Crikey says: and the winner is … you decide
The federal government ends the year with two bungles: Bernard Keane has the scoop. The disgraced Melbourne Storm official in a new business saga. More Crikey gongs: the best and worst of media. And...
View ArticleWhat’s over the fiscal cliff? We may be about to find out
Congress and Barack Obama have gone on holidays without a deal on the "fiscal cliff". The chances of anything more than a temporary fix now look remote.
View ArticleObama’s Republican pick to shake up the Pentagon
Former Republican senator turned Obama supporter Chuck Hagel has just been named as the new US Secretary for Defence. But he's a controversial figure, mainly because of his comments against Israel.
View ArticleCandelight vigils guide Obama’s unlikely new gun laws
In the wake of the Sandy Hook elementary shooting, President Barack Obama has proposed a range of new gun laws. What would it take to get the laws through the Republican-controlled House?
View ArticleWhy debt is easier than guns: Obama’s twin challenges
Gun control fits the normal paradigm of a legislative negotiation. The debt ceiling is different, most Republicans know they must raise it -- and that's why Obama should have more success on debt than...
View ArticleSasha and Malia need a bodyguard — little Johnny doesn’t
Crikey readers weigh in on the issues of the day.
View ArticleReagan, Clinton, Bush: the second-term curse awaiting Obama
Barack Obama's place in history will be decided this year. He has a small window to enact his ambitious agenda, and a hostile Congress to get it done. Dr David Smith of The United States Studies Centre...
View ArticleClinton’s star power shone through as Obama’s ambassador
Hillary Clinton has proved herself one of the most successful secretaries of state the US government has ever seen. Will she make a tilt for the presidency? Keep an eye on her actions ...
View ArticleMedia briefs: Tele is truckin’… assassination on tape …
The Sunday Telegraph hits a new low by Photoshopping trucker caps onto its columnists' byline photos. And other media tidbits.
View ArticleClimate change, immigration, guns: Obama’s liberalism shot
President Obama has signalled a willingness to pursue an ambitious agenda in his second term. New York-base political consultant Ben Winsor reckons the landscape may be changing enough for him to achieve.
View ArticleInauguration day: solidarity from some while homeless shiver
The mood on the Mall was of dutiful solidarity rather than joy as Barack Obama was sworn in for his second term as president, writes freelance journalist Sally Davies from Washington.
View ArticleObama’s big speech was half-baked, but that’s nothing new
That Obama's big inauguration speech was a forgettable shopping list should surprise no one. But there may have been a hint of a new, bullish spirit for a second term.
View ArticleObama a big believer in big government? Think again
Barack Obama’s second inauguration has reinforced the narrative that he’s a believer in a large and expanding government. That conclusion suits pundits, but Charles Richardson isn't convinced.
View ArticleUS assault rifle ban: why the NRA is right (sort of)
Focussing on assault rifles and hi-cap magazines in the US gun control debate is a false security, writes University of Queensland professor and American ex-pat Howard Karger. The answer lies in...
View ArticleA bowl of chili with a side serving of Obama watching
This week the world’s spotlight was on Washington D.C., to watch the second inauguration of President Obama. Freelance journalist — and former local — Robert Baird dishes on the best secret spots in...
View ArticleUS immigration reform and the Latinos that don’t exist
Without "illegal" Mexicans, California might grind to a halt. But Barack Obama might have a compromise on his hands for serious US immigration reform, reports writer and academic Jason Wilson from Long...
View ArticleMedia briefs: ABC breaks news … enhanced Obama … ICAC ‘crook’…
Remember how in June of last year, News Ltd boss Kim Williams bagged the ABC for not being a newsbreaker? Plus other media news of the day.
View ArticleObama’s new global warming push leaves Abbott in the cold
Barack Obama championed a cap-and-trade scheme on climate change yesterday. With a hostile Congress, he'll struggle to achieve it. Still it leaves the Tea Party-esque Tony Abbott behind on climate policy.
View ArticleState of the Union, state of the media: Obama address highlights press...
This year’s State of the Union address provides little evidence that Barack Obama is bent on a radical transformation of America. But it does expose a major limitation of the mainstream media, writes...
View ArticleThe Union is fine, the Republicans not so much
President Obama's State of the Union address set out some ambitious progressive reforms, while the Republicans scatter and filibuster as they work out which battles to fight. Crikey takes the political...
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