The Rockefeller Republican

Grading Obama

2009-12-28T15:45:00.001-05:00

With the anniversary of Obama's inauguration and his upcoming State of the Union speech we all have to get ready to listen to pundits from all persuasions give the obligatory grade for the president's first year. Obama himself famously stated on Oprah that he thought he deserved " a good solid B+." But before we start arguing whether he deserves a B, C, or D, we should really decide on what

Earmarks Return...Did They Ever Leave

2009-12-26T08:51:00.000-05:00

A constant refrain from campaign '08 was that earmarks were bad and needed to go. Both Obama and McCain agreed on that and tried to out-due each other in how they would work to get rid of them. From The Hill: Fiscal hawks in Congress say President Barack Obama hasn't followed through on a pledge to lower federal spending on local projects. Earmarks are expected to total nearly $12 billion in

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T07:42:00.002-05:00

One of my regular reads is Thinking Faith, the online journal of the British Jesuits and for this Christmas holiday I anted to share a recent article on the first Christmas and what it means. Can we ever really know what happened in Bethlehem at the first Christmas? Nicholas King SJ suggests that while they may not provide a historical account of the birth of Christ, the gospel narratives

Sobering Reality of the Tea Party Movement

2009-12-23T06:35:00.000-05:00

Many of us on the right are operating under the assumption that the Tea Party Movement will help ushering in a new Republican majority in 2 or 4 years. However, Thomas Del Baccaro has a sobering review of this meme. At its core, the Tea Party movement is a pro-liberty – limited government movement. Its activists continue to believe in Reagan’s cogent message about government. Beneath that

Does Congress Speak For You?

2009-12-22T09:18:00.000-05:00

With the Senate voting on health care reform this week it is more than interesting to view the latest poll numbers. American voters "mostly disapprove" of the plan 53% to 36% and disapprove 56% to 38% of President Obama's handling of the health care issue, according to a new Quinnipiac poll. Will there be reprecussions come next November, or will the electorate forget about the issue by then?

Letter From John McCain

2009-12-21T20:33:00.000-05:00

My Friend, Early this morning at 1am, the Senate voted 60 to 40 in favor of moving the Democrats' health care bill forward. The final vote to pass the bill is scheduled for Christmas Eve, and I pledge to you that I will not only continue to cast my vote against this bill, but will actively fight it every step along the way. Democrats have used Bernie Madoff-style accounting to assess the cost

New Format For The Rockefeller Republican

2009-12-21T20:28:00.000-05:00

I created a new and updated look and feel to the blog for the new year. There are some new sections, new graphics and some new sponsor links as well. I would love to hear feedback from regular readers.

Health Care Reform or Not?

2009-12-21T05:36:00.000-05:00

More math on health care bill from the Congressional Budget Office:CBO expects that Medicare spending under the legislation would increase at an average annual rate of roughly 6 percent during the next two decades—well below the roughly 8 percent annual growth rate of the past two decades (excluding the effect of establishing the Medicare prescription drug benefit). Adjusting for inflation,

A Profound Disappointment

2009-12-20T14:17:00.002-05:00

Michale Goodwin, writing in The New York Post, tells a story I have heard from quite a few aquaintences. The short article is worth a read. Here is an excerpt. President Obama, for whom I voted because I believed he was the best choice available, is a profound disappointment. I now regard his campaign as a sly bait-and-switch operation, promising one thing and delivering another. Shame on me.

Rockefeller Republican = Whole Foods Republican

2009-12-16T05:48:00.003-05:00

OK, I am a couple of days late in finding this article as it appeared in Monday's WSJ, but it so aptly described what I consider to be the modern reinvention of the Rockefeller Republican that I had to share it. Michael Petrilli makes the case that for the GOP to succeed it needs to cultivate what he calls Whole Foods Republicans.What's needed is a full-fledged effort to cultivate "Whole Foods

Is Insurance Bad For You?

