Tim Fernholz

There has been some confusion about the recent Democratic focus on foreign contributions being used by conservative organizations to support Republican candidates. This kind of process argument, goes the criticism, doesn’t resonate with voters — and they’re right, it usually doesn’t. But this message is actually a bank shot that gives the Democrats an important […]

The central economic problem right now in the United States is that we spend more than we make in a variety of different ways — in the federal budget, through consumer debt, in trade with other countries. The process of shedding debt and increasing savings is the natural response to the financial crisis and recession, […]

Rep. Kendrick Meek’s attempt to build a plurality victory with Democratic stalwarts in Florida’s Senate race looks as if it’s stalling as Election Day grows ever closer. While Meek has improved in the polls as Republican turned independent Gov. Charlie Crist sinks, conservative Republican Marco Rubio has taken a commanding lead. Short of a major […]

I’ve started watching a fair bit of Glenn Beck’s program recently; it’s entertaining and funny if you don’t take it seriously, which is pretty easy. The episodes I’ve caught are more like Christian Revival Oprah than any traditional political talk show: Beck converses with a small studio audience about their hopes and fears; the audience […]

Via Kevin Drum, would you believe that, despite being paid huge amounts of money in bonuses — money we were told was necessary to garner top talent — some bankers are bad at their jobs? Believe it! Some of the star financial advisers who were promised six- or seven-figure payments to jump ship have been […]

A Republican candidate dressed up as a Nazi soldier, apparently for some kind of re-enactment, is offensive, stupid, and crude. What it says about his party, however, is that its institutions aren’t doing the basic blocking and tackling of a successful political operation. You don’t highlight a new candidate’s race the way the National Republican […]

It’s a wonder fewer Republicans are calling for an invasion of Norway — the Nobel prize committee keeps favoring American economists with its prize for Economic Science at the most galling times. First, they gave Paul Krugman a Nobel as the debate over fiscal stimulus began in 2008. Now, they’ve awarded Peter Diamond the prize, […]

The foreclosure crisis was burbling along as house prices dropped, but now increasing evidence of fraud in the paper chain between borrowers and the people who bought their loans is suddenly grinding the process to a halt. A massive lawsuit by Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray against a major mortgage service dropped earlier this week, […]