I wrote a bit about the events in Greece when Prime Minister George Papandreou called for a referendum of the European bailout. Since then, Papandreou rescinded his referendum suggested, struck a deal with the opposition to guarantee maintenance of the bailout agreement, and stepped down from his post. In his place, the Greek parliament instituted…
Economy & Budget
On Greece and Democracy
Should someone hold a referendum on the Greek bailout? A few days ago Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou shocked the world by announcing that his country would hold such a vote. European leaders, who had just concluded a tough negotiation on Greek’s debt, condemned the move. Financial analysts the world over warned of the potentially…
Perry’s Plan
This week Rick Perry announced his tax reform plan, the first step in an effort to revitalize his image after some brutal debates. (Unfortunately for him, his comments on Obama’s place of birth overshadowed the carefully-crafted announcement.) The Washington Post has a good article and accompanying chart comparing the various tax plans put forward by…
Another Kind of Bipartisanship
When groups of legislators from both parties come together in agreement on a particular piece of legislation, we have a word for that: bipartisanship. But what if their agreement is that the legislation be defeated? And what if they come not from the moderate wings of each part but from the extremes? That’s a bipartisanship…
The Debt Ceiling Agreement
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….
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 II
In contrast to George F. Will, I continue to enjoy David Brooks. I appreciate his Hamiltonian conservatism and his commitment to moderation in our politics. His latest column is no exception. In contrast to Will’s goal of a political victory, Brooks’s goals is a governance victory. The question he poses to Republicans is not “How…
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…