Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Here’s a re-post from Christmas last year. It’s still pretty nearly what I think about the season. — Now that Thanksgiving’s over, it’s time for my annual wrestle with the Christmas spirit. I’ve struggled with it for years, often because I’m simultaneously struggling with my faith. My reasons are nothing … Continue reading
Hey, Andrew Sullivan! Ron Paul could well win the Iowa caucuses. Seriously. Why? Paul is polling in the neighborhood of Mitt Romney and not excessively behind Newt Gingrich. Neither of these men has invested in a ground game in Iowa, and neither has committed supporters energized to help muscle out a win by persuading wavering … Continue reading
Last week I wrote that Clark Durant (a candidate running for the GOP nomination to face Sen. Debbie Stabenow in 2012) was peddling a new brand of Reaganomics. I thought his enthusiasm for widening the gap between America’s rich and poor was a “serious conservative rhetorical innovation.” Conservatives have been pushing anti-middle-class, pro-wealthy policies for … Continue reading
One of the frustrating things about being a progressive is endlessly contending with the seemingly unslayable myth of Reaganomics. Empirics be damned, conservatives have convinced many Americans that cutting the government will lead to prosperity for all. Supply-side economists promise that public welfare programs for the wealthy (various tax loopholes, shelters, etc) will eventually be … Continue reading
A few weeks ago I lauded Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) for promising to halt fundraising activities while he served on the supercommittee. Well…as it happens, Upton only decided to stop scheduling new fundraising events, but continued accepting fundraising dollars. This means that Upton accepted $45,000 from oil companies in the last quarter alone. Add other energy … Continue reading
I spend a lot of time thinking about how the American Left might make better arguments (here, here, here, etc). Lately I’ve been thinking about how progressives might sell the president’s jobs bill to the country. One option—among many—is for Americans from the Heartland to ask why Republicans insist on keeping the economic recovery trapped … Continue reading
It’s rare that I have positive things to say about Representative Upton, but I did find at least ONE position that I can cautiously admire. Read the column here.
Plenty of commentators have wished this week that we could return to America’s post-September 11th political unity. While that would be nice, I’d settle for less. I wish we could return to the post-September 11th attitude about government. We expected our leadership to use our public institutions to solve problems. These days, many Americans demand … Continue reading
From Upton’s August 15th town hall in Kalamazoo, Michigan:
As you may have heard this morning, the debt Super Committee is taking shape. Republican Senators Jon Kyl (Ariz.), Pat Toomey (Penn.) and Rob Portman (Ohio) will serve, as well as Democrat Senators John Kerry of (Mass.), Max Baucus of (Mont.) and Patty Murray of (Wash.). Not a ton of surprises there. Mostly sensible (mostly), mostly predictable. With his picks, though, House Speaker John Boehner … Continue reading
