News
National Journal | ECONOMY: State of the (Occupied) Union
There are two planks of President Obama’s State of the Union speech that could stand a reasonable chance at pumping more life into the economy sometime soon, albeit probably not before the November election: a $200 billion infrastructure program--classic Keynesian spending--and an effort to soothe the housing market by helping underwater homeowners refinance their mortgages.
Bloomberg | Obama Calls for Higher Taxes on Wealthy
President Barack Obama, offering an election-year prescription to spur the economy, said the wealthiest Americans should pay more taxes in the name of fairness, to bring down the deficit and ensure those trying to make ends meet don’t have to “make up the difference.”
National Journal | Obama Announces New Unit To Investigate Unfair Trade Practices
President Obama announced Tuesday the creation of a Trade Enforcement Unit, singling out China as a country that has had an unfair advantage over American competitors and requires more scrutiny. “I will not stand by when our competitors don’t play by the rules,” the president said in his State of the Union address.
CNN Money | Obama focuses State of the Union on income inequality
President Obama delivered a State of the Union address Tuesday that was deeply saturated with the message of income inequality, a populist idea that the White House hopes will resonate on the campaign trail.
National Journal | Obama Touts Bin Laden Killing, End Of Iraq War In Speech
Calling for a post-war era of unity and selflessness reportedly not seen since the wake of World War II, President Obama led and closed his State of the Union address with an invocation of the impressive list of national security accomplishments under his watch in the past year.
NY Times | A Tax Proposal Is Brought Out Again
President Obama, stymied for three years on his promise to end tax incentives that move jobs overseas, went back to the well on Tuesday night with tax proposals that he said would promote domestic corporate growth.
Econ Comments & Analysis
WSJ | How Green Became Obama's Albatross
Barack Obama may believe a lot of things, but he probably doesn't believe the Sierra Club is key to his re-election. His decision to nix the Keystone XL pipeline will cost him votes but he did it anyway.
CATO | A Redistributive State of the Union
The president’s address — more campaign speech than policy platform — was long on calls for “fairness” and “opportunity,” but it really boiled down to the president’s vision of a society where government does everything for everyone — financed, of course, by higher taxes on “the rich,” who need to pay “their fair share.”
WSJ | The State of His Policies
President Obama delivered a State of the Union address Tuesday night that by the account of his own advisers is more campaign document than a plan for governing. He's running against Republicans in Congress, Reaganomics, wealthy bankers and inequality.
Forbes | President Obama's State of the Union? Hyper-Regulated
The 2012 State of the Union Address ought to address the Mistakes of the Union when it comes to over-regulation of competitive free enterprise.
Blogs
The American | Does public opinion support Obama’s SOTU agenda?
There was a lot in President Obama’s address last night that will satisfy his polling team. Many of the president’s proposals rest on solid ground when it comes to public opinion.
The American | SOTU: Nothing new on education
President Obama (like President Bush before him) has used education to signal to centrists and moderates that he’s no ideologue. Where Bush used No Child Left Behind to demonstrate his “compassionate conservatism,” Obama has used education reform to make the case that his calls for higher taxes and more federal activity are about “transformation.”
CATO | Fact Checking the SOTU: Corporate Taxes
Let’s do some fact checking on President Obama’s corporate tax comments in last night’s State of the Union.
Heritage Foundation | State of the Union 2012: Heritage Reaction Roundup
The President must not understand that an economy based on free-enterprise with limited government involvement will, in fact, work for and benefit more than just the wealthy.
The American | Obama pulls trigger on January Surprise: a mass refinancing plan for U.S. mortgages
This SOTU shocker may well be the talk of the markets today.
Greg Mankiw | Two Reactions to the SOTU
Last night President Obama continued his misleading claims about Warren Buffett's tax rate. Also, I was disappointed, and even a bit surprised, that the President adopted the xenophobic approach to outsourcing and international trade.
The American | 11 things Obama didn’t tell you about tax fairness last night
Are wealthier Americans really not paying their fair share? Here are some numbers on income inequality:
Political Calculations | The President's Failing Focus on Jobs
In his 2012 State of the Union Address, President Obama sought to "embrace manufacturing". Since the President has been in office for three years now, we thought we would take a look at how well he's done so far in embracing manufacturing, by his own terms.
Tax Foundation | Tax Policy References in the State of the Union
Tax policy is a hot topic and featured prominently in tonight's State of the Union address given by President Obama, and in the Republican response delivered by Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels. Here are the references.
