Tim Fernholz

For all his analytical failings, David Broder is a great reporter. Today’s column highlights one of the best parts of the recent housing bill, a trust fund to develop more low-income housing by siphoning money from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Sheila Crowley, an affordable housing advocate, notes that this is the first expansion of […]

John Dickerson, whose analysis of the candidates’ positions on Iraq I’ve critiqued before, has a short piece up on Slate making the argument that “McCain and Obama don’t think that differently on Iraq.” All hail the false bipartisan consensus, I suppose. The clever formula Dickerson and his co-author Chris Wilson use has a couple of […]

There’s a lot to say about John McCain’s new advertisement, but I think his former adviser John Weaver says it best: The ad is “childish” and “diminishes John McCain … There is legitimate mockery of a political campaign now, and it isn’t at Obama‘s. For McCain’s sake, this tomfoolery needs to stop.” I’m one of […]

The collapse of WTO talks has some observers despairing that further trade negotiations will move forward in the coming years. Unfortunately, it seems like we’re seeing China and India acting out an eerie parody of our own doesn’t-play-well with others approach to the world. One expert quoted in the piece points out that this may […]

Ted Stevens’ indictment is certainly good news for those of us who love honest government. Isaac Chotiner thinks this is bad for the GOP, and it does tarnish their national brand even more. However, it may be problematic for the Democratic Party, as well. Alaska represented a critical opportunity to switch a Senate seat and […]

The latest in wonkish activities from the policy front. It’s just not a good morning unless you get your daily dose of employment research. A Mixed Bag for Boomers. According to the Urban Institute, as many as 68 percent of baby boomers may be willing to work past their retirement age, due factors including improved […]

I took a field trip yesterday to a really well-done piece of political theater, the only press conference I’ve been to that had a go-go band opener and involved a D.J. asking, “Where my single ladies at?” to a crowd a few hundred strong, turned out by celebrity and good old-fashioned D.C. machine politics. All […]

To join in with excellent new colleague Adam Serwer on the media’s weird approach to Iraq coverage, let me offer Exhibit A: John Dickerson‘s article in Slate today, which suggests that Obama is throwing up some Nixonian shield of secrecy over his Iraq policy. The piece has all the best tropes of the genre: Impossible […]

This article about Senator Tom Coburn captures a truly antidemocratic moment in the U.S. Senate, as party leaders bring to the floor a “Tomnibus” bill of some 35 pieces of legislation that the good Senator from Oklahoma is personally holding up. Senate customs that allow small groups of senators to hold up legislation have been […]