So John Boehner knew how he could get back at Barack Obama: by inviting Benjamin Netanyahu to come before Congress and unload on the administration over its negotiations with Iran, which both Republicans and Likudniks find insufficiently belligerent. In my Plum Line post today, I suggest that maybe this is a good thing, if it […]
Obama Administration
Posted inEconomic Policy
The Politics of Gesture
None of Obama’s proposals will fundamentally change the distribution of wealth and power in America.
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Photo of the Day, Republican of Tomorrow Edition
View image | gettyimages.com Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) rehearses her response on behalf of the GOP to President Obama’s State of the Union address. Odds of a subtle yet unmistakable reference to hog castration are currently running at 1-4.
Posted inEconomic Policy
Why Republicans Shouldn’t Be Too Upset At Obama’s Tax Proposals
By now you’ve heard that tonight, President Obama will propose a package of tax breaks for the poor and middle class, paid for by some tax increases for the wealthy, including raising capital gains taxes and closing some loopholes. In my Plum Line piece today I consider this in light of some basic features of […]
Posted inEconomic Policy
What Obama Should — and Shouldn’t — Say in State of the Union Address
While he’s taken steps to improve Americans’ wages, there’s still more the president can do.Â
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Awful Poll Question of the Day, Courtesy of Pew
As a general matter, the Pew Research Center probably produces the best publicly available polls-they’re methodologically sound, carefully executed, and often ask better questions than other organizations exploring the same topics. But I have a real problem with this one, which comes from a new report released today. When you ask, “Do you think Barack […]
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Can Elizabeth Warren Lead the Left to Greater Influence?
View image | gettyimages.com Every president ends up having a few appointments he has to withdraw after controversy erupts. Sometimes it’s because the nominee wrote something shocking years before, or because she had a nanny she didn’t pay Social Security taxes on; sometimes it’s because he was a drunk. And sometimes it’s because the president’s […]
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
On Obama’s Absence From the Paris March
As you may know, in addition to my work here for the Prospect I write a piece every day for The Plum Line at the Washington Post. Today’s is about the criticism the Obama administration is getting for the fact that the highest-ranking American official present at the march yesterday in Paris was the American […]
Posted inCivil Rights in America
Five Years After Earthquake, Haiti Teeters Between Chaos and Hope
On a grim anniversary, much is left to be done. But a brewing political crisis could put a dent in those plans.
Posted inLaw and Justice
Sex, Lies and Justice
Can we reconcile the belated attention to rape on campus with due process?
