This post was originally published on the blog of THE WEEKLY STANDARD. In their desperation to cut losses in the 2010 midterms, Democrats are relying ever more heavily on their message that Republicans care nothing about the poor. The GOP, we are told, has opposed tax relief for working class families, subsidized health insurance for … Read more
Ross Douthat has a wonderful way of casually saying things that you don’t hear many conservatives say. For instance, his statement on Monday that “the note of white grievance” that Pat Buchanan struck in a 2000 speech at Harvard is now “part of the conservative melody.” Wow, a prominent conservative who acknowledges that politics in … Read more
HuffPo is reporting that Tim Geithner has expressed opposition to Elizabeth Warren’s nomination to head the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — a department that she helped create. The article isn’t sourced well — it comes from an unnamed “source with knowledge of Geithner’s views” — and in response to the report Michael Barr, Assistant Treasury … Read more
Recent headlines are not encouraging for Democrats facing midterm elections this November. Based on polling, the National Journal wrote 7/3 that Democrats can expect to lose four to six seats in the Senate, and it is not inconceivable that they might lose the majority. The House numbers also threaten the majority. Voter anger is strong. … Read more
Last week, Peyton argued that, “If the goal of policy is full employment, there are likely much better ways to accomplish this than unemployment insurance, and the drawbacks of this program [to extend UI benefits] are not to be rejected out of hand.” As he accurately points out, “The debate among economists is not about … Read more
A similar post originally appeared on the blog of THE WEEKLY STANDARD. The Justice Department has filed a lawsuit against Arizona’s controversial immigration law, S.B. 1070, which enforces federal immigration law at the state level. Whereas the outcry in the national media has focused on the legislation’s racial implications, the Obama administration contests the law … Read more
Earlier this week, Jeff Kalmus responded to Will Rafey’s post “China in the Lead,” in which Rafey argues that China is poised to overtake the U.S. and “seize control of the emerging clean energy economy” (Max Novendstern weighs in here and Rafey responds here). Jeff weighs in to argue that it doesn’t particularly matter if … Read more
In a press conference late last week, Speaker Nancy Pelosi addressed legislation before the House to extend unemployment benefits until November 30. Asked if the extension would serve as a “disincentive for people to look for work,” Pelosi dismissed the argument as a “misrepresentation of the motivation for people to be on unemployment insurance” and … Read more
In a couple of blog posts this spring, I commented favorably on the Obama Labor Department’s decision to crack down on employers who abuse their college-age interns—essentially using them as replacements for regular employees, minus the pay. Far from saying “you can’t have unpaid interns, that it’s exploitation,” as John Stossel put it, the regulations … Read more
When I made my usual trip to Google News the other day, Larry King headlines were taking over the newsfeed. From the title of the articles, I was afraid the poor guy had passed away. Luckily that was not the case. All the news outlets just felt the necessity to write orbituaries for King after … Read more