Tim Fernholz

Michael Isikoff says Eric Holder will be the Obama administration’s Attorney General. Isikoff is a well-sourced fellow, but I still take this with a large grain of salt — and urge you to do the same — as the Newsweek macher also mentions that Holder has not been vetted yet, and a lot can happen […]

This week’s round-up considers alternative health care models, the immigrant experience in Philadelphia, forthcoming Defense budget fights and leading indicators of our economic crisis. In short, TTR runs the gamut! With comparison comes revelation. The journal Health Affairs published a study last week that surveyed chronically ill adults in the U.S. and seven other industrialized […]

This morning’s activity was a Campaign for America’s Future-sponsored speaker series about public investments that included a number of interesting folks, including Representative Keith Ellison and economist James Galbraith. Predictably enough, both speakers discussed the importance of increased investment in infrastructure to rebuilding the economy and rebuilding our country. (Here’s an EPI report [PDF] talking […]

It looks like Senate Democrats have found a compromise on the issue of Joe Lieberman. The proposal that will be voted on today is that Lieberman loses a lesser subcommittee chairmanship but retains the more high-profile gig of Homeland Security Committee Chairman. My gut says that Lieberman should lose his position and basically be ostracized […]

One interesting post-election development are predictions from the right that President Obama and his allies in Congress will seek to reassert the Fairness Doctrine, a long-lapsed federal regulation mandating equal time for opposing political views on broadcasts. Rush Limbaugh especially promoted the idea, but The Wall Street Journal, George Will, and Michael Gerson all jumped […]

Congressional Democrats have decided not to offer a major stimulus package during the lame duck session, instead waiting for the forthcoming Obama administration and larger majorities in both houses. They’re concerned about obstruction from Senate Republicans and a presidential veto, but also about troubles in their own caucus around the idea of supporting another expensive […]

A few important posts were filled over the weekend, and I owe you some commentary. Why no contemporaneous punditry? You obviously haven’t put Ikea furniture together lately. Senior Adviser: Pete Rouse. Rouse was, as you probably know, Tom Daschle’s chief of staff in the Senate before becoming Obama’s top Senate aide. He’s a hill creature, […]

A lot of former Clinton administration officials are involved with the Obama transition, and will presumably be involved in his administration. Is this important? Not as an analytical category, no. Of course there are going to be Clinton administration folks working with Obama. Basically, if you were a competent Democrat interested in working for the […]

National Journal’s transition coverage includes this interview with Sen. Richard Lugar, Republican of Indiana, who was close to President-elect Obama in the Senate and was considered a potential choice for Secretary of State, though here he says he has no interest in leaving the Senate. Nonetheless, Lugar, a moderate Republican, had an interesting way of […]

Ben Smith rounds up reports that Senator Hillary Clinton, who was in Chicago yesterday, may be under consideration for the position of Secretary of State in an Obama administration. (It seems a little far-fetched to my mind but it’s certainly not out of the question). Here’s Mike Allen, too. Pretty much par for the course, […]