January 02, 2011
Tea Party activists are pissed at the politicians they helped elect for, well, acting like politicians. Lather, rinse, repeat....
December 18, 2010
Way to go Joe. Hardly there, and already an embarrassment....
December 07, 2010
Or at least the liars: 3.32pm: "This case is not about WikiLeaks," district judge Howard Riddle told the court, according to my colleague Sam Jones, who was there. No. Of course not. Sexual assault in Sweden is of the utmost...
May 04, 2010
The morning news is that the DSCC is spending $300,000 to help Sen. Specter (D) defeat Rep. Sestak (D) in the Pennsylvania primary coming up on the 18th. President Obama and former president Clinton have cut spots on behalf of...
April 10, 2010
It appears that the White House was gutless. And even though Specter is likely to win, and even though Sestak is supposedly personally unpleasant, this is another reminder that I hope the retired admiral takes down the five-term incumbent in...
April 05, 2010
They got a prime week for it, but what's up with their finalists? Tampa - hurricanes. Phoenix - hotter than the sun. Salt Lake City - awfully Mormon for them, no? I'd guess they'll go with the city in Florida...
April 02, 2010
So much for her being the ultimate Marin County liberal (though of course she has lived in DC for about three decades)....
March 30, 2010
Code Pink members seem to have too much time on their hands....
March 26, 2010
A lot of political commentators have said that the passage of health care reform has doomed Mitt Romney's presidential bid, since he'll be actively disavowing a policy that is similar to one of his most prominent accomplishments as governor of...
March 22, 2010
I suppose Mr. Arcuri of New York is the leading answer to that question. But really, given the make-up of their districts I'd think Mr. Barrow of Georgia and Mr. Lynch of Massacusetts could be more appealing targets. And of...
March 20, 2010
For the first time ever I have received two political robocalls on the same day. Guess something important is going down in DC.For the record, one was lefty, urging your basic activism. The other was from Tony Perkins/the FRC. The...
March 14, 2010
Their ads against the president and "liberals" are all over my tv this weekend. And apparently that's happening all over the country. If I was a political journalist I might think it's my job to look up who's paying for...
March 02, 2010
First Read's analysis of The Rahm RIft doesn't cut to the chase, which is odd given that such sites are typically about little more than who's up, who's down horse-race politics. Either Rahm is incredibly stupid (doubtful), some Rahm allies...
February 25, 2010
This is the greatest comedy in the history of comedy. I can no longer attempt teh funny anymore; everything else pales in the face of this: US Missile Defense Agency Changes Logo to Obama~Islamic Crescent Hybrid! Not even the Onion...
February 22, 2010
So do I have this straight? The Right, Big Media, and Big Right Media all thought CPAC merited coverage as a meeting of leaders of a movement they see on the rise. But when Ron Paul decisively wins their presidential...
February 20, 2010
Alexander Haig died. Pretty crazy guy ("I'm in charge here."), but colorful. One of the first people I remember as a political figure, and in that sense, memorable to me. Conor Friedersdorf put together a list of great journalism in...
February 16, 2010
I read the NYT's long report on the Tea Party Movement. Pretty damn frightening. Those people are really crazy. In my worst Randian/Libertarian days, I never believed what these nutballs do. Oh, and a brief note to Ms. Stout (first...
February 11, 2010
Three of Arkansas's four US House seats will be open this fall (districts 1-3) as the incumbents have chosen not to run for reelection. Among the Democrats seeking to replace Marion Berry in AR-1 is state senator Tim Woolridge. What's...
February 08, 2010
Pennsylvania's longest serving member of the US House has died. His death opens up the chairmanship of the Defense Appropriations subcommittee, which will presumably fall to Norm Dicks of Washington. The make-up of his district is a reminder of the...
As Ezra Klein notes here. I don't know what this nonsense thing is that the president is going to hold on the 26th. It's as if the White House and the press are totally ignoring the existence of something called...
February 07, 2010
Hmmm, wouldn't she consider another politician who was wearing the flag of a foreign country to be un-American?...
February 06, 2010
Louisiana Lt. Governor Mitch Landrieu....
February 04, 2010
The highest court in Illinois just declared the state's med-mal caps unconstitutional - and the decision has led to some justice-on-justice snark and posturing (though not quite as delicious as the recent tidal wave of derision unleashed on PA's newest...
February 01, 2010
That's how we should read this story, right? We've had/got the largest Democratic majorities we are likely to have for many years to come. A couple of Republicans are actually co-sponsors. But still there aren't 60 Democratic votes in favor...
January 24, 2010
Following up on armand... ...if the Supreme Court just said, essentially, that corporations/unions have as much free speech as individuals (and thus they can spend money to buy political adds) then either: 1. Like individuals, they are limited to spending...
January 23, 2010
Just now I got a call from the WV Democratic Party asking if they could count on my support for a donation of $100 or more. I laughed and said "no way." Then the caller said, "I know times are...
January 22, 2010
If I was Joe Sestak I'd be putting together an ad right now, combining this with clips of Specter questioning of Anita Hill. You know, if Sestak still has any interest in winning the primary....
January 21, 2010
There aren't the votes, Speaker Pelosi? 39 Democrats would have to vote against the party to block passage of the Senate bill. You really can't put a whip organization in place that passes it while still letting 38 members vote...
January 19, 2010
...And I say this as a newly-minted one, too. As of about 9:30PM, they seem to have lost Ted Kennedy's seat to a Republican. Perhaps Coakley will pull it out (she's behind by about 100,000 votes out of 1.5 million...
January 18, 2010
Daniel Drezner has a funny analysis of the Coakley versus Brown contest in Massachusetts....
January 06, 2010
Ummm, wow. 4 big or just-became-big statewide races just moved around a lot. And unusually, though the changes were four major Democratic politicians dropping out of races, in all likelihood that probably helps the Democrats overall. In order of the...
November 20, 2009
Ras has that would-be primary race tied. I wouldn't miss McCain, but Hayworth is a buffoon. I suppose we can expect McCain to vote hard-right as long as this threat remains, and if the clownish ex-sportscaster beats him, that'll be...
November 16, 2009
So former Gov. Palin of Alaska sat down with The Oprah last week, and today the gauzy canoodling (I mean interview) was aired. And it's got me wondering - do you honestly think she could win the Republican nomination? And...
November 11, 2009
So the Mormon Church has come out in favor of legislation banning discrimination against gay, lesbian and transgendered (yes, even the Ts) Americans when it comes to housing and employment, yet our Democratic-led national and state governments have declined to...
November 08, 2009
Here's the list. With 2 exceptions all came from Republican-leaning or marginal seats. The two exceptions are Dennis the Menace and Artur Davis of Alabama. Both represent hugely Democratic districts, but Dennis is Dennis and Mr. Davis is running for...
Two of the Republican party's most highly touted Senate candidates are Mike Castle and Mark Kirk. Both are often described as moderates and get a lot of positive press for that. This morning I'm wondering how their support for the...
November 07, 2009
So should this pass the government will be blocking private companies who want to participate in the exchanges from offering coverage for legal medical procedures. Somehow, much like the vast sums spent on the "military-industrial complex", I don't think the...
November 06, 2009
So the Senate voted on Tom Coburn's (R-OK) amendment meant to defund National Science Foundation grants for political science. It was a largely party line vote, 62-36 (Byrd and Landrieu didn't vote). However a few senators bucked their party. 9...
November 04, 2009
It's Republicans +2 among the nation's governors (New Jersey and Virginia). It's Democrats +1 in the US House seats that were contested (they gained NY-23 and held CA-10). Gay rights lost in Maine but won in Washington state. Democrats lost...
