UPDATE: TED has now broken down and posted the talk. I guess the fact that they already posted a similar talk on inequality, that comes to somewhat more radical conclusions but isn’t so mean, was the straw that broke the camel’s back here: Nick Hanauer is a venture capitalist who wrote a well-received op-ed at [...]

It’s fair to be optimistic about the modest recovery of the US economy, though the White House is wisely staying pretty muted this time. The early read on jobs numbers for February looks decent, similar to the previous month, about in the range for an economy growing at an average pace. We’re nowhere near the [...]

I’m loath to dive into the numbers of the Administration’s FY 2013 budget, because it won’t be used as anyone’s baseline, and to the extent that it will, that was baked into the cake by the debt limit deal. If you want the hard numbers, the surprisingly best source I’ve found comes from the Guardian. [...]

Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse plans to introduce the “Paying a Fair Share Act” on Wednesday. The bill follows the contours of what President Obama laid out as “the Buffett rule” in his State of the Union address. The bill would set a second alternative minimum tax for millionaires, essentially, at 30%. So after taxpayers with over [...]

Let’s briefly go through a few of the other proposals in last night’s State of the Union Address, none of which will come to pass this year if they include an act of Congress, but which offer some insights regardless: • The broader mortgage refi plan: HARP 2 is already operative, and Fannie and Freddie [...]

Tonight at 9pm ET, the President will deliver the State of the Union Address at the beginning of his run for re-election. Unlike Obama’s other addresses to joint sessions of Congress I wouldn’t expect this one to produce much in the way of a legislative blueprint. It’s an election year and most of the major [...]

I agree with Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley that Mitt Romney’s time as governor deserves as much scrutiny as his Bain Capital days. And on that score, Democrats are telling a story about Massachusetts’ woeful job creation record – 47th out of the 50 states – in Romney’s one term. But Romney is running on his [...]

The full 30-minute attack ad called “When Mitt Romney Came to Town” is out, and it is really hardcore. Dolloped with a hint of xenophobia (Romney speaks French in the film twice), the film features the roadkill from the freight train of vulture capitalism, the workers who had the misfortune of getting caught up in [...]

Since Mitt Romney will in all likelihood be the Republican nominee for President this year (especially given his surge in South Carolina), it’s worth noting his tax plan, which the Tax Policy Center estimates will save $82,000 for every wage earner in the top 1%, while actually raising taxes slightly at the bottom of the [...]

The LA Times writes about a shifting message for the 2012 election campaign, which the President will employ but which will also undoubtedly get taken up by the rest of the Democratic ticket. They will position their party as the defenders of the middle class. “This isn’t just about recovering from this recession,” said a [...]

I’ve tended to ignore the litany of “poor oppressed rich folks” articles that have popped up over the last year. It has been exhilarating to see those who get every advantage in American life so weepy because some of the unwashed masses have decided not to love them unconditionally anymore. But it’s just kind of [...]