One of the more common concerns I receive via email is that I don’t offer enough good news here at The Carpetbagger Report. Fair enough; here’s news, by way of Think Progress, that should make a lot of people happy. The ratings for Bill O’Reilly’s Fox News show have fallen so fast since the election, […]
A new Gallup poll is out reflecting public opinion of Congress. I think it’s fair to say the institution has seen better days. These are not good days for Congress. The latest Gallup survey shows that only 35% of Americans approve of the way Congress is handling its job, and almost 4 in 10 say […]
Under the Social Security model the president has sort-of laid out, everyone who makes more than $20,000 a year will face cuts in their benefits. Paul Krugman did an exemplary job yesterday explaining why this is a raw deal for everyone who isn’t rich, but the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities moves the ball […]
Bill Frist may have already indicated whom he’d like to see trigger the nuclear option, but it appears the Senate GOP would like some options. By midweek, the Republicans expect to have in place at least four nominees whom they regard as far better test cases than Mr. Griffith for a showdown over the rules. […]
Bill Frist wants everyone to know that he’s decided which judge to use in order to prompt the nuclear option fight: Priscilla Owen. Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist plans for Texas Supreme Court Justice Priscilla Owen to be the judicial nomination on which he uses the “nuclear option” against Democratic filibusters later this month, according […]
Today’s installment of campaign-related news items that wouldn’t generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers: * A fairly serious “difference of opinion” between national Dems and Vermont Dems has emerged over how best to deal with Bernie Sanders’ Senate campaign. National Dems, anxious to keep Jim Jeffords’ seat […]
It seems like just yesterday Roll Call was reporting that we’re “very close” to a major breakthrough on judicial nominations. Oh wait, that was yesterday. A deal crafted in large part by conservative Dem Ben Nelson (Neb.) and very conservative Republican Trent Lott (Miss.) had created a framework that would bypass the nuclear option and […]
The only reason the government has a restrictive and ineffective stem-cell policy is the influence of some far-right elements of the Republican base. But, more and more, it appears that these factions are outnumbered, even within the GOP circle. The embryonic stem cell issue flared during the 2004 presidential campaign and may soon come before […]
Almost a month ago, Tom DeLay, as part of his tireless crusade against the federal judiciary, instructed the House Judiciary Committee to investigate federal court decisions in the Terri Schiavo case and to recommend possible legislation. It was, to be sure, a fairly radical request. Yesterday, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee largely rejected […]
I hesitate to criticize Hugh Hewitt’s Weekly Standard articles, not because they’re awful on the merits, but because it’s practically a blogging cliché. It’s almost too predictable to bother. Hewitt’s latest, however, was too offensive to ignore. You may recall recent reports on the systemic and widespread religious discrimination that has become common at the […]