The Spending Problem We Don't Have—and the One We Do
Joe Scarborough is right about the deficit, but wrong about the solution
Spoiler alert: Tonight President Barack Obama will call for a "balanced" approach to deficit reduction. Republicans, their allies, and quite a few pundits will respond by saying the real problem is government spending—and that the president is ignoring it. It's what they always say. READ MORE >>
Is the Fever Breaking?
On issues like Medicaid and military spending, signs of a Republican rift
In Columbus, Lansing, and Phoenix, Republican governors are making headlines by embracing part of Obamacare. In Washington, Republican lawmakers are making headlines by seeking a new fiscal deal that avoids Pentagon cuts. What do these developments have to do with one another? Everything. They are products of the same, emerging divide in the Republican Party—one that pits conservative ideologues who preach anti-government extremism against some similarly conservative officials who actually have to govern. READ MORE >>
One of the presidential campaign’s most controversial advertisements came from President Obama’s supporters. It was the one about the steelworker who lost his job, after Bain Capital took over, and whose wife eventually died from cancer. As the ad explained, when the steelworker lost his job, he lost his health insurance, too. READ MORE >>
Amnesty's Not Enough
Will the pathway to citizenship lead towards health insurance?
Immigration reform is about to meet health care reform. And the meeting might not go so well. READ MORE >>
Welcome to The Laboratory, an occastional New Republic series where we celebrate policy solutions that should be getting far more attention than they've gotten so far. READ MORE >>
How to Build a Better Assault Weapons Ban
Or: Why the NRA's best argument is still bunk
Wayne LaPierre, chief executive of the National Rifle Association was back in the spotlight on Wednesday—this time to appear before a congressional committee contemplating new gun violence legislation. READ MORE >>
Obamacare Sticker Shock: Not Very Shocking
“Death panels” are out. “Sticker shock” is in. For the last few weeks, critics of Obamacare have spent less time on their more hysterical claims and focused, instead, on a practical argument. Because the new health care law mucks up the insurance market with regulations on pricing and benefits, they say, you’re going to pay a lot more for insurance. READ MORE >>
John Calhoun is Alive and Well in Virginia
The GOP's desperate attempt to thwart the majority
Most people who remember John Calhoun from their history books think of him as the fiery senator from South Carolina who defended the antebellum South and once called slavery a “positive good.” But Calhoun also fancied himself a political philosopher. In the early 19th Century, he wrote a treatise laying out his theory that a small group of states should have the right to block legislation—to exercise a “minority veto”—in order to preserve their way of life. READ MORE >>
Obama's Second Inaugural Will Stand the Test of Time
Presidents use their inaugural addresses as an opportunity to talk about the future. But when they take the oath of office for a second time, they also use it to talk about the past. READ MORE >>
When President Obama walks down the steps of the Capitol on Monday, preparing to take the Oath of Office, don’t be surprised if he does a little happy dance along the way. READ MORE >>
