BY JOHN FEEHERY
Reprinted from the feehery.theory
President Obama said last week that he was slowly “tightening the noose” around Colonel Gaddafi, the Libyan dictator.
Jay Carney, the White House press secretary, said yesterday, “We have acted with the utmost urgency … together with our international partners to put pressure on Muammar Gaddafi and his regime.”
BY JOHN FEEHERY
Reprinted from the feeherytheory.com
House Speaker John Boehner has so far driven Congress in the right direction. He has negotiated successfully to cut spending and keep the government open. He allowed for an open process that delivered the largest discretionary spending cuts in the history of the lower body. He has gotten high marks from just about everybody on how he has risen to the occasion in difficult times. He has his hands firmly on the steering wheel and he seems to know where he is going.
BY JOHN FEEHERY
Reprinted from the feeherytheory.com
My good friend Ed Gillespie is a smart guy and an exceptional communications professional. I heard him speak a couple of weeks ago about politics and he made a good point about how Republicans tend to communicate on immigration policy. He said that Republicans often forget to finish the sentence when it comes to talking about how we like legal immigrants, but dislike illegal immigration. People usually just hear the part about how we hate illegal immigrants.
BY JOHN FEEHERY
Reprinted from the feeherytheory.com
If the government shuts down, does anybody win?
Washington is abuzz with the possibility that the Federal Government might shut down when the current spending authority expires on March 4.
BY JOHN FEEHERY
Reprinted from thefeeherytheory.com
During the Eddie Murphy years, Saturday Night Live had an iconic skit that can best be called “Who Shot Buckwheat.” In a spoof of the media culture that glorifies murderers and assassins, it examined why John David Stutts shot Buckwheat.
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BY JOHN FEEHERY
Reprinted from the feeherytheory.com
Like the audience that was arrayed in front of him, the President’s State of the Union address was all mixed up in ways that made it unconvincing and inauthentic.
BY JOHN FEEHERY
Reprinted from the feeherytheory.com
On July 24, 1998, just as the House of Representatives concluded debate on contentious healthcare legislation, Russell Weston stepped into the Capitol building and fired a gun, killing officer Jacob Chestnut. He then proceeded into the office of then-Majority Whip Tom DeLay (R-Texas), where he encountered Detective John Gibson. Gibson was able to stop Weston from killing others in the whip’s office (including me), but not without sacrificing his own life in the process.
Weston was a deranged psychotic who held strong anti-government views. Perhaps because his target was a strong conservative leader, there was no deep concern at the time about the political rhetoric of the day. There was only concern about the alarming lack of security that surrounded the Capitol grounds, and about the fact that two brave men had given their lives in defense of their country.
BY JOHN FEEHERY
Reprinted from the Feehery.theory.com
On the eve of St. Patrick’s Day in 1978, the New York Times reported that the House approved by legislation, which established the official policy of the United States that the unemployment rate should be 4%. “The bill authorizes the use of fiscal and monetary policy, public service jobs, job training and counseling and all other means to achieve full employment…The legislation was supported by a coalition of labor, civil right, liberal, religious and women’s groups and was backed by President Carter.” Amendments offered by Republicans to require a balanced budget and achieve an inflation goal of 3% were rejected, and most GOPers voted against final passage of the bill, calling it an empty promise.
BY JOHN FEEHERY
Reprinted from the feeherytheory.com
Mitch McConnell bowed to reality with his statement on earmarks yesterday. It couldn’t have been easy and it shouldn’t have been.
Earmarks are essential part of our Constitutional process. For any member of Congress (House or Senate) to willingly give power away to the executive branch in such a haphazard way is troubling.
BY JOHN FEEHERY
Reprinted from the Feehery Theory
In many ways, it was the best-case scenario for the Republican Party.
They swept the House in dramatic fashion, and while they didn’t quite win the Senate, they got the next best thing: Harry Reid is still going to be the chief spokesman for Congressional Democrats.
BY JOHN FEEHERY
Reprinted from the Feeherytheory.com
Here is an article I wrote in May of 2009 that I thought you would all find of interest:
(CNN) – “It is important for us to have a strong Republican Party,” Democratic Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi tauntingly told a press conference on April 23. “And I hope that the next generation will take back the Republican Party for the Grand Old Party that it used to be.”
BY JOHN FEEHERY
Reprinted from the Feeherytheory.com
I love those Dos Equis commercials, where an older, bearded Spanish
guy is seen cavorting with beautiful women, conquering the most
challenging challenges, doing the most fascinating things.
