Here referring not to disdain of the volk, but rather to rule by elites. Obama’s presidency is going to confront a number of entrenched, very powerful elites who will clash in very significant ways, so I thought I’d take a stab at a quick rundown. Educated Elite: Easily the largest group here, but the least … Read more
It’s somewhat unclear what exactly Senators Nelson, Collins, Specter and Snowe were aiming for in the cuts they demanded from the Senate stimulus bill. They didn’t dispute the need for a large economic stimulus, nor did they offer a detailed critique of why spending on school construction or state aid would be “less stimulative” than … Read more
Well, first of all Obama’s pay cap gambit sees some returns. The Republican leadership is doing the best thing for their party; simply refusing to talk about it. The rank and file is less cooperative. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell just walked away when questioned about it. However, individual Congresspeople are more or less forced … Read more
Apparently Congress is doing some bipartisanity of its own, without the intervention of President Obama. And possibly without his approval. Yesterday, Congress (with overwhelming support from both parties) quickly gave its approval to greatly expand the powers of the Inspector General investigating the use of bailout funds by recipient banks. This IG, Neil Barofsky, is … Read more
With the Obama Administration yesterday announcing that they plan to impose strict pay limits on bailed-out bank executives, Republicans are in a tough position. First of all, they’re not needed; Treasury can do whatever it wants. But more importantly, they’re put in a bind between a very popular notion and their stated principles. They can … Read more
Two weeks ago, Obama made a comment to House Republicans that they “can’t just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done”. This was treated as the failure of bipartisanship*, and was perceived as an impolitic thing for him to say. Hypothesis: Obama messed up. Datum: Rush Limbaugh is incredibly unpopular. This story provoked a … Read more
No words.