October 13, 2009
Fearing being denied the ranking member slot on a major committee strikes me as a pretty good reason to think Olympia Snowe might well vote against any Democratic health care reform proposal. If they were to pass over her you'd...
October 06, 2009
Champagne corks are no doubt popping at the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee today as Delaware's veteran congressman and former governor has announced that he'll seek what used to be Vice President Biden's seat in the US Senate. Not only does...
October 02, 2009
Look I'm not saying I want her replaced by a Southern Republican, but the senior senator from Wal-Mart (or should that be Arkansas?) is giving Democrats less and less reason to support her re-election. And given how she can't get...
If this amendment approved by the Finance Committee becomes law health care reform could vary widely by state - and get very interesting....
September 30, 2009
The same day they vote to block even a weak public option from being in the health care bill they vote to bring back part of the good old days of George W. Bush. It only passed in committee by...
September 29, 2009
Oopsie, I guess this means we need to push Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito off the Supreme Court, and revoke masses of legislation. You see in Nellie's world they are all illegitimate.Is there a more cowardly and easily cowed politician...
September 25, 2009
Here's a nice report from Kate Pickert on an amendment sponsored by Bill Nelson to scrap the deal between the White House and PhRMA being voted down in the Finance Committee, mostly because of Republican opposition. The top Republican on...
September 22, 2009
I didn't think the strategy and messaging side of that operation could look worse in retrospect. I was wrong. Though, really, it's also kind of funny....
September 21, 2009
Not surprising. But with a field that big it'll be interesting to see just how small a fraction of the vote the victor wins....
September 19, 2009
As I mentioned earlier this week, those who bemoan a lack of bipartisanship in this country are ignoring the actions overwhelmingly supported by politicians of both major parties against ACORN. The governor of Louisiana though has kicked this anti-ACORNism up...
September 15, 2009
By a vote of 83-7 the Senate voted today to ban ACORN from receiving housing grants. Look - bipartisanship! The 7 senators who would rain on FoxNews' parade were Bernie Sanders of Vermont and 6 Democrats - Leahy of Vermont,...
September 10, 2009
Daniel Ellsberg makes some interesting historical comparisons - and boy oh boy does Howard Kurtz appear appalled....
September 09, 2009
What is there to say? Is he trying to sell me a second-hand sofa? Or advertising a low-grade local seafood outlet? Yeesh this guy is terrible. I'm going back to watching Matthew Morrison....
Before this Congress there had never been more than two female committee chairs in in any session of the US Senate. Now that Tom Harkin will be taking over for the late Ted Kennedy on HELP, it appears likely that...
September 08, 2009
Well, I was busy actually having fun this weekend, and I missed the political highlight of the fall season here in West-by-God-Virginia. A concert! HOLDEN, W.Va. -- Thousands showed up to a free Labor Day rally at a reclaimed mine...
I guess this makes it official. The Republicans reliance on "Arabs are dangerous!" will be shelved in 2010 in favor of "you're gonna lose your doctor - and die!"...
September 07, 2009
Joe Kennedy II will not run to fill his late uncle's seat in the US Senate. Attorney General Martha Coakley is in the race, and Rep. Lynch looks set to run as well. With Kennedy choosing not to throw his...
September 03, 2009
I'd be running for the Senate, against Harry Reid, too. Well, maybe not me, but it's not shocking that a prominent Republican would choose to take on Reid, who looks to be one of the most vulnerable incumbents in the...
August 25, 2009
Because having to deal with a deficit that's about to balloon to that size as you begin office will likely doom the political fortunes of anyone seeking to use a stay in Sacramento as a stepping stone to other high...
An interesting historical overview....
I see that Obama just re-nominated Bernanke to head the Fed for another four years. This would be the same Bernanke that led the Fed through the worst recession in since the great depression. I'm certainly not convinced the guy...
August 24, 2009
In a notable switch, he now sees Republicans as slightly more likely to gain Senate seats than to lose them....
August 21, 2009
It's all about the run-off. Details here and here....
August 19, 2009
Today while on I68 headed towards my favorite local mountain biking spot, I passed a pickup hauling a trailer with one bumper sticker on it: Don't blame me, I voted for Palin! Well, now, of course you did....
Barney Franks isn't everyone's cup of tea, but he does have a good command of the english language: That....was awesome....
August 18, 2009
A great run-down on the race can be found here.Yeesh, I get that the Third Way/DLC/centrist crowd loves nominating moderates in tough districts, but couldn't they have chosen a registered Democrat? The only possible Democratic contender not in favor of...
August 17, 2009
Via The Daily Beast, we discover that not everybody is doing badly in this recession: Fox News is having a great year! Fox's viewership is up 11 percent over last year, according to Nielsen Media Research. CNN and MSNBC, which...
August 14, 2009
Krugman uses this chart to note that economic inequality continues to rise. But I think an as interesting point is that the share of national income made by the top 0.01% has increased notably (in terms of a % rise...
August 12, 2009
Via Sullivan, we get this: According to Public Policy Polling (PPP), a North Carolina polling firm, only 24% of self-identified Republican voters in the state believe Barack Obama was born in the United States. 47% do not believe that Obama...
August 06, 2009
This post is mostly about Susan Fiske's work and the growing diversity in people's perceptions of what I guess we could call "Black America". But I look at these numbers and mostly I remember yet another thing John Kerry didn't...
August 05, 2009
Here. I don't know what they are smoking, but I'd say it's fairly questionable stuff. Unless they've got pictures of some weird, wild stuff in Alexi's closet, there's no way Illinois should be #2 on this list....
August 04, 2009
There are all kinds of problems with the US Senate, but this is one I hadn't ever thought much about. You know, if one sees senators being dependent on corporate PAC money as a problem. The numbers are striking....
July 27, 2009
Mocking her irresponsibility, her arrogance, her presumptuousness (regarding what American soldiers want), her spending, her taxing, her reliance on the negative politics of greivances ... I know I knock CNN about (and true to form their right-wing morning anchor was...
July 26, 2009
I think this post is right on the money. I'd be very surprised to see Arlen Specter be as reliable a Democratic vote if/when he gets by Rep. Sestak. Every step of the way he's done what's in the best...
July 24, 2009
Interesting. When Sen. Graham (R-SC) announced his support for Judge Sotomayor's nomination I was thinking we might see double-digit support for the Supreme Court nominee among the Republican senators. But with the announcement by the former Judiciary Committee chairman that...
July 09, 2009
Ugh. Ugh ugh ugh ugh ugh. And the affair continued for 6 months, even after this exhortation to follow Him again. I think we definitely need both hands to count the number of forms of fraud going on in that...
July 06, 2009
Harsh. Not necessarily inaccurate of course, but harsh. And yes there are hundreds of ways they differ, but these seem on point when it comes to trying to find an upside to spending years in the wilderness....
July 04, 2009
Cutting to the point of Gov. Palin's explanation. Basically, the point was that Palin is quitting as governor because she’s not a quitter. Or a deceased salmon.And she recalled her visit with the troops in Kosovo, whose dedication and determination...
July 03, 2009
Sarah Palin resigns as Governor of Alaska (effective, end of July, 2009). I won't link to anything; you can find it everywhere. I'm listening to her press conference. It is, to be charitable, somewhat disconnected. I have no idea what...
July 02, 2009
Despite the fact that students who enroll in multicultural studies programs perform better, wingnuts in Arizona want to de-fund schools that teach "ethnic studies:" The law in question prohibits the teaching of classes that “advocate ethnic solidarity instead of the...
June 27, 2009
The usual path to the White House is running against Washington. So as the chatter begins about future propsects for the Republican presidential nomination, it makes sense that people are turning to the Republican governors. With that in mind NPR's...
