WASHINGTON MERRY-GO-ROUND Founded by Drew Pearson 1932 Heading for a very happy New Year By Douglas Cohn and Eleanor Clift WASHINGTON – A discussion of the economy is pointless without the context of history, which is why the economic naysayers should brush up on their history. The deficit during World War II was higher as […]

WASHINGTON MERRY-GO-ROUND Founded by Drew Pearson 1932 The surveillance deterrent By Douglas Cohn and Eleanor Clift WASHINGTON – President George W. Bush left office with a very  low job approval rating, but voters still credited him with keeping the country safe after the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington. In those first days and […]

WASHINGTON MERRY-GO-ROUND Founded by Drew Pearson 1932 George Will’s Minimum Wage Fallacies By Douglas Cohn and Eleanor Clift WASHINGTON – If columnist George Will’s logic is logical, the minimum hourly wage should not be raised from $7.25 to President Obama’s proposed $10.10; it should be lowered, or better, still, eliminated. And his arguments are rooted […]

WASHINGTON MERRY-GO-ROUND Founded by Drew Pearson 1932 Scrooges of the House By Douglas Cohn and Eleanor Clift WASHINGTON – With the House set to adjourn for the holidays, the window has apparently closed for Congress to extend unemployment insurance to 1.3 million people whose benefits run out a few days after Christmas. Republicans say that […]

  WASHINGTON MERRY-GO-ROUND Founded by Drew Pearson 1932 Why China and not Cuba? By Douglas Cohn and Eleanor Clift WASHINGTON – The memorial celebration of Nelson Mandela’s life drew more than a hundred world leaders, and among them was Raul Castro, president of Cuba and brother of Fidel. Like President Obama, Castro was invited by […]

WASHINGTON MERRY-GO-ROUND Founded by Drew Pearson 1932 China’s pawn-in-chief By Douglas Cohn and Eleanor Clift WASHINGTON – China is North Korea’s patron, and without China’s economic assistance, the regime would crumble. As the U.S. and China enter into a new phase in their global rivalry, it’s tempting to look at North Korea’s actions through the […]

WASHINGTON MERRY-GO-ROUND Founded by Drew Pearson 1932 The China quest for hegemony By Douglas Cohn and Eleanor Clift WASHINGTON – Even though they were unarmed, still it was a bold move for President Obama to order B-52 bombers into air space that the Chinese government had declared off limits to foreign aircraft unless they provide […]

WASHINGTON MERRY-GO-ROUND Founded by Drew Pearson 1932 Nuclear Option at last By Douglas Cohn and Eleanor Clift WASHINGTON – First proposed by Republican senators during one of the periods when they were in the majority, the Nuclear Option to alter the filibuster rule is rooted in complex procedural machinations that circumvent the Senate’s rule requiring […]

WASHINGTON MERRY-GO-ROUND Founded by Drew Pearson 1932 Never fear to negotiate By Douglas Cohn and Eleanor Clift WASHINGTON – Of the 10 generals who became U.S. presidents, not one took us into a major war. Beginning with our first president, George Washington, on through the Civil War era, and up to and including Dwight Eisenhower. […]

WASHINGTON MERRY-GO-ROUND Founded by Drew Pearson 1932 Fines for the rich, jail for the poor By Douglas Cohn and Eleanor Clift WASHINGTON – The record $13 billion settlement that the Justice Department reached with JPMorgan Chase was a long time coming. It’s been five years since the meltdown in the financial markets that nearly crashed […]