead, what they do. Where a campaign devotes its money and resources says more about their view of the landscape than what they say in a press
A new Fox News poll finds Democrats with a 7-point lead over Republicans in the generic ballot. When asked which party they would vote for if Congressional elections were held today, 46% of voters answer Democrat while 39% pick Republicans.
President Obama’s dismal approval ratings are jeopardizing Democrat control of the Senate and have destroyed any chance the party had of reclaiming the House. If Obama’s ratings remain at near-record lows, Democrat hopes of clawing back some of its 2010
Facing an increasingly hostile political landscape, Democrats are turning an old adage upside down; asking voters to believe what the candidates say, not what they do. In districts across the country, Democrats are campaigning on tax cuts, balanced budgets and
Historians will record the summer of 2014 as the moment the American public drew the curtains on the Obama presidency. His White House merely reacts to news and events, which seem increasingly beyond his control or influence. His personal approval
On Thursday, Montana Sen. John Walsh announced he was dropping out of the race to succeed former Democrat Sen. Max Baucus. Walsh, the state’s former Lieutenant Governor, was appointed to complete Baucus’ term and was viewed as the Democrat’s best
With Obama’s poll numbers worse today than they were in 2010, Republicans seemed poised for an historic sweep in November’s midterm elections. A switch of just 6 seats in the Senate, where Democrats are defending almost twice as many seats,
The Labor Department reported Friday that the economy gained 209,000 jobs in July, while the unemployment rate ticked higher to 6.2%. Economists had expected a gain of 230,000 jobs in the month and an unemployment rate of 6.1%. The disappointing
On Wednesday, the Commerce Department released its advance estimate of 2nd Quarter GDP growth, reporting growth of 4%. The number was higher than economists’ expectations of 3% growth in the quarter. Commerce noted, however, that this advance estimate is subject
Rob Engstrom, the US Chamber of Commerce’s national political director, recently told a gathering of trade association executives that the Chamber planned to endorse Louisiana Democrat Sen. Mary Landrieu in her reelection bid this year. The endorsement, reported by the
Texas GOP Rep. Ted Poe, founder of the Congressional Victim’s Rights Caucus, blasted the NFL’s two-game suspension of Baltimore Ravens’ running back Ray Rice on Friday. A video emerged of Rice dragging his unconscious then-fiancee out of an elevator after
Most political handicappers of Senate races this fall generally assume that the GOP will capture the seat of former-Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT). Cook Political Report ranks the race as “Lean GOP,” a relatively bullish indicator. A new poll from liberal
A new Politico poll finds 57% of likely voters disapprove of Obama’s job performance and essentially split on which party they prefer. Respondents were drawn from areas with competitive House and Senate races this November. The poll also shows that
The unfolding illegal immigration crisis at the southern border is likely to change the political calculus of the fall midterm elections. Even in states far from the border, like New Hampshire, the situation is altering the political dynamics on the
The central weakness of the Republican’s political position in Washington has been on vivid display as the situation at the southern border has devolved into a complete crisis. As tens of thousands of foreign nationals overwhelm the border and render
On Tuesday, GOP Reps. Greg Walden and Tom Price introduced legislation to reverse the Obama Administration’s decision to cut payments for home health-care services by 14%. The planned cuts, the maximum allowed under ObamaCare, jeopardize health care services for more
The Obama White House is preparing the ground for a late-summer fight with the GOP over the “highway trust fund” and infrastructure spending. In the next month or so, the federal “highway trust fund,” effectively, will temporarily run out of
The Commerce Department reported Tuesday that retail sales grew an anemic 0.2% in June, well below expectations. Economists had predicted a 0.6% increase. June’s growth in retail sales was the slowest in 5 months. The report indicates that consumers continue
The DCCC, the campaign arm for Rep. Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats, has raised $22 million more than the House GOP for the fall elections. That result is surprising enough, as Democrats’ minority status gives them little political leverage in
President Obama once described it as “little more than a fund for corporate welfare,” but now top Senate Democrats are touting their support for the Export-Import Bank as a way to siphon campaign donations from the GOP. The New Deal-era
Trying to quell a controversy over a $225,000 speaking fee at UNLV, Hillary Clinton told ABC News Friday that all her speaking fees from colleges were “donated” to the family’s Clinton Foundation. It naturally didn’t occur to ABC News to
On Thursday, the Labor Department reported the economy added 288,000 jobs in June, beating economists’ expectations. The Department also revised upward job gains in April and May, bringing the average monthly gain for the second quarter to 272,000 jobs a
Now that there are major warning signs that the dismal economic “recovery” under President Obama is faltering, Business Insider, which has seized on obscure data points to cheerlead for an economic “breakout,” appears to be looking for scapegoats. A new
Winston Churchill quipped that “a lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on.” He could easily have been talking about the state of economic forecasting and reporting in the US today.