June 24, 2009
I realize one shouldn't expect Republicans to be logical, but isn't this freak-out sort of odd given that many Republicans consider the Fairness Doctrine to have been the work of the devil?...
June 23, 2009
TAPPED has a couple of good posts up. In one Bruce Cain and Daniel Tokaji "argue that states with low participation rates should be required to issue 'electoral impact statements,' which would discourage practices that suppress turnout among poor and...
June 08, 2009
What the hell just happened?Well the upper body of the New York legislature which had been run by Republicans seemingly since the Founding until this year, is now in Republican hands once more. Two senators (both of whom are under...
June 02, 2009
The current Secretary of the Army, President Bush's last, was a Democratic congressman. The new Secretary of the Army will be John McHugh, the top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee. He represents the northernmost district in New York...
May 29, 2009
In a post noting that G. Gordon Liddy doesn't think women should be judges, Karen Tumulty reminds us that his old boss, Richard Nixon, didn't think women should be in any jobs. This reminds me of something that I'm surprised...
May 22, 2009
This story has been bubbling up for a few days now. The ethanol lobby apparently fears the bill - and if there is any industry that's used to government handouts and protection from free-market forces it's Big Agriculture. In other...
May 21, 2009
Right-wing, whore-bangin' (I mean no offense to whores, but right-wing zealots should be called out on their hypocrisy) Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) might face a semi-serious primary challenge after all next year. The woman who almost toppled Mary Landrieu in...
May 20, 2009
I just plain don't get the brain trust that runs the Democrats in Congress (if there is one). I mean, they have an overwhelming majority in the House, and have either 59 or 60 votes in the Senate (depending on...
May 15, 2009
I'm stunned. He appears to have a bright political future, and he takes a top diplomatic post in an administration run by the other party? That's a bold move....
May 14, 2009
Dahlia Lithick covers the law-respectin' (kinda, sorta) senator from South Carolina. Graham explains that the lawbreaking that happened with respect to torture: a) wasn't lawbreaking, b) was justifiable lawbreaking, c) was lawbreaking done with the complicity of congressional Democrats, d)...
There have been two recent torture related debates floating around that I have wanted to add my two-cents to. 1. Obama's U-turn on the photos of detainees. Look; I understand the "don't release" side of this argument. I see that...
May 13, 2009
I had no idea that paradise was this close....
May 08, 2009
Today Andrew Sullivan links to sparring between Gordon Brown and David Cameron as a way of explaining why he asks tough questions and expects tough debates. The British system certainly is different from the American one where the David Broders,...
May 05, 2009
So the New York Times thinks it should have another right-winger on its op-ed pages. Naturally said writer is interested in revitalizing the country's right-wing party. But exactly what does he want it to be? Well, not Rush. But also...
April 30, 2009
Adam Serwer notes the following after seeing that church-goers are more likely to approve of torture:I feel like I should be making some smart remark about how Jesus was tortured, but I'm really too horrified. Of course, that won't stop...
Taniel says not so fast. He has been running against Democrats since before we were born, and his early acts have included opposing the popular president's budget. And the nominally pro-choice Specter is against one of the president's key nominees,...
April 29, 2009
The US House today approved an extension of the Hate Crimes Act that will include gay and lesbian Americans. The vote was 249-175, largely along party lines, but with 17 Democrats and 18 Republicans going against the majority of their...
Dumbest question yet goes to Jeff Zeleny of the New York Times - What's surprised, troubled, enchanted, and humbled you the most about serving as president, over the last 100 days? Answering that's taken something like 10 minutes and told...
April 28, 2009
Via every news source known to mankind, it was just announced that Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Losing) is now Sen. Arlen Specter (D-Not Losing By Quite So Much). Paging Al Franken....Paging Sen. Al Franken...Please report to the now-filibuster proof Senate immediately.......
April 27, 2009
Steve Chapman reminds us that many of the legal benefits of marriage are denied to gay couples married in Iowa, Vermont or any other state that legalizes gay marriage. Oh, Iowa can provide recognition to gay marriages under all its...
April 26, 2009
I continue to be confused by the right-wing assertions in this scandal. They've claimed everything from "the techniques we used were not torture" (wrong) to "the Democrats can't/shouldn't change the laws to criminalize acts of the previous administration" (wrong again:...
April 21, 2009
When was the last time a former president or vice president was so prominent in taking part in political debates? When was the last time one was so actively criticizing his successors? When was the last time it was done...
April 20, 2009
RUMINT (Rumor Intelligence) is always fun, if not necessarily accurate. So, we can wait a day or so for the actual truth to emerge here. That doesn't mean we can't start speculating, however. Via TMP (just cut and pasted in...
April 15, 2009
There was a teabag protest in town today. I needed to walk by, both because I had to get home and let the dogs out, and because, well, I needed to see this. There were about 250 or so gathered...
April 07, 2009
Ummm, it's April 2009, right? I thought it was a little odd when I saw Sen. Specter (R-PA) running ads several weeks ago trumpeting his support of President Obama's initiatives. Now I see he's running television ads blasting Republican Pat...
April 04, 2009
And no, when I'm talking about Glenn Beck, I am not talking about the nice rhyming bits by Hugo Weaving, but rather the crazy, spittle-flecked on-air personality....
Three Pittsburgh police officers were shot and killed today. The report suggests he was distraught over losing his job and "was worried that US President Barack Obama was about to ban guns."...
March 25, 2009
I didn't actually watch it last night, but have read some reviews this morning. He seemed to have done well (no major gaffes; came across as competent and knowledgeable). From reading the NYT, WaPo and then some bloggers (Sullivan, Cole,...
March 24, 2009
True, Bachmann seems crazier than White did. But regardless, her "I'm a foreign correspondent on enemy lines" take on Washington, and her call for getting armed and dangerous and staging a revolution ... that seems a wee bit unsettling, no?...
If this is indeed the reason behind that widely-publicized goof, I am shocked - just shocked....
March 23, 2009
An interesting map. Where McCain was strongest and Obama was weakest is right where many would have predicted in such a hypothetical match-up years ago - a line from Southside Virginia, skirting mostly South of Appalachia and ending in the...
March 18, 2009
He's putting the idea out there. I'm suddenly thinking of Jacob Javits in 1980....
I tend to think the Mayor of San Francisco has no chance of getting elected governor. He has a habit of putting his foot in his mouth. He's married two minor celebrities, pretty, skinny young women. And when those things...
March 17, 2009
The Irish Irish actually invited her to march. Which she did, with her partner. The New York Irish don't want her within miles of Fifth Avenue if she happens to wear a pin they don't like. The first two paragrahs,...
March 10, 2009
Looks like there are some weebles (errr, senators) that don't only wobble, but who can also be pushed over. I don't think we should call them flip-floppers - that needlessly impugns the character of fish and implies a lack of...
I think that's a bad number for a Biden in Delaware - though of course the big question is will Castle run?In another closely watched race 5-term incumbent Chris Dodd is trailing potential Republican challenger Rob Simmons in Connecticut....
March 09, 2009
A new statewide, nonpartisan group dedicated to protecting the rights of the LGBT community in West Virginia has launched its website. If you are a Mountaineer who supports ending discriminatory practices in employment and housing in our fair state, go...
March 06, 2009
Toomey to enter the race....
March 03, 2009
President Obama campaigned on changing our interactions with Cuba. But Bob Menendez is doing is darndest to hold the line in favor of the old (failed) policies - even if it means blocking the heads of the White House Office...
February 28, 2009
Who is the right-wing base excited about at this point? Romney has a plurality. But I think the more interesting thing is how low the numbers are for Palin and Huckabee, two very well-known political commodities, in the wake of...
