President To Propose Budget Freeze And Earmark Ban

ABC’s Jake Tapper is reporting that President Obama will call for a budget freeze and a ban on earmarks in his State of the Union Address.

The president will propose some new spending in certain areas that address the speech’s theme of “How We Win the Future”: innovation, education and infrastructure. But those increases will be proposed as part of an overall budget freeze, which given the annual rate of growth is often seen in Washington, DC, budgeting as a cut.

The FY 2011 budget was $3.8 trillion. Last year President Obama proposed a three-year hard freeze on non-security discretionary …

Could More Congressmen And Congresswomen Be A Good Thing?

by Stuart Shapiro

Wait, wait, hear me out.  Dalton Conley and Jacqueline Stevens point out that when the Constitution was written (hey Tea Partiers — I’m alluding to the Founders), one representative in the House represented 60,000 people.  The last time the House expanded in 1913, a representative represented 200,000 people.  Now we have one representative for every 700,000 people.

This disparity increases the influence of lobbyists and special interests: the more constituents one has, the easier it is for money to outshine individual voices. And it means that representatives have a harder time connecting with the people back in …

More Americans Optimistic On State Of The Union

On the day of President Obama’s State of the Union Address, 43% think things are going well in America, up 14% since December.

We haven’t seen numbers this good since April of 2007,” says CNN Polling Director Keating Holland. “One likely reason for the change is the public’s growing optimism about the economy.”

According to a CNN poll released last Friday, the number of Americans who think the economy is in good shape, while not particularly high, is nonetheless at the highest in over two years.

The breakdown isn’t surprising:

The survey indicates increase in the number of people who …

Michele Bachmann Erroneously Gives Our Founders Credit For Ending Slavery

It was a long time between 1776 and 1865. Nevertheless, in her romanticized version of America, Rep. Michele Bachmann believes our founding fathers  “worked tirelessly until slavery was no more.” (via Mediaite).

At an event sponsored by Iowans for Tax Relief, Bachmann managed to get a few facts wrong. Talking Points Memo reports:

“Bachmann (R-MN) also noted how slavery was a ‘scourge’ on American history, but added that ‘we also know that the very founders that wrote those documents worked tirelessly until slavery was no more in the United States.’

‘And,’ she continued, ‘I think it is high …

Jobs And Health Reform

by Stuart Shapiro

Economists Robert Hahn and Peter Passell have an insightful new analysis of the impact of the Affordable Care Act on jobs.  They note that there may be a small effect on minimum wage workers with large firms because they don’t currently offer health insurance to low wage workers.  This is a very small group of people.  The primary effect of the Act on the job market will be:

the law will subsidize insurance bought by individuals with moderate incomes. This should reduce the incentives of otherwise-reluctant workers – say, second-earners in families with young children and older …

Will Republican SCOTUS Appointees Skip The SOTU?

Samuel Alito (pictured, left) will be in Hawaii.  It’s unclear whether John Roberts (right) will attend.

The recent uptick in collegiality from lawmakers on Capitol Hill in the run-up to Tuesday’s speech contrasts sharply with the lingering controversy from last year’s speech in which President Obama rebuked the justices over a campaign finance decision. If Roberts decides not to attend, it would be his first absence at a State the Union Speech since joining the court in 2005.

Roberts’s decision — or that of any other justice for that matter — wouldn’t normally be an issue but for the instant …

On Monday’s Radio Show…

• What should President Obama emphasize in tomorrow’s State of the Union Address? Alan weighs in.

• Former television anchor/correspondent Carole Simpson, author of NewsLady, tells Alan how she overcame racism and sexism during her career.

• Self-proclaimed vampire Jonathon “The Impaler” Sharkey explains why he’s sinking his fangs into the 2012 presidential race.…

Bush Aides Violated Federal Law

Aides to George W. Bush violated the Hatch Act which limits partisan political activity by government employees.

A 118-page report issued Monday by the little-known Office of Special Counsel cites numerous violations of the Hatch Act by staffers in the White House Office of Political Affairs. The report concludes that federal taxpayers footed the bill for improper activities that were intended to advance Republican political candidates.

“The entire [Office of Political Affairs] staff was enlisted in pursuit of Republican success at the polls and many OPA employees believed that effort was part of their official job duties,”the report concludes. “Based …

Obama Doing Better With Independents

They’re unpredictable and often cranky, but they are the swing votes politicians need.

A series of national polls released over the last week shows Obama’s approval rating on the upswing among voters who don’t affiliate with either political party.

In two polls, Obama’s standing with independents jumped by double digits. An NBC/Wall Street Journal poll showed him clocking 46 percent approval among independents – an 11-point increase since December.

A CNN/Opinion Research survey was even more sanguine, showing a 15-point leap for Obama, to 56 percent approval.

A third poll, conducted for CBS and the New York Times, gave …

George Allen To Seek Jim Webb’s Senate Seat

Senator Jim Webb of Virginia has not announced whether he’ll seek reelection, but George Allen, who lost to Webb last time around, wants his job back, and will announce today.

Advisers are billing this as a soft rollout, which will not include a major media blitz, press conference or statewide tour to touch down in every television market.

“That will come later in the year, perhaps the spring or early summer,” said the operative.

But Allen has competition on the right.

But first, Allen will have to survive a primary challenge. Richmond tea partier Jamie Radtke announced her candidacy …

Billy Graham’s Regret: He “Would Have Steered Clear Of Politics”

Billy Graham says he has just a few regrets, one of which is that he got involved politically (h/t Political Wire). Speaking with Christianity Today, Graham says he wishes he’d steered clear in that arena.

I also would have steered clear of politics. I’m grateful for the opportunities God gave me to minister to people in high places; people in power have spiritual and personal needs like everyone else, and often they have no one to talk to. But looking back I know I sometimes crossed the line, and I wouldn’t do that now.

I wonder if son …