North American links
A lovely obituary of a quiet man who knew what he liked:
They will toast the memory of a solitary man who knew his likes and lived within his means, a man who could be counted upon.
Texas continues to provide competitive jurisdiction evidence on preferable public policy.
Culture war politics are not helping Republican candidates.
Noting the US’s inadequate land-titling systems. Looking at Barnie Frank’s Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac re-election difficulties:
Koppell, at the University of Arizona, said it was an unusual marriage of interests that propelled the mortgage lenders into collapse: housing advocates who wanted more affordable loans, business interests that profited from greater volume, and politicians on both sides of the aisle who wanted to please the advocates and the businesses.
“Everybody’s interests converged,’’ Koppell said, “except the taxpayers’.’’
Lefty academics try and understand the Tea Party. On common liberal misconceptions about the Tea Party. Suggesting that the US left needs to engage with concerns for liberty.
A brutal review of Jimmy Carter’s book writing and latest book:
The Oval Office equivalent of the Edsel, Mr. Carter has spent three decades in the wilderness retrofitting his image as the best, the brightest, and the noblest ex-president of them all.
About the current crop of black Republican candidates - three of whom may win in districts which do not have black majorities. An interesting result of Obama and “post-racial” politics:
It could be the increased number of black Republicans running for office and their increased acceptance by other blacks is due in large part to Mr. Obama. His election represented the pinnacle of black hopes within the Democratic Party. His disappointing performance in office is causing more than a few to consider alternatives.
Best comment about Obama ever:
Obama is causing a lot of Rand fans to completely flip their lids in part because Obama and his devotees are Bizarro World Randian romantics in the grip of an adolescent faith in the generative powers of the state.
A fairly brutal analysis of President Obama’s political woes from a senior Time political editor. A stunning lack of Democratic Congressional effectiveness:
For the first time since modern budgeting was introduced with the Budget Act of 1974, the House failed to even write a budget. This in a year of extraordinary deficits, rising uncertainty and jittery financial markets. Gold is going through the roof. Confidence in the dollar and the American economy is falling - largely because of massive overhanging debt. Yet no budget emerged from Congress to give guidance, let alone reassurance, about future U.S. revenues and spending.
That's not all. Congress has not passed a single appropriations bill. To keep the government going, Congress passed a so-called continuing resolution (CR) before adjourning to campaign. The problem with continuing to spend at the current level is that the last two years have seen a huge 28 percent jump in non-defense discretionary spending. The CR continues this profligacy, aggravating an already serious debt problem.
As if this was not enough, Congress then adjourned without even a vote - nay, without even a Democratic bill - on the expiring Bush tax cuts. This is the ultimate in incompetence. After 20 months of control of the White House and Congress - during which they passed an elaborate, 1,000-page micromanagement of every detail of American health care - the Democrats adjourned without being able to tell the country what its tax rates will be on Jan. 1.
As if this display of unseriousness - no budget, no appropriations bill, no tax bill - was not enough, some genius on a House Judiciary subcommittee invites parodist Stephen Colbert to testify as an expert witness on immigration. He then pulls off a nervy mockery of the whole proceedings - my favorite was his request to have his colonoscopy inserted in the Congressional Record - while the chairwoman sits there clueless.
A (more positive) short history of the short Democratic Congressional majority of 2006-10.
A poll finds that experience of President Obama is making Dubya look good:
By 47 to 45 percent, Americans say Obama is a better president than George W. Bush. But that two point margin is down from a 23 point advantage one year ago.
In more bad polling news:
But almost a quarter of Democrats say a GOP-led Congress would take the country in a new and better direction or say a return to Bush's policies would be good.
The polling continued to fairly diabolical for the Democrats. And not getting better. Election rally shows President Obama is not the draw he was. Two liberal Democrats attack the President’s divisive style. About the President’s domestic style and bureaucratic fights to come (while being almost bang-on in predicting the House and Senate results). Picking the (intense) political mood in Washington.
Looking at this year’s and previous election exit polls. There Iowa Justices, including the Chief Justice, have lost retaining their seats.
Post with186 Dem 239 Rep results map and lots of links on the election. Summarising the results and noting signs of increased voter volatility. Voters generally voted for no change on ballot initiatives. The Republicans did very well in governors and State legislatures. Noting the Democrats in the House underperformed on purely economic indicators. Noting that the GOP has more House seats than it has had since 1948 and made very large gains in State legislatures. A listing. To a level not seen since the 1920s. Taking a median voter view of the results. Noting that female, black and Hispanic Republicans did quite well. Noting Obama is the third President in succession to lose control of Congress in mid terms. Now the Republicans get to make the decisions.