February 27, 2009
Who ever would have imagined?! The biggest consumer[of porn], Utah, averaged 5.47 adult content subscriptions per 1000 home broadband users; Montana bought the least with 1.92 per 1000. ... Eight of the top 10 pornography consuming states gave their electoral...
February 26, 2009
Is he the Republican who could be the biggest threat to Obama in 2012 - and more than that the Republican who could win more than a bare majority of the electorate?...
February 24, 2009
Basically he boxes 'em into a 2x2 typology. And that is fine as far as it goes. But looking at this I'm struck by how non-threatening those names look. It really does appear, albeit 3.7 years out or whatever it...
February 18, 2009
Because if this is the current situation, you'd think a young, rich, ambitious, statewide-elected official who wants the president's old Senate seat and who is close to the president wouldn't wait to long before announcing his candidacy. After all, the...
February 17, 2009
I'm not surprised by this. That I'm not says a lot about Gov. Palin and her ability to lead anything beyond a fringe movement. The day of the third debate, Palin refused to go onstage with New Hampshire GOP Sen....
Seriously, how do you vote "present" on the stimulus bill? The guy is arguably the biggest example of nepotism in Congress, a lousy vote on a host of Democratic issues, and this ... c'mon. C'MON....
February 16, 2009
Hopefully they will go the fuck back to whatever rock they crawled out from under with this nonsense. These are not West Virginia values. More here, here, here and here....
February 12, 2009
Another nominee for Commerce Secretary withdraws....
February 10, 2009
These are lousy numbers for any incumbent, much less a five-term incumbent....
February 09, 2009
I'm going to be interested to see how the tv talking heads deal with this. The typical Mr. Airhead and Ms. Blowdry knows nothing whatsoever about economics, and very little about the US political system. They live in a world...
February 08, 2009
This strikes me as both a good idea, and the kind of thing it's rather shocking hasn't been done before. Organizational maps within the government will be redrawn to ensure that all departments and agencies take the same regional approach...
February 07, 2009
Ben Nelson, sure. Nellie will always be on what looks like the moderate-conservative of a vote, regardless of the substance or merits of the proposal. Jon Tester, eh, he might see campaign ads being made on the issue, and he...
February 06, 2009
Whatever the merits of this office move, the symbolism of it is terrible....
February 04, 2009
Sebelius, Granholm, Kitzhaber? All great. Rendell? Oh please no.UPDATE: And please, not Phil Bredesen either....
February 03, 2009
And I think it's a pretty good case. The general rule in politics is that incumbents are reelected at higher rates than non-incumbents, and this removes a guy from high office less than 2 years before the next election for...
Richardson, Lynn, Daschle - and now Ms. Killefer is withdrawing her candidacy. These things are not being handled well....
February 01, 2009
So Sen. David Vitter (R-LA) has been trying to wash away memories of his sexcapades that got in the news by running as far to the right as possible. Not a minor feat given that he was already on the...
Having minor problems with a complicated tax code shouldn't bar one from holding high office. But $128,000? That's something entirely different. And not disclosing the problem before you are nominated to high office? That's an even bigger problem (given that...
January 29, 2009
I assume this is going forward with coordination with Gov. Lynch's office. If so, the Democrats might reach that often-discussed milestone - 60 seats in the Senate....
January 28, 2009
Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman, Jr. Why? Check out who the possible future presidential candidate was praising as epitomizing the best of Utah: Huntsman praised several guests in the gallery who he said epitomized the best of the state, including University...
Which two Democratic senators voted for confirming John Ashcroft as Attorney General but against confirming Timothy Geithner as Treasury Secretary? The answer is below....
January 27, 2009
He's calling him a huge liar. Which given similar calls would seem to open the door even wider to a primary challenge from Andrew Cuomo. Won't it be odd if Paterson bad-mouthing a Kennedy leads to the ex-husband of a...
January 24, 2009
Actually that makes a lot of sense, though it isn't something I'd thought about. Mayor, governor, senator, the Secretary of Interior, he seems scandal-free, capable, well-liked, and his principles are those of a very conservative Republican, but his appearance and...
January 23, 2009
So which respected, inoffensive Republican senator may be primaried? Isakson? Grassley? Bennett?While Charlie Cook's point is a good one, the Republicans don't have a monopoly on making divisive choices when it comes to 2010 Senate races. The appointees from Illinois...
January 22, 2009
Except when it will.I should note that I think a blanket ban of this sort is silly and in some cases counterproductive (much like I view that gimmick about freezing the pay of the White House staff). But if you...
So it looks like last night Gov. Paterson kicked Caroline Kennedy to the curb. Who will the new nominee be then? Halperin has a list of possibilities. I'm betting it'll be Kirsten Gillibrand. Off Halperin's list, I'd rather it was...
January 20, 2009
...or did the air smell a bit sweeter just past noon today? And I swear the sky got a bit sunnier, too....
January 19, 2009
January 17, 2009
That's lower - 10% lower - than the number recorded for any other president in the history of the poll....
January 13, 2009
No doubt many find this frustrating. But it could well be a good thing in terms of securing the country's best interests. "Look, I think [Hillary Clinton] is loyal to a fault," he commented by e-mail. "She takes care of...
January 12, 2009
This is just too good. Rick Warren's been meddling in the Episcopal Church. He apparently thinks it's too gay-friendly, so he's been doing what he can to break it. Well guess who the president-elect has invited to deliver the invocation...
January 11, 2009
According to several news reports the senior senator from Ohio will announce tomorrow that he's not going to run for reelection in 2010. He'll be the fourth Republican incumber to announce that (following senators from Florida, Kansas and Missouri), and...
January 09, 2009
And over 90% of Republicans are voting against the bill. Sure, they'll whine about the rule and those scary, scary trial lawyers - but damn do they remain stupid politically. Apparently they want 2010 to look like 2006 and 2008....
Now there'll be a trial in the State Senate....
January 08, 2009
TPM Election Central has a report. Anyone know anything about Shapiro, Torsella or Wiessmann?...
January 06, 2009
I realize that Blago is either the dumbest or the most corrupt politician (or both!) in America these days. I follow that much. What I don't get is why the US Senate is refusing to seat Burris. Follow me here:...
This makes a lot of sense to me. He knows Washington. He knows the White House, and he knows how to serve the President, who is the CIA's main client. Lets not underestimate this kind of experience - most are...
January 04, 2009
Craddick has been an enormously influential figure in Texas politics. He's represented Midland in the Texas House since 1969. In 2003 he became Speaker of the House, the first Republican Speaker of the Texas House, and has ruled over that...
January 03, 2009
The alway controversial Speaker of the Texas House has a new challenger - an unexpected one. Maybe Democrats shouldn't support him, but unseating Craddick has been top goal of many for years....
January 02, 2009
An unexpected choice, and surely one that'll annoy the "but s/he's never won an election! and he's being appointed, not elected!" set that's howling over the possibility of Caroline Kennedy's appointment in New York. UPDATE: Here's a profile of his...
January 01, 2009
His own words, his supporters' words, his masoleum, pushing for the execution of an innocent man - it seems like every day there's some new story out there that will make it easier to marginalize and mock Roland Burris....
December 31, 2008
So the Chicago congressman thinks blocking the appointment of Roland Burris is akin to a lynching. And yet when he had the opportunity to support a black candidate for an open US Senate seat in 2004 he opted to oppose...
December 30, 2008
Will be interesting to see the reaction to this....
December 18, 2008
Uh, no, Ambinder's wrong. Politically active gays know who Rick Warren is. They don't know who Maxwell is. And even if they did, many wouldn't give a damn about who the Labor Secretary is, whereas a hell of a lot...
One of the last open seats in the cabinet has apparently been filled with a solid progressive....
