President Obama was actually asked at a White House news conference yesterday whether the controversies currently surrounding his administration placed him in a position to similar to disgraced former President Richard Nixon during the Watergate scandal. The question demonstrated how eager his enemies are to push the matters of Benghazi and the IRS investigations of [...]
Obama Says He Agrees With Hunger Strikers at Guantanamo Bay
May 1, 2013 | Posted by
As more than 100 prisoners at Guantanamo Bay participate in a hunger strike to protest their legal limbo, President Obama yesterday said he essentially agrees with them — creating the bizarre situation where of the president of the United States agrees with prisoners who are starving themselves to protest his government. “The notion that we’re [...]
Sequester Cuts at the Smithsonian Slice a Crucial Piece of America
May 1, 2013 | Posted by
One of the joys of growing up in Washington, D.C. and, for a time, raising my son there, was the ability to go into the Smithsonian free of charge. I was stunned when I went away to college and learned that people actually had to pay to go to a museum. The Smithsonian Institution, however, [...]
25 Shot, 4 Killed in Chicago Weekend Violence as Gun Control Stalls in Congress
April 15, 2013 | Posted by
Chicago’s unrelenting shooting spree continues as up to 25 people were shot and four killed over the last three days. The mayhem occurred even as protesters gathered in Chicago’s Federal Plaza on Saturday to hold a vigil to end gun violence. “We need a background check,” Garrett Evans, a South Side Chicago native and survivor of [...]
Obama Pushes Deadline For Immigration Reform
March 25, 2013 | Posted by
President Barack Obama set a deadline for Congress to introduce an immigration reform bill, saying that he expects debate to begin on the Senate floor in April. Speaking at a naturalization ceremony in the White House Monday, Obama suggested that immigration solutions were in clear sight, telling fellow lawmakers, “Let’s get this done.” During the [...]
Lobbyists are the Washington Powers That Really Control the Budget Process
March 15, 2013 | Posted by
There isn’t much news in saying Democrats and Republicans remain far apart in trying to reach a budget compromise. This is largely because of their fundamental, philosophical economic policy differences over raising revenue or extensive cuts, especially of so-called entitlement programs, including Medicare and Social Security. One of the dirty little secrets of budget building [...]
Lawmakers Push for Higher Minimum Wage with Federal and State Initiatives
March 6, 2013 | Posted by
President Obama’s initiative to raise the nation’s minimum wage has already gained legislative support at the state and federal level. Though Obama suggested raising the minimum wage from $7.25 to $9 an hour during his State of the Union address, the newly drafted Fair Minimum Wage Act of 2013 would raise minimum wage by almost [...]
Holder Defends Right to Order Drone Strike Against US Citizen
March 6, 2013 | Posted by
The Obama administration is struggling to defend itself against criticism for its use of unmanned drones. Attorney General Eric Holder maintains that the administration would be within its constitutional rights to launch a drone attack against an American citizen believed to be working as a terrorist agent, despite the ethical questions raised by the Senate [...]
Obama Pushing Congress to Avoid Massive ‘Sequester’ Budget Cuts
February 6, 2013 | Posted by
With the government’s self-imposed “sequestration” cuts looming, President Obama is trying to convince Congress to come up with a menu of short-term budget cuts that wouldn’t do as much harm as the $85 billion in cuts set for March 1. The cuts actually total $1.2 trillion over the next decade. They are about evenly split [...]
Public Opinion Wanes For Both Parties After Fiscal Cliff Deal
January 8, 2013 | Posted by
In the final hours of negotiation, Washington’s lawmakers were able to come to an agreement to avert the “fiscal cliff.” However, the American people they represent seem largely unimpressed by the results of the bipartisan negotiations, according to recent political polls. A Gallup survey released on Friday showed that only 25 percent of Americans approved [...]
