Robb Mandelbaum


McCain, Fair-Weather Free Marketeer: Courting Coal

By Robb Mandelbaum |  Aug 7, 2008

We've discussed in this space Senator John McCain...  Read story

Obama's Plan: Economic Lifeline Or Political Weapon?

By Robb Mandelbaum |  Aug 1, 2008

Barack Obama's emergency back-up stimulator, announced today, is a ...  Read story

McCain's Nadir -- We Hope -- Of Negativity

By Robb Mandelbaum |  Jul 31, 2008

Wow. Isn't it awfully early in the general election for such a double-barreled assault of unpleasantness? After all, brazenly negative campaigning so ofte...  Read story

Deficit Soars; Candidates Fiddle

By Robb Mandelbaum |  Jul 28, 2008

The White House announced today that -- whoops! -- its economic brain trust had misunderestimated the federal deficit. In 2009, it's likely to soar, or sk...  Read story

Battle Of The Tax Plans: WhIch Favors Small Biz?

By Robb Mandelbaum |  Jul 24, 2008

With Barack Obama off on his world tour and John McCain withering in obscurity, now's a good time for the Agenda to reflect on the latest domestic policy ...  Read story

The SBA's Bad News Cycle

By Robb Mandelbaum |  Jul 17, 2008

Three bits of related news from the SBA, none of it, in my mind, good: 1) The flagship Read story

Obama Promises A Small Biz Tax Credit For Health

By Robb Mandelbaum |  Jul 14, 2008

In a speech yesterday to Latino activists, Barack Obama unveiled a tax cred...  Read story

McCain: Fair-Weather Free Marketeer?

By Robb Mandelbaum |  Jul 11, 2008

First, it was his speech at the NFIB 2008 National Sm...  Read story

An NFIB Foot Soldier Confronts Washington

By Robb Mandelbaum |  Jun 18, 2008

Jim Burg knew I was a journalist, and he had something he wanted me to hear. He reached across the table for my wrist. "When you have your own business, i...  Read story

Blogging the NFIB Summit: McCain Spanks Big Business

By Robb Mandelbaum |  Jun 11, 2008

There was a lone protester standing outside the H Street entrance of the Grand Hyatt to greet me upon my arrival yesterday morning to catch McCain's speec...  Read story

Blogging The NFIB Summit: Tucker Carlson Brings The Good News

By Robb Mandelbaum |  Jun 10, 2008

1:30 PM The evening capping the first day of the NFIB summit was held at the National Portrait Gallery, and before sitting down for dinner in the e...  Read story

Live-Blogging the NFIB Summit: The GOP's Fading Fortunes

By Robb Mandelbaum |  Jun 9, 2008

6:50 PM It will not be a good year at the polls for Republicans, but it's too soon to say just how bad the election will go -- that's the view, any...  Read story

Update: The Candidates On The Climate Change Bill

By Robb Mandelbaum |  Jun 6, 2008

Here are the presidential candidates' statements on the Lieberman-Warner Climate Security Act, which Read story

Republicans Stall, Democrats Abandon Climate Bill

By Robb Mandelbaum |  Jun 6, 2008

Climate bill, we hardly knew ye. I thought I'd have more time to gather my thoughts on the massive global warming legislation that the Senate Read story

The Climate Begins To Change In The Senate

By Robb Mandelbaum |  Jun 3, 2008

It is perhaps fitting that just a day after the Senate commenced debate on greenhouse gas cap-and-trade Read story

Reprieve At The SBA: Preston Stays Until At Least June

By Robb Mandelbaum |  May 27, 2008

Contrary to the predictions of some " small business a...  Read story

Tears (And Some Misplaced Jeers) As Preston Leaves The SBA

By Robb Mandelbaum |  May 22, 2008

This morning, at this hour, Small Business Administration chief Steven Preston goes before the Senate Committee on Bankin...  Read story

Why Are SBA Loans Drying Up?

