DEFINING “RICH” UP. How predictable is this?The Hill reports: Leading Democrats in Congress and on the presidential campaign trail are having a difficult time agreeing on what it means to be wealthy. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) has said it means earning $500,000 or more annually. Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) contends that raising the tax […]
Mark Schmitt
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THE POWER OF METAPHOR.
THE POWER OF METAPHOR. The meltdown of the McCain campaign (which I predicted in May 2006, by the way) led journalists to reach for images that would convey the magnitude of the resignations. Some went for the obvious comparison to other well known strategists. Thus, the Washington Post: Republican advisers said Weaver‘s departure was as […]
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EVERYTHING IS NOT P.R.
EVERYTHING IS NOT P.R. The New York Times had a potentially interesting “White House Note” yesterday morning, carrying Sheryl Gay Stolberg‘s byline, on the possible confrontation over executive privilege if the White House refuses to comply with the subpoenas for Harriet Miers and Sara Taylor to testify. Rather than defiance, the White House reaction to […]
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The Thirty-Year Itch
Perhaps the Bush era was just the decadent late phase of the dying culture of post-1978 conservatism. Now we need a liberal agenda that’s ambitious and confident enough to take over the next 30 years.
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SECRET SPECIFICS.
SECRET SPECIFICS. I’m not surprised to learn that Ezra disagrees with my view that candidates should not put forward detailed health policy plans. There is one particular part of Ezra’s premise that I want to take on strongly. Ezra writes, “I wouldn’t be comfortable with candidates concealing their bottom line policy beliefs from me.” And, […]
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Whose Big Government?
Conservatives grew government in order to guarantee private profits.
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THE WRONG LOOPHOLE.
THE WRONG LOOPHOLE. Robert Reich makes a good case that Congress should close the tax loophole under which the compensation of partners in private equity firms is treated as capital gains (15 percent tax) rather than labor income. But the particular treatment of private-equity is not the loophole. It’s the differential rate for capital gains […]
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NOW HAIR THIS.
NOW HAIR THIS. When will the press stop writing “reluctantly” about the John Edwards haircut story? Answer: When they run out of sophomoric headlines, like Roger Simon‘s “Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow.” As a public service, and to help move this story along, I present the world’s reporters with an internet treasure: all Bugs Bunny cartoons […]
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Obama and the Rules
Democratic presidential primary contests often follow a familiar pattern: There is one candidate (usually the one I find myself supporting) with a high-minded pitch for “a new kind of politics” — what the Los Angeles Times columnist Ron Brownstein recently called the “wine track” candidate — and there is a “beer track” candidate who says […]
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“EARNING” MONEY.
“EARNING” MONEY. Former HHS Secretary Tommy Thompson‘s statement to the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism — “I’m in the private sector and for the first time in my life I’m earning money. You know that’s sort of part of the Jewish tradition” — is offensive for obvious reasons. But personally, I’m more offended by […]