Michael Barone: There are some obvious targets for Republicans if they win big this year. Democrats have jacked up domestic spending sharply; some reversal should be possible. The many glitches in Obamacare, some apparent now and others as yet undiscovered, could form a basis for derailment if not repeal. Giveaways to labor unions, like the $26 billion package for the teacher unions which the House is to be summoned back

The answer? $26.1 billion in new “stimulus” spending, naturally. Well, that — and the continued threat of social democrats in their legislative death throes taking over industry or bureaucratizing / taxing it into paralysis. Oh. And just so’s it gets mentioned somewhere: the unemployment rate among 16-19-year olds now stands at 26.1% — an increase of nearly 4.5%. Which, hey: at least we’ve found the raw material for that Obama

Just because it’s timely — and because I never tire of happy trotting out his cartoon critique of “Christers” in an effort to point out the perils of stereotyping and discrimination. Harsanyi: In the 1500s, a pestering theologian instituted something called the Marriage Ordinance in Geneva, which made “state registration and church consecration” a dual requirement of matrimony. We have yet to get over this mistake. But isn’t it about

The Chicago Way… I’d comment on this at length, but honestly, there’s only so many ways you can say “cocksuckers” and still mean it. Cocksuckers. (thanks to Carin)

The LA Times’ Greg Rodriguez says it’s time to end racial preferences, not because it’s the right thing to do, necessarily, but rather because the continuation of racial preferences as a way toward a colorblind society is gonna piss off Whitey — especially those latently violent hilljacks who people increasingly racist Tea Parties. And then they’ll be hell to pay! Is there hard evidence that whites are hurt by affirmative

Naturally! Surprising even themselves, Democrats broke through Republican lines in the Senate Wednesday and moved quickly to call the House back into session to complete passage of a long-sought fiscal aid bill intended to avert layoffs of state workers and public school teachers this fall. […] The measure promises cash-strapped governors $16.1 billion to help meet Medicaid payments next year, and $10 billion would go to state and local school

All hail the philosopher kings! Proposition 8 fails to advance any rational basis in singling out gay men and lesbians for denial of a marriage license. Indeed the evidence shows Proposition 8 does nothing more than enshrine in the California constitution the notion that opposite sex couples are superior to same sex couples. And this ruling does nothing more than enshrine the notion that what has always been the definition

Bill Wilson, Americans for Limited Government: The lesson learned from Smoot-Hawley was that just because a law — in this case punitive tariffs on imported goods to boost domestic consumption — has good intentions, does not mean it will have good outcomes. Often, there are unintended, real consequences to economic policies that must also be considered alongside the stated goals the political class offers for their schemes. Fast-forward to 2010,

Well, that’s not precisely what he claimed. At least, not in his own words. But it probably should be. Explains Geoff at Innocent Bystanders: […] if you read the report, does it truly say that the “financial rescue and stimulus” were responsible for “saving or creating 8.5 million jobs?” Not really. The report actually places most of the credit on the changes in financial policy & TARP. And in fact,

See if some of this sounds familiar. Rich Lowry, NRO: President Obama […] has […] proven — with a few exceptions — to be the servant of a limited political faction. He has exacerbated the nation’s fiscal crisis without dealing effectively with its economic crisis, and has piled on far-reaching legislation of dubious merit. His supporters still lament that Washington is “broken.” The sweep of Obama’s ambition has necessarily forced