AmSpecBlog

HELP Committee Amends Bill to Save Safeway Program

Philip Klein — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 19:19:00 -0400

I've written on a number of occasions about a Safeway health and wellness program touted by lawmakers in both parties -- including President Obama -- which has reduced the grocery store...

Sotomayor Hearings Wrap-Up, Day 1

Hope Hodge — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 17:23:00 -0400

The first day of Senate hearings on the appointment of Sonia Sotomayor to replace Justice David Souter's seat on the Supreme Court was all that Democrat strategists could have hoped: ...

Sonia Sotomayor's Bad Decisions

Doug Bandow — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 16:44:00 -0400

As the confirmation hearing proceeds, it is worth remembering the important areas where Judge Sonia Sotomayor is on the liberal extreme. Robert Alt of the Heritage Foundation helpfully ...

Kirsten Gillibrand

W. James Antle, III — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:47:00 -0400

Is no Chuck Schumer when it comes to speechifying. UPDATE: Though she did manage to annoy the chairman, Patrick Leahy.

Al Franken

W. James Antle, III — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:34:00 -0400

Seems to be using his time to try to prove he's not a jerk.

Arlen Specter

W. James Antle, III — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:26:00 -0400

Is every bit as boring as a Democrat as he was a Republican.

Sen. Alexander Says He Can't See Senate Meeting August Health Care Deadline

Philip Klein — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 14:03:00 -0400

I just got off the phone with Sen. Lamar Alexander, a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee -- and he poured cold water on the idea that Democrats could meet the ...

Health Care Takeover in Trouble

Doug Bandow — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 13:57:00 -0400

Rasmussen Reports has good news. The public is shifting against a government takeover of the medical system. Explains Rasmussen: Forty-nine percent (49%) of U.S. voters now...

Obama: Stimulus "Worked as Intended"

Doug Bandow — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 13:54:00 -0400

Which obviously is the problem. Reports Bloomberg News: President Barack Obama said his $787 billion stimulus bill "has worked as intended" as he pushed back against...

Dr. Bernanke's Prescription

Robert Stacy McCain — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 13:48:00 -0400

Before noon today, the Dow Jones Industrial Average had jumped more than 100 points, which indictates . . . well, your guess is as good as mine, or possibly much better. One...

Dionne Says GOP in SCOTUS Battle are the Real Radicals

Matthew Vadum — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 13:19:00 -0400

It seems that the more power liberals acquire in Washington, the more unhinged E. J. Dionne becomes. Mr. Dionne, put down the bong.

Kirk Back In

Philip Klein — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 13:01:00 -0400

The latest news is that Mark Kirk will in fact now run for Senate after the GOP cleared the primary field for him.

Hey, Republicans

W. James Antle, III — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 12:46:00 -0400

Obviously, with 60 Democratic senators, you can't stop Sotomayor unless there is some last-minute bombshell. Just as obviously, you should be respectful in your treatment of her. But you should ...

Sotomayor Takes The Hill

Philip Klein — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 12:44:00 -0400

We're at halftime of today's Sotomayor hearings, and at this point, there's not much to say. So far, we haven't heard a peep out of Justice Sotomayor, because we're stuck listening to the ...

Lessons from the Sotomayor Hearings

W. James Antle, III — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 12:37:00 -0400

1. Decisions based on the letter of the law that don't reach the desired policy outcome or defy "common sense" are "activism." 2. Lily Ledbetter really got shafted, once you omit certain key ...

Daily Must-Reads

Brian O'Connell — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 10:07:00 -0400

Federal government deserves a 2-stroke penalty for granting $2.2 million for watering golf courses (San Mateo County Times) Senator Hatch doesn’t trust invisible hand of college ...

Obama's Health Care Deadline Likely a Pipe Dream

Philip Klein — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 09:45:00 -0400

Today, the Politico calls it unlikely that President Obama's deadline to pass health care legislation in both chambers of Congress before the August recess will be met, and the Associated Press...

Obama's Fink

Jeri Thompson — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 08:09:00 -0400

Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) once asked Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner why BlackRock Inc., a securities firm, received no-bid contracts for work with the federal government. Geithner answered,...

Goldman Sachs and the Next Bubble

Robert Stacy McCain — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 05:40:00 -0400

Goldman Sachs is expected to report record profits this week. Rolling Stone's Matt Taibbi calls the giant investment bank a "vampire squid," and notes how many Goldman alumni were...

Christian Churches Again Attacked in Iraq

Doug Bandow — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 05:31:00 -0400

It is not clear that Christians will have a home in even a theoretically safer Iraq. The forces of Islamic intolerance may be too strong. Reports the Christian Science Monitor: ...

More Conservative Protestant Thoughts on Caritas in Veritate

Hunter Baker — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 22:58:00 -0400

In an earlier post, I already set out my own attitude of humility before the pope's encyclical. I recognize the respect due both his office and his tremendous personal learning. There is no ...

The New Establishmentarians

Robert Stacy McCain — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 20:54:00 -0400

Am I the only one left who thinks of conservatism as a philosophy of opposition, a defiant creed that aims to challenge the hegemony of organized liberalism? The reason I...

The Episcopal Church: Still Christian?

Doug Bandow — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 14:24:00 -0400

I ask because I'm not a member of the Episcopal Church, and thus have no personal experience from which to judge articles like this. Reports the Associated Baptist Press: ...

Well, it's Only Money

Doug Bandow — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 14:00:00 -0400

Another day, another bail-out! Reports the Washington Post: The Obama administration is developing an initiative to take money from the $700 billion rescue program for the...

The Dangerous Yoga Industry

Doug Bandow — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 13:19:00 -0400

I should have known. Americans were at risk from a yoga industry run amok. Only government regulation can save us. And collect big bucks for government. Reports the...

Uncommon Sense from Barack Obama

Doug Bandow — Sun, 12 Jul 2009 04:58:00 -0400

President Barack Obama actually said something sensible about Africa. Reports the Associated Press: Obama told AllAfrica.com that he was "a big believer that Africans are...

Bill Clinton: Liar or Just Stupid?

Doug Bandow — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 19:11:00 -0400

Was Bill Clinton lying or is he dumber than we thought? You decide. Haiti has been chaos since it won independence centuries ago. Multiple interventions by the U.S. have not...

The Kids Are All Right

Robert Stacy McCain — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 16:18:00 -0400

Despite the deep gloom of The Obama Age, young conservative operatives still manage to have fun in Washington. Friday evening, I attended an event at the Union Pub organized by Tom...

Give Us $4 Million Or We'll Shoot This Innocent Giraffe

Joseph Lawler — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 12:01:00 -0400

A zoo system in Massachusetts is more or less resorting to hostage-taking in response to proposed budget cuts. The Boston Globe reports that after Gov. Deval Patrick decreased funding for...

More "Change" in Washington

Doug Bandow — Sat, 11 Jul 2009 07:50:00 -0400

The Bush administration again denied information to the public. No, wait! The Obama administration is attempting to deny information to the public. Reports Byron York at the...