August 19, 2009 – 10:23 am
With Republicans resisting the push for socialist-ish medicine, Democrats are ready to go it alone – and of course blame Republicans for standing in the way of progress. Here’s Rahm, via ABC: “The Republican leadership,” said the White House chief of staff, “has made a strategic decision that defeating President Obama’s health care proposal is […]
February 9, 2009 – 10:25 am
Question: how does the spirit of bipartisanship jibe with Obama’s message (which I paraphrase only slightly), “You lost, we won, so stuff it!” Of course, the administration can count on the mainstream media to carry its water for them. The Washington Post seized on the total of three Republicans to go along with the stimulus […]
February 6, 2009 – 3:51 pm
I agree with Ed, but it doesn’t seem to me the Republicans are being obstructionist or even appearing that way, despite the President’s efforts to convey that impression. They’re not just standing athwart the stimulus bill saying “No,” they’re providing alternatives which might actually have a stimulatory effect and – another plus – seem to […]
February 2, 2009 – 2:07 pm
Ed makes a good point, to wit that opposing this stimulus pork pie carries certain risks. But then so does going along with it, which would completely and utterly shred any remaining Republican credibility on fiscal responsibility. Clearly it isn’t enough to simply oppose, however. The anti-pork faction has to make their case and they […]
January 29, 2009 – 11:20 am
Words matter, so it’s time that Republicans stopped calling this a “stimulus package.” It has nothing to do with stimulating the economy, it’s simply a political payoff to Democrat constituency groups on a scale so massive it’s mind boggling. This is Chicago politics on steroids. It makes Blagojevich look like a piker (though it’s all […]
January 21, 2009 – 10:15 am
In his inaugural address, President Obama spoke with force and depth – and went far to confirm himself as more than the winner of an election, but as the leader of the entire country. In broad strokes he did what every president does in his first speech on entering office: He reaffirmed the American experience […]
January 20, 2009 – 5:21 pm
Listening to President Obama’s magnificent Inaugural address today, I am struck by his ability to hit on what every American craves out of Washington—a willingness to put work before politics. “On this day,” he said, “we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that […]
January 18, 2009 – 11:46 pm
I want to take a break from the euphoria of the inaugural weekend for a few thoughts on the new president’s use of rhetoric to enhance his power. A key theme of the Obama campaign and of the soon-to-be-sworn-in president’s statements since election day has been the call to bring “Democrats, Republicans and Independents”, along […]
January 12, 2009 – 4:36 pm
Practice makes perfect, even for presidential inaugurations. Sunday in Washington, a collection of military officials and civilian planners practiced the swearing-in ceremony and parade down Pennsylvania Avenue, complete with stand-ins for the president-elect, veep-elect, and their families. So complete was the run-through, reports the Washington Post, that the Obama understudy even delivered a six-word-long Inaugural […]
January 8, 2009 – 6:39 pm
It sure would have been nice to see a Ford among all those Buick dealers, not to mention a Reagan. But your sentiment about the historic change represented here is one we all deeply share. It brought to mind the graphic above that somebody created shortly after Election Day. Talk about dramatic. Also, not a […]