2009-12-15T09:01:00.003-05:00

Excellent article today over at Big Government by Dr. Jane Orient. She makes the case that insurance can actually get in the way of treatment. Fascinating case study and something to keep in mind when we talk about health care reform. I'd be curious to hear if anyone has any similar stories, or contradicting ones...

Health Reform Support on Life Support

2009-12-14T08:55:00.001-05:00

Tax Cuts Instead of Stimulus

2009-12-14T08:30:00.001-05:00

My favorite economist writes a new editorial in the New York Times. Mankiw is always recommended reading.

Obama and The Nobel Prize

2009-12-11T08:06:00.000-05:00

There are plenty of things I could criticize about yesterday's speech: it was too long at over 4,000 words, his use of first person (34 times) just exacerbates the messianic image, the repetition of the hope/change message. However, by and large I felt good about what was said. My personal favorite: Whatever mistakes we have made, the plain fact is this: the United States of America has helped

How Will the Reid Bill Affect Me?

2009-12-10T16:55:00.002-05:00

According to Keith Hennessey I am going to be paying considerably more per year for my family's health insurance. Want to see how you'd do? Check out this link.

The Logic of the Center

2009-12-10T07:49:00.002-05:00

One of my favorite economic bloggers is Greg Mankiw. The other day he posted an entry on the conclusion of his freshman seminar at Harvard. I want to make note specifically of his freshman's view once the class had ended.I also asked the students how their views had changed over the course of the semester. Those who started out liberal said they came to appreciate market mechanisms more. Those

Mor Stimulus Money Hard at Work

2009-12-09T15:39:00.002-05:00

From The Hill:Nearly $6 million in stimulus money was paid to two firms run by Mark Penn, Hillary Clinton’s pollster in 2008.Federal records show that $5.97 million from the $787 billion stimulus helped preserve three jobs at Burson-Marsteller, the global public-relations and communications firm headed by Penn.I don't think I need to add anything to this clip. Let the indignation begin....

Santorum in 2012?

2009-12-08T05:30:00.002-05:00

From The Hill:Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) gave his clearest words to date that he is seriously mulling a 2012 presidential bid. "Absolutely — absolutely taking a look," he told ABC's "Top Line" webcast Monday afternoon. The former Pennsylvania senator has previously exhibited an interest in running in 2012. However, he has, to this point, hedged his language quite a bit, allowing his

Liberal Fascism

2009-12-06T10:33:00.002-05:00

I recently finished Jonah Goldberg's Liberal Fascism, The Secret History of The Left, and while the title suggests another boiler-plate special from the likes of Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity or Ann Coulter, what is presented is a chillingly sane explanation of the history of the early 20th century and how its influence can still be felt today. Goldberg is at pains to make clear that this is not just

Scientism

2009-12-05T14:04:00.001-05:00

Quote of the Day

2009-12-04T05:55:00.002-05:00

Poor Al Gore. Global warming completely debunked via the very Internet you invented. OH. OH the irony.-Jon StewartIn related Al Gore news- He was committed to a lecture at the upcoming climate summit. The event cost $1200 per person and 3000 people signed up. Over $3 mil! Gore canceled and did not give a reason, leaving the organizers "greatly annoyed and disappointed". Any guesses why he

State of the GOP

2009-12-01T17:05:00.002-05:00

The new Washington Post poll on the state of the Republican party is something all political junkies should check out. The most disturbing part for me? That Sarah Palin gets 17% [the highest mark] support for 2012 GOP primary.

Who Gets Huckabee's Vote Now?

2009-12-01T09:47:00.002-05:00

With Mike Huckabee's presidential aspirations coming to a halt this past weekend it raises the question of who gets his support. While it is obviously still very early he had been polling in the lead for 2012. There doesn't seem to be an obvious successor (Palin?) so would they go to Romney by default?

"Conventional Wisdom"

2009-11-24T09:31:00.001-05:00