It’s another week in Washington, and it’s yet another bailout. This time, taxpayers will be tapped for another $41 billion to subsidize the healthcare retirement benefits of postal workers – benefits that are quite scarce in the private sector. Democrats have a serious problem with creative destruction and advancements in technology. For self-described progressives, they are quite regressive when it comes to efficiency in markets | Read More »
If we ever desire to win a conservative majority even within the Republican conference, we must elect unvarnished conservatives in solid red states like Nebraska. That’s why we are supporting Don Stenberg, a man who has held consistent conservative views, for Senate. Unfortunately, Jon Bruning is spending a lot of money convincing people that he is something that he never was before he decided to | Read More »
As we approach the March 31 expiration date for surface transportation projects, we can take solace in the fact that the House will not vote on two bad bills; Boehner’s original 5-year $260 billion reauthorization and the Senate’s 2-year $109 billion bill. While we push for a more prudent long-term solution, the House will pass a 90-day stopgap bill to continue spending at current levels | Read More »
I’m happiest when all the polls in a race match up. It means we have a very good idea of how a race is going for the candidates in it. So, naturally, I’m not happy about the Massachusetts Senate race right now. Seeing a 10 point swing from poll to poll, giving both candidates opposing 5 point leads, means we have to dig deeper to | Read More »
There has been somewhat of a scandal percolating in the local North Dakota media relating to Rick Berg’s prodigal use of his franking privileges in Congress. Throughout the history of Congress, congressmen were afforded “franking privileges” as a way of facilitating communication between a member and his constituents. In plain English, this refers to the right of members to mail correspondence to constituents at no | Read More »
Paul Ryan is set to release the details of the House Republican budget resolution tomorrow. While liberals, conservatives, tea partiers, etc. will have plenty to say about the content of the budget, we must all acknowledge that Ryan has worked assiduously to formulate a coherent blueprint for a responsible budget. The same cannot be said for his counterpart in the Senate. Senate Budget Committee Chairman | Read More »
I’m glad that we’re now starting to have a better idea of the shape of the Senate race, as we settle down on who the candidates are going to be, and how they’re polling against incumbents (or each other, in the case of open seats). Soon I will update my Senate projections with actual data. In the meantime, we’ve got the first Missouri Senate poll | Read More »
In what’s become a biennial spectacle, supporters of unprincipled Republicans – who often vote with Democrats – are maligning conservatives as “purists” and accusing them of gambling away Republican control of the Senate. Today, Kimberley Strassel published a column in the WSJ, “Conservatives vs. a Senate Majority,” insinuating that Freedom Works and The Club for Growth are helping elect Democrats to the Senate. Specifically, she | Read More »
Last week, the House passed a slam-dunk jobs bill (H.R. 3606) 390-23. The bill reduces red tape, securities regulations, and reporting requirements on small companies that desire to go public. It also eliminated some of the new regulations implemented under Dodd-Frank and Sarbanes-Oxley on companies that generate less than $1 billion in annual revenue. With all the unctuous complaints about partisanship, one would expect the Senate | Read More »
Senate polling comes and goes lately, and primary polling is even harder to get. Pollsters seem to get more attention when they make these premature Presidential general election matchups. But we got some Maine Senate polling from PPP just in time to get wind of some possible machinations in that race. Could Democrats be clearing the way for independent Angus King?
Update: All 4 amendments were defeated, meaning we won 2 and lost 2. DeMint’s devolution amendment failed 30-67 with 14 Republicans (including McConnell) voting no; Stabenow’s green energy pork amendment failed 49-49; DeMint’s repeal of all energy subsidies failed 26-72; the Menendez-Burr handouts for natural gas cars failed 51-47. 6 Republicans supported the subsidies, including Tom Coburn! This might seem like a stalemate, but the | Read More »
The House is out of session this week. Tthe Senate will be in session to finish work on a bloated two year $109 billion highway bill. Big fight this week on judicial nominations with Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) expected to file cloture on about seventeen nominees today. Also, expect a fight when the Senate tries to use a House passed Small-Business bill to pass the | Read More »
Medal of Honor recipient, former Senator, and former Governor Bob Kerrey has announced he will run for Senate in Nebraska to replace Ben Nelson, the man who replaced him in the Senate. Common sense suggests a multiple-time statewide winner with a distinguished personal history would be a favorite to win the open seat. New polling however suggests Kerrey is a large underdog to Republican Jon | Read More »
Earlier today, the Senate began voting on a series of 30 amendments to the highway bill (S.1813). The three important amendments regarding energy subsidies that we referenced earlier (2 bad, 1 good) were postponed until next week. However, here is a list of other commonsense amendments that were voted down by Democrats. It is truly sad that at a time when gas prices are at | Read More »
Update: The Senate postponed the three energy subsidy amendments until next week. Instead, they voted on amendments to drill in the outer continental shelf, expedite the keystone pipeline, and eliminate duplicative programs. Needless to say, Democrats killed all three of those amendments. We’ll fight on next week. We’ve been gunning hard for the Pompeo/DeMint bill, which would end all subsidies and special tax preferences for | Read More »
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