The Coming Debt Ceiling Debacle

There’s a storm brewing in Washington these days. Funding for the government expires on Monday, and two weeks after that the nation’s debt ceiling needs to be raised. Republicans are willing to fund the government if the Affordable Care Act is defunded and/or repealed. Democrats aren’t about to eliminate the signature achievement of President Obama’sContinue reading “The Coming Debt Ceiling Debacle”

On the Debt Ceiling Crisis and Its Endgame

Unless you’ve been living under a rock the past two months or been hiding in a cave in the mountains of Afghanistan, you are doubtless aware of an impending, though entirely manufactured, fiscal crisis about to hit the United States. Quite simply, on August 2nd the United States will reach its statutory debt limit. InContinue reading “On the Debt Ceiling Crisis and Its Endgame”

On Cynicism, Mitch Daniels, and the Thin Republican Field

Mitch Daniels, the former Bush administration Office of Management and Budget director and current governor of Indiana, has decided not to seek the Republican nomination for President in 2012. Many Republicans saw him as a viable candidate in a weak field, yet Daniels has decided to join former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee, who would himselfContinue reading “On Cynicism, Mitch Daniels, and the Thin Republican Field”

On the Looming Government Shutdown

So, it’s likely to happen. Sometime later today, the United States federal government will shut down. Even though the Democrats and the Republicans are within a few billion dollars of spending on the 2011 budget, the real issue for Republicans isn’t the overall spending but specific funding for Planned Parenthood and environmental regulations. Democrats wantContinue reading “On the Looming Government Shutdown”