All Decoder
Has John Boehner surrendered on debt ceiling?House Speaker John Boehner may be thinking of raising the debt ceiling with the help of some Democratic votes – via a bill that includes tweaks to Obamacare, a tax-reform plan, and some reductions in entitlements.
Government shutdown: Is it George Washington's fault?Some scholars today are claiming that the current US political predicament – the government shutdown – stems from flaws in the Constitution itself. But this has to do with details, not the idea of America itself.
Latest GOP strategy on government shutdown: Can it work?Warring factions among congressional Republicans like the latest idea for resolving the government shutdown: restore funding a few agencies at a time (but leave out Obamacare). Senate Democrats aren't going for it, though, and the public may not give the GOP any credit either.
Government shutdown is on. How long will it last?The conventional wisdom is that the government shutdown, which began Tuesday, will either end quickly or will stretch at least a week. The quick-end scenario may depend largely on House Speaker John Boehner.
Government shutdown 2013: why it may be most important one everGovernment shutdown 2013, if it happens, could surpass the impact of the 1995-96 shutdowns. For one thing, the economy today is much softer than it was in the mid-1990s.
Budget bill booted back to House. Just shut down government, already?The showdown over Obamacare, with threats to shut down government or breach the debt ceiling, has some commentators saying it's time for Washington to go over the ledge, for clarity's sake.
Would Democrats accept Obamacare delay in return for debt hike?With a government spending bill about to return to the House with Obamacare funding intact, Boehner is turning to the debt ceiling as a means to extract concessions from the Democrats.
Tea party agenda may be ascendant on Hill, but not on Main StreetSupport for the tea party among Americans has slipped to 22 percent, a Gallup poll shows. Even as tea party politics (and a possible government shutdown) are center stage in Congress, the survey reflects public dissatisfaction with the tea party's push for conflict over compromise.
Ted Cruz filibuster: Was it consequential or hot air?Ted Cruz didn't stop the Senate from opening debate on the House spending bill or stripping out the defunding of Obamacare. But, while burning bridges with the GOP establishment he became a folk hero for the party right.
Average Obamacare premiums are lower than projected: why yours may not beWith Obamacare's health insurance 'marketplaces' set to launch on Oct 1, the Department of Health and Human Services released its first data on average health-care premiums, but what individuals actually pay varies widely.
Ted Cruz vs. John McCain: This time, it's about Hitler.Sen. John McCain went after the freshman senator for a reference to appeasement of Adolf Hitler that Sen. Ted Cruz made during his epic 21-hour talkathon against Obamacare on the Senate floor.
Ted Cruz filibuster: Is Cruz now 'president' of US conservatives?The many hours Ted Cruz & friends spent in their overnight talkathon (not really a filibuster) in the Senate thrilled conservatives who feel the GOP establishment consists of careerist sell-outs.
Is Ted Cruz winning the government shutdown battle?Sen. Ted Cruz wants to defund Obamacare in a way that has drawn sneers even from Republicans on Capitol Hill. But they are not the group Senator Cruz wants to impress.
Obama as ex-smoker-in-chief: Was he really afraid of Michelle?President Obama was overheard telling a UN official that he hadn't had a cigarette in six years, because he was 'scared' of his wife. Michelle says: 'He didn't want to look his girls in the eye.'
Bill Clinton on David Letterman: Did blinks show Hillary's secret 2016 plans?Bill Clinton didn't 'blink twice,' as David Letterman suggested, to signal that Hillary Rodham Clinton is running for president in 2016. But there's a whole lot of networking going on.
Sarah Palin tells GOP to 'woman up' on shutdown threats. What's her point?Sarah Palin says the GOP establishment is running scared from the idea that it could be blamed for a government shutdown. 'Woman up' and do the right thing, she said in an opinion article.
Ted Cruz moment of truth: What's his new 'path to victory'?Ted Cruz is in a bind: After goading House Republicans to risk a government shutdown over Obamacare, he now says Senate Republicans must first vote down the defunding measure they support and send it back to the House.
What's a RINO? How the Republican purity test took an odd turn.A flag-bearer of the new Republican Party this week found common ground with one of the most liberal Senate Democrats. But, strangely, there wasn't a hint of outrage.
Government shutdown threat points to seismic shift in CongressFor decades, Americans mostly left lawmaking to legislators in those infamous 'smoked-filled rooms.' Now, with cable news and the Internet, voters increasingly want to be involved and listened to.
Creepy 'Uncle Sam': Scaring students away from Obamacare – or from conservatives?The conservative Generation Opportunity is trying to scare young adults away from Obamacare. Its Creepy Uncle Sam videos will either scare the heck out of you or leave you rolling on the floor.
