Today’s edition of quick hits:
* Bernanke looks ahead: “The Federal Reserve said on Wednesday that it was likely to raise interest rates at the end of 2014, but not until then, adding another 18 months to the expected duration of its most basic and longest-running response to the financial crisis.”
* We should all await her return to public service: “In an extremely moving moment on the House floor, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.) submitted her resignation to House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) Wednesday morning after making the announcement in a video Sunday.”
* Quite an anniversary: “Egyptians gathered in Tahrir Square, the crucible of their revolution, on Wednesday in a mixture of celebration and agitation to mark the first anniversary of the protests that forced out Hosni Mubarak, the former president.”
* Indiana disappoints once again: “Indiana’s Republican-controlled House of Representatives has cleared the way for Indiana to become the first right-to-work state in the traditionally union-heavy Rust Belt.”
* Rights should never be subjected to a popularity contest: “Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey said Tuesday that he would veto a bill legalizing same-sex marriage, and he challenged the State Legislature instead to put the issue on the ballot for voters to decide.”
* With House Republicans claiming, with increasing frequency, that they passed 27 jobs bills last year, it’s worth keeping in mind just how thin and inconsequential those bills really are.
* If extremely wealthy people like Bill Gates want to see taxes go up for the rich, does the GOP consider it an example Americans waging class warfare against themselves?
* Mitt Romney seems to think voters should feel sorry for the poor banks. If he changed his campaign slogan to “Candidate of the 1%,” it would at least be accurate.
* Over-the-top rhetoric: “Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) launched into an aggressive condemnation of President Barack Obama’s stance on abortion this week, calling him the ‘enemy of life.’”
* It’s disconcerting the frequency with which the hosts of “Fox & Friends” calls for tax increases on those who make the least amount of money.
* Paul Krugman understands very well what’s wrong with PolitiFact.
* Get to know Joseph Maturo, the Republican mayor of East Haven, Conn.: “The mayor of a working-class city in Connecticut roiled by allegations of police discrimination against Hispanics is facing scathing criticism from officials for saying he “might have tacos” as a way to do something for the community.”
So, is that it? Just about. I believe Paul Glastris, the Monthly‘s Editor in Chief, will be along shortly with an announcement, and I’ll have a sign-off post in about a half-hour. Other than that, you can consider this an open thread.
