Somebody said that regulators need real power in order to be tough and effective. He said a strong, independent consumer protection agency is needed to help prevent the next financial crisis. And that we should help the millions of "responsible" homeowners hurt by the crash, instead of demonizing them. more »
If House Republicans succeed in cutting tens of billions of dollars in discretionary spending over the next six months, some of the most immediate victims will be federal employees, many of whose jobs will be slashed as their agencies pare back.
What would legendary House Speaker Thomas “Tip” O’Neill (D-MA) do, if he were here right now? That seems like an important question to ask now that President Obama has invoked the 1983 Reagan-O’Neill deal on Social Security as a model of responsible, bipartisan “entitlement” reform. But in order to understand what O’Neill would do, we need to accurately recall exactly what he did and the circumstances in which he did it. A closer look at the history reveals that President Obama has a lot to learn if he is to live up to O’Neill’s legacy.
It looks like the Republicans have decided they don't need the votes of any people who work for the government or any of their families:
This right wing war on public employees should accrue to Democrats benefit. After all, there are about 3 million federal employees (not including clandestine workers) and probably just as many in the states. But that requires that they speak up in support of them and call attention to things like Boehner's comments like Russ Feingold did when Wisconsin Governor Walker declared that he was going to bust the public employee unions and replace them with their neighbors in the National Guard.
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has launched an all-out attack on public-employee unions, proposing to take away the right to collective bargaining. He has threatened to use the National Guard to put down any action by state workers in response. more »
CPAC 2011 was like a trip through the looking glass.
At most political conferences, the mix of pragmatists and true believers results in a message with broad appeal, but rooted in shared principles. That's when everyone "gets it." CPAC was a mass exercise in not "getting it."
Two days at CPAC made the GOP's big problem crystal clear. The conservative movement is split between two factions of "true believers," both wildly out of step with what most Americans want, and heavily invested in "not getting it."
The blizzard of budget numbers flurrying around Washington is disorienting. Republicans are talking about cuts in the next seven months. The president's budget proposes cuts in FY 2012 that begins in October. But both paint the same picture: deficits are high, cuts must be made, and sacrifice is in order. more »
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