Gabriel Arana

Libertarian Brink Lindsey critiques a call from the right for a showdown on economics: Let me make it clear at the outset: When it comes to specific questions of economic policy, Arthur Brooks and I probably agree on a great deal. Indeed, I’d bet that my opinions are much closer to his than they are […]

Obama‘s immigration speech this morning at American University in Northwest D.C. was prompted by recognition that, with the outcry over Arizona’s SB 1070, the politics of immigration are shifting. This was Obama’s first major policy speech on the issue — and while he reframed the debate as one not solely about border security, but also […]

.tname1 { float:left; padding-right:10px; } .tquote1 { float:left; background-color:#ffffcc; padding:10px; border:1px solid black; width:300px; } .tname2 { float:right; padding-left:10px; } .tquote2 { float:right; background-color:#ffffcc; padding:10px; border:1px solid black; width:300px; } @Dahlialithwick Kagan brings down the house. Answering Graham’s “where were you on Xmas day?” Kagan “Like all Jews I was prolly at a Chinese restaurant.” […]

Arizona has been in the news since the state passed its crazy immigration-enforcement bill, SB 1070, which criminalizes undocumented presence and gives police the power to stop people for looking “illegal.” The Obama administration recently announced it would sue the state for usurping the federal government’s constitutional power to regulate immigration, and it may not […]

In Christian Legal Society v. Martinez, handed down today, the Supreme ruled in favor of Hastings Law School, which refused to recognize an on-campus Christian group that barred gays – or, at least those who engaged in “unrepentant homosexual conduct” – from membership. The Christian Legal Society argued that the school’s nondiscrimination policy violated their […]

Despite the outcry over Arizona’s immigration-enforcement bill and mounting pressure from Hispanic groups, the lead immigration-reform advocate in the House, Rep. Luis Gutierrez, admitted yesterday that any immigration bill that includes a citizenship provision for the undocumented doesn’t have the votes to pass. “We are 102 strong, we are 102 commitment, but we are insufficient,” […]

Despite the recent announcement that the Justice Department is filing suit against Arizona’s SB 1070, it appears Obama‘s promise to Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer to beef up border security wasn’t just a brush-off. Yesterday, the administration asked Congress for $500 million in “emergency” funding for border enforcement, which includes two aerial drones — the kind […]

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee is under fire for comments he made to The New Yorker magazine about same-sex marriage: Male and female are biologically compatible to have a relationship. We can get into the “ick factor,” but the fact is two men in a relationship, two women in a relationship, biologically, that doesn’t work […]

.tname1 { float:left; padding-right:10px; } .tquote1 { float:left; background-color:#FF66CC; padding:10px; border:1px solid black; width:300px; } .tname2 { float:right; padding-left:10px; } .tquote2 { float:right; background-color:#66CCFF; padding:10px; border:1px solid black; width:300px; } @drgrist What ever happened to Nancy Sutley, head of Obama’s CEQ? Anyone heard from her lately? @mattyglesias She’s taking orders from Van Jones and the […]

The Washington Post has a story today about the incremental changes the Obama administration has made on gay rights, including: extending health-care and day-care benefits to gay couples; barring discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation in applying for federal housing; including information about same-sex couples in the census; and requiring hospitals to allow gays […]