December 17, 2008
It's not that I'm pro-dynasty or think Beau Biden should have his father's Senate seat, but how exactly is this a partisan thing? Last time I checked the Republican president's father was ... a Republican president. Mitt Romney, Sen. Gregg,...
December 16, 2008
Dianne Feinstein, John Kerry, Mary Landrieu and Jay Rockefeller have new jobs....
December 14, 2008
...as I see all the discussion about whether or not autoworkers make too much. It's a word I think of when I wonder about the supposed wisdom of planning to pay future pensions by hoping there will be enough money...
Now that would have been a fun band in the inauguration parade....
December 12, 2008
Dear Media: I have noticed a recent trend in calling Obama's incoming Cabinet by an old phrase - "The Best and The Brightest." You should note that this phrase refers to a good book, but the book uses the phrase...
December 09, 2008
Parties like famous candidates. It's established in the poli sci literature that celebrity candidates do better than average. But will PA Democrats, who voted heavily for Hillary Clinton, take to Chris Matthews who was a prominent antagonist of her candidacy?...
Wow. Some politicians are incredibly dumb, on top of being hugely unpopular. Suddently Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn (D) becomes relevant. Who'd have expected that? And I'm betting this isn't going to help former Gov. George Ryan's (R) quest for...
December 07, 2008
The last two congressional races of the year were held yesterday in Louisiana. In LA-4, Morris' district, the candidate he liked, Dr. Fleming, appears to have eked out one of the narrowest wins in the country. That seat is a...
December 06, 2008
Might Gov. Paterson name Kennedy to replace Sen. Clinton? It is the Senate seat once held by her uncle Bobby....
December 03, 2008
Ambinder describes someone else (Gov. Granholm of Michigan) as the leading candidate, but apparently an out lesbian is a top contender to be the next Secretary of Labor. That would be a first that I was not expecting....
December 01, 2008
Ouch: In short, McCain entered this election season being the worst thing that anyone can be, in the eyes of the Rove-school Republicans: Different. Independent. His own man. He exited the campaign on his knees, all his dignity gone, having...
November 29, 2008
That's how some are reading this. To which I respond - No! No! No! No! No!...
November 25, 2008
It's a question that I've seen bouncing around. Here's one analysis....
November 21, 2008
So reports Andrea Mitchell. I'd say that's a very solid pair of picks....
November 20, 2008
John Dingell had been the top Democrat on Energy and Commerce since 1981, long before several dear friends of mine were born. Next Congress though he'll be without that gavel - he's lost it to Henry Waxman. Let the fight...
November 18, 2008
So if the rumors are right, Sen. Clinton will be Secretary of State, Eric Holder will be Attorney General, and Peter Orszag will be Budget Director. Of course we already know Rahm-bo will be Chief of Staff and Greg Craig...
Ugh. I wish Harry Reid didn't remind me of Kevin Bacon getting initiated in Animal House (I apologize for that visual)....
November 17, 2008
One more sign that Sen. Clinton may very well be the next Secretary of State. I'd think that Bill Clinton's ties may well be the only thing standing between her and the job....
November 14, 2008
Possible motives behind this press story/possibility, via Sullivan, are that a) it's a way for Obama to contain the damage the Clintons could otherwise inflict, or b) it's a way for Sen. Clinton to bloody and block two men who...
November 12, 2008
He is smart. Very smart. But the idea that not wanting to be a vice presidential nominee is a brilliant political move is freakin' nuts. Jack Kemp, Joe Lieberman, Lloyd Bentsen, John Edwards - none of these men were hurt...
November 11, 2008
Ezra Klein considers a number of interrelated questions tied to how voters make their choices....
November 10, 2008
I realize that financial news has dropped off most people's radar screens these days, but the crisis continues to roll through our markets (and most everyones). Today's news comes via a discussion on naked capitalism on the (continuing) AIG bailout....
November 09, 2008
November 07, 2008
Al Kamen runs down the history of it since the days of JFK, and notes that if Obama only names one or two Republicans he may be accused of simply behaving like his (supposedly more partisan) predecessors....
November 06, 2008
In the last day and a half the Republican Whip, Republican Conference Chair, and Republican Conference Vice Chairwoman have all announced that they are giving up their jobs. No doubt some of them feared they'd be tossed out if they...
Remember back in 2004 when Politics1 noted several members of Congress had bizarre ties to the Moonies - including taking part in ceremonies where some of them were crowned? Rep. Davis (D-IL) was one of those members. I understand the...
Sure the governor wants it and Republicans just lost control of the state Senate for the first time in decades - that doesn't mean the legislature is interested in making it a priority.UPDATE: 4 Democratic senators are working to block...
Alaska and Arizona, naturally, and Obama's Appalachian problem is well-known - but Arkansas and Oklahoma really stand out....
November 05, 2008
So by now everyone knows about the electoral crack of FiveThirtyEight and their scary accurate predictions. Through their site I also found excellent early vote stats. But I've also gotta throw some poli sci geek love to The Monkey Cage...
Shouldn't Monty Burns be presiding over this, at a remote castle?...
Feel free to use this as a thread to comment on the outcomes of yesterday's election.My initial take? Oooooooooo-BAMA! That was a superbly well-run campaign, a clear and substantial victory, and I'm looking forward to him taking office in two...
November 04, 2008
We're doing it. And I'm not going to jinx anything by saying what it's looking like, but hot motherfucking damn!...
Here's a list of state law about your ability to leave work to vote. Exercise your rights, people. Have a good voting day....
October 31, 2008
These ads against him are horrible, and his opponent's record in Tennessee politics the last few years has been horrible too, so maybe I'm not too invested in seeing him lose on Tuesday. He's a vastly superior politician when compared...
October 30, 2008
And they are spending about $700,000 to do it. They are also spending $400,000 to try to get Republican Beth Walker elected to the Supreme Court. These are the statewide races I'm going to be watching the most closely in...
October 29, 2008
I think Benen's right to ask - where do you start with an ad this deplorable?...
A good answer to a fifth grader, in my home county....
All those in favor of declaring this election over, raise your hands. One...four...seven...eleven...yup, I think that's everyone. Is this ever going to end?...
October 28, 2008
I've long assumed Tim Geithner was the favorite for the job, but here Robert Kuttner makes a good case for naming the Republican head of the FDIC....
Charlie Crist. If only McCain had picked him to run with - he would not be in the trouble he's in now....
The Democrats have been running it, with the slimmest possible margin, and the Democrats are forecase to keep running it, with a larger margin - but there could be notable changes at the top. Biden out at Foreign Relations? Byrd...
October 27, 2008
Assuming all goes as expected (from the polls) Sen. Joseph R. Biden, Jr. will be the first Roman Catholic to serve as Vice President in the country's history. It's interesting that that "first" will happen 48 years after the first...
October 26, 2008
The Philadelphia Daily News blasts McCain-Palin for repeatedly saying that rural America is the best America. It's an elitist view that overlooks the many negative societal problems that are worse in small towns than in urban America. Plus of course...
October 25, 2008
Just throwing this out there on a slow, rainy Saturday afternoon. Yes, it's waaaay early. But since several of us like to speculate about such things ... This week, as it has started to look more and more like Sen....
Via Sullivan, this is interesting. Preditcably, Obama is winning more endorsements from the nation's bigger papers, And there are more papers that are endorsing Obama this year after endorsing George Bush in 2004 than there are papers that are endorsing...
October 24, 2008
Oy, so she's soft on people bombing American homes and buildings (guess those aren't part of "real" America)....
October 23, 2008
I don't have much time to post this afternoon, so I figured that this topic might be worth throwing out there for some quick responses. I see 3 people definitely running - Romney, Huckabee and Gingrich. Who else do you...
