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Category Archives: Columns
The Supercommittee Needs an Intervention – The Daily Beast
Cynicism passes for wisdom in Washington for a reason. With the hours counting down before a November 23 deadline, the so-called supercommittee seems either unable or unwilling to make a deal that would reduce our debt by $1.2 trillion over … Continue reading
Occupy Wall Street Movement Has No Right to Sleep in Parks – The Daily Beast
I heard the helicopters in the middle of the night hovering over lower Manhattan as the eviction of Occupy Wall Street occurred. Only a few hours before, I’d walked past the Zuccotti Park encampment and Occupy Wall Street’s tent city … Continue reading
George Washington to Debt Panel: Man Up – CNN.com
The clock is ticking in Washington on the bipartisan supercommittee, those 12 members of Congress tasked with finding at least $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction by Thanksgiving. More than 140 of their colleagues, both Democrats and Republicans, are encouraging them … Continue reading
Election Day Backlash – The Daily Beast
Swing voters asserted their independence again on Election Day 2011, repudiating Republican ideological overreach in key votes but denying Democrats clear-cut victories heading into 2012, as the cycle of over-reach and backlash continues.
A year from election, how does Obama measure up? – CNN.com
Is President Barack Obama running against the GOP or the GDP? In exactly one year — November 6, 2012 — we’ll be lining up at polling places to cast our votes for the next president. How much of that decision … Continue reading
How Obama Can Win – The Daily Beast
On the campaign trail, President Obama is already offering flashes of his favorite 2012 narrative: “Give ‘em Hell, Harry” redux, running against the “Do-Nothing 112th Congress.” It is the hyper-partisan Republicans in the House, he says, who have stopped his … Continue reading
Posted in Columns
Tagged 2012 Elections, Elections, President Obama, The Daily Beast
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Georgia Terror Plot’s Militia Roots – The Daily Beast
The Hatriots have reared their heads again—this time in the form of a Georgia domestic terrorist plot against law enforcement officials that variously contemplated ricin attacks, blowing up a federal building, and targeted assassination.
Jan Brewer’s Sleazy Power Grab – The Daily Beast
This is low and cynical even by political standards. Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer is trying to impeach her state’s independent redistricting commission because they recommended political districts that do not disproportionately favor Republicans.
We Need Deficit Deal Now – The Daily Beast
Nearly 100 members of the House of Representatives from both parties have signed a letter urging the so-called supercommittee to go big and tackle $4 trillion in deficit reduction instead of the $1.2 trillion it has been tasked. The letter … Continue reading
Birthers, Smokers, Jokers – It’s Silly Season in GOP Politics – CNN.com
Silly season has begun again. The sideshow is threatening to move into the big tent, and distraction will seem like it’s the main event. We’ve begun that long stretch where political campaigns are viciously jockeying for position before the first … Continue reading
The End of TV Campaign Ads? – The Daily Beast
In the two hours after Herman Cain’s “Smoking Man” video was released to the public, it was watched more than 100,000 times. Two days later, it had tallied nearly 700,000 views on the campaign’s YouTube channel alone—a total that doesn’t … Continue reading
Rick Perry’s Missed Opportunity – The Daily Beast
Rick Perry unveiled the details of his flat-tax plan and overall economic package today in South Carolina. Give the man points for going big: it’s a 20 percent flat tax for both individuals and corporations. This is smart politics for … Continue reading
Obama Shouldn’t Use Bush’s Reelect Strategy – The Daily Beast
The buzz is that President Obama is going to use Bush-Cheney ’04 as his re-elect model. This is a bad idea on at least five different levels. First, the hallmark of the BC-04 campaign was play to the base in … Continue reading
The Battle For Wall Street – The Daily Beast
A little after 6:30 a.m., a cheer went up from the protesters gathered in Zuccotti Park. A press release by New York City Deputy Mayor Cas Holloway announced that Brookfield Properties—the owner of the park—had decided to call off their … Continue reading
Congress Finally Gets Something Right – CNN.com
Our dysfunctional divided Congress finally was able to find some common ground Wednesday, passing long-delayed free-trade bills with South Korea, Panama and Colombia. Together, these treaties promise to increase U.S. exports by more than $12 billion a year while creating … Continue reading
Democracy in Name Only – City Journal
Election reform in New York is long overdue. Most elections for New York City offices are effectively decided in Democratic primaries with very low turnouts. In New York’s vibrant first City Council district, which stretches from Soho to Battery Park … Continue reading
Perry’s Do-or-Die Debate – The Daily Beast
Applications for the GOP’s Messiah of the Month Club are now closed. The Christies and Danielses have declined. Sarah Palin’s belated bow-out seemed bizarrely anticlimactic after three years of overheated speculation from fans now left at the altar while she … Continue reading
Tea Party for the Left? – The Daily Beast
We are living in a time of decentralized populist political movements, fueled by economic anxiety and magnified by social media. As Occupy Wall Street spread into satellite protests this past week, there was an understandable impulse to impose an established … Continue reading
Millionaire’s tax is on target – CNN.com
Here’s one idea that could unite Main Street voters with Occupy Wall Street protesters — raise taxes only on individuals making more than $1 million a year and use that revenue to pay for President Barack Obama?’s jobs bill, which … Continue reading
Vaclav Havel, a Hero for Today – CNN.com
Draw up a compelling character representing the arc of the 20th century and it might look like this — a child whose homeland is conquered by the Nazis and then occupied by communists; a playwright, essayist and dissident turned state … Continue reading