Remember the proposals that were current back in 2011 to have President Obama invoke his authority under the 14th Amendment to keep funding America’s public debt, even without approval from Congress? Well, that proposal has suddenly become highly relevant again, even urgent. Prior to 1917, Congress did not even require periodic legislation to increase the […]
Robert Kuttner
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Thinking the Unthinkable
Default can’t happen, because no one wants it and the consequences would be horrifying. Right?
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
An Ignoble Prize
Why did Eugene Fama, who insisted there is no such thing as a price bubble, get a Nobel Prize in economics?
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
The Task Rabbit Economy
At the rate things are going, tens of millions of us could end up as temps, contract employees, call-center operators, and the like.
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Enter Yellen
With President Obama’s belated decision to name Janet Yellen to chair the Fed, several questions arise. First, is Yellen likely to be confirmed? Almost certainly. The Republicans have lost a lot of public support by shutting down the government and playing chicken with the debt ceiling. They are not likely to trifle with the one […]
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Budget Roulette: The Uncertain End Game
How on earth will the contrived crisis end, and which party will reap the blame?
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Obama’s Foreign-Policy Realism
Will peacemaking with radical Islamist regimes be a net gain for international stability?
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
The Fed Stays the Course
Is the Board’s surprise decision to continue purchasing bonds to drive down interest rates good or bad policy for regular Americans? It’s both.
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Shutdown Report: How to Play Chicken and Lose
In past budget showdowns, the GOP has forced Obama to blink first. Not this time.
