Frank James

Ten Things We Learned From the IRS-Inspector General Report

Frank James — Wed, 15 May 2013 21:33:28 +0000

Scintillating isn't how you'd describe the report issued by the Treasury inspector general's report on the Internal Revenue Service's targeting of conservative groups.

It was written, after all, by government bureaucrats for government bureaucrats.

Obama Uses And Loses Political Capital On Gun Control

Frank James — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 10:26:46 +0000

The Senate's rejection of more robust gun purchase background checks was a stinging blow to President Obama that raised questions about his second-term agenda.

Expanding background checks had become a key part of Obama's post-Newtown push for tougher federal gun control laws.

Obama Riles His Own Party With Social Security Offer

Frank James — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 21:56:10 +0000

Few things indicate a president no longer needs to worry about re-election more than his willingness to ignite an intraparty firestorm.

President Obama's decision to include in the budget proposal he's scheduled to unveil Wednesday a less generous way to calculate Social Security cost-o

Pew Poll: For Many Who've Changed Same-Sex Marriage Views, It's Personal

Frank James — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 20:03:10 +0000

Sen. Rob Portman, an Ohio conservative Republican who recently said he now supports same-sex marriage because he has a gay son, evidently has plenty of company.

A new poll from the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press suggests that many Americans have changed their minds — going from opposing to supporting same-sex marriage — because they personally know someone who is gay.

Overall, 28 percent of gay-marriage supporters say they used to be opponents.

The Sequester That Wasn't Meant To Happen Begins

Frank James — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 13:16:27 +0000

It was never supposed to happen, but now it has.

Hagel Becomes First Filibustered Defense Nominee

Frank James — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 11:27:18 +0000

Updated on 2/14/2013 @ 5:20 pm

Thursday brought the latest twist in the saga of Chuck Hagel's nomination to be President Obama's second-term defense secretary.

Hagel's nomination came two Senate votes short of the required 60 that would have allowed it to proceed to a final vote. The vote, largely along party lines, was 58 to 40 with one senator voting present.

Four Republicans voted with Democrats to end debate and proceed to a final vote.

4 Things To Expect In Obama's State Of The Union Address

Frank James — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 18:26:41 +0000

President Obama's second inaugural address was widely perceived as a throwing down of the gauntlet in how it framed his progressive faith in government and challenged his Republican political opponents in any number of ways.

Given that, expect to see more glove-throwing Tuesday as the president delivers the first State of the Union speech of his second term.

With no more presidential elections to face, Obama seems to be taking advantage of that newfound freedom to sp

Death By Drone, And The Sliding Scale Of Presidential Power

Frank James — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 20:25:48 +0000

The controversy over President Obama's targeted-killings-by-drone policy is a reminder that the default position of presidents in times of crisis is generally to side with national security over civil liberties.

Whether it has been Great Emancipator Abraham Lincoln sidestepping Congress and suspending habeas corpus to enable the arrests of scores of Confederate sympathizers, or that great liberal Franklin D.

Viral Story About Free Wi-Fi Spotlights Mostly Hidden Policy War

Frank James — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 12:52:15 +0000

(Revised on 2/6/1013 at 12:28 pm ET to include FCC comment.)

In Washington, there's always one kind of alleged war or another against some group or idea — the war on women, the war on religion and the war on the Second Amendment come quickly to mind.

This week, many of us became aware of another supposed conflict we had never heard of: essentially, a war on Wi-Fi.

Thanks to a Washin

Will Economic Contraction Affect Debate Over Sequester?

Frank James — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 11:54:34 +0000

There are some people who viewed the news that the economy shrank toward the end of the year as a bracing wake-up call, a gloomy foreshadowing of what could happen if even bigger automatic reductions start March 1.