Forget the performance critiques of Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal’s Republican response to Barack Obama’s State-of-the-Union-in-name-only speech Tuesday night. Plenty of Democrats sucked in the same role following the far less gifted orator George W Bush (remember Tim Kaine in 2006 or Harry Reid in 2005? Lordy they were bad!). Jindal’s problem wasn’t performance, it was substance and it reaffirms our diagnosis that the Republican Party is in critical condition.
Many Republicans leaders, egged on by right-wing radio hosts like Rush and Hannity, have charted a course of total opposition to the …

Last week the media formed a now-normal closed loop regurgitating the “news” that Americans were “deeply split” (NY Post) on Obama and his housing plan.
The cable nets went full-tilt especially after a CNBC reporter checked his credibility at the door of the Chicago Board of Trade and went on a stream-of-consciousness rant about how Obama’s housing plan reminded him of nothing more than Cuba under Castro.
By Sunday when the nets rolled out their gabfests it was no longer a question. The debates were over how bad Americans hated the housing …

For the better part of a year people on all sides of the political and economic theory spectrum have been saying the economic meltdown cannot be fixed until the mortgage mess is cleared up. Now Barack Obama is taking action to do just that. But is it enough?
That’s been the question asked of every action the previous and current administrations have taken trying to respond to the recession and it’s entirely appropriate this time. Obama’s plan could cost $275 billion over time and will help a maximum of around nine …