They will toast the memory of a solitary man who knew his likes and lived within his means, a man who could be counted upon.
Texas continues to provide competitive jurisdiction evidence on preferable public policy.
Culture war politics are not helping Republican candidates.
Noting the US’s inadequate land-titling systems. Looking at Barnie Frank’s Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac re-election difficulties:
Koppell, at the University of Arizona, said it was an unusual marriage of interests that propelled the mortgage lenders into collapse: housing advocates who wanted more affordable loans, business interests that profited from greater volume, and politicians on both sides of the aisle who wanted to please the advocates and the businesses.
“Everybody’s interests converged,’’ Koppell said, “except the taxpayers’.’’
Lefty academics try and understand the Tea Party. On common liberal misconceptions about the Tea Party. Suggesting that the US left needs to engage with concerns for liberty.
A brutal review of Jimmy Carter’s book writing and latest book:
The Oval Office equivalent of the Edsel, Mr. Carter has spent three decades in the wilderness retrofitting his image as the best, the brightest, and the noblest ex-president of them all.
About the current crop of black Republican candidates - three of whom may win in districts which do not have black majorities. An interesting result of Obama and “post-racial” politics:
It could be the increased number of black Republicans running for office and their increased acceptance by other blacks is due in large part to Mr. Obama. His election represented the pinnacle of black hopes within the Democratic Party. His disappointing performance in office is causing more than a few to consider alternatives.
Best comment about Obama ever:
Obama is causing a lot of Rand fans to completely flip their lids in part because Obama and his devotees are Bizarro World Randian romantics in the grip of an adolescent faith in the generative powers of the state.
A fairly brutal analysis of President Obama’s political woes from a senior Time political editor. A stunning lack of Democratic Congressional effectiveness:
For the first time since modern budgeting was introduced with the Budget Act of 1974, the House failed to even write a budget. This in a year of extraordinary deficits, rising uncertainty and jittery financial markets. Gold is going through the roof. Confidence in the dollar and the American economy is falling - largely because of massive overhanging debt. Yet no budget emerged from Congress to give guidance, let alone reassurance, about future U.S. revenues and spending.
That's not all. Congress has not passed a single appropriations bill. To keep the government going, Congress passed a so-called continuing resolution (CR) before adjourning to campaign. The problem with continuing to spend at the current level is that the last two years have seen a huge 28 percent jump in non-defense discretionary spending. The CR continues this profligacy, aggravating an already serious debt problem.
As if this was not enough, Congress then adjourned without even a vote - nay, without even a Democratic bill - on the expiring Bush tax cuts. This is the ultimate in incompetence. After 20 months of control of the White House and Congress - during which they passed an elaborate, 1,000-page micromanagement of every detail of American health care - the Democrats adjourned without being able to tell the country what its tax rates will be on Jan. 1.
As if this display of unseriousness - no budget, no appropriations bill, no tax bill - was not enough, some genius on a House Judiciary subcommittee invites parodist Stephen Colbert to testify as an expert witness on immigration. He then pulls off a nervy mockery of the whole proceedings - my favorite was his request to have his colonoscopy inserted in the Congressional Record - while the chairwoman sits there clueless.
A (more positive) short history of the short Democratic Congressional majority of 2006-10.
A poll finds that experience of President Obama is making Dubya look good:
By 47 to 45 percent, Americans say Obama is a better president than George W. Bush. But that two point margin is down from a 23 point advantage one year ago.
In more bad polling news:
But almost a quarter of Democrats say a GOP-led Congress would take the country in a new and better direction or say a return to Bush's policies would be good.
The polling continued to fairly diabolical for the Democrats. And not getting better. Election rally shows President Obama is not the draw he was. Two liberal Democrats attack the President’s divisive style. About the President’s domestic style and bureaucratic fights to come (while being almost bang-on in predicting the House and Senate results). Picking the (intense) political mood in Washington.
Looking at this year’s and previous election exit polls. There Iowa Justices, including the Chief Justice, have lost retaining their seats.
Post with186 Dem 239 Rep results map and lots of links on the election. Summarising the results and noting signs of increased voter volatility. Voters generally voted for no change on ballot initiatives. The Republicans did very well in governors and State legislatures. Noting the Democrats in the House underperformed on purely economic indicators. Noting that the GOP has more House seats than it has had since 1948 and made very large gains in State legislatures. A listing. To a level not seen since the 1920s. Taking a median voter view of the results. Noting that female, black and Hispanic Republicans did quite well. Noting Obama is the third President in succession to lose control of Congress in mid terms. Now the Republicans get to make the decisions.