2012 Elections
  • Obama’s Bargain: Lower Rates for Higher Spending

    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...

  • Cliff Deal Will Cost Some Lawmakers' Jobs: Gephardt

    By Chris Frates, Government Executive

    Getting a deal to avoid the fiscal cliff is going to cost some lawmakers their jobs. “There are people who are going to have to vote for this and they’re going to lose their next election. I can...

  • Split the Difference and We Could Have a Cliff Deal

    By Eric Pianin and Josh Boak

    While there's no public evidence of a deal between President Obama and GOP leaders over the fiscal cliff, it's possible to see the contours of an agreement if the two sides split the difference on...

  • Week Ahead: Dumping Stocks at the Foot of the “Cliff"

    By Caroline Valetkevitch, Reuters

    Investors typically sell stocks to cut their losses at year end. But worries about the "fiscal cliff" - and the possibility of higher taxes in 2013 - may act as the greatest incentive to sell both...

  • Obama and Boehner to New York: Drop Dead!

    By Reuters

    New York residents would suffer more than $43 billion in tax hikes in 2013 if Congress fails to resolve the so-called fiscal cliff negotiations, according to New York State Comptroller Thomas...

  • Why Obama Can’t Bring Back the 90s Economic Boom

    By Josh Boak, The Fiscal Times

    When selling his tax hike to the public, President Obama often advertises the economic gravy train that chugged through the Clinton era as proof that higher taxes won’t derail growth. But affluence...