October 22, 2008
Jane Mayer's story on how the McCain campaign came to pick Sarah Palin is interesting. As to the pick itself, it appears to be pretty much what you'd expect. Some including Karl Rove favored Mitt Romney. But to McCain, "all...
I did not know that the former Georgia congressman, and now the Libertarian Party's candidate for the presidency, spent his formative years abroad, in places like Iraq, Panama and Peru. And he was a Young Democrat at USC - until...
I'd send 'em here. Think about the grandchildren....
October 21, 2008
And so it begins: Three Putnam County voters say electronic voting machines changed their votes from Democrats to Republicans when they cast early ballots last week. This is the second West Virginia county where voters have reported this problem. Last...
By Cafardi, Kaveny, and Kmiec: In part, we endorsed Senator Obama because his tax-reduction plan focuses on the betterment of average families and those living at the margins. Center for Disease Control statistics reveal that prosperity directly affects the abortion...
October 17, 2008
I don't know how she got like this. But whatever did it to her, you should avoid drinking/eating/snorting/seeing/reading/smelling/listening to it. On the other hand, this is awesome in so many ways that scientists haven't invented a number big enough: (These...
October 15, 2008
While reading over their live blog of the debate, I caught an entry (8:50 pm) that said they were in Morgantown. And we missed it! I just talked to one of our friends/colleagues in the English department who was telling...
I've got a great idea - McCain should dump Palin from the GOP ticket and pick up Joe the Plumber....
Sweet jesus. If this is how it goes, I will have a large knot on my forehead at the end. 2. Obama seems a little impatient. 3. Oooh.... "during the Depression we had..." And we ate squirrel soup too!...
October 14, 2008
Take a look at these projections of the outcome of today's national election in Canada - the vote totals, how they are dispersed, and the seats the parties are expected to win. It's a great example of how electoral systems,...
October 13, 2008
For both practical and theoretical reasons it needs to go. Most people don't understand it. It's anti-democratic. It leads to elections being fought in battleground states while the rest of the country is ignored. There is the faithless elector problem,...
October 12, 2008
Armand posted about polling a couple of days ago, but I just got back from a weekend in the deep country and what I have to report are ZERO bumper stickers for McCain and ONE for Obama. Also, there's this....
They find her ties to the Alaska Independence Party and the John Birchers were substantially. To sum it up: In general, we found that not only did Mrs. Palin have numerous associations with these extremists, she actively sought to empower...
October 10, 2008
So says the McCain campaign. This is quite simply a batshit crazy move. It would give the media free rein to write up stories on Todd Palin's treasonous political associations, and on the inappropriate role he played as a political...
October 08, 2008
It's not surprising, but it's still pretty sad. How dare Obama pronounce words correctly! Doesn't he know it's un-American? At least they don't go quite as far in their derision for his accuracy as Conservipedia (or whatever it's called) does...
October 07, 2008
The lying... it burns! First, McCain says that he suspended his campaign. Second, he said that two years ago he, McCain, warned about the oncoming crisis and said that Obama and his cronies in Washington were to blame. [smack smack...
She'd be back in the Wasilla already, charging the people of Alaska a per diem while staying in her own house, and not paying taxes on it. I mean, really, can you imagine? Can you imagine the reaction of the...
October 06, 2008
Via Balloon Juice, I see McCain would give the big F-U to other senior citizens who have neither entered Congress nor married heiresses. From the Wall Street Journal: John McCain would pay for his health plan with major reductions to...
So basically the people are tv props and the questions are chosen by Tom Brokaw. And this no follow-ups stuff - why do supposedly self-respecting journalists take part in that nonsense?...
Nothing political here. Anyone interested in boning up on the massive problems (with, as best I can tell, more to come as Europe sorts its banks out) might like these primers. I'm not a econ-head, but these are reasonable enough...
Over the course of the last couple years I've had a lot of negative things to say about Pete Wentz in conversations with various young attorney/law student acquaintances of mine. Given this, I take it back (well, some of it)....
October 05, 2008
Bill Jefferson goes on trial in December, but evenso he topped a crowded field in the Democratic primary for LA-2. He'll face Helena Moreno, a young news anchor who was the only white candidate in the race, in a run-off...
Nice comment over at Sullly: The fact that so many other qualified women in the party, like Olympia Snowe (whom I admire greatly), Kay Baily Hutchinson, Christie Todd Whitman (my former governor) are able to communicate and connect with the...
October 04, 2008
The US is a key audience for the hundreds of millions they are throwing into propoganda operations? I think Marc Lynch's response is on target. Presenting American audiences as a key target for manipulation through the covert dissemination of propaganda...
October 03, 2008
So last night when the three of us were watching the debate at a mutual friend's house - with her totally awesome and completely fired up senior citizen who doesn't act like a senior citizen mom - as soon as...
Since jacflash noted the governor continually referring to her notes, I thought I'd link to this. Funny. And yet also not....
October 01, 2008
It appears the White House did it - with of course the assistance of various people in DoJ. I strongly support further investigations into this....
The debate in one minute....
Per the norm, Big Coal was acting in a contemptible way - but the miners stood up to them....
Ummm, why? What's unreasonable about calling for the disclosure of information that will have a direct effect on a candidate's ability to do his or her job? Of course that's especially true when you've got a candidate who is 72,...
September 30, 2008
I've just been informed that there is a certain someone who regularly reads our blog. An important someone. We're proud of the bloggingness that we do here, and we like it when readers (lurkers) become commenters. It keeps the blog...
I do not like him anywhere....
She's not a dumb woman. Surely she knows what's at issue isn't whether or not Palin would use a morning-after pill but whether she'd obstruct the rights of other women to use them. And how in the hell does she...
September 29, 2008
I get the idea, but I don't know that she quite pulls it off....
It's grossly overrated as a general matter, and today we've seen one more reason why. Working across party lines, especially between parties that don't trust each other, throws all sorts of uncertainty into the system, and creates more veto points...
Yglesias notes that predictable oddity, reacting to this Jeffrey Goldberg post noting that her answer is less distressing than the fact that she doesn't seem to understand the question. I think that "Dan Quayle was Metternich in comparison" line is...
Over at The Great Orange Satan Kagro X is keeping a tally of who in the House talking about the bailout, coming out either in support or opposition to it. Using who the "nay" votes are as a cue reinforces...
It will indeed be interesting to look carefully at the list of people who vote against the bailout bill....
September 27, 2008
McCain seems to believe that if we eliminate all the earmarks, we'll save just tons of money. This is incorrect: Earmarks are generally bad. I'm happy to do away with them. Eliminating them, however, isn't going to solve anything. (NOTE:...
September 26, 2008
Getting ready for the debates tonight, where the bloodless crew will assemble with friends to document the atrocities. Or try to, unless we have to start drinking massively. To prepare, I am watching the Flaming Lips from last year's Bonnaroo....
This week's "campaign suspension" and trip to the White House (a non-political trip to the White House?) isn't the first time John McCain has reminded me of Bart Simpson during his terrible twos (chanting "I am so great, I am...
September 25, 2008
So does anyone want to go on the record with their prediction for tomorrow night? Will John McCain take part the first debate? Will he send Sarah Palin? Will he stay in DC and play craps with Joe Lieberman? Is...
I'm speechless - and think she'd have been better off if she'd been speechless too....
Though of course she won't answer all their questions (2 of 5), and the answers she gives make her sound as substantive as a marshmallow....
September 24, 2008
That's where things stand according to the latest Time poll....
September 23, 2008
From the team which, as Sully notes, seems to clearly want the US to go to war with Iran: A McCain administration would discourage Israeli-Syrian peace talks and refrain from actively engaging in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Hmmm - why...