BY JOHN FEEHERY
Reprinted from the Feeherytheory.com
If you are an American and you travel anywhere in the world in an
official capacity, one of your first meetings is likely to be with the
local American Chamber of Commerce.
BY JOHN FEEHERY
From the Feeherytheory.com
Bill Murray’s character in the movie “Ghostbusters,” Dr. Peter Venkman, had the iconic line: “He slimed me!”
The Democratic Party has taken on the role of the Ghosts in “Ghostbusters”: They are all about the slime.
I was on the Ed Schultz Show last night when Ed showed Louisiana Congressman Charlie Melancon’s new commercial against David Vitter, who he is running against for the Senate.
Louisiana has had some tough times lately. It is still recovering from Hurricane Katrina. The oil spill has had a grave impact on the economy. According to some analysts, the job situation down there is reaching Depression type levels.
Serious issues.
By JOHN FEEHERY
Reprinted from the Feehery Theory
The jobless rate and economic growth are not necessarily connected.
An economy can grow without people going back to work. Companies can make profits and not necessarily hire people. We are now going through a jobless recovery, despite President Obama’s delusional declaration that jobs are coming back.
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BY JOHN FEEHERY
Reprinted from the Feeherytheory.com
Erik Erickson has become famous for his visceral hatred of the Republican Party, and of course earlier this year he was immediately hired by CNN to represent the Republican view on various shows. Erickson let the cat out of the bag when discussing the Delaware primary results last night. He admitted that Christine O’Donnell, the winner, has no chance of winning the general election. Erickson then admitted that he really didn’t want Republicans to win control of the Senate.
I call this the loser strategy. These Tea Party zealots seem to hate Barack Obama so much that they want him to keep control of the Senate. They want Obama to fail so completely, they want to make sure that Senate Democrats set the agenda, chair all the committees, authorize the funding for all investigations, schedule all of the confirmation hearings, schedule the floor and pretty much give the President the run of the upper chamber.
BY JOHN FEEHERY
Reprinted from the Feeherytheory.com
A decades ago (man, I am getting old), I remember watching the Cubs game (which was unusual for me, because I am a Sox fan), when I saw a couple of hippies run out onto Dodger’s Stadium (where they were playing) and attempt to set fire to an American flag. Rick Monday, the Cubs center-fielder, swooped in the snatch the flag from the rabble-rousers, saving the day and America’s honor
At the time, America was down in the dumps. It was 1976, and while we were celebrating America’s Bicentennial, we were also dealing with the aftermath of Watergate, Viet Nam, and the start of a stalling economy beset by both high inflation and creeping unemployment. When Monday saved the symbol of American freedom, it was a special moment, perhaps a turning point in the American psyche. Monday was quoted saying once, “If you are going to burn the flag, don’t burn it around me.” It was a great quote, because the Cubs center-fielder acknowledged that while in America, people have the right to do stupid things like the burn the flag, citizens also have the right to oppose them.
BY MICHAEL S. JOHNSON
I have a little different take on the plans of the Rev. Terry Jones to burn Korans on Saturday.
I disagree with the President that it is a teachable moment.
I disagree with Mayor Bloomberg that it is protected under the First Amendment and should therefore be tolerated.
I disagree with John Feehery that it may reflect another step down the path of “religious intolerance, hatred and extreme sectarianism.”
BY JOHN FEEHERY
Reprinted from the Feeherytheory.com
When Mayor Daley announced that he was resigning, it made Washington liberals very happy. It should have also put a smile on Republican Presidential candidates too.
Let me explain.
BY JOHN FEEHERY
Reprinted from the feeherytheory.com
Just about every Monday night over the last several years, I have tried to recapture my youth by playing basketball with a bunch of other guys who are similarly trying to recapture their youths. It is fun way to exercise, as long as you don’t snap your Achilles or anything like that.
One of the guys I have been playing with is Jared Bernstein. Before he became famous, Jared was an economist with a labor-affiliated think tank. Jared is a very good athlete, a tough defender, but (and I think he would admit this himself) his jump shot leaves a lot to be desired.
Jared and I have a friendly rivalry on the court and off the court, and now that he is Joe Biden’s top economic advisor, we talk about what the Obama White House is up to and what the Republican response is likely to be.
Earlier this week, Jared pointed me to Christina Romer’s farewell address, telling me that it had some good stuff in it.