The most precious commodity in politics today is clarity. The entire process is designed to confuse, obfuscate, or make things seem more complicated than they actually are. In February 2009, CNBC contributor Rick Santelli gave birth to a movement, not
In the next few days, the Obama Administration will cancel self-guided tours of the White House. The cancellation comes in the wake of the White House having to trim around $600,000 from its annual budget. If anyone on the West
Yesterday, in its continuing quest to make the sequester seem worse than it actually has turned out to be, the Obama Administration announced that it would cancel White House tours. It blamed the sequester cuts for the decision. This is
Jeb Bush has always been on the immigration reform wing of the GOP. Like his brother, the former President, he was a successful governor of a state with a large Hispanic population. Both drew significant support from Hispanic voters. In
Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton campaigned in 2010 on not increasing cigarette taxes, which he decried as “regressive” in a gubernatorial debate. But facing budget challenges, Dayton has now flip-flopped and is advocating a 94 cent per pack cigarette tax increase. According
President Obama has stated that any deal to replace across-the-board sequester cuts has to include tax hikes, as well as spending cuts. It is part of his oft-cited “balanced approach” to deficit reduction. At countless campaign events, speeches and press
In the days leading up to Friday’s sequester deadline, President Obama and Administration officials ratcheted up their dire warnings over the impact of automatic spending cuts. Speaking at a press conference Friday, just hours before he would sign an order
Monday morning, President Obama will announce MIT nuclear physicist Ernest Moniz as his choice for Energy Secretary. A supporter of research into renewable energy, Moniz is also a strong advocate for natural gas and fracking. His nomination is expected to
As the Obama Administration spun nightmare scenarios over the impact of sequester cuts, it was revealed that Homeland Security had released from custody illegal immigrants who were charged with crimes. The White House said these actions were taken in expectation
On Friday, the White House signaled it would sign a continuing resolution to extend government spending beyond a March 27th deadline. Previously, it was assumed the expiration of the current resolution authorizing government spending at the end of the month
This afternoon, the State Department released a draft environmental assessment of the proposed Keystone Pipeline. The assessment concluded that blocking the pipeline would have little impact on stemming climate change nor curtailing the development of Canada’s oil-sand fields. In other
“But, why?!?” Andrew implored. “That’s just crazy. Who are these people?” “These people” were the general conservative and Republican establishment, both in DC and around the country. It was late 2003 or early 2004. (As I get older, dates get
The Commerce Department reported Friday that personal income contracted a sharp 3.6% in January. In three of the last four months, personal income had showed modest gains. Economists had expected a more modest drop in income of 2.5%. This, and
Senate Republicans are promoting legislation that would temporarily suspend the sequester for a week and give President Obama the authority to direct where specific spending cuts should be made. Rather than each Agency or program bearing an equal share of
The Senate Judiciary Committee was expected to take up several gun control measures today and mark up final legislation. The Committee, however, has put off action for at least a week. The principal reason for the delay is to allow
This morning, the State Department announced that Secretary of State John Kerry has committed $60 million in “non-lethal” aid to assist the Syrian rebels fighting the Assad regime. The announcement comes on the eve of automatic budget cuts across the
The Commerce Department this morning released its “second” estimate of 4th Quarter GDP. The revised figures show that GDP didn’t contract in the Quarter, as originally estimated, but rather grew by a weak 0.1%. Even the new positive number shows
Breitbart News has learned exclusively that Clint Eastwood has signed an amicus brief to the Supreme Court, supporting the right of same-sex couples to marry. The brief, which will be released later this evening, has signatures from more than 100
In the end, President Obama got the Defense Secretary he wanted. On Tuesday afternoon, the Senate voted to confirm former NE Senator Chuck Hagel to head the Defense Department. An unprecedented 41 Senators voted against Hagel’s nomination. In the history
This afternoon, Gov. Chris Christie reversed course and announced that New Jersey would expand the state’s Medicaid program in conjunction with ObamaCare. The health law originally required states to expand eligibility for Medicaid, a shared federal-state program, but the Supreme
As Capitol Hill prepares to withstand any fallout stemming from Friday’s sequestration cuts, Obama and the Democrats are increasing pressure to replace the spending cuts with tax increases. Fearful that the House GOP would go along with such a plan,
Absent a last-minute Congressional deal, sequestration cuts to the budget begin to take effect on Friday. The automatic, across-the-board cuts to discretionary spending are the result of the 2011 deal to lift the debt ceiling. If left in place for
On Friday, barring some last-minute, extraordinary action by Congress, the government’s sequestration takes effect. The sequester, approved during the debt ceiling talks in 2011, would require the federal government to trim about 1% of its spending over the next seven
There is wide speculation that SD Dem Sen. Tim Johnson will retire at the end of his term, rather than seek reelection next year. He continues to suffer physical ailments from a brain hemorrhage he suffered in 2006. His campaign
The Labor Department reported this morning that initial jobless claims jumped this week by 20,000, rising to 362,000. Economists had been expecting a slight increase to 355,000. The four-week moving average, a less volatile measure, also moved up to 360,000.
A new Quinnipiac poll finds that Sen. Bob Menendez’s approval ratings have plummeted 15 points in less than a month. Only 36% of New Jersey voters approve of the job Menendez is doing, while 41% disapprove. In January, before widespread
The acrimony surrounding Chuck Hagel’s confirmation to lead the Defense Department has caused a handful of Senators to formally ask the White House to withdraw his nomination. The almost unprecedented step has capped weeks of debate over Hagel’s fitness for
Americans for Prosperity, this afternoon, released its legislative scorecard for the 112th Congress. AFP is one of the premier grass roots organizations promoting limited government and individual freedom. Scorecards like this provide activists a quick-guide to which politicians back up their
Texas Governor Rick Perry recently made a much-publized tour of California, meeting with business leaders and promoting his state’s pro-business climate. CA Gov. Jerry Brown dismissed the tour as a “political stunt.” He might want to take the threat more
A Kentucky businessman has been quietly reaching out to local Tea Party and grass roots organizations, testing the waters for a primary challenge against GOP Senate Leader Mitch McConnell. Matt Bevin is owner of Bevin Manufacturing Co, a firm founded
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
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
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
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
The House on Friday passed legislation to preserve, for an additional year, a pay freeze for non-military federal workers. The freeze has been in effect for the past three years. The action was necessary because President Obama recently announced that
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
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
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
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
