Jon Frandsen
Senior Editor, Kiplinger.com
Republican Revolution Redux
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Republican Revolution Redux
Republicans haven't said so -- and they may not even realize it yet -- but they seem to have settled on a new direction for the party -- an old one.
May 22, 2009
Buying a Place at the Health Care Table
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Buying a Place at the Health Care Table
It's doubtful that any industry was held in lower regard than health insurance and pharmaceutical companies until Wall Street did them a favor by taki…
May 15, 2009
Only a Torture Probe Will Do
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Only a Torture Probe Will Do
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former Vice President Dick Cheney probably couldn't agree on the color of red clay, but they have made a virtually airt…
May 15, 2009
GOP Needs Moderates, but Does it Want Them?
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GOP Needs Moderates, but Does it Want Them?
Republicans -- at least those whose job is to get Republicans elected -- know they need moderates.
May 8, 2009
The GOP's Health Care Opportunity
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The GOP's Health Care Opportunity
Republicans are throwing fits that Democrats are reserving the right to use a parliamentary procedure later this year to prevent a filibuster of …
May 4, 2009
Specter's Real Gift to Obama
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Specter's Real Gift to Obama
President Obama woke up to a glorious gift on his 100th day in office -- not the prospect that he could soon have an automatic 60 votes to break GOP f…
April 30, 2009
Will the GOP Hear the Wake-up Call? Not Likely
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Will the GOP Hear the Wake-up Call? Not Likely
For the second time in eight years, Republican insistence on ideological purity has cost in a big way. They lost control of the Senate in 2001 wh…
April 28, 2009
Don't Fear Self-Examination on Torture
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Don't Fear Self-Examination on Torture
Part of the genius of democracy is that it is self-correcting.
April 27, 2009
The Spinless View of McCain's Campaign
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The Spinless View of McCain's Campaign
Political junkie alert!Anyone with an interest in politics should get a kick out of a column by The Washington Post's Dana Milbank today.
April 24, 2009
In Defense of Goldman Sachs
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In Defense of Goldman Sachs
Floyd Norris, a respected New York Times financial columnist, wrote a thoughtful defense of Goldman Sachs today that addresses many of the questions t…
April 17, 2009
Big Bailout Questions Go Unanswered
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Big Bailout Questions Go Unanswered
Americans are really a pretty forgiving bunch, it seems.
April 16, 2009
Momentum on Side of Gay Marriage?
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Momentum on Side of Gay Marriage?
A predictable dispute is breaking out over whether the legalization of gay marriage in Iowa and Vermont portends a dramatic shift in the battle.
April 14, 2009
No Time for Media to Get Sloppy and Lazy
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No Time for Media to Get Sloppy and Lazy
The print media, especially newspapers, are in a dangerous downward spiral.
April 6, 2009
A New Spring for U.S. Diplomacy?
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A New Spring for U.S. Diplomacy?
Diplomacy is busting out everywhere -- and not just the firm handshake and stiff smile for the cameras type of diplomacy, either.
April 2, 2009
Bowing Down to Sacred Cows
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Bowing Down to Sacred Cows
President Obama is trying to raise and save money for priority programs like health care reform by nipping and tucking here and there.
March 27, 2009
Is Union Card-Check Off Dead?
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Is Union Card-Check Off Dead?
Labor's top legislative goal -- a card check-off system that would make organizing non-union businesses easier than full-scale secret-ballot elections…
March 25, 2009
A Health Care Temptation to Avoid
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A Health Care Temptation to Avoid
It's understandable that the Obama administration and some Democrats find the idea of using a parliamentary tactic to try to push a health care reform…
March 24, 2009
AIG Bonuses Aren't the Real Problem
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AIG Bonuses Aren't the Real Problem
OK, can we all breathe deeply into a paper bag and settle down a little? Yes, the bonuses paid to AIG employees -- many of whom helped drive our …
March 20, 2009
The Great Whatever
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The Great Whatever
Other than "crisis" or "worst crisis since the Great Depression," we have no idea what to call this thing we're going through.
March 17, 2009
Governing the Rage Over AIG
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Governing the Rage Over AIG
President Obama is a man riding a tiger -- trying to harness public anger and a wave of populism to propel his agenda forward but constantly in danger…
March 17, 2009
Old Washington Getting Older by the Minute
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Old Washington Getting Older by the Minute
The old way of doing things inside the Beltway isn't back -- it never left.
March 10, 2009
Carbon Plan is Juicy But Problematic GOP Target
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Carbon Plan is Juicy But Problematic GOP Target
Republicans have been harshly critical of the tax hikes President Obama is proposing to reduce the deficit and pay for a broad variety of programs, bu…
March 6, 2009
The Real Point of the Budget
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The Real Point of the Budget
The spending blueprint is the closest thing we've had to an honest budget in decades, and Obama has made a point of not using budget tricks that not o…
February 27, 2009
Memo to GOP: Stop Talking to Yourselves
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Memo to GOP: Stop Talking to Yourselves
We pointed out yesterday that while Americans overwhelmingly approve of President Obama's efforts to be bipartisan, they don't feel that&nb…
February 25, 2009
A Changing Congress?
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A Changing Congress?
The Wall Street Journal has an intriguing story today about the close relationship between President Obama's White House and the Democratic-led Congre…
February 17, 2009
If Allowed, Special Interests Will Halt Health Care Reform
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If Allowed, Special Interests Will Halt Health Care Reform
If you want to understand the contours of the coming debate over the broken health care system, you need look no further than Friday's Washington Post…
February 13, 2009