2012 Elections

Budget Battles

  • Obama’s Bargain: Lower Rates for Higher Spending

    By Eric Pianin

    President Obama intends to make one last pitch for a “grand bargain” of new spending and tax policy on Tuesday that will attempt to marry corporate tax reform with funding for jobs to benefit the...

  • Ominous Signs for the GOP in 2014

    By Bruce Bartlett, The Fiscal Times

    The conventional wisdom is that Republicans are in good shape going into next year’s congressional elections. Gerrymandering and the enormous benefits of incumbency virtually guarantee them continued...

  • Trading Tax Write-Offs for Real Growth

    By Andrew Fieldhouse, The Fiscal Times

    Overhauling the tax code is a wonky fixation of the D.C. policymaking elite, for good reason — it’s an area loaded with policy nuance, lobbying intrigue and major ramifications for long-term fiscal...

  • IRS Scandal: How the Brouhaha Went Bust

    By Peter Weber, TheWeek.com

    Rep. Darrell Issa is still banging the scandal drum. Is anyone listening anymore?

  • Beer, Burgers, and a Two-Man Blitz on Tax Reform

    By Josh Boak, The Fiscal Times

    Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) and Rep. Dave Camp (R-MI) are keeping hope alive that the tax code can be rewritten. Both peg the odds of successful reform at more than 50 percent, according to a joint lunch...

  • Will the Veep Debate Help Ryan Get His Mojo Back?

    By Josh Boak, The Fiscal Times

    By drafting House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan as his running mate, Mitt Romney was supposedly adding a franchise player to the GOP ticket, but the Wisconsin congressman thus far has tarnished...

  • The New War over Low-Wage Workers’ Tax Breaks

    By Merrill Goozner, The Fiscal Times

    The Earned Income Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit--both geared to low-income earners--encourage work over welfare. But they may get the axe if the government drives over the fiscal cliff at the...

  • How Much Trust Should We Have in Economic Data?

    By Mark Thoma

    Perhaps it’s not surprising that a political party unable to come to grips with the scientific evidence on global warming would extend its claim that the evidence is politically manipulated to other...

  • Three Fiscal Flashpoints that Can Cause a Recession

    By Douglas Holtz-Eakin, The Fiscal Times

    Policymakers, business, markets, and households alike are more aware than ever of the dangers posed by the federal government’s fiscal affairs. Indeed, there are three flashpoints that pose distinct...

  • Romney Wins First Debate on Style, Obama Fumbles

    By Eric Pianin and Josh Boak

    The first debate between Republican Mitt Romney and President Obama boiled down to style versus substance—as both candidates tossed out enough statistics and studies on Wednesday night to leave...