Boehner’s No Good, Very Bad Day—And Its Consequences
[Guest post by Norman Ornstein:] READ MORE >>
Full Disclosure
The Lame-Duck Session
Democrats didn't get much done during the last session of Congress, instead opting to put off big votes until after the election. Republicans responded by freaking out, demonizing the lame-duck session as zero-hour, when Democrats would have a free hand to pass their agenda without the brake of electoral accountability. This article, which originally ran on September 20, 2010, explains how that battle will—and will not—play out. READ MORE >>
Newtered
What Failure Would Cost the Democrats
Truth and Reconciliation
'Reconciliation" means "restoration of harmony." But as a term of art in budgeting, it has become an act of war. President Obama and most Democrats in Congress hope to include health and education reform in reconciliation instructions as part of the budget process. No mystery why. The sixty vote hurdle in the Senate of the filibuster could scotch these central components of their agenda via united Republican opposition. Bills considered under reconciliation cannot be filibustered and can therefore pass the Senate by majority vote. READ MORE >>
Ornstein On The Economy's Moral Hazard Meltdown
Norman Ornstein is a fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and the author of The Broken Branch: How Congress Is Failing America and How to Get It Back on Track, with Thomas E. Mann. READ MORE >>
