The Republican National Committee spent about $30,000 on limos, private hotels and jets in February alone. The revelations are either baffling or predictable after the public outrage over the perceived excesses of Wall Street executives.

Continue reading GOP Leaders Fire Aide Over $2000 Spent at Racy LA Club

GOP Leaders Fire Aide Over $2000 Spent at Racy LA Club originally appeared on DailyFinance on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 19:15:00.

Filed Under: Economy, People

Unofficial data from the Congressional Budget Office project that the health care reform bill would cost $940 billion over the first 10 years and reduce the deficit by $130 billion. Over time, the savings will hit the trillions dollar mark. But not everyone is happy with the numbers.

Continue reading Democrats Talk Up Trillion Dollar Savings in Health Care Bill

Democrats Talk Up Trillion Dollar Savings in Health Care Bill originally appeared on DailyFinance on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 12:00:00.

Filed Under: Healthcare, Taxes

Upset with blowback from Democrats on pay and bailout money, Wall Street is shifting more of its money to Republicans. But it's not immediately obvious that Republicans can win votes by siding with Wall Street. In other words, the bet may not end up paying off.

Continue reading Will Wall Street Get a Bigger Return on Investment with Republicans?

Will Wall Street Get a Bigger Return on Investment with Republicans? originally appeared on DailyFinance on Thu, 25 Feb 2010 08:00:00.

President Obama has proposed a new plan to reform the health care system, but unless the polarized political climate changes dramatically in Washington, there's little to suggest that Republicans will suddenly support any of Obama's plans.

Continue reading As Obama Unveils New Health Care Plan, Old Politics Await

As Obama Unveils New Health Care Plan, Old Politics Await originally appeared on DailyFinance on Mon, 22 Feb 2010 11:30:00.

Filed Under: Economy, Healthcare

As if investors didn't have enough to be concerned about, add this: gridlock in Washington.

No, we're not talking about the weekend blizzard that's keeping the Capital area closed for a couple of days. We're talking about political gridlock, in which divided government -- Democratic control of the White House and, in this case, lack of ironclad control of the Senate -- prevents progress on key legislation, including the federal budget, banking regulation overhaul, energy policy, health care reform and others issues important to the financial markets.

Continue reading In Case You Think Gridlock in D.C. Is a Good Thing...

In Case You Think Gridlock in D.C. Is a Good Thing... originally appeared on DailyFinance on Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:40:00.

Filed Under: Columns, Economy

President Barack Obama releases his proposed $3.8 trillion federal budget for fiscal year 2011 and immediately the hue and cry is one of "$1 trillion structural deficits," "a nation going broke" and "an unserviceable debt."

Continue reading Here's a Fair Way to Balance the U.S. Budget

Here's a Fair Way to Balance the U.S. Budget originally appeared on DailyFinance on Sat, 06 Feb 2010 12:30:00.

Filed Under: Columns, Economy

It's time to do what the late, great New York Governor Al Smith would do, and cut through the rhetoric and the hype and "look at the record" to evaluate the economic players in Washington. Investors have probably read a lot about the drop in President Barack Obama's job-approval rating. And they're correct. It has declined to about 50% in the first quarter of 2009 from about 63% at the start of his presidency, according to a Gallup Poll. But what many investors probably don't know is that the job-approval rating for every president declines in his first year in office.

Continue reading Obama and the Democrats Are Down, But Hardly Out

Obama and the Democrats Are Down, But Hardly Out originally appeared on DailyFinance on Sun, 31 Jan 2010 10:00:00.

Filed Under: Columns, Economy

Although post-election research may ultimately reveal that the Democrats, Independents, and Republicans who voted for Scott Brown did not consider themselves Tea Partiers, let's, for the sake of argument, say that the Massachusetts U.S. Senate race was another election won by the Tea Partiers, and the values and planks they stand for.

Continue reading What Would a Tea Party-Led U.S. Look Like?

What Would a Tea Party-Led U.S. Look Like? originally appeared on DailyFinance on Sat, 23 Jan 2010 12:05:00.

Filed Under: Columns, Economy

Massachusetts Republican Scott Brown's stunning win over Democrat Martha Coakley for the U.S. Senate seat vacated by the passing of Edward M. Kennedy both reshapes the public policy landscape and puts President Barack Obama and Congressional Democrats on notice: Fix the economy and bring back job growth -- or face large seat losses in the November Congressional election.

Continue reading Massachusetts Message: Democrats Must Create Jobs, or Else

Massachusetts Message: Democrats Must Create Jobs, or Else originally appeared on DailyFinance on Wed, 20 Jan 2010 11:22:00.

Filed Under: Columns, Economy, People

Picture a public-policy environment in which the most important, economy-related bills can't get through the U.S. Congress. A budget is passed by the Senate, but it fails in the House. A package of tax incentives aimed at increasing investment passes the House and Senate, but is vetoed by President Obama. Meanwhile, other important issues like financial-services reform and energy policy receive little attention because the House remains obsessed with overturning health-care reform legislation approved earlier. The stock market becomes rattled by all the uncertainty. Could this scenario happen?

Continue reading Lack of Job Growth Could Derail Obama's Legislative Agenda

Lack of Job Growth Could Derail Obama's Legislative Agenda originally appeared on DailyFinance on Tue, 12 Jan 2010 09:00:00.

Filed Under: Columns, Economy