Having discovered that their shutdown of the federal government has made them less popular than the Ebola virus, House Republicans are backing away from their blackmail that Obamacare be delayed or defunded. But John Boehner's new ransom note is almost as preposterous. In exchange for a short-term increase in the debt ceiling that would only […]

Unless Congress raises the debt ceiling by October 17, Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew warned this week, the federal government will be unable to pay its bills. But while some Republicans like Rep. John Fleming (R-FL) responded, "I don't think we should run government based on economists' predictions," House Speaker John Boehner knows all too well […]

There's an old saying that politicians campaign in poetry and govern in prose. But when it comes to Paul Ryan and his radical GOP budget, Republicans would prefer to campaign in silence and then govern with an axe. While the Grand Old Party would love to enact Ryan's massive tax cut windfall for the wealthy, […]

Addressing the Congressional Joint Economic Committee Tuesday, Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke warned policymakers to "avoid fiscal actions that could impede the ongoing economic recovery." Given the grim predictions for job losses and slower economic growth forecast to result from the August debt ceiling deal and the Ryan GOP budget plan, Bernanke was certainly right […]

Perhaps more than any other factor, the overwhelming Republican midterm triumph was fueled by the elderly. Voters 65 and over, the only age group to support John McCain in 2008, boosted their share of the turnout to 21% from 16% two years earlier. Nationwide, Republicans won seniors by a staggering 59% to 38%. But now, […]

This morning, the Wall Street Journal delivered the happy news that Karl Rove is resigning effective the end of August. Whether his surprising departure signals he no longer has the stomach to sell President Bush's surge in September or to face endless Congressional investigations over his role in the political purge of U.S. attorneys remains […]

Perrspectives is pleased to announce the winners of the "Sentence Scooter Contest." Two weeks ago, we asked readers to provide a fitting sentence for Mr. Libby, Dick Cheney's former chief of staff convicted on four counts of perjury and obstruction of justice in the outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame. And what could be more […]

The jury in the CIA leak trial of Scooter Libby has spoken. Now it's your turn. Enter Perrspectives' "Sentence Scooter Contest." You get to play judge and pronounce a fitting sentence for the incredibly guilty Mr. Libby, convicted on four counts of perjury and obstruction of justice in the outing of CIA operative Valerie Plame. […]

Perrspectives is pleased to announce the winners of our first ever "What Does 'GOP' Stand For?" Contest. Back in June, we asked readers to say what three words the acronym "GOP" suggested to them. Three weeks and hundreds of entries later, the Republican party of Bush, Cheney, Rove, Frist, Delay and Abramoff is no longer […]

With the November mid-term elections rapidly approaching, Democrats are trying to counter the perception, fostered by the Republican media machine, that their party doesn't stand for anything. But what does the GOP stand for? That's for you to answer in the Perrspectives "What Does GOP Stand For?" Contest. The contest is simple. Tell us what […]