The Tea Party

Seven Tests That Can Keep Republicans from Screwing Up

By Edward Morrissey

It didn’t take long for Republicans to make their first tin-eared mistake after winning a broad victory in November. In fact, they had barely opened the new session of Congress before performing a...
One Place the Trump Train Isn’t Stopping: Paul Ryan’s Backyard

By Martin Matishak

In a year in which an outsider candidate seized the reins of one of the country’s two major political parties, there’s one place where folks haven’t gotten the anti-establishment message: House...
Two-Thirds of the US Government Basically Won’t Work for the Next Year

By Rob Garver

With a deadlocked Supreme Court and a compromise-averse Congress, 2016 promises to be a year in which simply keeping the lights on will be a major accomplishment.
House Freedom Caucus Prepares to Challenge Ryan on 2016 Agenda

By Eric Pianin

House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) has gotten off to a strong start with the far-right conservatives in his conference who drove former Speaker John Boehner from office and blocked Boehner’s heir...
Ted Cruz Gets a Boost from Powerful Conservative Insiders

By Rob Garver

An influential political action group in Washington, Heritage Action for America, all but endorsed the presidential candidacy of Texas Sen. Ted Cruz on Monday, with the release of an analysis of the...

Boehner Ready to Exit a Historically Feeble Congress

By Rob Garver

As he heads into what appears to be the final week his leadership of the House of Representatives, House Speaker John Boehner will be the subject of no end of retrospective profiles of his career...
Did Paul Ryan Outsmart the Freedom Caucus?

By Rob Garver

The news that Wisconsin Representative Paul Ryan had persuaded a large majority of the House of Representatives’ most conservative element to support his bid for Speaker of the House left the...
Paul Ryan Has Probably Already Lost His Shot at the Presidency

By Rob Garver

Regardless of whether Rep. Paul Ryan decides to declare himself a candidate for Speaker of the House sometime this week, his political future will likely sustain some real damage – and there is...
Meet the Freedom Caucus, the Group Inflaming Washington

By Martin Matishak

If you don’t know much about a group of congressional lawmakers called the House Freedom Caucus, don’t worry; you’ll hear about them plenty in the weeks and month ahead.
Why You – Yes, You – Could Be the Next Speaker of the House

By Martin Matishak

Spoiler alert: The race to be the next Speaker of the House is pretty much over.

How the South Won the GOP and Lost the 2016 Election

By Bruce Bartlett, The Fiscal Times

Last week I discussed the so-called Southern strategy whereby Republicans replaced Democrats as the dominant party in the South. I concluded that it was less a case of Republicans taking over the...
Conservatives Press for Hard Line on the Budget

By Eric Pianin

As the Obama administration and Congress head into their annual budget battle this fall, conservatives have begun marshaling their arguments in favor of a GOP hard line on spending and entitlement...
5 Things Ted Cruz Gives Up By Quitting Canada

By David Francis

Ted Cruz has renounced his Canadian citizenship. He’s giving up more than he realizes.
GOP’s 2016 Divide: Pragmatists vs. Ideologues

By Josh Boak and Eric Pianin, The Fiscal Times

A clear line has been drawn in the battle for the 2016 GOP presidential nomination, and it's pragmatism versus ideology. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie says he's tired of the philosophical navel...
OMB Director: Who Says We Can’t Fix the Budget?

By Eric Pianin

On her first day as President Obama’s new budget director, Sylvia Mathews Burwell couldn’t find many employees to greet – they were on furlough. But the former Clinton administration budget and...

Search form