Category Archives: National News

The Essential Republican (Boehner) Dilemma

Posted on December 8, 2012 by billmanzi

Republicans in Congress find themselves caught between a rock and a hard place. As the President digs in on the issue of tax rates for the top 2% of earners the Republican Party seems to be imploding, unable to make … Continue reading →

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Negotiating Towards the Cliff

Posted on November 30, 2012 by billmanzi

As someone who predicted a month ago that we would go over the “fiscal cliff”, and also that the debt ceiling introduction would complicate the negotiations you might expect that after yesterdays rhetoric I would be here saying I told … Continue reading →

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The Filibuster Blues

Posted on November 27, 2012 by billmanzi

Republicans are screaming bloody murder over the potential rules changes on the filibuster being proposed in the U.S. Senate by Harry Reid and the Democrats. A look at the actual proposal shows that it honestly does not amount to a … Continue reading →

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Politics, Presidents, and Making the Wheel Turn

Posted on November 24, 2012 by billmanzi

One new David Brooks column on Abraham Lincoln, and a review of Robert Caro’s LBJ books by Thomas Meaney, in “The Nation”, have made for some great Thanksgiving reading. Connected? I think so. Brooks, in his column, masterfully writes of … Continue reading →

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Two Stepping to the Cliff

Posted on November 21, 2012 by billmanzi

The issues involved in the so called “fiscal cliff” have been written about ad infinitum. With the first general meeting held at the White House and all coming out spouting optimistic platitudes the level of optimism has gone way up. … Continue reading →

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Everybody Better Sober Up

Posted on November 15, 2012 by billmanzi

The Democrats have won a smashing victory this past cycle, and with that victory will come great expectations. Naturally there are a whole host of issues that many Democrats feel have been neglected for the past four years, and they … Continue reading →

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Republican Strategy? Help John Kerry?

Posted on November 14, 2012 by billmanzi

A shorter post today on the seemingly intractable Republican opposition to the nomination of U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice as the successor to Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State. Both Ambassador Rice and Senator Kerry have been named as likely successors … Continue reading →

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Republican Policies? Where are They?

Posted on November 12, 2012 by billmanzi

And so the Republican hand wringing over the election continues, and you can expect some serious fighting within Republican ranks over the future of the GOP. Some great back and forth between some thoughtful Republicans, and a few of them … Continue reading →

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Surfing Sandy in Aruba

Posted on November 10, 2012 by billmanzi

Here is some great video of a group of maniacs surfing the hurricane tide in Aruba. Don’t try this at home. The Vimeo page of Oli Berlic is here.

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Winners and Losers

Posted on November 8, 2012 by billmanzi

So who really won, and who really lost, in the last election cycle? Here is my take, with no locals (for now). Winners: Massachusetts Democratic Party Chair John Walsh. Republicans bemoan a statistical disadvantage in Massachusetts, but that has not … Continue reading →

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