Thursday Open Thread [1.29.15]

Filed in National by on January 29, 2015

Andrew Sullivan quit blogging yesterday. He wants to spend more time with his family, his husband, and writing and reading books. So I wish him well. He and I shared the same view about Barack Obama’s presidency (that it will considered transformational, historic, and one of the best in the last 100 years). In one of his last posts, he talks about the GOP’s New Year has not started off in a way they wanted or predicted, and now the President has placed them in quite a hole.

This is an era when cultural populism may finally be weaker than economic populism. Obama’s SOTU was simply a reminder that in this moment, with growth returning but all of it going to the very top, the left-of-center party has the advantage. And a party that refuses to raise any taxes on the extremely rich is at a steep disadvantage. […] Of course, this could change. Events could intervene; the economy might falter again; Putin could do something very reckless. One candidate may surprise us. But right now, the GOP looks to me like a party unable to see any enemies to the right, with few policies to address soaring inequality, deeply alienated from Latinos and African-Americans, and with a foreign policy that looks increasingly like Cheney’s. That’s not a party headed back to government. Not yet, anyway.

The U.S. budget deficit for the current fiscal year is estimated to fall to its lowest level during President Barack Obama’s presidency. The Congressional Budget Office projected that the deficit for fiscal year 2015 would come in at $468 billion, down from $483 billion in fiscal year 2014.

NATIONAL–PRESIDENT–REPUBLICAN PRIMARY–USA Today/Suffolk University Poll: Romney 16, Bush 13, Carson 6

NATIONAL–PRESIDENT–DEMOCRATIC “PRIMARY”–USA Today/Suffolk University Poll: Clinton 51, Warren 5, Biden 4

Jim Geraghty argues that Jeb Bush, Mitt Romney, and Chris Christie aren’t in the top tier of Republican presidential candidates in 2016. Instead, the top candidates are Scott Walker, Marco Rubio, Rick Perry, and Bobby Jindal. First Read points out that, “[a]s long as the GOP establishment is divided — especially if some combination of Bush/Romney/Christie are running — it’s hard to include them in the first tier. The reason: It becomes a simple math game. In the 2014 midterms, the GOP establishment won (see Thom Tillis, Dan Sullivan, Cory Gardner) in large part because the Republican establishment was united (not divided) around one candidate. And in 2016, the easiest way an establishment Republican candidate makes it to the first tier is if there is just one of them. But that’s not the case right now.”

Cruz-Paul 2016!

A reader of Dish wrote in after watching Speaker Boner and Majority Leader Turtle’s joint interview of 60 Minutes this past Sunday, and offered these observations.

They also acknowledged that the recovery has mostly only benefited the top income-earners while leaving the majority of Americans stuck in neutral. Boehner and McConnell want to “do something” to address income inequality and make sure those on the bottom of the economy have the opportunity to move up. They basically accused Obama of only helping the top 1% (which seems a complete reversal of the stories we’ve been hearing from them the last six years, but I digress).

This all sounds good enough to me, since for so long, it seemed the GOP was unwilling to even acknowledge there was an issue with inequality. If they want to blame Obama, I don’t really care so long as they are willing to present solutions.

So, the interviewer then asked if they would support raising taxes on top income earners. Answer:

No. The interviewer asked if they would support raising the minimum wage. Answer: No. The interviewer asked if they would support Obama’s plan to provide free community college. Answer: No. The interviewer asked if they would support Obama’s plan to expand the Child Income Tax Credit for working families. Answer: Maybe (Boehner mumbles about wanting to help working families but says he needs to further study this idea).

The Republicans really do have an issue and agenda problem. My God, what will they do after Obama is gone? Well, I suppose screaming no to President Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton will suffice until 2025, but then what?

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  1. Jason330 says:

    Scott Walker apparently won the Iowa Freedom Fisting, or whatever. I can see Paul and Walker as the last two men standing.

  2. mediawatch says:

    Carper crosses over to vote with the GOP to approve Keystone. From WDDE:
    In an interview taped for this week’s edition of Delaware Public Media’s “The Green,” Carper said the debate over the pipeline has been a distraction from addressing other meaningful environmental issues.

    “I think it’s time for somebody to make a decision,” Carper said. “I fear that Keystone has become an impediment to us getting done anything else we want to on environmental policy from clean water, clean water, renewable energy, energy conservation. We’ve been unable to move to that legislative agenda that we need to very much.”

    – See more at: http://www.wdde.org/72579-sen-carper-joins-republicans-vote-approving-keystone-xl-pipeline#sthash.57ZizrUl.dpuf

    If “distraction” has become his rationale for switching sides, will he go with the GOP the first time the Senate considers an Affordable Care Act repeal?
    I’ve seen snakes with more backbone. This man is a worm.

  3. Joanne Christian says:

    Well Delaware Liberal, maybe it’s time for a Groundhog prediction poll. 🙂

  4. John Manifold says:

    “But what the hell is up with Tom Carper? What’s Delaware’s dog in this fight?”

    http://www.esquire.com/blogs/politics/Selling_Out_On_The_Pipeline