Capitol Confidential - Page 9

It didn’t get as much attention as it should have, but GOP Pollster Glen Bolger has done a fascinating poll. He finds Republicans leading the generic congressional ballot, 44% to 39%. No biggie. But look at the crosstabs: “Besides all

Obama administration policies have caused “irreperable harm” to the Gulf Coast economy, stifling the energy sector and culling employment within it to a degree previously underestimated by the administration itself. That is the conclusion drawn by Louisiana State University economics

One of the chief responsibilities of the Congress is the provide oversight of the executive branch — a responsibility that the Democrat Congress has punted. The president nominated Donald Berwick to head the Centers of Medicare and Medicaid, a proponent

A new survey released Thursday revealed a majority of Americans oppose the Federal Communications Commissions proposed overhaul of the nation’s broadband regulatory regime. The poll, conducted by Hart Research Associates, found that a full 75% of Americans nationwide believe the

The exercise of free speech is acceptable to the left when they agree with what you are saying. But when the left and media types find the views disagreeable or inconvenient and painfully true, the exercise of free speech becomes

September 22, 2010 marks the end of summer and beginning of fall. So it’s an appropriate time to review the results of Democrats’ “Recovery Summer” for American workers. Recovery_Summer_Report_2010_ In announcing the start of the “Recovery Summer” on June 17,

As the nation confronts a debilitating national deficit of $1.3 trillion – the second highest of all time – the Federal government must dedicate itself to spend money more responsibly and thoughtfully instead of rewarding special interests and abusing taxpayer

In addition to 2010 clearly being the Year of the Tea Party, a good sub-headline is the Year of the Sore Loser. The Republican establishment elites are angry because they keep losing campaigns. The latest example of a “Sore Loser”

Tax hikes on the oil and gas industry being pursued by the Obama administration will have a crippling effect on the U.S. economy, says a new report by professor Joseph Mason of Louisiana State University. In the study published earlier

A couple weeks ago, House Member Eleanor Holmes Norton made a fundraising call to a lobbyist. The lobbyist wasn’t available, so Holmes Norton left a voicemail. We have been given a copy of that message. The audio is below. By

Recently, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Transportation (DOT) announced the latest Obama administration “green” initiative: Assign cars an A-D letter grade, to be noted on labels affixed to car windows at auto dealerships, based exclusively on

It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to realize that Americans reject rationing of medical care. The Obama Administration denied it would ever happen. They lied. The effort to ration late stage cancer drugs based upon their costs is underway in

We have no other details, but a tipster from fly-over country forwarded us this text they received this afternoon: DNC Chair Tim Kaine is making a major announcement on the future of the Democratic Party tomorrow. Attend the announcement at

With the FDA preparing to initiate cost-based rationing of late stage cancer drugs, the intellectual giants at the New York Times have decided to lay down a gauntlet to defend rationing of medical care. Welcome to the Brave New World

With Congress set to return to Washington, D.C. this week, the number one issue on the legislative agenda is tax cuts. Most Democrats want to extend some, but not all, of the tax cuts initiated by former President George W.

While Harry Reid may have allowed the energy tax hikes to die on the floor of the Senate, liberals nationwide have continued their attacks on the energy industry. The Gulf oil spill is barely a fond memory of a moratorium

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Chair of the Senate Ethics Committee, has paid some $30,000 since 2004 for the endorsement of embattled Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) in the context of a scheme that critics charge is unethical and amounts to Waters

From 1998 to 1999, Alexi Giannoulias played professional basketball in Panionios B.C. Greece. That part we already knew. But one thing we still don’t know is how an American with Greek citizenship was able to live in Greece without being

Last week, Capitol Confidential reported on a new scheme being pursued by California Democrats to force out-of-state, online retailers to collect and remit California sales taxes. But in a new development, it is now being reported that the proposal has

New York, like most states in the nation, is facing a nasty budget hole which Gov. David Paterson attempted to fix earlier this summer by pushing through a tax hike on cigarettes. A pack of smokes now costs as much

In a further blow to those pressing for the institution of controversial net neutrality rules, it emerged on Monday that the Gun Owners of America (GOA) has exited the Save the Internet coalition backed by pro-regulation liberal groups such as

A top network neutrality advocacy group is weathering a flap over its sketchy lobbying disclosures after it was reported last week the group had taken numerous unreported meetings with senior aides at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the National

There is little debate that the leadership of the House — lead by Nancy Pelosi — has successfully convinced vulnerable Democrats to walk the plank on issues like the government takeover of our health care system, trillions in wasteful spending,

It’s ba-ack! Facing a $20 billion budget gap, California liberals in the state legislature are reviving a tax-hike plan targeting out-of-state, online retailers that has a diverse coalition of web entrepreneurs and business and political leaders fuming. The proposal, mentioned

In a little remarked upon move earlier this month, Sen. Max Baucus (D-Mont.) put forward a legislative proposal to raise taxes on energy companies by stripping them of the ability to claim a key tax deduction. Known as Section 199

Big Government.com alerted it readers weeks ago about the emerging model for rationing health care at the FDA. The FDA is considering “de-listing” the drug Avastin for use with breast cancer patients– not because it doesn’t work, but because of

On Monday, Google and Verizon–two of the nation’s biggest companies operating in the tech space–announced a compromise joint proposal on Internet regulation that has tech policy observers buzzing. The proposal, discussed during a conference call featuring Google CEO Eric Schmidt

In an action that one Florida GOP consultant said could be a late game-changer, a lawsuit was filed on August 9, 2010, seeking the release of a videotaped deposition given by GOP Gubernatorial candidate Rick Scott in April 2010, just

The New Hampshire Department of Transportation sought and on August 28, 2009 was awarded $150,045 to refurbish “a historic stone arch bridge [which] will be preserved and resurfaced to better accommodate pedestrians and bicycles.” The NH DOT lists the following

What do you get when you combine: 1) a political radical who has been arrested and charged with conspiracy after causing civil disruptions including riots and 2) bureaucratic agencies in California with a record of environmental extremism that are focused

A federal judge conspired with the Bush Department of Justice to plan the largest immigration raid ever in the United States, and then presided over the trial of the plant’s manager, eventually sentencing him beyond even prosecutors’ recommendation. New documents

In a visit to Washington, D.C., yesterday, a group of about fifty energy industry workers and representatives from the Gulf of Mexico area told lawmakers, reporters and bloggers that if the Obama administration and Congress are serious about creating and

In response the sharp rebuke of Obamacare sent by voters in Missouri, Senator Harry Reid says that voters in Missouri just don’t know enough about the new law yet and when they do, they will change their minds. Well Senator,

Anyone who claims that defense contract negotiations are uninteresting has yet to discover the battle brewing over who gets to build the next Air Force tanker. American aerospace giant Boeing and European mega-corporation Airbus are locked in a war over

With the midterm elections approaching, it is now clear that cap-and-trade, Democrats’ main weapon in their war on energy companies, is effectively dead–that is, at least until after the election, when some Democrats who may then be exiting Congress will

Last week, we discussed the rigged game of three-card monte that the FDA is trying to run over unsuspecting patients. The game is rigged. If government is allowed to arbitrarily shift from objective data driven safety focused approval to subjective