Ugh. And this is on top of his comments about AIG (which Obama had to personally, publicly criticize him for) and the Obama campaign's ad pointing out that McCain is an old man disconnected from much of our modern world....
September 22, 2008
The Righteous Path: And for my money, the song that best captures the economic anxieties and aspirations voters are feeling now - and the song of the 2008 cycle - is "The Righteous Path" by the Drive-By Truckers. Take a...
This is a bizarre idea - but it came right out of McCain's mouth, unprompted. A campaign staffed by lobbyists, Sarah Palin, Andrew Cuomo, likely Phil Gramm ... it's looking like the personnel running a McCain government would run the...
September 20, 2008
ABC is onto the news that it might not have been insubordination after all when Monegan went to Washington. UPDATE: Visuals from Alaska....
Get yours Here. A 50 state plus PR and DC project. Via Boing Boing...
September 19, 2008
September 18, 2008
Seriously, how in the world can someone vote for McCain-Palin in light of this?...
T-Bills traded at negative interest rates for a while this morning. Isn't this the equivalent of "I'll give you $50 today for $48 dollars in three months."? That can't be good for financial stability. Where is the bottom of this?...
September 17, 2008
So I tagged this under Latin America for fun, or maybe in solidarity with McCain, who has a little trouble remembering who are his friends and who are his enemies, and what continent they are from: We wanted to give...
A reminder of why we accept questionable competence in national leaders, and why it took over two centuries for a major political party to nominate a non-white man for the presidency....
September 16, 2008
For those who were waiting to see how the McCain campaign handled Troopergate: McCain campaign spokesman Ed O'Callaghan said, "I think it's fair to say that the governor is not going to cooperate with that investigation so long as it...
September 15, 2008
From Shakesville: So, Alaska has a pretty serious sexual assault and domestic violence program.How serious? "Alaska leads the nation in reported forcible rapes per capita, according to the FBI, with a rate two and a half times the national average—a...
September 14, 2008
This is called "vetting" (here and here). You might want to try it out sometime. (This doesn't mean the stories are correct in their negative review of Palin's tenure as mayor and governor. However, if you vet people correctly, you...
September 12, 2008
ABC got the numbers and the interview, but this guy might have had the more important interview. Don't know when it was from, but it has to have been recent. (Moved below the fold because it would play automatically.)...
She knowingly lies right to your face, again and again, even when she probably knows there's proof to catch her in the lie. She just doesn't care, doesn't feel a need to defend herself, or to be honest with the...
September 11, 2008
Why don't people burst out laughing when the Republican nominee for the presidency says stuff like this? She knows more about energy than probably anyone else in the United States of AmericaSuuuure she does Sen. McCain. And if that wasn't...
Neato! A one-stop shop for the money and connections behind John McCain's lobbyists, errr, advisors. And it's got cute graphics....
September 10, 2008
CNN is advertising that they will have Chuck Norris on tonight to talk about politics. Presumably tomorrow they'll have on Colin Powell to discuss professional bass-fishing, and Friday will feature James Carville to discuss how the new IPod will influence...
I get sticking to McSame as a campaign theme, and think it will pay benefits in November. But why isn't Obama running ads 24/7 in FL, VA, MI, CO and NV touting his tax cuts and comparing them to what...
September 09, 2008
The 20 Questions We Would Ask Sarah Palin It's a pretty good list. I might skip some of the more factual questions ("Who leads China and India?") in favor of more questions about policy (if you are only limited to...
September 08, 2008
Not that I think this pick was ever about picking up independents and Clinton supporters. This ought to turn out the base though. McGraw says Palin's Pentecostal roots may be being downplayed for a reason: "I think there may be...
September 07, 2008
Tbogg's use of the Hold Steady takes my mind off of all the nonsense and reminds me that in the next month or so I am not only going to see the Hold Steady three times, but also the Drive...
Imagine that asked in my best Chandler Bing voice.It's hard to imagine anyone who better represents the Washington elite than McCain. He fits that bill in so many ways. And I learned a new one from Halperin today (yes, it's...
September 06, 2008
As a theoretical matter I agree with Sullivan. In a democracy it should not be acceptable for a major politician to hide from the press - especially in the weeks preceding a national election. It shows a contempt for the...
The GOP steals "rescues" flags from the democrats....
The one in my yard? It's been stolen. Along with all the other Obama signs on my block....
Here's a piece of US political trivia I didn't know - in the last 60 years how many governors have been vice presidential nominees on major party tickets? 2. Spiro Agnew and Sarah Palin. I didn't realize it was that...
September 04, 2008
Dick Cheney, being kept as far away from the Republican National Convention as is humanly possibly, has stated (publicly) that Georgia should join NATO: TBILISI, Georgia - Vice President Dick Cheney flew here on Thursday to deliver a forceful American...
Just sayin'. I hope that the thumping octogenarian Sen. Lautenberg gave him in the Senate primary kills him off as a statewide candidate for good....
If there comes a day when Sarah Palin drifts out of her no-questions cocoon and actually deigns to talk to the press, someone should really asks her what it is about this form of community service that she thought was...
September 03, 2008
So I watched Rudy and Palin. My thoughts: 1) Quite a diverse crowd there, eh? On tv it truly looks like a white business people and their spouses (and parents) party. 2) I'm wondering if Giuliani was so awful to...
She's one compassionate conservative. Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican vice-presidential nominee who revealed Monday that her 17-year-old daughter is pregnant, earlier this year used her line-item veto to slash funding for a state program benefiting teen mothers in need...
September 02, 2008
Following up on something Binky noted earlier - So the US of A isn't good enough for Mr. Palin? And maybe Governor Palin too?...
September 01, 2008
Via Kevin Drum, I see that the Bush Administration has won it's legal battle to prevent a private cattle producer from testing 100% of their cows for mad cow disease (short blurb). The company wanted to certify their beef as...
Speaking of that Kinsley column, it's pretty good. In light of the Palin nomination, just how does McCain defend the last several months of his own words about Obama?It's not about experience at all. It's about honesty. The question should...
I think that one thing that's often underestimated in terms of why national discourse, especially in the press, about national politics took such a right-leaning slant over the last few decades is the effect of The Almanac of American Politics....
I think Benen's right to bring this up. McCain's been in politics for decades - has he ever before acted like he's acting now? Did he do it post-Katrina? After all 2005 saw 3 of the biggest hurricanes on record,...
August 31, 2008
Nice line - and an interesting thing to add to discussions of this issue....
August 30, 2008
Cheeky of people, thinking they have rights....
Gosh, I have no idea what the VP does! Well, gosh, do you think she's the kind of person folks might want to have a beer with? Maybe she's make a great neighbor!...
August 29, 2008
One of the true delights of this election season has been watching how it's transformed Jack Cafferty - how the Republicans continue to push him around the bend, and how he quite forthrightly makes that clear to one and all....
So Palin supported the "Bridge to Nowhere" and she likes congressional earmarks generally. Hmmm, interesting that McCain said exactly the opposite regarding her views on those issues as he introduced her today.And she supported Pat Buchanan in 1999?UPDATE: Oh, I...
That's how I read this. They met at the NGA meeting in February. They talked on the phone on Sunday. And they met again on Thursday when he offerred her the job. I have no idea the last time a...
Andrew Sullivan has been throwing up some weird posts today. This one stands out as the wackiest. He so desperately wants to see Republicans and conservative embracing gay people that he sees it where it doesn't exist. He notes that...
Seriously? On the one hand it's an incredibly savvy choice in certain areas. She's got a great personal story and will thrill the Right and some PUMAs, and she'd be an historic choice. But a man, a 72 year-old man,...
August 28, 2008
This is their response to Obama's speech? In the first place, maybe they'll later add an "analysis" tag to the work and stop calling it a "news" piece, as they've done with McCain-cheerleader Fournier's work. But beyond that ... c'mon....
