One of the first things the new Republican Congress voted on this week was to mandate a change in how the Congressional Budget Office analyzes (“scores”) spending bills. A technocratic change in how Congress assesses the impact of its proposed bills is not typically the stuff of great drama. This time is different.
Read moreEither the Math Doesn't Add Up or the Social Consequences are Immense
As the country's focus sharpens on the GOP Vice Presidential nominee Paul Ryan and his proposals for entitlement programs, The Daily Beast's Zachary Karabell joins Jose Diaz-Balart on MSNBC to discuss his recent article calling for more specifics from Ryan.
Read moreWhy Paul Ryan's Budget Matters
Paul Ryan unveiled the House Republican budget this week with an ominous yet familiar warning: "America's national debt is over $16 trillion." Having stated the problem, he then offered a solution, one which differed only marginally from what he's offered the past two years. Namely: restrain government healthcare spending on Medicare and Medicaid, reform the individual tax code, close loopholes, lower corporate taxes, and promote natural gas and energy independence. The goal? A balanced budget by 2023 that will ensure "the well-being of all Americans...and reignite the American dream."
Read moreInside the Ryan Budget
Is Paul Ryan's budget plan a liability for Romney? Or are Dems celebrating too soon? Patricia Murphy, Zachary Karabell, and John Avlon take a closer look at the details.
Read moreRyan Budget Plan Sounds Good But Lacks Substance
The addition of Paul Ryan to the Republican ticket for the 2012 presidential election has been hailed by many as a welcome turn in the campaign away from vacuous mudslinging and toward a more substantive debate about pressing issues. Both Democrats and Republicans appear to welcome that debate, at least now. In that sense, Ryan’s nod for vice president is unequivocally a positive and does in fact inject what has been a curiously hollow campaign with a dose of real substance.
Read moreObama Embraces Warren Buffett’s Call for Higher Taxes on the Very Rich
At a press briefing at the White House Monday, President Obama formally announced a package revealed over the weekend to trim $3 trillion off the federal deficit over the next several years. Picking up on the theme of his recent jobs speech, Obama demanded that Congress move on the act immediately.
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