In legislation filed yesterday, the House GOP Leadership made an important twist in their plan to pass a short-term increase in the debt ceiling. Rather than increase the debt ceiling by a few hundred billion dollars, buying them time for
The 2012 elections have forced conservatives into the role of a loyal opposition, at least in terms of national policy. With control of just the House, there is little opportunity for conservatives to do more than block the enactment of
Republicans were “community organized” in 2012. Obama and the Democrats achieved the same turnout advantage they enjoyed in 2008, without any noticeable signs of it building. Obama’s rallies were smaller and there were almost none of the organic neighborhood “events”
In 1994, the GOP won an historic landslide and swept the Democrats in Congress from power. The victory was due, in large part, to a recent assault weapons ban that had been enacted. No doubt with this in mind, former
Just a week before the New Year, Obama enjoyed his highest approval ratings of 2012. According to Gallup, 58% of Americans approved of the job Obama was doing. Survey results released today by Gallup, though, show Obama’s approval rating has plummeted to
For the second day in a row, a top member of House GOP Leadership has floated the idea of a short-term extension of the debt ceiling to coincide with action on the budget. The House GOP caucus is on retreat
In the middle of his first term, President Clinton pushed sweeping changes to the federal criminal code. Among these changes was a ban on assault weapons. The political battle over the legislative proposal raged for months in 1994. It was
To understand the growing divide between rank-and-file Republicans and the party’s leadership in DC, look no further than the temper tantrum published this week in The Hill. The author, John Feehery is a GOP power-broker who was a long-time top
The only thing more frustrating than the media ignoring a major story is it trying to report on one. The media have reported on the looming fights over the budget as if it were a singular event. All parts of
Tonight, as expected, the House passed its final package of disaster relief for victims of Superstorm Sandy. The final legislation authorized $50 Billion in “emergency” spending to rebuild from the storm damage, including billions of spending for items unrelated to
We live in the gilded age of crony capitalism. If you have any doubt about that fact look no further than Elon Musk’s purchase of a $17 million mansion in Bel Air, California. Who is Elon Musk? He struck it
Given all the oxygen being expended by the media and Democrats on gun control proposals, one would assume the issue had skyrocketed to the top of voters’ concerns. Democrat politicians are mugging for the camera and several cable shows have
Tonight, the House will take up its second piece of a package of aid intended to help victims of Superstorm Sandy. Two weeks ago, the House passed a $9 Billion increase in FEMA’s borrowing authority to pay flood claims from
A new survey from Pew finds that, by a 2-1 margin, Americans support putting armed guards in the nation’s schools. 64% support the proposal, first floated by the NRA, against just 32% who oppose it. Even this proposal, though, has
The US is approaching its own “triple witching hour”, when we hit the debt ceiling, automatic spending cuts are triggered, and the government’s continuing resolution spending authority expires. The confluence puts in stark relief the government’s unsustainable spending habit. It
It’s hard to imagine a clearer sign of Obama’s planned intransigence on the looming debt talks then his selection of Jack Lew as Treasury Secretary. Supporters of the nomination hail Lew’s long experience at the Office of Management and Budget
In the days immediately following the November election, GOP WV Rep. Shelley Moore Capito announced her plans to run for Senate in 2014. Her long-anticipated campaign for statewide office was viewed as a serious threat to long-time Sen. Jay Rockefeller’s
The left and the media have seized on recent tragic shootings to make a renewed push for gun control legislation. None of the proposed measures being discussed would have prevented the recent tragedies, but the left sees these as a
The White House has indicated that President Obama plans to name Jack Lew, his chief of staff, to replace Tim Geithner as Treasury Secretary. Lew is a life-time political staffer, who first started working on the Hill in the 1970s.
A new survey by Gallup shows Democrats regaining their edge in party identification over the GOP. In 2012, 47% of Americans identified as Democrat or lean-Democrat. 42% identified as GOP or lean-GOP. In 2011, the two parties were even, with
While conservatives grapple with Obama’s nomination of former Sen. Chuck Hagel to head the Defense Department, the Left is struggling with Obama’s decision to nominate John Brennan as the new CIA Director. Dubbed the “Assassination Czar” by the far-left program
On Friday, Gallup released a poll gauging Americans’ views of the Senate deal passed last week to avert the “fiscal cliff.” Overall, Americans are mixed on the deal, with 45% disapproving and 43% approving. Among Republican voters, though, the verdict
(AP) Giffords, Kelly launch gun control lobbying effortBy BOB CHRISTIE and BRIAN SKOLOFFAssociated PressPHOENIXFormer U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and her husband launched a political action committee aimed at curbing gun violence on Tuesday, the second anniversary of the Tucson shooting
Sen. Dick Durbin won his first race for Congress by positioning himself as a strong supporter of Israel. In 1982, he took on long-term incumbent Republican Paul Findley and edged him by just over 1,000 votes, chiefly because he was
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