2012 Elections

Budget Battles

  • The Great Debate

    Five Debate Moments that Changed Elections

    By Robert Speel, The Conversation

    Every presidential election year in my American Political Campaigns and Elections course, I get an opportunity to spend a full lecture discussing with students some of the famous moments from...

  • House panel says IRS official waived rights, contempt possible

    Lois Lerner Is Cleared, Sparking Conservative Fury

    By Rob Garver

    Concluding that “poor management is not a crime,” the Justice Department on Friday informed members of Congress that it would not be filing criminal charges against anyone in what has become known as...

  • GOP Leaders Take on Far Right Pressure Groups

    By Eric Pianin

    There have been plenty of theories about why Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) strode onstage at a conservative gathering late last week carrying a rifle. Ostensibly, McConnell, the 72-...

  • Romney: If Hillary Runs, She Won’t Need Bill

    By Thomas Ferraro, Reuters

    Failed 2012 U.S. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney said on Sunday he expects Hillary Clinton to win or lose the White House on her record, not that of her husband, former Democratic...

  • Joint Session of Congress

    Voters Give a Thumbs-Down to Their Own Lawmakers

    By Eric Pianin

    In another sign of public outrage over a dysfunctional and politically divided Congress, a record low percentage of registered voters now say their own House member deserves another chance while even...

  • GOP Govs Fight with Hospitals over Medicaid Opt-In

    By Brianna Ehley, The Fiscal Times

    Hospitals in states with Republican governors that are opting out of Medicaid expansion are pressuring their state leaders to reconsider, citing a rise in costs and a devastating effect on the states...

  • Wall Street Week Ahead: All Eyes on Fed (Again)

    By Rodrigo Campos, Reuters

    The S&P 500 tortoise continues to beat the skeptics. In the absence of data or policy catalysts and with the S&P 500 near four-year highs, market participants are hoping technical indicators...

  • Fiscal Cliff: Defense Cuts Threaten a Brain Drain

    By David Lawder, Reuters

    The uncertainty over automatic cuts in U.S. defense spending to be triggered in January because of congressional inaction has spread to the engineers and project managers in South Florida's aerospace...

  • Ryan Takes Personal Approach on Medicare

    By FELICIA SONMEZ, The Washington Post

    In a speech that appeared intended to quell doubts among seniors about his proposal to overhaul Medicare, GOP vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan took a deeply personal approach Saturday morning in...

  • Company healthcare

    Incentives Spike Fee-for-Service Health Costs

    By Merrill Goozner, The Fiscal Times

    Add “upcoding” to the long list of perverse incentives created by fee-for-service medicine that are undermining efforts at controlling health care costs in this country.