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Washington-America Schism Might Kill the Democratic Majority
Tweet Share on Facebook April 29, 2010 Comment (10)By Mary Kate Cary, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
Less than a third of registered voters are inclined to reelect their representatives in Congress--the lowest level since the 1994 Republican takeover of Congress--according to a new ABC News-Washington Post poll. In the old days, most voters couldn’t stand Congress as a whole, but they loved their particular representative. Well, as Chief Inspector Jacques Clouseau would say, “Not any more.” (Actual quote at starts 3:10 but you really should watch the whole thing.)
It doesn’t take Inspector Clouseau to figure out why voters are ready to throw the bums out: it’s anti-establishment anger. Today’s Washington Post reports that Republicans are “well within striking distance” of winning President Obama’s old Senate seat in Illinois, along with Vice President Biden’s former seat in Delaware, and Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid’s in Nevada. “I call them the trophy seats,” Sen. John Cornyn, who heads the National Republican Senatorial Committee, told the Post. If you add Scott Brown’s election to Ted Kennedy’s Senate seat, writes Karen Tumulty, “Democrats aren't safe anywhere anymore.
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Why the White House Media is Fed Up with Obama
Tweet Share on Facebook April 28, 2010 Comment (16)By Mary Kate Cary, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
In my column this week, I supported a suggestion from a liberal blogger last year that news outlets restructure the White House press corps, to include reporters from specific beats--say, healthcare, financial reform, or foreign affairs--in an effort to bring more depth to White House reporting, counter the day-to-day political spin from the press office, and diffuse the tension between the existing press corps and Robert Gibbs’ office.
This morning’s issue of Politico features a long examination of the fight between the press corps and the White House, with tons of examples of how bad it’s getting:
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It's Time to Restrict Teen Driving (Elderly Driving Too)
Tweet Share on Facebook April 28, 2010 Comment (10)By Mary Kate Cary, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
I’m on the school carpool circuit at 4 o’clock or so most weekdays, and come spring, it’s not unusual to be stuck in traffic here in Washington next to a jam-packed carload of high school kids, windows down and “Hot 99” blaring on the radio, some double-buckled in one seat, the whole crowd chatting, texting and cell-phoning friends, heading down to the Potomac River for crew practice. (The soccer teams and baseball teams all ride to games in school buses or vans, but crew here in D.C. generally is not school-sponsored, so no bus.) No 40-year-old could drive well in the midst of crew-team chaos--and yet it’s always a new driver, maybe a sophomore or a junior with a big enough family truckster to hold everyone, who is behind the wheel.
Sure it looks like fun, but believe me, I steer clear when I see them coming. Maybe that’s why one of the co-sponsors of the STANDUP Act in Congress is my local congressman--maybe he’s seen them coming too. The new Safe Teen and Novice Driver Uniform Protection Act of 2009 would tie federal highway funds with state compliance of new rules for teen drivers, much as federal funds were tied to state seatbelt laws a few years ago. The idea here would be to make age 16 the new across-the-board minimum for a learners’ permit, followed by an intermediate license and then a full unrestricted license at 18. Until you hit 18, there would be no more unsupervised nighttime driving; both cell phones and texting while driving would be outlawed; and no more driving around carloads of friends (no more than one non-family member under 21 in the car, unless you have someone older than 21 to keep a lid on things). Here in the Washington area, there’s a big discrepancy between when you can get a license in D.C., Maryland and Virginia, and what the various rules are. I’m sure it’s the same in similar jurisdictions around the country. I don’t think the federal government needs to be involved in everything, but in this case, some uniformity would be great. -
Democrats' Financial Reform Looks Like a Protection Racket
Tweet Share on Facebook April 27, 2010 Comment (22)By Mary Kate Cary, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
If you can only read one article on the Dodd financial reform bill, read this guide to what the legislation proposes and what it doesn’t propose in today’s Washington Independent. It’s the most understandable summary I’ve read anywhere. Republicans would be smart to introduce amendments to it such as Rep. Ron Paul and Sen. Chuck Grassley’s proposals to audit the Fed, whose books are holding over $1 trillion in mortgage-backed securities from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, as well as toxic assets from Bear Sterns. They’d also do well with Sens. John McCain and Maria Cantwell’s planned amendment to re-introduce the Glass-Steagall provisions that were repealed in 1999, which outlawed banks from engaging in commercial and investment activities at the same time. My favorite is language that Republicans are urging to ensure there would be no more taxpayer-funded bank bailouts.
