Well, the president and congressional leaders have all agreed to a framework for the debt agreement. Actually getting the law written and passed in time to avoid missed payments will take a set of behind the scenes miracles. But there’s a good chance the agreement will pass tomorrow and become the law of the land….
Conservatism
Budget Gut Checks
As we draw closer to the deadline for a deal to avert federal government insolvency, I think two questions get to the heart of conservative Republicans’ true motivations. 1. Why not end the Bush tax cuts as part of this deal? Those tax cuts, originally passed as a temporary stimulus measure, have now cost us…
Pundits, Part I
There was a time when I really enjoyed reading George F. Will. His regular Newsweek columns challenged me to think more deeply about my political views. Though we don’t generally share a perspective, he sometimes convinced me of his position. In many ways, he seemed to be the model of the politically engaged intellectual. This…
More on the Budget
I remain optimistic about the budget negotiations, not because I think default would be too catastrophic to come to pass but because those in power seem to have reached this conclusion, too. One very encouraging (and I think astute) move by House Republican Leaders was their decision to have Rep. Paul Ryan educate caucus members…
McConnell v. Cantor, et al
So far, Sen. McConnell’s proposal on the debt ceiling seems to be playing out as I expected. In an interview today, McConnell focused plenty of attention on the political calculation of his problem. His biggest fear: that the Republicans will share responsibility for the economy. Um, aren’t they in control of half of the federal…
Brooks on (Im)Moderation
David Brooks is the only political columnist I follow regularly. Unlike most of the others I’ve encountered, he does a good job of leaving the shrillness behind for more nuanced argument, usually balanced with a good measure of praise where praise is due. So when he writes a column like the one published yesterday, it…
In Praise of New York Senate Republicans
In the midst of all the discussion of the passage of Same-Sex Marriage legislation in New York, I want to take a moment to congratulate the Republicans for behaving like passionate moderates. First, some praise for those who voted against the bill: This article in the New York Times details the active and effective role…
Semantics: Moderate v. Centrist II
My earlier post (here) received a thoughtful response this week from Solomon Kleinsmith over at Rise of the Center, so I thought I’d take the opportunity to continue that conversation here. Readers may want to take a look at his comment on the earlier post, to which I’ll be replying. (Also, if you’re interested in…
Our Lost Faith in Professionals
Lately, it seems that every profession is under serious attack. Of course, lawyers have long been the butt of jokes. But now teachers are portrayed as leeches sucking the taxpayers dry, protecting their cushy jobs at all costs, and failing our children. Everyone seems to openly scoff at the idea that government “experts” know anything…
DOMA
Two key principles in passionate moderate politics are (1) a commitment to proper procedure and (2) a commitment to upholding and improving our best institutions. Some recent developments over the defense of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) caught my attention as examples of moderate and immoderate politics regarding these two principles. In particular, this…