Topic: Lamar Alexander
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'Fiscal cliff' deal: Will the Tea Party find renewed strength? (+video)
Some, including members of the Tea Party, are dissatisfied with the recently agreed upon deal relating to the fiscal cliff. Tea Party groups are looking toward the next election in hopes of replacing less conservative Republican members of Congress with Tea Party candidates.
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Opinion: Fiscal cliff: Republicans on wrong track if they help Obama raise taxes on the rich
Higher taxes won’t much improve US finances and would likely wreck the economy. But as fiscal cliff talks intensify, a small group of Republican senators are prepared to help President Obama make the rich pay more – facts notwithstanding. A better approach: Spur private-sector growth.
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Saxby Chambliss: One more Republican breaks ranks over anti-tax pledge
Republicans are grappling with growing rifts in their ranks over a no-new-tax pledge that has been rock solid for more than 20 years. That quiet debate within the GOP could determine how Congress deals with its looming 'fiscal cliff.'
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How the 2014 elections tip prospects for a 'grand bargain' on US deficits
Whoever wins the White House – President Obama or Mitt Romney – will need help from the other side of the aisle in the Senate to reach a deal on meaningful debt- and deficit-reduction. But key senators up for reelection in 2014 face wrenching tradeoffs.
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Rep. Scott Rigell: Maverick GOP freshman in the eye of a political storm
Obama is hitting Virginia Beach, Va., Thursday for a reason: It's one of the hottest political ad markets in the country. Its congressman, Scott Rigell, is out to change Washington's 'toxic mix of partisanship, no facts, weak ideas.'
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In Gear
Washington goes green? Three senators who drive plug-in cars.Plug-in cars are now DC approved – President Obama recently signed a bill allowing the installation of electric car-charging stations in US Capitol parking garages. Will this prompt more lawmakers to go electric?
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Fight brewing in Congress over budget, taxes
Last year, Congress put off hard decisions on the country's finances, but they are coming due in an election-year showdown.
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Student loans: GOP filibuster blocks Senate move to freeze low rates
Student loans will cost more come July 1 unless Congress acts. While both parties say they support extending low rates on federally subsidized loans, election-year politics have intervened.
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A Congress with no room for Olympia Snowe and other centrists?
Sen. Olympia Snowe (R) of Maine is the latest centrist to depart Congress. For several years now, the partisans have been staying and the moderates have been either losing or leaving.
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Rick Santorum sweater vest: 'What not to wear' or sleeveless genius?
Rick Santorum's sleeveless sweater vest has taken on a life of its own this week, even garnishing its own Twitter account. Candidates' sartorial choices many times take on special significance.
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Six days left: Slowly, for super committee, failure is becoming an option
Republicans and Democrats remain far apart on how much tax hikes should contribute to deficit reduction. The deadline for the super committee to reach a deal is next Wednesday.
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Tax VOX
A fix on the horizon for the online sales tax messThe new measure would allow states to require online retailers to collect sales taxes on all purchases, as long as the states first agree to simplify their sales tax rules. Remarkably, the idea has broad support in the business community and may actually pass.
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Senate vote: first step toward dismantling No Child Left Behind
A Senate panel votes to drop a signature provision of No Child Left Behind, the Bush-era education reform. The new law would eliminate the mandate for 'adequate yearly progress.'
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'Stimulus 2.0'? Senate rejects bid to revive parts of Obama jobs bill.
Senate Republicans and moderate Democrats blocked the first attempt by to pass a scaled-down version of the $447 billion Obama jobs bill, calling it a 'bailout.'
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Can new No Child Left Behind law pass before 2012 elections?
A new No Child Left Behind bill is finally getting a hearing in the Senate Wednesday – after three years of sitting in limbo. The bill has bipartisan support, and plenty of detractors.
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Senate to vote, again, on bill to fund government, disaster aid
The Senate is set to vote late Monday on a spending bill to keep government running. This one, like a version rejected Friday, does not resolve the sticking point: how to pay for new disaster aid.
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How one school district won prestigious prize for narrowing achievement gap
The 2011 Broad Prize for Urban Education went to Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in North Carolina, which has narrowed the achievement gap for both African-American and Hispanic students.
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On the Economy
A first look at the Obama jobs planWill an estimated $300 billion in spending fix the economy?
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Debt ceiling: Why Sunday could be make-or-break day for 'grand bargain'
President Obama is pushing for a comprehensive deal to raise the debt ceiling and trim long-term deficits. But any big deal will require arm-twisting in Congress, and time is running out.
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Obama touts auto industry recovery while GOP asks 'What jobs?'
Obama says his administration took the right steps in preventing the auto industry from total collapse. But the US economy is slow to add jobs, and that's a major political target for Republicans.
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Bill to chop Big Oil's tax breaks falls short – but makes its point
Senate Republicans halt a bill that would take away multibillion-dollar tax breaks for oil companies. Wednesday, Democrats are expected stop a bill that would force Obama's hand on Gulf drilling permits. 'It’s summertime symbolic politics' in Washington.
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Sen. Jon Kyl retirement sets off two races: one in Arizona, another in D.C.
Sen. Jon Kyl (R) of Arizona announces his retirement, opening the door to candidates for his Senate seat as well as his position as the No. 2 Republican in the Senate.
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Vitriol in political rhetoric: Did it play a part in the Arizona shooting?
The Arizona shooting suspect has been called 'unstable,' and no motive has been identified. But did the vitriol that has been present in the debates over immigration and health care trigger the attack?
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Robert Reich
The real reason Republicans don't want the new START treatyWhat's behind GOP opposition to START?
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The Vote
Senate ban on budget earmarks: Can it really work?Pressure on senators to direct money to their states can be tremendous, whether it's done by budget earmarks or some other way. Appropriations bills are only one avenue to deliver the goods.
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