“American Enterprise Institute” on The Daily Caller

Sen. Jeff Sessions struck a defiant tone Monday toward President Obama in advance of the State of the Union address, saying he does not think the president is serious about deficit reduction and that the GOP should fight him the same way that Newt Gingrich fought Bill Clinton in the mid-90′s. (more)

State governments are beginning to choose one of two directions to dig out of deep budget deficits, and the resulting clash of visions between raising taxes or cutting spending has some conservatives salivating at the contrast between liberal and conservative philosophies of how to create economic growth. (more)

NPR recently ran a two-part series on media bias. The reports, by David Folkenflik, were quite good, with a couple major flaws. Folkenflik ignored the question of who gets hired by the major media and why. Isn’t it time to do a nuts-and-bolts investigation of who gets brought on to the Washington Post, New York Times, CBS, et al, and who does not? Answering that question may answer why the media has lost its capacity to report fairly, not to mention delight, compel, and surprise — characteristics that, idiotic pronouncements about “objectivity” aside, are part of what makes good journalism. (more)

A myriad of liberal organizations has plotted for months behind the scenes to rewrite Senate rules to limit the power of Republicans. As their anti-filibuster campaign reaches a critical moment, they’re pulling out all the stops. In recent days, the New York Times editorialized in support of their effort and the Washington Post carried op-eds from their allies. (more)

A political polling report published last week by the Washington, D.C.-based American Enterprise Institute (AEI) captured the attitude of the American public towards government. In short: cynicism and uncertainty across the board is a widespread trend. (more)

During a debate with New York Times columnist David Brooks at the American Enterprise Institute Thursday, Wisconsin Republican Rep. Paul Ryan said Americans need to confront not just the size of government but its proper role. (more)

Jackie Gingrich Cushman is the editor of the new book, “The Essential American: A Patriot’s Resource.” (more)

Republicans, who were expected to be overwhelmed by internal divisions and Tea Party discord, have navigated the first set of rapids with surprising ease following the midterm elections, while Democrats have suffered a level of chaos that most did not foresee. (more)

Politics has a tendency to devolve into juvenile playground taunts and smears. This election cycle has been no different — with one of the Democrats’ most coveted insults this year being calling the opposing candidate a racist. (more)

TRENTON, N.J.—He says she’s a “greedy thug” who uses children as “drug mules.” She says he’s a “bully” and a “liar” who’s “obsessed with a vendetta.” (more)

While the recession has hit men far harder than women — so much so that some pundits have dubbed this economic downturn a “mancession” — the Obama administration is focusing on the struggles women are facing during these tough economic times. (more)

Colin Clark misses the mark in his latest piece for DOD Buzz. Even the title, “GOP To Tea Party: Don’t Cut Defense,” is wrong. (more)

On the same day House Republicans will release their new governing document, former President Bill Clinton advised Democrats to issue their own written agenda that contains policy ideas before November the midterm elections. (more)

If Republicans take over the House of Representatives, as they seem poised to do in November, President Obama will need to sign Republican-approved appropriations bills, meaning Obama and Ohio Rep. John Boehner — who is likely to become the Speaker of the House in a Republican-controlled Congress — must arrive at some kind of agreement at least once a year. (more)

The GOP’s “Young Guns” are long on platitudes and personality but short on policy details in a new book scheduled for publication just weeks before a mid-term election that could propel them into power. (more)

Since assuming office, President Obama has garnered his fair share of high-profile critics. But few have been as omnipresent and implacable as John Bolton. From his near constant appearances on Fox News and HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher” to his steady stream of op-eds in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Daily News, the 61-year-old former Ambassador to the United Nations and Under Secretary of State for Arms Control under President George W. Bush has been relentless in his critiques of President Obama’s agenda, especially in the realm of foreign policy. (more)

Now that the final brigade of American “combat troops” has left Iraq, analysts who supported the initial attack on the Middle Eastern country told The Daily Caller that it is still too early to tell whether the military campaign they argued for has been a success, but said they were “pleasantly surprised” by the outcome to date. (more)

Financial experts and banking industry insiders gathered at the Treasury Department in Washington Tuesday to discuss the future of mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. The general consensus? There is agreement that Fannie and Freddie cannot continue to exist in their current state of government conservatorship — but the agreement ends there. (more)

Nearly two years ago, the federal government began pumping what now totals almost $150 billion of taxpayer money into mortgage giants Fannie Mae (the Federal National Mortgage Association) and Freddie Mac (the Federal Home Loan Mortgage Corporation) in order to keep them afloat. Seen at the time as too big to fail, the two massive mortgage entities, which collectively back more than $5 trillion worth of home mortgages in the U.S., were essentially taken over by the federal government in September 2008 when they were placed under conservatorship. (more)

WASHINGTON — As lawmakers head home this week for what remains of summer, one question transfixes Washington: Will Democrats lose control of the House and possibly even the Senate in November, or will they hang on to fragile majorities? (more)