Democrats are really playing games with this bill--shutting Republicans out of negotiations, as they did with the health care bill, then accusing them of being “obstructionists” afterward. But by offering some amendments that promote transparency and fiscal responsibility, Republicans have an opportunity here to stand on the side of small businesses and community banks and take the high road. And if they do take the high road, they won’t be running into the Democrats. -
Polls Show Americans Embracing Conservatism
Tweet Share on Facebook April 23, 2010 Comment (9)By Mary Kate Cary, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
"By almost every conceivable measure,” reads the latest Pew research poll out this week, “Americans are less positive and more critical of government these days.” Calling it a “perfect storm” of conditions that have brought about a widespread distrust of the federal government, Pew points to the bad economy, bitter partisanship, an unhappy mood among voters, and “epic discontent” with Congress and elected officials.
I didn’t need Pew to tell me that fiscal conservatism is becoming more popular than either political party. When I ask folks I meet what their political outlook is, very few say “Republican” or “Democrat.” Almost everyone now starts by saying they’re a fiscal conservative, then places themselves on the spectrum of social issues from conservative to liberal. I have yet to hear anyone say, “Well, I’m a fiscal liberal ...”
That’s because no one outside of the White House and the speaker’s office thinks government spending is the answer--to problems in the healthcare system, to the environment, and to some degree, to the problem of failing schools. Most people want to talk about solutions that work, and innovative ideas bubbling up from neighborhoods, counties and states. There isn’t a problem that isn’t being solved by someone somewhere in America. And you can bet that most people believe that “someone” is not a government bureaucrat.
And while most agree that financial institutions’ excesses need to be reined in--for example, derivatives need more oversight--most voters don’t think the government needs to be involved in the economy as much as President Obama does. There’s been an ongoing debate about the size and scope of government since he took office, and I think the answer is becoming clearer to more and more people.
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Media Bias Exposed: MSM Quiet as Obama Plays More Golf Than Bush
Tweet Share on Facebook April 22, 2010 Comment (20)By Mary Kate Cary, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
I love to play golf, and so far I’ve been too busy to play this spring. (Hopefully, that will change soon.) In the meantime, I’ve had to be content with watching the sport on TV. I was glad Phil Mickelson’s wife was able to make it to the Masters for his win. The next weekend, I watched Brian Davis call a two-stroke penalty on himself on the eighteenth in the final round at the Verizon Heritage tournament, which gave the victory to Jim Furyk. Davis was a total class act about it, and for that matter, so was Furyk. Moments like that are why golf is such a great game for teaching character and sportsmanship to kids, and why an organization like First Tee can make such a difference.
I also noticed lately how much golf the President is playing. I think that’s great--the more he can get out and play, the better. Maybe more kids will take up the sport as a result, and maybe it’ll help get him get some relief from all the stress. I wish Mrs. Obama would play with him and encourage more women to play.
But I’m working on a column right now on how few press conferences the President has held--his last one was in July of 2009--and yet he’s played golf 32 times since being elected, which is more than George W. Bush played during two entire terms in office. In today’s Daily Beast, Mark McKinnon agrees that Obama should play as much golf as he wants. The problem is the media’s double standard when it comes to the coverage of the President’s golf outings: -
How Confusing is the Tax Code? Even the IRS Chief Gets Help
Tweet Share on Facebook April 21, 2010 Comment (4)By Mary Kate Cary, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
Tax Day revisited: I wrote on Tax Day about the miseries of paying one’s taxes, and bemoaned the fact that paying for professional help on taxes has become a new government unfunded mandate.
