"This was the voice of moderation until 13 Sept, 2025"
publius by publius The current GOP line of attack is that the stimulus is a “failure.” Even if you think the stimulus is bad policy, this argument is ridiculous. Maybe the stimulus will ultimately fail, but it’s too early to say anything either way (though it has helped states). In short, the "failure" argument is aimed … Read more
by publius As I’ve noted, the Blue Dogs currently benefit from the Democratic Party’s institutional commitment to health care — both nationally and locally. Nationally, this commitment has helped elevate the Dems into the majority, which benefits every member of the caucus. Health care is a key part of the national brand, and it has … Read more
by publius The schedule for Austin City Limits (a ginormous music festival in early October) is out. You can see the schedule here. So here's my bleg — I need help plotting my listening strategy (which takes months of intense preparation). There are always several bands playing at once — and I've never heard of … Read more
by publius Here's the basic dilemma on health coverage reform: We've got an imperfect bill, but we've also got a brief fleeting window of opportunity. Given this set of choices, I'd much rather have imperfect reform to nothing. No one is 100% happy with the bills we're seeing. Personally, if I could wave a magic … Read more
by publius The Blue Dogs have been confusing me lately. Their various positions don't exactly seem logically consistent. They oppose the costs of the health care bill, but they also oppose the primary measures to keep those costs down. They're anti-deficit, but also anti-revenues. It just doesn't make much sense. But then I had an … Read more
by publius I'm not entirely sure why the Post keeps allowing George Will to write about climate change. It's one thing to have different opinions — that's fine. But it's quite another to write demonstrably false factual statements again and again. Will's basic argument seems to be that the United States shouldn't do anything about … Read more
by publius I'd give it a big "eh." Tonight's strategy seemed right, but the execution could have been better. My hope tonight was that Obama would focus more on the human side. The debate has been getting bogged down lately in costs, and CBO reports, and new commissions, etc. All that stuff is extremely important … Read more
by publius I'm sure I'll have something to say about it later tonight, but until then…
by publius Generally speaking, I'm all for "big tent-ness." If you have a big majority, you're necessarily going to have diverse interests. That's how Jimmy Madison intended it. (Ghost of Madison to Jefferson — Did that SOB just call me… Jimmy?). But health care is different. On this issue, the Democratic leadership should be less … Read more
by publius Both Von and Mark Thompson have raised some substantive critiques of the Democratic health care plans. So let’s address them. First, Von argues that small businesses will be hurt by the employer penalty – basically the fee companies must pay if they don’t provide coverage. If your payroll is $400,000, you have to … Read more
by publius Yesterday's Progress Report had an excellent rundown of why the House's proposed surtax is a reasonable and responsible proposal. You should read the whole thing for yourself. But the big points are that it's a modest tax, that it's narrowly targeted to the richest 1%, and that tax law has been very kind … Read more
by publius I just heard Chuck Todd say something rather remarkable on Hardball: This surcharge tax idea coming out of the House, Grassley himself said it's dead, and if Grassley says it's dead, Baucus usually goes along. I mean, the two of them are like blood brothers in this on the way they run the … Read more
by publius Poor Mike Castle (R-DE). He was trying to have a town hall meeting, like any good Representative. But then he lost control to a woman demanding (to loud applause) that he pay more attention to Obama's birth certificate. The funniest part, though, comes at about 1:45, where she convinces the crowd (and Castle) … Read more
by publius Retro Bill Kristol got out his flannel shirt and Pearl Jam albums today and decided to go all 1994 on us: With Obamacare on the ropes, there will be a temptation for opponents to let up on their criticism, and to try to appear constructive, or at least responsible. … My advice, for … Read more
by publius I’ve made a lot of snarky references lately about how various Republican policies are really about helping rich people. As I plan to continue this line of snark, I should probably back it up with some substance. And the surtax debate gives me a good opportunity to do that. Before I do, I … Read more
by publius Andy Borowitz: Goldman Sachs in Talks to Acquire Treasury Department In what some on Wall Street are calling the biggest blockbuster deal in the history of the financial sector, Goldman Sachs confirmed today that it was in talks to acquire the U.S. Department of the Treasury. . . . "The Goldman spokesman said … Read more
by publius Many things annoy me about the calls to "slow down" on health care coverage. But what most annoys me is the idea that we should wait for a "bipartisan" result, as the latest letter from the "Gang of Moderates Protecting Really Rich People" suggests. In the abstract, these requests sound reasonable. But these … Read more
by publius Well, this isn't exactly a post I've looked forward to writing, but I wanted to say thanks and godspeed. I've already written Hilzoy privately, and there's really nothing I can add that hasn't already been said. But it has been an honor to write with her. I've learned so much. And I think … Read more
