The Saga of Fannie and Freddie by Lawrence Kudlow
"Too big to fail" was the verdict in the U.S. Treasury decision to backstop mortgage lenders Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. But is the taxpayer risk of moral hazard still as big as ever?
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July 17, 2008
July 17, 2008
They Must Be Joking By Joe Conason
An expression of outrage is the highest compliment that politicians can bestow upon a satirist. So when spokesmen for Barack Obama and John McCain echo each other and many another stuffed shirt in complaining about the current cover of The New Yorker, the magazine's editors and cartoonist Barry Blitt should accept such remarks in precisely that spirit.
July 17, 2008
Cost of Cronyism By Robert Novak
As financial storm signals appeared the last 18 months, there were Bush officials who urged drastic reform of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. But, according to internal government sources, Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson objected because it would look "too political."
July 17, 2008
Why the Race is Tied By Dick Morris
After almost six weeks of a constant Obama lead, generally in the five to seven-point range, Scott Rasmussen’s daily tracking poll records two consecutive days of a tie race (July 12-13) and a one-point Obama lead on July 14. What happened to the Democrat’s lead?
July 17, 2008
48% Agree With Obama That Iraq is Not “Central Front” in War on Terror
Even as a growing number of Americans appear to believe the United States is finally winning the war on terror, a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that nearly half (48%) agree with Barack Obama that Iraq is not the central front in that war.
July 16, 2008
Democrats Trusted More Than GOP on Seven of Ten Key Issues
This month, voters trust Democrats more than Republicans on seven out of ten electoral issues tracked Rasmussen Reports. The Republicans have managed to gain back some lost ground on National Security and the War in Iraq.
July 16, 2008
Goodbye, Tony Snow: Writer, Father, Friend By Laura Mazer
Before he was a radio host, or a network news anchor, or the White House Press secretary, Tony Snow was a writer. He started his career as an editorial writer and editor for newspapers such as The Virginian-Pilot, The Washington Times and The Detroit News, eventually becoming a nationally syndicated op-ed columnist, with more than 200 newspapers publishing his commentary every week.
July 16, 2008
Growing Number of Americans See U.S. Winning War on Terror
Nearly half of Americans (48%) now believe the United States and its allies are winning the War on Terror, as opposed to 20% who give the nod to the terrorists, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national survey.
July 15, 2008
Democrats Lead by Ten in Generic Congressional Ballot
Republicans have gained some ground this week, but Democrats continue to lead by double-digits in the Generic Congressional Ballot.
July 15, 2008
78% Say Iran Will Develop Nukes Soon
Nearly eight out of 10 Americans (78%) think Iran is likely to soon develop nuclear weapons, and over half say the Iranians will not halt their program no matter who is elected president, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey.
July 15, 2008
Obama Leads Bush by Twenty, But Clinton Does Better Against McCain
Barack Obama says a vote for John McCain is a vote for George W. Bush’s third term, but a new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey finds that the Democratic hopeful would have a much easier time of it if he were actually running against the incumbent president this year.
July 15, 2008
72% Say Gas Prices Biggest Threat to Economy
Americans overwhelmingly view the steady rise in oil and gas prices as the most serious problem facing the economy, and little more than a third of them think those prices are likely to be brought under control in the next few years.
July 15, 2008
Tough Economy Pushes Americans to Make Cuts
Americans are cutting their spending and savings habits, but they are not yet resorting to additional debt to get through tough financial times. The new COUNTRY Financial survey shows most people are stopping short of tapping into credit and existing savings to make ends meet, despite the fact that nearly three in four Americans (73 percent) think their financial security will not improve this year.
July 15, 2008
Mortgage Scandal a Bipartisan Affair By Froma Harrop
To borrow a Barack Obama line, "There's not a liberal America and a conservative America, there's a United States of America." That's true -- and everyone in it tried to make a quick buck off the housing bubble.
July 14, 2008
Oil Paranoia By Robert Novak
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, back from the Fourth of July break, last week delivered a typical harangue on Republican obstructionism and Democratic virtue that included a promise: By week's end, he would show Republicans his proposal to deal with "this speculation thing" that he calls the root cause of $4-a-gallon gasoline.
July 14, 2008
Only 7% of Americans Rate Their Workplace as Hostile
Americans workers may feel a bit frustrated and unsettled these days with the state of the economy, but they still overwhelmingly rate the place they work as largely anger-free.
July 14, 2008
40% Say Victory Possible in Iraq, Up Eight Points From Year Ago
The number of Americans who believe it is possible for the U.S. to win the War in Iraq has increased over the past year.
July 12, 2008
Goodbye, Joe? By Robert Novak
Despite assurances to the contrary from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Democratic insiders are certain Sen. Joseph Lieberman next year will be kicked out of the party's caucus and lose his Senate chairmanship if he addresses the Republican National Convention in St. Paul, Minn., as planned.
July 12, 2008
What They Told Us: Reviewing Last Week’s Key Polls for July 12, 2008
Over the past week, the Presidential race got a little closer, perceptions of Congress fell a little further, and there was plenty of talk about the economy.
July 12, 2008
We're Not Leaving By Michael Barone
Sixty years ago this month, the top story in campaign year 1948 was not the big poll lead of Republican nominee Thomas Dewey or the plight of President Harry Truman. It was the Berlin airlift.
