Posts by Doug Mataconis
About Doug Mataconis
Doug Mataconis held a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University and J.D. from George Mason University School of Law. He joined the staff of OTB in May 2010 and contributed a staggering 16,483 posts before his retirement in January 2020. He passed far too young in July 2021.
Obama’s Solution To Deficit: Spending Cuts, Tax Increases, Few Specifics, But A Clear Roadmap For 2012
President Obama’s budget speech was light on specifics, but that’s because it was really the opening salvo of the 2012 campaign.
Huffington Post Freelancer Files Class Action Suit Against HuffPo
A Huffington Post contributor who had no expectation of being paid for his contributions is suing HuffPo for $105 million.
Stupidly, House GOP Appears To Take Taxes Off The Table In Future Budget Talks
The GOP seems to be telling President Obama that revenue increases are off the table. That’s a huge mistake.
Public Supports Budget Deal, But Not Much Else
Two new polls show that the public supports the budget deal, but has no idea what to do to solve our long term problems.
Andrew Sullivan: 18 Years To Get A Green Card
It took Andrew Sullivan 18 years to get his request for Permanent Resident status approved. That’s just absurd.
Donald Trump Tied For Lead In Meaningless Poll
Donald Trump has been surging in polls of Republican voters recently, but that doesn’t mean much of anything.
Chicago School Bans Kids From Bringing Lunch From Home
Should kids be required to buy their lunch at school rather than bring whatever their parents might pack for them to eat?
Paul Krugman Wonders Where The President He Thought He Was Voting For Went To
Paul Krugman is disappointed with the President, but it’s really his own fault for being so naive.
Obama’s Big Deficit Speech Will Come Without Specific Plan To Cut Deficit
Prepare to be underwhelmed by President Obama’s big deficit speech on Wednesday.
The Obama Administration Wants To Read Your Email (Without A Warrant)
The Obama Administration is resisting efforts to expand Fourth Amendment protections to services like Gmail. That’s unfortunate.
Mike Huckabee And The Mystery Of The Destroyed Hard Drives
Why did then-Governor Mike Huckabee’s office destroy all its office hard drives shortly before leaving office?
Gates Hints U.S. Could Stay In Iraq, But It Looks Like The Iraqis Don’t Want Us
Defense Secretary Gates hinted this week that the U.S. would stay in Iraq if the Iraqis wanted. It doesn’t seem like they do.
Are Social Conservatives The Budget Deal Losers?
Did the GOP toss social conservatives under the bus when it gave away the Planned Parenthood rider?
Budget Deal Postmortem: Who Won?, Who Lost?, Does It Matter?
What, if anything, does the budget deal mean for the future?
In The End, It Really Was All About That Planned Parenthood Rider
As yesterday’s budget negotiations began, the GOP had a choice – appease the base, or make a deal. They made the right choice.
