Imagine a plot to undermine the government of the United States, to destroy much of its capacity to do the public’s business, and to sow distrust among the population. Imagine further that the plotters infiltrate Congress and state governments, reshape their districts to give them disproportionate influence in Washington, and use the media to spread … Continue reading »
federal budget
Romney, Ryan, and the Devil’s budget: Will America keep its soul?
Coauthored with Glenn Smith America was born with a great soul, a moral view of Democracy in which citizens care about their fellow citizens and join together to take responsibility not just for themselves but for each other, for America as a union, a joint enterprise. The government’s job was to carry out that moral … Continue reading »
The battle is squared, and why we need budget jujitsu
Technically, the federal government has now reached the limit of its capacity to borrow money. Raising the debt ceiling used to be a technical adjustment, made almost automatically. Now it’s a political football. Democrats should never have agreed to linking it to an agreement on the long-term budget deficit. But now that the debt ceiling … Continue reading »
Beware the “middle ground” of the great budget debate
How debates are framed is critical because the “center” or “middle ground” is supposedly halfway between the two extremes. We continue to hear that the Great Budget Debate has two sides: The President and the Democrats want to cut the budget deficit mainly by increasing taxes on the rich and reducing military spending, but not … Continue reading »
Obama returns to his moral vision
Last week, on April 13, 2011, President Obama gave all Democrats and all progressives a remarkable gift. Most of them barely noticed. They looked at the president’s speech as if it were only about budgetary details. But the speech went well beyond the budget. It went to the heart of progressive thought and the nature … Continue reading »
Mr. President: Why Medicare isn’t the problem, it’s the solution
I hope when he tells America how he aims to tame future budget deficits the President doesn’t accept conventional Washington wisdom that the biggest problem in the federal budget is Medicare (and its poor cousin Medicaid). Medicare isn’t the problem. It’s the solution. The real problem is the soaring costs of health care that lie … Continue reading »
Why the right-wing bullies will hold the nation hostage again and again
When I was a small boy I was bullied more than most, mainly because I was a foot shorter than than everyone else. They demanded the cupcake my mother had packed in my lunchbox, or, they said, they’d beat me up. After a close call in the boy’s room, I paid up. Weeks later, they … Continue reading »
Why Obama isn’t fighting the budget battle
In the next week the action moves from Wisconsin to Washington, where the deadline looms for a possible government shutdown over the federal budget. President Obama has to take a more direct and personal role in that budget battle — both for the economy’s sake and for the sake of his reelection. But will he? … Continue reading »