November 2, 2015
The Three R’s for Paul Ryan
(Originally published on The Hill) It used to be said that for a school to succeed, it needed to focus on the three R’s of reading, writing and arithmetic. For Paul Ryan to succeed as Speaker, he needs to focus...
October 29, 2015
Why Republicans Need to Back the Next Speaker
(Published in the Christian Science Monitor) The Hastert Rule was never a rule. It was a guideline to future speakers, a warning really about how to manage a fractious group of Members of the majority, no matter what party they...
October 29, 2015
Boehner Exits
(Published in The Christian Science Monitor) Buzz Lukens helped to make John Andrew Boehner. Lukens was a Republican lawmaker from the Cincinnati area who was accused of paying a mother money and gifts so that he could have sex with...
October 28, 2015
Boulder Debate: Not that Bold; Not that Beautiful
It’s hard for me to determine who won and who lost this debate. I have my biases, hopes and expectations that play into who I think did well and who didn’t. John Kasich went the realistic route, which works well...
October 28, 2015
The Armageddon Caucus
It takes a special amount of chutzpa to never show up to the Senate for any votes and then complain that when the Leadership puts together a budget deal that you weren’t properly consulted. But that’s the position that Marco...
October 27, 2015
Obama, Jefferson, Jackson and The Debt
(Originally published on The Hill) It was slightly less than eight years ago when Barack Obama made a name of himself at the annual Jefferson-Jackson dinner in Iowa. Back then, the Illinois senator agreed with Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson...