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More cartoons: An inspired new look
JEFF PARKER © 2013 Cagle Cartoons
More cartoons(Source: theweek.com)
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- “Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science.”
As Obama called for the country to respond to the threat of climate change, he issued a stark reminder that many Republicans seem to reject basic scientific findings.
- “Enduring security and lasting peace do not require perpetual war.”
Obama rose to national prominence by opposing wars started by George W. Bush, and he rarely misses a chance to remind Americans that Republican foreign policy led to open-ended wars with no exit strategy.
5 unmistakable shots at Republicans in Obama’s inaugural address
(Source: theweek.com)
- “Some may still deny the overwhelming judgment of science.”
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“The most dysfunctional ever…”
“The most worthless, incompetent, do-nothing gathering of lawmakers in the nation’s history…”
“The most unproductive session since the 1940s…”10 insulting labels for the outgoing 112th Congress
(Source: theweek.com)
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Cartoon of the day: Preparing for backlash
DAYLE CAGLE © 2012 Cagle Cartoons
More cartoons(Source: theweek.com)
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![The fiscal-cliff fix: Winners and losers
WINNERS
Joe Biden — Biden certainly “emerges with enhanced stature from the budget mess,” says The Daily Beast’s Kurtz. He was “called off the bench” on Sunday, then “showed a deft hand — and the experience of growing up in [the Senate] — in quickly hammering out a deal with Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.” If the 70-year-old vice president “decides to run for Obama’s job in 2016, such performances could more than offset his reputation for shooting from the lip.” Of course if Democrats end up hating the deal, this could actually “bite Biden down the line,” says Chris Cillizza at The Washington Post. But he clearly ranks among the winners for negotiating the deal and persuading Democrats to support it. The vice president is often underestimated by the political press, but “the ‘Biden as major White House asset’ storyline writes itself” now.
The rich and elderly — Obama’s decision to raise the threshold for higher taxes from $250,000 to $450,000 makes for “a big tax cut for all kinds of rich people, not just those with adjusted gross incomes between the two figures,” says Matthew Yglesias at Slate. Because our tax rates are marginal, meaning that only income above $450,000 is taxed at the higher rate, “if you make $600,000 or even $1 million a year you still have a very large share of your income that’s taxed at a lower rate thanks to this deal.” The deal also didn’t have any of the expected cuts to Social Security and other federal retirement security programs, so at least for now, “old people are the winners,” too.
LOSERS
John Boehner — “The fiscal cliff talks were cast as a moment for [John] Boehner to cement his legacy as speaker,” negotiating a grand bargain that would “set the country on the right financial course through the Republican-controlled House,” says Cillizza at The Washington Post. “The exact opposite happened.” The Ohio Republican dropped negotiations with Obama to pass his own “Plan B” — raising taxes on only people earning $1 million a year — but that plan failed to even get a vote, raising questions about “how much — if any — control he had over his fellow House Republicans.” That idea was reinforced when Boehner couldn’t get more than half of his caucus, or even his top lieutenants, to back the final compromise, says Daniel Newhauser at Roll Call. Boehner “now slumps into the 113th Congress with gavel firmly in hand but with scant ability to wield its power.”
Hurricane Sandy victims — After the messy fight over the fiscal cliff bill, House GOP leaders canceled a scheduled vote on a supplemental spending bill for areas ravaged by Hurricane Sandy, mostly in New York and New Jersey. The House Appropriations Committee had even teed up a $60 billion package, matching the Sandy relief bill that passed the Senate last week. “Absent a change of heart, the upshot now is that the Senate bill will die with this Congress on Thursday at noon,” says David Rogers at Politico. “I assume there is as tactical consideration here, that the Republican leadership didn’t want to be anywhere near a big spending bill after the fiasco of their handling the tax debate,”says Rep. Rob Andrews (D.N.J.). “I understand the tactics but there is a real human need here that is being ignored.”
More winners and losers](http://24.media.tumblr.com/13af98546fc88ed1ff7bf8b3322a592d/tumblr_mg0767JUuY1qdjbb7o1_1280.png)
The fiscal-cliff fix: Winners and losers
WINNERS
- Joe Biden — Biden certainly “emerges with enhanced stature from the budget mess,” says The Daily Beast’s Kurtz. He was “called off the bench” on Sunday, then “showed a deft hand — and the experience of growing up in [the Senate] — in quickly hammering out a deal with Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.” If the 70-year-old vice president “decides to run for Obama’s job in 2016, such performances could more than offset his reputation for shooting from the lip.” Of course if Democrats end up hating the deal, this could actually “bite Biden down the line,” says Chris Cillizza at The Washington Post. But he clearly ranks among the winners for negotiating the deal and persuading Democrats to support it. The vice president is often underestimated by the political press, but “the ‘Biden as major White House asset’ storyline writes itself” now.
- The rich and elderly — Obama’s decision to raise the threshold for higher taxes from $250,000 to $450,000 makes for “a big tax cut for all kinds of rich people, not just those with adjusted gross incomes between the two figures,” says Matthew Yglesias at Slate. Because our tax rates are marginal, meaning that only income above $450,000 is taxed at the higher rate, “if you make $600,000 or even $1 million a year you still have a very large share of your income that’s taxed at a lower rate thanks to this deal.” The deal also didn’t have any of the expected cuts to Social Security and other federal retirement security programs, so at least for now, “old people are the winners,” too.
LOSERS
- John Boehner — “The fiscal cliff talks were cast as a moment for [John] Boehner to cement his legacy as speaker,” negotiating a grand bargain that would “set the country on the right financial course through the Republican-controlled House,” says Cillizza at The Washington Post. “The exact opposite happened.” The Ohio Republican dropped negotiations with Obama to pass his own “Plan B” — raising taxes on only people earning $1 million a year — but that plan failed to even get a vote, raising questions about “how much — if any — control he had over his fellow House Republicans.” That idea was reinforced when Boehner couldn’t get more than half of his caucus, or even his top lieutenants, to back the final compromise, says Daniel Newhauser at Roll Call. Boehner “now slumps into the 113th Congress with gavel firmly in hand but with scant ability to wield its power.”
- Hurricane Sandy victims — After the messy fight over the fiscal cliff bill, House GOP leaders canceled a scheduled vote on a supplemental spending bill for areas ravaged by Hurricane Sandy, mostly in New York and New Jersey. The House Appropriations Committee had even teed up a $60 billion package, matching the Sandy relief bill that passed the Senate last week. “Absent a change of heart, the upshot now is that the Senate bill will die with this Congress on Thursday at noon,” says David Rogers at Politico. “I assume there is as tactical consideration here, that the Republican leadership didn’t want to be anywhere near a big spending bill after the fiasco of their handling the tax debate,”says Rep. Rob Andrews (D.N.J.). “I understand the tactics but there is a real human need here that is being ignored.”
(Source: theweek.com)
- Joe Biden — Biden certainly “emerges with enhanced stature from the budget mess,” says The Daily Beast’s Kurtz. He was “called off the bench” on Sunday, then “showed a deft hand — and the experience of growing up in [the Senate] — in quickly hammering out a deal with Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.” If the 70-year-old vice president “decides to run for Obama’s job in 2016, such performances could more than offset his reputation for shooting from the lip.” Of course if Democrats end up hating the deal, this could actually “bite Biden down the line,” says Chris Cillizza at The Washington Post. But he clearly ranks among the winners for negotiating the deal and persuading Democrats to support it. The vice president is often underestimated by the political press, but “the ‘Biden as major White House asset’ storyline writes itself” now.
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Cartoon of the day: Biden’s future
STEVE BREEN © 2012 Creators Syndicate(Source: theweek.com)
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Newark Mayor Cory Booker vows to spend a week eating off of $4 a day, the average amount a food-stamp recipient receives. The idea arose from a spat between Brooker and a North Carolina mom over Twitter.
Brooker urged the woman, who disagrees with taxpayer funded school lunch programs, to take the “food stamp challenge” with him. While some critics are praising the Mayor’s pledge, others suggest Brooker is using the plight of the poor to score political points.
Is Cory Booker an empathetic mayor or political panderer?
PHOTO: AP Photo/Julio Cortez
(Source: theweek.com)
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Cartoon of the day — All quiet on the Biden front
STEVE KELLEY © 2012 Creators Syndicate(Source: theweek.com)
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“My friend Bill O’Reilly is completely full of shit,” began Jon Stewart during his opening statements at the “Rumble in the Air-Conditioned Auditorium,” a 90-minute debate in front of a crowd of 1,500 at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. between him and The O’Reilly Factor’s Bill O’Reilly.
If you missed it, watch the whole debate here.
(Source: theweek.com)
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“There is the danger that the eloquent Clinton could upstage Obama’s speech.” — Steve Holland, Reuters
Bill Clinton is the marquee speaker at the Democratic National Convention tonight — and nobody knows what he’s going to say.
(Source: theweek.com)
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Cartoon of the day — Eclipsed
DANA SUMMERS © 2012 Tribune Media Services(Source: theweek.com)
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“President Obama hasn’t given up on the stoner vote, despite their notoriously low turnout rates.” — Margaret Hartmann, New York Magazine
In a new video promoting this week’s Democratic National Convention, President Obama dials up some old friends: Harold & Kumar
(Source: theweek.com)