by publius See if you note a contradiction here. The Hill reports: Centrist Democrats are threatening to oppose their party’s healthcare legislation unless House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) accepts changes[.] . . . Blue Dogs think the bill fails to do enough to reduce healthcare costs, jeopardizes jobs with a fee on employers that don’t … Read more
by publius One issue Sotomayor has been dealing with in the hearings is the so-called "incorporation" of the Second Amendment. The background here is that the original Bill of Rights only applied to the federal government, not to the states. Over the course of the 20th century, however, those rights have become progressively "incorporated" into … Read more
by publius One interesting book that I hope someone writes one day is about the informal norms of the blogosphere. My last post — wrongheaded as it was — raises some potentially interesting questions on this front. (Gary Farber's detailed comment got me thinking about this stuff — plus the desire to take that stinker … Read more
by publius In the original version of this post, I misread Megan McArdle — I thought she was claiming that wealthy Italians pay a higher income tax rate than Americans. On closer read, I don't think she was — she was saying that Americans actually pay (i.e., comply with law) at a higher rate. So … Read more
by publius Blog-sitting for Sullivan, Conor Friedersdorf raises a couple of interesting criticisms against "comprehensive" reforms. The upshot is that uber-complex legislation is (1) impossible for citizens (and politicians) to read and understand; and (2) more prone to special interest capture. His proposal: I call[] for a Congress that reads all the bills it passes. … Read more
by publius The notion of "empathy" has been taking a beating over the past few weeks. And to be honest, it's not the most compelling political message — as evidenced by Sotomayor's decision to distance herself from "empathy" at the hearing yesterday. And while I concede that the linguistic framing could be better, let me … Read more
by publius I suppose it would sink her nomination. But it would be sort of hilarious if Sotomayor came in early and placed a cardboard cutout of herself in the chair during Day One of opening statements. I'd put the over/under on when a Senator would notice at Minute 143. And then I'd take the … Read more
by publius Tomorrow's NYT takes a look at the fall of Sarah Palin over the past few months. The theme that emerges is that Palin simply wasn't ready for the glare of the spotlight. In particular, the NYT describes Palin as overly obsessed with — and distracted by — criticisms. She apparently felt the need … Read more
by publius I've been having this debate with friends, but it's a matter of such weight and importance that I wanted to include you too. After careful study, I have concluded that Bad is a significantly better album than Thriller. Yes, Thriller is more iconic. And yes, Billie Jean is the best single. But song … Read more
by publius This week's narrative is that the weak economy is dragging Obama down at bit. The bad economic news has also re-energized Republican attacks against the stimulus. And while those attacks are absurdly premature, I can't say I blame Republicans. Pounding a weak economy is what opposition parties do. In Wire-speak, that's part of … Read more
by publius Yesterday's IG Report isn't about Iraq — it covers surveillance programs that started soon after 9/11. But I do think the report casts an ugly shadow on the Bush administration's marketing of the war. One theme that comes through in the IG Report is a total disregard for process and evidence. The conclusion … Read more
by publius As I noted earlier, John Yoo played a starring role in the new IG report (pdf) on the Bush administration’s surveillance program (PSP). And it wasn’t a flattering one. Yoo’s actions were dishonest and inappropriate on so many different levels that I’m going to try to break them up into three categories: (1) … Read more
by publius And I already thought he was pretty bad. As you've probably heard, the Inspectors General report on the surveillance program was released today. I'm still reviewing it, but Spencer Ackerman is all over it — here, here, here, and here. I'll have a more detailed post later. But the highlight so far is … Read more
by publius Pew released a new poll outlining a gap between scientists and the general public on various issues. There's a lot to chew on, but these numbers in particular stood out: First thought — isn't 87% a bit low for scientists' belief in natural selection? I would hope that number is close to 100%. … Read more
by publius This request is so 3008 that it's probably going to blow your mind. But I just downloaded TweetDeck, which allows you see multiple Twitter accounts at once. Basically, I have one account among friends, but I want to create additional accounts as quasi-RSS feeds. So here's my question — what political Twitter feeds … Read more
by publius The Obama campaign has a problem — it needs more revenue for health care coverage reform. But increasing revenue is politically problematic. One potential source of funding is to tax employees' group health benefits by imposing a modest cap on the amount that can be excluded. It raises revenue, and it's actually good … Read more
by publius Steve Benen notes that Palin's abrupt resignation has actually increased her standing a bit among Republicans according to a recent Gallup poll. Steve writes: Inexplicably quitting, for less-than-clear reasons, has managed to endear Palin to her party more. I think these numbers vindicate the Ed Kilgore theory of Sarah Palin. The upshot of … Read more