American Enterprise Institute / Atlantic
Norman Ornstein is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and a contributing editor to the Atlantic. He is co-author of It's Even Worse than It Looks: How the American Constitutional System Collided with the New Politics of Extremism and the forthcoming One Nation after Trump: A Guide for the Perplexed, the Disillusioned, the Desperate and the Not Yet Deported.
Does it take two parties to govern? For seven years, Republicans promised the Moon if they could take control of the White House and both houses of Congress. There's been no progress on the Mexican border-wall, infrastructure, tax cuts or Pentagon spending — not to mention Obamacare repeal and replacement. Contradictions and an incoherent agenda from the Trump White have some Republicans blaming their own President. But now, deadlines are looming for the debt limit and the budget. Can the GOP keep the government in business -- without help from the Democrats?
Senate Majority Leader plans to pass healthcare bill in secret Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has imposed a lid of secrecy on all discussion of repealing and replacing the Affordable Care Act. Even some Republican colleagues say they wish there was more transparency. Four Democrats have sent letters to committee chairmen, listing 31 rooms in the Capitol where hearings could be held. Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska says she is unhappy with the secrecy surrounding the deliberations. After all, when Obamacare was passed seven years ago, there were roughly 100 sessions in public. Norm Ornstein, who is Congressional Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute and co-author of the upcoming, One Nation after Trump: A Guide for the Perplexed, the Disillusioned, the Desperate and the Not-Yet Deported , says grumbling from a few Republicans is unlikely to increase transparency in the legislative process.
Will Washington become a kleptocracy? Donald Trump promised to "drain the swamp" in Washington, but critics say he's creating a new swamp of potential conflicts of interest. The White House has opened a revolving door by appointing lobbyists and corporate leaders to regulate the businesses they formerly worked for. Public money's being spent at Trump properties, and family members have the chance to enrich themselves by making government policy. Ethics officials and reporters say the flood of possible violations is so great that a single scandal looks like it's just part of business as usual.
What's behind our information polarization? The Fairness Doctrine was revoked in the 1980s, leading to the rise of right wing talk radio in the 90s. Veteran newsman Ted Koppel has said that’s why we have such a poisoned media climate. We discuss fairness, fake news, and whether we can overcome political polarization.
Has Donald Trump nominated a team of dissenters? Donald Trump's picks to lead two major national-security agencies are contradicting positions taken by the President-Elect. In testimony before a Senate committee today, CIA chief-designate Mike Pompeo said he would not use "enhanced interrogation," even if Trump told him to. At another hearing, Trump's choice for Defense Secretary, General James Mattis , said Russia's Vladimir Putin is trying to break up the NATO alliance. When his nominees differ with him in such important ways, what are we learning about Trump's national security policy — and who will shape it?
Would divided government mean gridlock? GOP candidates point with alarm at Hillary Clinton’s Supreme Court nominees, free college tuition and “Big Government” that’s bigger than ever. Advocates for Republicans are almost saying it out loud: Hillary Clinton is likely to be America’s next President. That’s got them campaigning to maintain a divided government. Are they selling government by checks and balances in hopes of gridlock and four years of a Democratic president who can’t get anything done? Is that what voters really want?
The candidates, up close and personal but light on policy Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump were in the same place, but not at the same time. Even so, it's being called a preview of the formal debates to come. The topic was National Security, but NBC's Matt Lauer is taking heat for dwelling on Clinton's e-mails and failing to call Trump on misrepresentations. That's renewed debate about coverage of the campaign, with reporters accused of giving minor issues "false equivalence" with major ones. We hear what the candidates said that was new about national security. Did anything happen that might change voters' minds one way or the other?
Does the GOP Really Matter? After one of the nastiest primary campaigns in America's political history, Donald Trump claims he can unite Republicans – but he's also said it's not all that important. Trump has questioned the tradition of giving the senior leader, House Speaker Paul Ryan, leadership of the nominating convention. As he looks for a running mate with insider credentials, some GOP veterans are openly dreaming about a Third Party. The billionaire now says he'll need to raise money, but many senior contributors are spending on the House and the Senate. Can new voters bring life to the GOP?
The Race for Control of the Senate and the "Trump Effect" Donald Trump's march to the White House may have riled the Republican establishment, but it's giving Democrats fresh hope that they can reclaim control of the Senate in November. With 34 seats up for grabs – 24 of them now held by Republicans -- Democrats need a net gain of just five to regain control of the chamber. Seven of those are especially at risk, because they're in states that Barack Obama won in 2008 and 2012. The Senate Republican leadership's refusal to grant even a hearing to Judge Merrick Garland, Obama's nominee for the Supreme Court, is adding fuel to the fire. Will Republicans pay a price for balking on the High Court? Will Trump be an albatross that sinks the rest of the GOP? We hear how his surprising success is threatening Republican Senators from Illinois and Wisconsin to Pennsylvania and New Hampshire.
Antonin Scalia: His Legacy in Law and Politics The late Justice Antonin Scalia relished the use of vivid language in fiery debates about the Constitution, politics and social issues. Almost immediately after his sudden death was announced on Saturday, Republicans and Democrats got right to it. The unexpected vacancy leaves the Court divided evenly between the Left and the Right. Should it be filled by President Obama or by his successor? With nine months left in the bitter race for the White House, abortion, voting rights, affirmative action and immigration are issues that could be left hanging.
