Obama Hurt Deeds in Virginia
Pollster Glen Bolger (a founding partner at my wife's firm) looks at the data in the Virginia governor's race and concludes that Barack Obama hurt Democrat Creigh Deeds. At the end of tracking, we added some questions paid for by the Republican National Committee specifically to measure the Obama effect. [...] The dominant national issue at that time (and still) is health care. ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on November 10, 2009 12:22
Reading the Bill is a Waste of Time
Bruce Bartlett articulates something that I've been wanting to write about for a while about the "read the bill" nonsense, and since he did a better job of it than I would have, I'll just direct you to him: The 1,990-page length of the health reform bill is once again bringing forth demands that members of Congress be required to read ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on November 10, 2009 11:07
Jodi Rell Not Running
Jodi Rell, the "Republican" governor of Connecticut, has announced that she will not seek re-election. In a surprising announcement, Mrs. Rell, 63, did not immediately give a specific reason for her decision, saying only, “At some point, you know inside that it is time to begin a new chapter in life.” Her announcement came during a news conference at which she first ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on November 10, 2009 09:45
Making Jobs More Expensive
The recently passed health care “reform” noted by James below is going to have another impact some have noted, but many have not given much thought too. It will, in effect, make labor more expensive. When something becomes more expensive for firms then tend to use less of it. They will substitute away from it if possible, ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on November 9, 2009 00:24
House Trades Freedom for Health Coverage, Senate’s Move
The House passed a trillion dollar bill that will force Americans to buy health insurance, force even small businesses to provide health coverage, and require insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions. (The last, as I have previously argued, makes it something other than "insurance.") Lori Montgomery and Shailagh Murray for WaPo: Hours after President Obama exhorted Democratic lawmakers to "answer the call ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on November 8, 2009 09:38
Hasan a Muslim First, American Second?
In hindsight, it appears that Major Nidal Malik Hasan, the mass murderer who killed 14 (one of the soldiers killed, Francheska Velez, was six weeks pregnant) and wounded another 30 at Fort Hood, had long made it known that he sympathized with the enemy. Bloomberg's Justin Blum: Major Nidal Malik Hasan, the Army psychiatrist accused of a shooting spree that killed ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on November 7, 2009 12:57
Pentagon Expected To Ask For Supplementary War Funding. As Usual.
Remember a couple of weeks ago, when Congress passed a $680 billion appropriation? Well, don't worry--the military will be getting still more money:The nation’s top military officer said Wednesday that he expected the Pentagon to ask Congress in the next few months for emergency financing to support the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, even though President Obama has pledged ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on November 5, 2009 11:07
Do You Have the Right Not To Be Framed?
The Supreme Court hears oral argument today in Pottawattamie County v McGee, wherein they will have to decide if prosecutors have immunity from lawsuits even if they frame someone for murder. On one side of the case being argued are Iowa prosecutors who contend "there is no freestanding right not to be framed." They are backed by the Obama administration, 28 ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on November 4, 2009 12:59
Republicans Win Big in Local Races
The loss of a Republican seat in NY-23 under highly unusual circumstances notwithstanding, yesterday was a good day for Republicans. After crushing defeats in successive elections, they won back the Virginia governor's office in a blowout and knocked off a billionaire incumbent governor in New Jersey despite having their vote split between two candidates. I would, however, resist the temptation ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on November 4, 2009 08:43
On Excessive Moderation
As Steven Taylor notes, the third-party candidacy by Doug Hoffman in New York’s 23rd congressional district seems to have backfired, delivering a solid Republican seat for generations to Democratic candidate Bill Owens. While some conservatives like my Twitter pal (and OG blogger) Jayvie Canono have suggested that Republican nominee Dede “Scozzafava would’ve been a vote for the Dems,” one of the ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on November 4, 2009 02:26
Jobs Created or Saved…Again
It looks like the Obama Administration’s brilliant political jujutsu move of using “jobs saved or created” is making its way around some of the economics blogs again. First up is Brad DeLong’s attack on Allan Meltzer. Meltzer wrote the following, There is no greater recognition of the failure of the stimulus program to create jobs than the efforts to ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on November 3, 2009 19:03
OTB Radio – Tonight at 5:30 Eastern
The next episode of OTB Radio, our BlogTalkRadio program, will record and air live from 5:30-6:30 Eastern. Dave Schuler and I will be joined by Zenpundit's Mark Safranksi to talk about the "elections" in Afghanistan, today's off-off-year elections in the USA, and the state of opportunity in America. We'll also be taking calls at (646) 716-7030. Owing to a high trolls ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on November 3, 2009 16:49
Health Reform Bill to Allow Insurance Payments For Prayer Healings
Via Kevin Drum, I have learned that current Senate version of the health reform bill would provide for insurance payments for Christian Science prayer treatments--and probably other "spiritual" treatments as well.Reporting from Washington - Backed by some of the most powerful members of the Senate, a little-noticed provision in the healthcare overhaul bill would require insurers to consider covering Christian ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on November 3, 2009 10:33
Grading Obama’s Foreign Policy
The editors at Foreign Policy magazine used the occasion of the first anniversary of Barack Obama's election as president to ask a "a group of experts" to grade President Obama's foreign policy performance. I was honored to be among the graders. My B-minus was exactly in line with the consensus: "Obama scored only an average of a B-: five As, nine ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on November 3, 2009 08:01
Political Control of Government Motors
Back when talks about bailing out General Motors started one potential issue was that GM would “encouraged” to make decisions based on political considerations vs. a sound business plan. Looks like there is evidence for such concerns with this story of how Montana’s Congressional Representative and two Senators are pushing to get a contract reinstated with a Montana palladium ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on November 2, 2009 15:01
