Include President-elect Barack Obama among those concerned that millionaire farmers are getting federal subsidies. A Government Accountability Office report issued Monday said that, between 2003 and 2006, $49 million in subsidies went to farmers who made more than the $2.5 million gross income cutoff. Obama cited the report Tuesday and said that “if it’s true, it’s a prime example of waste.” But the Washington Post’s Ticker blog was skeptical that Obama could do anything, noting that many other presidents have tried and failed to curb farm subsidies. “To the president-elect, we say: Good luck with that,” the blog said. “Let us know how it works out for you.”
Rep. Charlie Rangel, D-N.Y., is under scrutiny again. This time it’s about a CEO making a $1 million donation to the Charles B. Rangel School of Public Service at City College of New York after Rangel helped preserve a tax loophole. Rangel and the CEO insist that there was no quid pro quo. But Rangel met with the CEO to talk about the tax loophole on the same day they met to talk about the CEO potentially making a donation. Rangel had earlier seemed to be a strong supporter of closing the loophole.
Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post has come out with a list of the “10 Republicans to keep an eye on over the coming months and years.” The list is not of potential presidential candidates in 2012, though some on the list may run. And of particular note, the list doesn’t include Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who Cillizza said is “very lightly regarded by many of the opinion leaders and establishment types within the GOP, making it tougher for her to command a leading role.” The Top 10:
10. Steve Poizner, California insurance commissioner and expected GOP gubernatorial candidate in 2010.
9. Haley Barbour, Mississippi governor.
8. Jon Huntsman Jr., Utah governor.
7. Eric Cantor, Virginia congressman and new House minority whip.
6. Mark Sanford, South Carolina governor and newly elected chairman of the Republican Governors Association.
5. Bob McDonnell, Virginia’s attorney general.
4. Mitch Daniels, Indiana governor.
3. Mitt Romney, former Massachusetts governor.
2. John Thune, South Dakota senator.
1. Bobby Jindal, Louisiana governor.
The conservative Wall Street Journal editorial board seemed happy enough with the choice of New York Federal Reserve president Timothy Geithner to lead the Treasury Department, dubbing him “secretary of bailouts” and suggesting he “knows as well as anyone which banks are vulnerable and likely to threaten the larger financial system.” The editorial went on: “Mr. Geithner’s political style is to listen first, which by itself makes him a better choice than Harvard economist Larry Summers, who would find a way to condescend to Albert Einstein.”
Include President-elect Barack Obama among those concerned that millionaire farmers are getting federal subsidies. A Government Accountability Office report issued Monday said that, between 2003 and 2006, $49 million in subsidies went to farmers who made more than the $2.5 million gross income cutoff. Obama cited the report Tuesday and said that “if it’s true, it’s a prime example of waste.” But the Washington Post’s Ticker blog was skeptical that Obama could do anything, noting that many other presidents have tried and failed to curb farm subsidies. “To the president-elect, we say: Good luck with that,” the blog said. “Let us know how it works out for you.”
