Jan
31
China Leading in Going Green
January 31, 2010 | Leave a Comment
For all those who have mocked the concept of investing in renewable energy I refer you to the story in today’s New York Times detailing the huge lead China is building in manufacturing in this critical area. The Chinese are not only investing in the business end, but they are taking strong steps to create [...]
Jan
31
The President Visits the Republican Caucus
January 31, 2010 | Leave a Comment
An interesting exchange of ideas between the President and the House Republican caucus. The President deserves great credit for doing this, and the Republican leadership deserves credit for inviting him. Both sides saw the chance for some political gain, but the result was a pretty good and free-wheeling discussion of the issues. Not nearly enough [...]
Jan
30
The President on Deficits
January 30, 2010 | 7 Comments
The President used his weekly address to deal with federal government deficits, and some steps he now advocates to help deal with this burgeoning problem. The President highlighted a spending freeze, as well as calling for a bipartisan “deficit commission”. The “deficit” issue has hurt him politically, and he is now going to turn some [...]
Jan
29
Scott Brown on Leno
January 29, 2010 | 2 Comments
Scott Brown mania persists, with the Senator-elect doing a bit on the Jay Leno show. The Senator seems to have as much energy as he did in the campaign, making the rounds in Massachusetts and nationally, and really hitting the right political notes. He has energy for sure, and appears to be looking at re-elect [...]
Jan
28
The State of the Union
January 28, 2010 | 4 Comments
President Obama delivered the State of the Union last night, and he moved the agenda to job creation and the economy, removing his focus on health care reform. He also candidly acknowledged error, but challenged both parties to focus on governing, and to stop trying to score short term political gain. He announced an executive [...]
Jan
27
Governor Patrick Files FY 2011 Budget
January 27, 2010 | 1 Comment
Governor Deval Patrick has filed the FY 2011 budget. His full budget message is below.
To the People of Massachusetts:
Lieutenant Governor Murray and I are proud to file our budget recommendations for fiscal year 2011. This budget reflects our collective values and makes investments in critical areas that will help us strengthen our [...]
Jan
27
Live Chat the Presidents State of the Union
January 27, 2010 | Leave a Comment
I will be a panelist tonight as the Eagle Tribune hosts an online chat during President Obama’s State of the Union speech. Join us at the Eagle Tribune website. We are scheduled to begin at 8:45 p.m.
Jan
27
Deficit Commission Rejected
January 27, 2010 | 1 Comment
The U.S. Senate yesterday rejected a proposal that would have created a bi-partisan “Deficit Commission”, which would have had the authority to make recommendations that Congress would have been forced to vote up or down, with no amendments. The proposal, sponsored by Republican Judd Gregg and Democrat Kent Conrad, gathered 53 votes in the Senate, [...]
Jan
26
President Obama and the Left
January 26, 2010 | 1 Comment
With the potential collapse of health care reform President Obama has begun to take some withering fire from the left wing base of the Democratic Party. The complaints are multifold but boil down to the President paying too little heed to the left on policy, and being too willing to compromise to achieve legislative success. [...]
Jan
25
What Ails Democrats?
January 25, 2010 | Leave a Comment
With the Coakley loss there will be plenty of post election analysis done on why she lost, and whether that loss should lead to a re-evaluation of Democratic Party strategies and policy goals. Two interesting columns, one by Senator Steve Baddour in the Eagle Tribune, and a blog posting over at the AFL blog by [...]