In this polarized period of American politics, many people on the Right have been taking cheap shots at President Obama because he plays golf so much. These golf-related criticisms are at least factually accurate, in contrast to the lies that Michael Moore told about George Bush supposedly vacationing much of the time. However, the criticisms of […]
Archive | Obama
Human Events’ ridiculous “Obama the Muslim” article
Ronald Reagan once said that the conservative D.C. weekly Human Events was his favorite newspaper. And with good reason. Back in the 1970s and 1980s, there were few significant alternatives to the then-hegemonic MSM. Along with National Review, which was Reagan’s favorite magazine, Human Events was an essential source for stories that the MSM refused to cover, and […]
Another Issue Where Barack Obama and I Agree – Repealing the Mortgage Interest Deduction
So far, I haven’t found much to agree on with President Obama other than gays in the military and the need for a playoff system for college football. However, I do support the administration’s proposal to repeal the tax deduction for mortgage interest for high-income taxpayers: The popular tax break for mortgage interest, once considered […]
Racism and The Tea Partiers
Cathy Young has an interesting column digging deeper into the data. Here’s how it starts: Ever since the “Tea Parties” gained national attention, the debate has raged on whether they are a grass-roots protest movement in the proud tradition of American dissent, or a hysterical mob driven by fear, intolerance and selfishness. Recently, two much-discussed […]
Legal Action and Political Action as a Two-Track Strategy for Opposing Obamacare
By Ilya Somin on March 22, 2010 7:05 pm in Commerce Clause, Health Care, Obama, Spending Clause, Supreme Court
In a recent post, I suggested that Obamacare will be almost impossible to repeal through political action. History shows that it is extremely difficult to eliminate entitlements. In addition, repeal would require Republican congressional majorities and a Republican president; I doubt we will get both simultaneously for years to come. Although various state governments and […]
Crisis, the Health Care Bill, and the Growth of Government
The passage of the health care demonstrates the ways in which economic crises create opportunities to expand the power of government, often in ways that have little connection to any effort to alleviate the crisis itself. Back in the fall of 2008, I expressed my fear that the combination of an economic crisis, political ignorance […]
Obama’s Speech at the Patriot Center
If the Washington Post’s report is correct, and 8,000 people turned out, the real news is that two days before the big health care vote, Obama couldn’t fill a 10,000 seat arena at a university with 30,000 students (albeit many part-time), in a state and county Obama won, with many of the seats undoubtedly taken […]
Bloggers: Both side critical of party chairs. Disagree somewhat, but not entirely, on health care chances, and Obama as a one-term President
This week, the National Journal poll of political bloggers moves to a new spot on the NJ website, “The Hotline Blogometer.” Besides the weekly poll, the Blogometer contains a daily report on what leading liberal and conservative political bloggers are writing about the controversies of the moment. In this week’s poll, bloggers were asked “On […]
“Obama Effect” Spurs Record Number of Nobel Peace Prize Nominations
The award of the Nobel Peace Prize to Barack Obama last year, despite the very modest nature of his success in actually achieving peace so far, has stimulated a record number of nominations for the prize this year: A record 237 people and organizations have been nominated for the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize, with interest […]
Bloggers foresee big political benefits in health bill. Split Ax vs. Rahm
This week’s National Journal poll of political bloggers asked left-leaning political bloggers “If Congress enacts something close to President Obama’s latest health care reform plan, how would that affect the Democratic Party in the midterm elections?” The right-leaning bloggers were asked the same question about the effect on Republicans. On the Left, 40% said that enactment […]
“Poll Finds Edge for Obama Over G.O.P. Among the Public”
That’s the headline on the N.Y. Times’s home page. Of course, headlines don’t always reflect the actual article, but here’s how the article starts: WASHINGTON — At a time of deepening political disaffection and intensified distress about the economy, President Obama enjoys an edge over Republicans in the battle for public support, according to the […]
“Birther” claim about Obama and the Bush National Guard hoax: Fruit of the same poisonous tree?
So suggests John Avalon, in a Daily Beast column “The Secret History of the Birthers.” He traces birtherism to a Texas woman named Linda Starr, who was a Hillary Clinton delegate to the 2008 Texas state Democratic Convention. Avalon writes that Starr “was also cited as a key source for CBS’ discredited election year investigation […]