Two years ago this month, The Independent Agenda launched, just in time for the debt-limit crisis that caused Standard & Poor’s to strip the U.S. of its AAA credit rating. Then came the run-up to the 2012 presidential election, primary … More…
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What the Obama Presidency Really Means
President Obama is still in the first year of his second term and a lot will happen between now and 2016, but we already can glimpse what his legacy will be.
As I’ve written, the trio of scandals that … More…
Four Ways President Obama Can Cement His Legacy
President Obama is going through one of the periodic rough patches of his presidency. From the collapse of his campaign against the automatic spending cuts in the “sequester” to the failure to pass universal background checks for gun purchases, … More…
Republicans Are Still Main Culprit in Beltway Gridlock
Following his defeat over legislation that would close the “gun show” loophole; stalled immigration reform, and a setback over FAA funding in the automatic spending “sequester,” President Obama is facing a torrent of media criticism that he’s lost his “juice.”… More…
Obama Tries to Avoid Health Care ‘Train Wreck’
President Obama was on the defensive during much of Tuesday’s White House press conference, but he pushed back at NBC’s Chuck Todd’s question about worries over implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
…For the 85 to 90 percent of
… More…
Austerity Hasn’t Lost the Battle Yet
The amazing discrediting of one of the most influential research papers of our time—Kenneth Rogoff and Carmen Rinehart’s 2010 “Growth in a Time of Debt”—has mobilized opponents of austerity around the globe.
As we wrote last week, the paper, which … More…
Bush Was the Worst President of the Last 50 Years
On Thursday President Obama and the four living former presidents will travel to Dallas to dedicate the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum at Southern Methodist University. Everyone will no doubt say kind things about the 43rd president, … More…
Rogoff and Reinhart’s Screw-Up May Undercut Austerity
So, now it seems that the paper heard ‘round the world—the 2010 study by Kenneth Rogoff and Carmen Reinhart that said economic growth goes negative when debt gets too big—was deeply flawed.
The two researchers, now both Harvard professors, … More…
Rubio Takes a Calculated Risk on Immigration Reform
There was Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida on seven—that’s right, seven– different Sunday talk shows, making the case for immigration reform.
Rubio will join eight Senators of both parties to present the bill officially on Tuesday. It promises to be … More…
President’s Budget Is a Small Step Forward
President Obama finally presented his 2014 budget Wednesday, and the coverage has been mostly favorable, except on the progressive left and the Tea Party right.
Progressives were enraged at the president for changing the way cost-of-living increases are calculated for … More…
Howard R. Gold
I’m an award-winning business and financial journalist and an independent-minded citizen who is deeply concerned about the challenges facing our country. That’s why I started The Independent Agenda. "
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