The month-long struggle over the stimulus plan left behind a smoking battlefield of partisanship, but it also set the stage for a political collision on a scale seldom seen in Washington - a showdown on a succession of even more divisive issues that could shadow the future of the two major political parties. ...more

February 16, 2009

Tuesday was not a good day to feel better about the nation's economy. ...more

February 11, 2009

President Barack Obama, pressuring lawmakers to urgently approve a massive economic recovery bill, criticized Republicans who have balked at the legislation Monday night and said, "I can't afford to see Congress play the usual political games." ...more

February 10, 2009

The presidential campaign trail often loved Barack Obama more than he loved it. When he was sworn in last month, he told friends he was eager to tackle the rigors of the Oval Office. ...more

February 9, 2009

A not-so-funny thing happened on the way to economic recovery. Over the last two weeks, what should have been a deadly serious debate about how to save an economy in desperate straits turned, instead, into hackneyed political theater, with Republicans spouting all the old cliches about wasteful government spending and the wonders of tax cuts. ...more

February 7, 2009

This year promises to be a year of unprecedented challenges for our country. Our economy is in recession, the financial markets are in crisis, the auto industry has almost collapsed, more Americans face foreclosure and the number of unemployed Americans is, according to some estimates, close to 10 million. Our middle class is shrinking. ...more

February 7, 2009

Senate Republicans circulated a sweeping plan to drive down the cost of mortgages by expanding the federal government's role in the industry, officials said Monday night as debate opened on an economic stimulus bill at the top of President Barack Obama's agenda. ...more

February 2, 2009

Is the glass half empty? Is the glass half full? Is the glass about to fall on our big toe? We ask these questions in the wake of a report from the Florida Association of Realtors that housing sales along the Suncoast rose 16 percent in December, compared to a 3 percent decrease in November. Times being what they are, some people are choosing to see a gloomy lining to this silver cloud of housing news. ...more

January 28, 2009

Home sales in the Bay area rose more in December than any month since the downturn began. ...more

January 27, 2009

Home sales in the Bay area rose more in December than any month since the downturn began. It's a sign that sales prices, which continue to plummet, are enticing buyers. ...more

January 26, 2009