One very important subject that has received modest attention in recent days is the nation’s nuclear weapons policy. I will try to present some perspective on the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) with Russia which President Obama would like to have approved by the lame duck Senate. - Presidents Nixon, Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush all negotiated successful nuclear arms reduction treaties with the | Read More »
With John Boehner touting “Repeal and Replace” of health-care legislation to be a top priority of the next Congress and President Obama holding a veto, it may be useful to think about how great the surgery needs to be. I’ve asked frequent commenter Bill McCormick for his thoughts from a small business perspective. First, what does McCormick know about small business? He has some academic | Read More »
A friend recently asked what San Francisco’s bond rating getting downgraded had to do with Sharon Angle and Christine O’Donnell’s losses in the last election. I will try to connect the dots. We’re broke. The American public knows it. They turned over at least 63 House seats, 6 Senate seats, a dozen governorships, 20 chambers of state legislatures, and untold mayors and dog catchers to Tea Party-led | Read More »
If President Obama’s domestic electoral “shellacking” wasn’t enough to convince him that his financial policies need to change radically, his reception at the G-20 meeting in Seoul should have sealed the deal. The Europeans – particularly Britain, Germany, and France - were adamant that fiscal discipline needed to take priority over financial policies designed to goose the US economy. In fact, Germany’s position as a minimum practitioner | Read More »
We have two competing “true believer” theories about the 2010 midterm elections. First, the Democratic theory, as articulated by President Obama and demonstrated by Speaker Pelosi. There was no repudiation of liberal policies, just the natural result of a terrible economy and an inability to explain their successes, particularly the benefits of the health care legislation. Before the 2012 elections the economy will improve, so what | Read More »
One can dream. President Obama has an opportunity to give the greatest speech of his career when he returns from his visit to the Ganges with his entourage of 2000. ”My fellow Americans, the strength of our democracy rests on the ability of the citizens to express their views as they select their leaders. As we turn from the recent campaign season to the task | Read More »
The return of the new Congress must be like the first day of school in the Fall - nostalgic to see old friends; reminiscences about the departed; a sense of maturity about moving up a grade; and anticipation about the new kids – perhaps a speedy running back for the football team or a cute girl to help with your English homework. Lets talk about the new | Read More »
The striking feature of this election cycle – aside from the Tea Party – is the money. (Lots of data is available at OpenSecrets.org.) Some reflections: - The amount is staggering - approaching $4 billion in total, and twice the 2006 total. - The totals are about equal for both parties, a far cry from 2008 when the Democrats got 58% of the money for Congress and Obama | Read More »
Occasionally you really can see over the horizon. Washington’s November 15 “lame duck” session and the first few months of the 112th Congress that begins on January 3, are worth at least a squint. The Players – Obama’s team will be filled with second tier staffers who have moved up with the departure of Peter Orzag at Budget, Christina Romer at the Council of Economic Advisers, Larry Summers at | Read More »
This week’s posting is for those who would like to understand California in this election cycle. I’ve been trying to figure out why Californians are largely immune to the conservative Tea Party movement that is washing over the rest of the country from Alaska to Florida. With the arrival in the mail of the voter pamphlets for the November 2, election, I’ve got some theories. | Read More »
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