Republicans were bounced from power in 2006 due in large part to a lack of spending restraint. On Tuesday, House Democrats were fired for the same reason. So how can the new Congress start to deal with our massive debt and unmanageable entitlement programs? How will meaningful spending cuts happen when every proposed reduction will meet with great resistance? How can lawmakers get the budget process off of an auto-pilot system that leads to higher deficits? And what meaningful changes could realistically be made to shore up Medicare, Social Security and the entire health care system? We ask David Walker, former Comptroller General of the United States and founder of the Comeback America Initiative.
Archives for November 3, 2010
Lesson Learned?
President Obama will now be dealing with a Republican majority in the House of Representatives and a much smaller majority in the U.S. Senate. So does today’s press conference show the president has learned a lesson and will adjust course? Is he ready to move towards the center or stand firm on a more liberal course? We ask former longtime USA TODAY White House Correspondent Richard Benedetto.
A ‘Well-Deserved’ Shellacking
Republicans amassed historic gains in Tuesday’s midterm election – picking up over 60 House seats and at least six Senate seats. Is President Obama right that this is just voter frustration with the economy or is it voter rejection of Obama policies? How will a divided Congress work with Obama? We ask Michael Lewan, a longtime Democratic strategist and former chief of staff for Sen. Joe Lieberman.
Big Night for Pro-Life Movement
The health care issue was a big loser for incumbent Democrats on Tuesday, particularly for self-proclaimed pro-life Democrats who backed the bill despite components that would require taxpayer funding of abortion. So who did the Susan B. Anthony List target? How many of their targeted incumbents went down to defeat? Did the group support any Democrats? We discuss all these questions with Marilyn Musgrave, director of the SBA List’s Votes Have Consequences project.