This morning, going through a recent issue of the Economist, I came across some more evidence in what lawyers would call the “parade of horribles” concerning our taxes:The federal tax code, which was 400 pages long in 1913, has swollen to about 70,000. Americans now spend 7.6 billion hours a year grappling with an incomprehensible tangle of deductions, loopholes and arcane reporting requirements. That is the equivalent of 3.8 million skilled workers toiling full-time, year-round, just to handle the paperwork. By this measure, the tax-compliance industry is six times larger than car-making.
An incredible 82 percent of taxpayers are so flummoxed that they pay for help. Some 60 percent hire an accountant or tax preparer, while another 22 percent use tax software.
The Economist points out that “even the head of the Internal Revenue Service, Douglas Shulman, gets someone else to do his taxes.” I don’t know how the Economist reporters know that, but if that’s true it’s exhibit A in why we need tax reform.
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Pope's Meeting With Sex Abuse Victims a Good First Step
Tweet Share on Facebook April 19, 2010 Comment (8)By Mary Kate Cary, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
Over the weekend, Pope Benedict XVI met privately with a small group of victims of sexual abuse by priests, during a visit to Malta.
According to the New York Times, the Pope “was deeply moved by their stories and expressed his shame and sorrow over what victims and their families have suffered,” the Vatican said in a statement after Benedict met with eight Maltese men who said they were molested by priests as youths in a Malta orphanage.
“He prayed with them and assured them that the church is doing, and will continue to do, all in its power to investigate allegations, to bring to justice those responsible for abuse and to implement effective measures designed to safeguard young people in the future,” the statement continued.
This was the first foreign trip that the Pope has made since the latest scandal erupted, and it’s a good sign that he met with victims and “expressed his shame and sorrow.” For those of us who have been concerned by the Church’s response to the sex abuse scandal, this is progress--and we should say so. Maybe if the Church hears some positive feedback when it reaches out and tries to repair the harm that’s been done, it will continue to do so in bigger and better ways. This was a solid first step, and I hope there are more meetings, both private and public, to follow. -
Health Insurance Companies Invest in Fast Food Chains
Tweet Share on Facebook April 16, 2010 Comment (6)By Mary Kate Cary, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
Outrage of the day: Harvard researchers have discovered that some of the biggest health insurers have invested billions in fast food companies. CBS is reporting a study from the American Journal of Public Health, which found that nearly $2 billion has been invested by insurers such as Prudential Financial, Northwest Mutual and Massachusetts Mutual--who are among the life, health and disability insurers named in the article--in fast food companies such as McDonald’s, Jack in the Box, Burger King and Yum! Brands. According to CBS News:
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The Republicans' New 'Contract With America'
Tweet Share on Facebook April 15, 2010 Comment (22)By Mary Kate Cary, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
Politico is reporting today that there is a growing debate within the GOP over what should be in the new “Contract with America”-style document that might help the party win back the House this fall. Of course, this story becomes much more interesting to reporters if they can portray it as a “split” within the Republicans, with “peril” on both sides. In sort of a damned-if-they-do, damned-if-they-don’t way, Politico reports that if Republicans include too many specifics they’ll risk turning off moderates and independents; if they don’t include enough specifics they won’t be taken seriously.
Give me a break. The news here is not that they’re arguing over content, but that they’ve agreed to go forward with an organizing document. It’s great news that the GOP is putting together a document that tells voters what Republican candidates will stand for if they’re elected. I think most voters would love to see that document. Because while there has been some value in the Republicans opposing the Obama agenda, now is a good time to also say what they’re for, and what they’ll do if they win control of Congress.