Is America on the Rise… or on the Decline? President Obama deployed his oratorical skills last night in his final State of the Union address to Congress. The speech was dramatically upbeat and scornful of Republican predictions of doom and gloom. He spoke to the unease among Democrats that's fueled the campaign of Bernie Sanders -- while the official response dramatized divisions within the GOP. The stage is set for the campaign to choose Obama's successor. President Barack Obama acknowledges applause from Cabinet members during a reception after his State of the Union address on January 12, 2016. Official White House Photo by Pete Souza
Political Outsiders: How Long Will They Last? Republican Donald Trump says, “The beauty of me is that I am very rich.” Democratic-Socialist Bernie Sanders rails against the power of the “billionaire class.” They’re about as different as it’s possible for candidates to be… but they’re similar in one very important way: each is “separating himself from the political and economic system that many everyday Americans view as rigged against them.” That’s according to Philip Rucker, national political correspondent for the Washington Post.
Supreme Court's 6-3 Ruling Is a Big Victory for Obama In an opinion written by Chief Justice John Roberts, the US Supreme Court ruled today that tax credits for health insurance in the Affordable Care Act are legal in states with federal exchanges — not just in states which created their own exchanges. Responding to the Court's decision, President Obama declared , "Today, after more than 50 votes in Congress to repeal or weaken this law, after a presidential election based in part on preserving or repealing this law, after multiple challenges to this law before the Supreme Court, the Affordable Care Act is here to stay." The President re-iterated his intention to "put politics aside" and work to convince more governors and legislatures to expand Medicaid. "We've still got states out there that, for political reasons, are not covering millions of people that they could be covering, despite the fact that the federal government's picking up the tab." President Barack Obama celebrates the Supreme Court ruling on Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies with Chief of Staff Denis McDonough in the Outer Oval Office. June 25, 2015 Official White House Photo by Pete Souza Special thanks to Paul von Zielbauer for production assistance.
Can the Republican Congress Get Anything Done? Winning the Senate put Republicans in charge of both houses of Congress, and leaders promised an end to gridlock. But the major accomplishment so far -- Keystone XL Pipeline approval — was vetoed and homeland security funding barely passed. Now, protection of sex-trafficking victims and confirmation of the first black woman Attorney General are being delayed, and the big challenge: will contrasting proposals for Pentagon spending hold up passage of the entire federal budget? Can the Republicans actually govern? The answer could be crucial for next year's presidential election.
Would Dialing for Dollars Corrupt the Judicial System? The US Supreme Court’s controversial decision in the Citizens United case has unleashed untold millions of dollars in campaign spending—including anonymous contributions. What’s the impact on the judicial system in states where judges must stand for election? In 2009, Judge Lanell Williams-Yulee in Hillsburough County, Florida, signed a letter seeking contributions for her re-election campaign. The State Supreme Court ruled that she violated a code of conduct. Now the US Supreme Court is being asked to rule on whether that code, which bans such solicitations, is a violation of the First Amendment. Norman Ornstein is a Congressional Scholar at the conservative American Enterprise Institute and a correspondent for the Atlantic. His most recent article is headlined, “ Courting Corruption: The Auctioning of the Judicial System ".
Is the White House Overstepping Its Bounds? This week President Obama said that if Congress won’t pass sweeping immigration reform, he’d take executive action and do it himself by sending resources to help fix the border crisis. This wasn’t the first time that Obama has decided to go it alone in the face of Congressional obstinance. He’s taken executive action on a number of policies and issues including major ones like gun control, marijuana laws, climate change and the prisoner swap for Bowe Bergdahl. Republicans are calling Obama a “tyrant” and a “king.” Now House Speaker John Boehner has a plan: it’s simple -- sue the President. But what exactly would he sue Obama for, and what does he expect to accomplish? Are Obama’s executive actions a sign of over-reach or a last-ditch solution to obstructionism?
White House budget proposal slashes and burns President Trump's first budget request is considered dead on arrival in Congress — a familiar development in Capitol Hill. We hear what it reveals about the priorities of the new administration. What's likely to die… and what might survive?
Trump plays scolder-in-chief with NATO allies At the opening of NATO’s dramatic new headquarters in Brussels today, President Trump acknowledged that Article 5 — promising that “an attack on one nation is an attack on all” -- has only been invoked one time: in the aftermath of September 11. But the President failed to provide what 27 other Alliance members have been waiting for: a re-commitment by America’s new leader to Article 5. Instead, they got a scolding.
Who's to blame for the opioid crisis? Some of the lawyers who took on Big Tobacco are now going after Big Pharma. It’s all about the deadly epidemic of opioid use. Are the drug companies to blame? What about the users? Later, on today’s Talking Point: making sense of Britain’s upset election.
The longest US war: Will Trump send more troops to Afghanistan? The Trump White House is divided over the Pentagon's request for more troops in Afghanistan—where the US has been fighting for the past 16 years. Is there a formula -- either for "victory" or a political settlement? Is there an end in sight for America's longest war?