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Jamelle Bouie

Jamelle Bouie is a staff writer at The American Prospect.

Recent Articles

Perriello for Senate?

Jamelle BouieMar 03, 2011

In Virginia political news, a new survey from Public Policy Polling has former Democratic governor Tim Kaine in a toss-up against former Republican governor George Allen for the 2012 Senate race:

The Virginia Senate race is about as much of a toss up as it could be: Tim Kaine and George Allen tie at 47% in our first poll since Jim Webb announced his retirement.

A Win-Win Scenario

Jamelle BouieMar 03, 2011

To repeat a point, most Americans don't really understand the deficit and its relationship to the broader economy. Insofar that the deficit is a concern, it's as a proxy issue; Americans worry about the deficit when the economy is poor, and aren't too concerned when the economy is doing well. For example, here are the results from the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll:

In the poll, eight in 10 respondents say they are concerned about the growing federal deficit and the national debt, but more than 60 percent — including key swing-voter groups — are concerned that major cuts from Congress could impact their lives and their families.

Race and the Political Economy of the South

Jamelle BouieMar 02, 2011

Today's Christian Science Monitor has a really insightful piece that frames Scott Walker's work in Wisconsin as part of an attempt to model the state's economy along Southern lines. In the South, states tend to work with a combination of "weak unions, a business-friendly climate, a thin social safety net, and lower taxes." To wit, Walker's union-busting has been coupled with large tax cuts for wealthy interests and deep cuts in education and local aid. If the modern Republican Party is mostly a Southern creature, then Walker is something of a poster boy for its ongoing effort to export the South's "methods" to the rest of the country.

Debt as a Moral Issue

Jamelle BouieMar 02, 2011

As states move to save themselves from fiscal doom, they are beginning to target health-insurance programs for the working poor, as a way to significantly cut costs:

Pennsylvania is one of several destitute states seeking to help balance budgets by removing adults from government health insurance programs.

Careful What You Wish For

Obama's plan to let states waive the federal health-care law gives Republican governors what they want -- and increases the chance that the law itself will survive.

Jamelle BouieMar 02, 2011

On Monday, President Barack Obama met with the nation's governors and announced his support for the first major amendment to the Affordable Care Act since the bill was signed last March. The proposal, crafted by Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon and Republican Sen. Scott Brown of Massachusetts, would allow states to opt out of key planks of the health-care bill provided they met the administration's benchmarks.

Given the political heat Obama has taken from Republican governors over health-care reform, you could think that this proposal represents a small step toward capitulation. But that would be wrong. In truth, this measure is a major first step toward securing the Affordable Care Act's short-term viability.

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