Elections have consequences. The consequences of the November 2010 elections -- and one might add the November 2009 elections in New Jersey and Virginia and the January 2010 special Senate election in Massachusetts -- became clear as lights shined over the snow at both ends of the Capitol on Thursday night.
For the first time since Democrats in Congress passed the health care bill in March, a majority of U.S. voters believe the measure is likely to be repealed.
There has been much controversy over the new National Football League helmet-to-helmet contact rules, but a strong majority of professional football fans support these safety penalties.
Two of the more compelling stories in the National Football League this year are the resurrection of Michael Vick’s career and the impending end of Brett Favre’s.
In the last decade, the symbol for profligate federal spending was the infamous "Bridge to Nowhere" -- a huge proposed span that would link the town of Ketchikan, Alaska, population 7,500, to an airport on Gravina Island. Powerful Alaska Republican lawmakers tried to stick American taxpayers with a huge chunk of the tab for this dubious project.
The New England Patriots were the first team in the National Football League to punch their ticket to the playoffs, and now one in three football fans expects they will win this year’s Super Bowl.
President Obama and senior congressional Republicans eked out a victory this week on the bill extending the Bush tax cuts for two years, cutting the federal payroll tax for a year, and extending emergency unemployment benefits for 13 months.
On a historic night this past Thursday, a new Tea Party Republican Congress completely transformed U.S. economic policy. Elections matter, and so do their ideas. Smaller government, low taxes, and less spending were key election themes in the Republican landslide. And those themes triumphed this week as a large tax-cut bill finally passed the House and a monstrosity of a spending bill was defeated in the Senate.
The federal government recently reported than 14% of the U.S. population or a record 42.9 million people received food stamps in September, with up to 20% getting them in some states.
For the first time since he became president, only 35% of voters say Barack Obama thinks society is fair and decent. That’s almost half as many as voters who hold that belief themselves.
Most Tea Party members view the candidates they elected in November as agents of change from government business as usual, but non-members are a lot more skeptical.
By the time you read this, it won't be my birthday anymore. Thankfully. But it is right now, and birthdays don't get easier as you get older.
Despite the stress and the expense of shopping at this time of year, Americans overwhelmingly like the idea of giving gifts.
Guess Americans have been a little nicer this year. More Adults think Santa will find them on his nice list this Christmas season compared to last year.
While a plurality of voters continues to give President Obama positive ratings on his handling of national security issues, his ratings on economic issues remain near all-time lows.
The politics of President Obama’s health care law have been fascinating from the start. Hailed as fulfillment of a popular campaign promise when introduced, the law proved to be a major drag on Democrats in the 2010 election. An issue on which Democrats once overwhelmingly trusted Democrats over Republicans has become a toss-up between the parties as 2011 approaches.
This past week, President Obama signed into law a measure that, for the first time, gives the federal government the authority to regulate all foods at schools, including what's in vending machines. But most Americans would rather see that authority in someone else's hands.
So you thought health care was fixed. Well, maybe not "fixed," but you assumed that the new law had put us on the path to solving one of America's most pressing problems -- spiraling health care costs amid surging numbers of uninsured citizens.
When former GOP House Speaker Newt Gingrich proclaims a measure to be "good for the country," that usually means it's good for Gingrich. When President Obama tells the media that his $858 billion compromise tax package is the fruit of negotiations with GOP "hostage-takers," you have to wonder if he even wants it to pass.
Even as support for the tax cut deal worked out by President Obama and senior congressional Republicans is falling, many Americans feel the two sides aren’t working hard enough to get along.
