Is Feingold Done? He Just Might Be
Patrick McIlheran, RealClearPolitics
Russ Feingold, seeking a fourth U.S. Senate term out of Wisconsin, is by now a habit. His state wears him almost unconsciously, the way a rattling old Tercel in front of me at a traffic light still bore its “Feingold in '04” bumper sticker.Next to the Feingold sticker was one promoting a food co-op, then another reading, “War is not the answer.”That's why Sen. Fixture just may now be in trouble: This year, war isn't even the question.
Bust Up the Banks
Jeffrey Garten, The Daily Beast
A week or so from now, after the congressional recess, efforts to enact financial reform will go into high gear. The House of Representatives has passed a bill, the Senate is about to debate one, and President Obama is determined to sign a new law by early summer. In 13 Bankers: The Wall Street Takeover and the Next Financial Meltdown, Simon Johnson and James Kwak predict, correctly in my view, that the ultimate legislation will be fairly modest in its impact. There will be nothing to compare, for example, to the 1930s’ passage of the Glass-Steagall Act that separated staid…
Obama Needs to Take On Labor Allies in Trade Fight
Al Hunt, Bloomberg
The Obama administration last month targeted villains impeding international commerce, especially China.The Chinese, in the United States Trade Representative's report, were criticized for import and procurement restrictionsthat discriminate against foreign competitors. The Chinese currency valuation wasn't specifically mentioned, though that's the context of the overall complaint. The U.S. also chastised the Europeans, Japan and South Korea.
Congress, Be Semper Fi
Democrats’ Uphill Battles Continue
E.J. Dionne, Washington Post
WASHINGTON — Toward the end of the health care battle, a beleaguered Obama staff member sent me an e-mail that ended with the words: “Sisyphus was a sissy compared to what we've been through!”Yes, the fight for health care seemed very much like the Greek myth: Every time the White House found itself on the verge of rolling the health care stone up the hill, some event — say, Scott Brown's win in Massachusetts — would force it to start over with a new strategy.