On Thursday, the Commerce Department reported that personal consumption, which makes up around three-fourths of the economy, fell in May, further undermining claims that a particularly cold winter was behind the recent economic slowdown. Personal consumption fell in January, but
Allies of the recording industry in Congress have introduced new legislation to change copyright law in the face of a new, online landscape. But the proposal is facing criticism that it would insulate entrenched players in the market from competition,
On Friday, the $2.2 billion Revel Casino in Atlantic City was back in bankruptcy court for the second time in 2 years. Lawyers for the mega-casino argued it was a “melting ice-cube” that would have to close this summer unless
Conservatives can be forgiven for believing the political winds are at their back. Obama is flirting with historically low approval ratings as much of the public simply tunes him out. Democrat-backed policies have failed to lift the economy and public
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s shocking loss in his primary last week left many observers wondering if the fallout would spark a GOP leadership shuffle. Cantor’s opponent, econ professor Dave Brat, with a shoe-string budget and zero support from national
President Obama has faced low job-approval ratings for much of his presidency. In the current RealClearPolitics average of polls, his job-approval is currently 42%. According to Gallup, Obama’s job-approval has never averaged more than 48% in each of his last
Every four years, large swaths of the world pause to enjoy the World Cup, a tournament of the 32 best national teams in soccer. Like clockwork, American sports writers and fans mark the occasion with loud commentary about how “stupid”
On Wednesday, the California Senate Finance Committee approved new tax legislation intended to specifically target billionaire Donald Sterling, embattled owner of the NBA’s Los Angeles Clippers, the Los Angeles Times reports. The legislation would prohibit sport franchise owners from deducting fines
On Thursday, the Virginia DMV sent cease-and-desist letters to ride-sharing companies Uber and Lyft, asserting that their services are illegal in the Commonwealth, according to the Hampton Virginia-Pilot. DMV Commissioner Richard Holcombe also “strongly” suggested the companies “focus their resources
A new CNN poll of Americans finds falling support for President Obama on every policy issue. On no single issue does a majority of Americans approve of Obama’s position. On many important issues, e.g. health care, immigration and foreign policy,
Revelations of secret waiting lists at VA hospitals and veterans’ struggles to get medical care have received national attention in recent weeks. This scandal, however, is just the highest-profile example of the consequences of government encroaching further into our lives.
On Thursday, the Commerce Department revised downward its estimate of GDP growth in the first three months of the year. New data reveals the economy shrank by 1.0% in the first quarter, a sharp reversal from the agency’s initial estimate
The Commerce Department reported Thursday that, in its latest estimate of 1st Quarter GDP, the economy shrank by 1.0% in the first three months of the year. This was a sharp reversal from its initial estimate, which suggested the economy
Earlier this week, the Democrat-controlled legislature in Illinois sent to Gov. Pat Quinn a measure that would place a minimum wage hike on the November ballot. The proposal would ask voters whether they support an increase in the state minimum