By Robb Mandelbaum |  May 20, 2008

Critics say that the agency should be lending more now that credit is tight.  Read story

Health Care For All, Redux (Q&A, Part VI)

By Robb Mandelbaum |  May 15, 2008

Today concludes our series with Bob Graboyes , the senior health care advisor to the Read story

Update: McCain Strikes Boldness From Climate Speech

By Robb Mandelbaum |  May 13, 2008

D'oh! I was a bit premature yesterday when I laudedRead story

McCain Trades Trade For Climate

By Robb Mandelbaum |  May 12, 2008

There's a hard question that must asked of every plan ...  Read story

The Government Will See You Now? (Q&A, Part V)

By Robb Mandelbaum |  May 9, 2008

Today, after a bit of a hiatus, our conversation with Bob Graboyes , the senior health care advisor to the Read story

Indiana Upset

By Robb Mandelbaum |  May 7, 2008

Near-final results (99 percent of precincts reporting) in the Hoosier State, lifted from CNN.com: Clinton: 638,274 (50.9 percent) Obama: 615...  Read story

Is Obama Catching Clinton in Indiana?

By Robb Mandelbaum |  May 5, 2008

Yes, I know: this is not a horse race blog. Sometimes, though, I just can't help myself. As recently as late last week, the foregone conclusion w...  Read story

McCainCare's Unintended Consequences

By Robb Mandelbaum |  May 1, 2008

John McCain took a stab at solving his health insurance dilemma Tuesday. No, not the question of how he, as a cancer survivor, might buy insurance on the ...  Read story

Is Seeing A Doctor Like Buying a House? (Q&A, Part IV)

By Robb Mandelbaum |  Apr 28, 2008

Our conversation with Bob Graboyes , the senior health care advisor to the National ...  Read story

The Individual And The Group: NFIB Q&A, Part III

By Robb Mandelbaum |  Apr 23, 2008

Last Friday, Bob Graboyes , the senior health care advisor to the National Federatio...  Read story

The Health Insurance Dilemma: 1 Vs. 100

By Robb Mandelbaum |  Apr 21, 2008

According to Read story

Leveling The Playing Field: NFIB Q&A, Part II

By Robb Mandelbaum |  Apr 18, 2008

Today's installment of my conversation with the NFIB 's Bob Graboyes ...  Read story

The Problem, As They See It: NFIB Q&A, Part I

By Robb Mandelbaum |  Apr 16, 2008

Last December, the National Federation of Independent Business unveiled its "Read story

The NFIB's Health Care Principles, Explained

By Robb Mandelbaum |  Apr 15, 2008

Back in December, the National Federation of Independent Business made what at first sounded like a sweeping statement on health care, and perhaps even a ...  Read story

McCain Takes Brooklyn

By Robb Mandelbaum |  Apr 11, 2008

Backstage At A Small Business Roundtable Yesterday John McCain dramatically changed his tune on the housing crisis -- now he's for governmen...  Read story

McCain's Health Care Problem: Principles Vs. Popularity

By Robb Mandelbaum |  Apr 4, 2008

An article in the Boston Globe yesterday finds that Republican nominee John McCain is stuck between a rock and a hard place -- and no, we don't m...  Read story

Clinton Would Cap Health Premiums

By Robb Mandelbaum |  Apr 2, 2008

We were so caught up last week in all the talk about the mortgage and credit crises that we neglected to mention another bit of news, courtesy the Read story

Clinton: Deadbeat Candidate?

By Robb Mandelbaum |  Apr 1, 2008

What's the Clinton campaign's policy on small business? If a report published Sunday on ...  Read story

The Candidates And The Crises

By Robb Mandelbaum |  Mar 28, 2008

This was the week for the presidential candidates to address the twin economic crises of the moment: the collapse of the sub-prime housing market on Main ...  Read story

What's In A Bailout?

By Robb Mandelbaum |  Mar 27, 2008

Last week, the Agenda wondered aloud (if parenthetically)<...  Read story

UPDATE: The Clock Still Ticks For Earmarks

By Robb Mandelbaum |  Mar 24, 2008

Earlier this month, Rep. David Obey, the Democratic chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, sent his Republican colleagues a letter that forced a ...  Read story

Clinton Vs. NAFTA: The Smoking Schedule?

By Robb Mandelbaum |  Mar 21, 2008

Senator Hillary Clinton made quite a spectacle of herself in the w...  Read story

Bailing Out The Bear

By Robb Mandelbaum |  Mar 20, 2008

One of the more entertaining sideshows to the spectacle of the Federal Reserve bailing out Bear Stearns belongs to the contortionists -- the ideologues wh...  Read story