Jack Lew
While Washington was obsessing Wednesday over whether or not the oh-so-intimidating Gene Sperling had threatened Bob Woodward over his deeply misguided take on the budget sequester, another veter READ MORE >>
The Washington Post's Overly-Credulous Take on Boehner
On Sunday, The Washington Post published a long, blow-by-blow of last summer’s negotiations between Barack Obama and John Boehner over a $4 trillion deficit deal. The take-away from the piece is that Obama had a chance at a deal involving $800 billion in tax increases and trillions in spending cuts (including cuts to sacred programs like Medicare and Social Security), but that he got cold feet and backed away. READ MORE >>
Obama’s Worst Year
Is Jack Lew Too Much of an Insider?
Liberals Hated Daley, But Will They Like Lew Any Better?
Before we get to whether liberals will warm to Jack Lew, the incoming White House chief of staff, in a way they never did to his just-ousted predecessor, Bill Daley, it's worth pointing out that Lew is absolutely beloved by the president and the top West Wing operatives. He’s an egoless Obama-type guy with something the president appreciates almost as much as the low profile: Deep, institutional knowledge of Capitol Hill and the way money is doled out there. READ MORE >>
Tax Hikes Now? No. Tax Hikes Later? Yes.
President Obama this week did exactly what he promised to do last week: He proposed a way to pay for his jobs bill. In particular, he suggested raising taxes on the wealthy and then using the money to offset the cost of school building, payroll tax breaks, and other expenditures designed to boost the economy. He also invited the congressional super-committee to come up with alternatives, as long as they generate the same amount in combined savings and revenue. READ MORE >>
Gaming Out the Debt Deal: Will It Hurt Obamacare?
The emerging, if still tentative, conventional wisdom about the debt ceiling agreement is that Democrats may ultimately prefer the plan’s automatic spending cuts to whatever cuts the new super-committee proposes. READ MORE >>
The Coming Budget War
When President Obama sends his latest budget proposal to Congress on Valentine’s Day, how will we know whether he is floating a serious proposal or just playing politics? I’ve written a guide to help TNR’s readers figure it out. READ MORE >>
