December 17, 2010
They almost got away with it, and they may try again. Congressional Democratic leaders planned all along to basically do nothing during the months leading up to the November election — and then, in a lame-duck session, unveil a bloated, business-as-usual spending bill and use the press of the Christmas break to force members into...
December 16, 2010
The analyses and cost estimates provided by the Congressional Budget Office have had an enormous effect on the public debate about health care reform over the last two years. But, as Douglas Holtz-Eakin and I point out in an op-ed today in Politico, CBO, a professional and respected institution, in this instance...
December 13, 2010
The decision on the individual mandate handed down today by U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson in the Eastern District of Virginia makes it clear that Obamacare is on extremely shaky legal ground. That’s fitting, because it’s been on shaky political ground for well over a year now. Today’s decision — possibly joined...
December 9, 2010
Yesterday, I had the privilege of participating in the inaugural event for the American Enterprise Institute’s new “Beyond ‘Repeal and Replace’” initiative, the purpose of which is to explore policies that could take the place of the recently passed health care law. During the panel discussion,...
December 7, 2010
I will be participating in a discussion at the American Enterprise Institute tomorrow called “Beyond ‘Repeal and Replace,'” focusing on suggestions for reforming health care. Details can be found here. Meanwhile, I participated in another AEI forum (cosponsored by the National Review Institute) a few weeks ago...
December 6, 2010
It’s quite a turn of events. The Democratic party has more or less defined itself over the last decade by opposing the supposed irresponsibility of the Bush-era income-tax rates. Now, President Obama has turned his back on the liberal wing of his party and endorsed those very same rates for the duration of his current term in...
November 23, 2010
The political ground has been shifting rapidly ever since the American people delivered a vote of no confidence on the current direction of public policy when they went to the polls earlier this month. Nowhere is that shift more evident than in the recent release of a bipartisan plan to dramatically reform the nation’s health...
November 22, 2010
Last year, Rep. Paul Ryan’s “Roadmap” — his far-reaching plan to restore long-term budget balance through tax and entitlement reform — was the subject of relentless attacks by those favoring a larger government role in American life. New York Times columnist Paul Krugman called Ryan the “Flimflam...
November 19, 2010
Federal subsidization of insurance coverage for abortion services was among the most contentious issues in the healthcare debate. Pro-life groups stood firm in their opposition to such funding, to the point of opposing the entire legislative package unless it was fully and definitely removed from the bill. Moreover, they worked...
November 10, 2010
When the co-chairmen of President Obama’s debt commission released a draft series of recommendations today, they presumably intended to show momentum and create pressure for others to come around to some kind of an agreement. Press stories are sure to focus on the Social Security changes and how they will antagonize some...