Eric Alterman's Blog, page 21

Obama's Budget Betrayal

President Obama, in a press conference Tuesday morning, urged bipartisan cooperation on the budget plan, which he says will bring spending in line with revenues by 2015. "You guys are pretty impatient," he told reporters when asked about entitlement...

Obama's Budget Gamble

Is his proposal for 2012 a smart serve to the weak spot of the opposition or a betrayal of his base and all that he has stood for in the past? Eric Alterman on why it's both.
Conservatives have become so successful at determining the contours of the...

The GOP's Health-Care Repeal Kabuki

The Republicans got their symbolic victory in the House on health care. But with Speaker John Boehner's repeal effort going nowhere fast, Eric Alterman asks, who's really running the show?
In a move that, with any justice, would enshrine the notion of...

Was the Arizona Shooter an Anti-Semite?

Jared Loughner may not be linked to the racist group American Renaissance, contrary to early reports, but he might have attacked Rep. Gabrielle Giffords for her proud Jewishness. We may never know, says Eric Alterman.
So Gabrielle Giffords was the...

The GOP Is Eating Obama's Lunch

Republicans stuck together and forced the president to sign the tax-cut extension. Eric Alterman on the stalled Democratic agenda and Obama's worst flaw.
Conservative Republicans beat down the liberal Democrats on Thursday night's tax vote the same...

Why Bloomberg Won't Run

New York City's mayor is raising his profile to boost a new centrist political initiative. But the endless speculation that he's running for president is bunk. By Eric Alterman.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg will be appearing on NBC's "Meet...

Bill's Message for Barack

Bill Clinton and Barack Obama have scheduled a pow-wow at the White House today. Here's hoping Obama listens to what Bill has to say.
So Barack and Bubba are scheduled for a tête-à-tête today. They've got a lot to...

Bush v. Gore's Disgrace Deepens

The Supreme Court's granting Bush the victory looks even worse today than it did 10 years ago, says Eric Alterman-even if historians weren't debating whether George W. Bush was the worst president ever or just since Grant.
Passions are supposed to...

Bush V. Gore's Disgrace Deepens

The Supreme Court's granting Bush the victory looks even worse today than it did 10 years ago, says Eric Alterman-even if historians weren't debating whether George W. Bush was the worst president ever or just since Grant.
Passions are supposed to...

Sending the Hammer to the Slammer

Tom DeLay's money-laundering conviction is a holiday gift to liberals-and a reminder to the House's new ruling Republicans of how power can corrupt.
Five years after he was indicted, former House Majority Leader and "Dancing with the Stars," hoofer,...