Given that the McCain campaign seems to be running on his POW past of late, am I the only one who finds it peculiar that no one in the media seems to ever mention that confession he wrote in prison?...
August 27, 2008
With flying colors. And I am counting the orange pantsuit....
Well golly McCain doesn't want to step on Obama's toes, really he doesn't, it's just you've got to let those darned advance people and the Secret Service know, and should the name come out, well, really, honest-to-golly-gee-shucks McCain will feel...
Which is cool, and it was nice of Sen. Clinton to go to the floor to propose that his nomination be made by acclimation during the roll call of states. But personally I'd say what really made that moment was...
So I just got a note from the convention on where the campaign is headed in West Virginia. The Obama team will staff 3-5 offices in the state. That'll include a big one in Charleston, one in Morgantown, one in...
Most of last night's political coverage was focused on the Democratic National Convention and the election results in Alaska (Sen. Stevens was easily renominated and Rep. Young appears to have just barely won - by about 150 votes). But they...
August 26, 2008
While I assume the new Gallup number will be the poll story of the day, scroll down to the congressional races. In the latest PPP poll Elizabeth Dole is behind challenger Kay Hagan. Dole's numbers appear to have plunged in...
The annual tradition of staff comments on members continues. Click to find out who's "meanest", "nicest", a "workhorse", a "fashion victim", and much more....
August 25, 2008
Everybody knows that the latest anti-Obama ads berating him for having a poor half-sibling (hmmm, who knew the Republicans favored intra-family handouts - I thought they were the party of personal responsibility) are really about implying that he's a furriner...
August 24, 2008
Oh, right, that one: Eight women currently are governors of states. Dem women governors: 5 GOP women governors: 3 I count 72 women in the House of Representatives Dem women representatives: 52 GOP women representatives: 20 There are 16 women...
August 23, 2008
So Obama has picked Biden. Yawn....
August 22, 2008
Hillary Clinton? Joe Biden? Chet Edwards? If those are finalists I suddenly find myself yearning for him to pick Evan Bayh (though really I still want Kathleen Sebelius)....
August 21, 2008
At the moment Mark Halperin is leading The Page with the suggestion that Obama's pick might be Indiana's other senator, Dick Lugar. Yes, the senior Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. It's an interesting thought, but is this just...
Because he always merits it. She also nicely dings the concept of McCain-Lieberman....
August 20, 2008
So the blogosphere seems to largely approve of choosing Biden as vice president. To which I say, what about before he chaired Foreign Relations? He used to chair Judiciary. And back then he managed crime bills, and was a major...
August 18, 2008
So McCain is going to announce his running mate on the 29th in Ohio. Think that will lower or increase how often the press will mention that he turns 72 that day? I'm guessing it'll lessen the number of birthday...
You'd really think the press would at least go through the motions of asking him about that....
Couldn't you see this face and profile on our money? And yes, one could argue that's one of the pettiest things I'll ever post, but really folks - why not Sebelius? She fits with and reinforces all of Obama's best...
I strongly agree with Matt Yglesias. Let's ditch the Vice Presidency. True, we are unlikely to do that. But I'd much rather have new elections after a vacancy opens up at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. The current system is so anti-democratic...
August 17, 2008
Obviously a complicated relationship, the this finding of a "monetary-industrial complex" is rather interesting....
August 16, 2008
For the record, I'm glad it's back. It reminds us of the extent to which the chattering class' chattering is largely uninformed guess work. Plus, hey, it's entertaining....
August 15, 2008
Hilzoy has linked to this, which makes an excellent point. John McCain (and the Neocon war-war-war chorus) might not be besties with the president of Iran. But I'd be hard pressed to think of anyone who's doing more this month...
Andrew Sullivan nails Sen. McCain when it comes to war, conflict, and international affairs.And really, how many clueless IR comments is McCain going to get away with making? Everyone misspeaks now and again. But McCain sure does it a lot...
August 14, 2008
Yes, the McCain campaign either lacks any sense of irony or the candidate has such a lack of self-awareness that one wonders if he's conscious. It's hard to imagine behavior more "presumptuous", as the word was defined by McCain earlier...
August 13, 2008
So today some of the blogs are wondering if given the events in Georgia, and Wed. night being national security night at the convention, Joe Biden be be Obama's Veep choice. I hope not, for a number of reasons. But...
August 11, 2008
Seriously Howard, stop whining - especially when there's plenty of evidence that you are wrong. And giving the opportunity for the press to point out that you are wrong and that Sen. Clinton wouldn't have gotten most of those Edwards...
There's no need for that of course. One can certainly speak to security issues without being one. But that'll be today's Veepstakes chatter given the convention schedule. Of course none of the 4 people most often discussed as his running...
August 08, 2008
Am I missing something? Not being a Christianist voter, maybe I just don't get the big deal. Well, almost certainly I don't. But I do follow politics closely, and John Edwards' position as a national politician has been deader than...
August 07, 2008
No, it's not 1990 again, but apparently she's considering it. While older than John McCain and Carl Levin, the expectation is apparently that the job can be hers (in 2011) if she wants it....
Cohn makes the case here. On the merits I think he'd be a fine choice. But I don't know that it would work politically/as a matter of marketing. Though a reformer, he's older than McCain and has been in the...
August 06, 2008
US olympians are kowtowing before the Chinese, apologizing for wearing face masks (I was just talking to someone who was there last week - she was talking about how in Beijing you can't see the sun). And the chairman of...
Not that another one is needed, but having a woman on the ticket would appear to help Obama (or be more helpful to him than it would be for McCain).And as far as Bayh goes, I find this argument peculiar....
August 03, 2008
If any of you want to comment on the news that McCain's camp is vetting Eric Cantor, here's a thread for you. I think Cantor is, from McCain's perspective, one of the strongest picks he could make. Not as good...
August 01, 2008
The story doesn't come out and say it, but seems to hint at it pretty strongly. The guy worked at the US Army lab that researches and investigates anthrax, was being investigated, and committed suicide this week. There isn't any...
July 30, 2008
First he was elitist, then arrogant, then presumptuous, and now he's a celebrity. Josh Marshall considers how this (thoroughly lame, though sadly all too predictable) campaign theme looks when one considers the color of Obama's skin....
July 29, 2008
As you have likely seen, the senior Republican in the US Senate has been indicted. This means he'll have to step aside from the top GOP post on Commerce, Science and Transportation, a committee with powers over a hell of...
July 28, 2008
The McCain campaign is apparently floating the idea of picking Fred Smith. Since current reports seem to have the choice otherwise nailed down to one between Mitt Romney and T-Paw, well on the basis of his resume, Fred Smith would...
July 23, 2008
First Read is reporting a story that has his choices down to 3: Romney, Pawlenty and Jindal. That list is so predictable that Arizona's senior senator seems determined to bore us to death, as well as to charge on directly...
July 21, 2008
More evidence that Obama is the candidate of savvy members of the foreign policy establishment (which tends to be populated by George H.W. Bush Republicans). And for good reason.Obama rarely speaks in the moralistic tones of the current Bush administration....
July 20, 2008
I think Hilzoy is right here. And if the press is paying attention the larger trend, I think Maliki's comments could be even worse for McCain than they at first appear. First the Bush administration started appeasing negotiating with Iran,...
July 19, 2008
Every so often Novakula reports something interesting. And this definitely qualifies. Evangelicals and their allies, dominating last weekend's Iowa Republican state convention, dumped their critic, Sen. Chuck Grassley, from the state's delegation to the national convention in St. Paul, Minn....
So someone texted me a trivia question about a vice president last night, and it got me thinking about something. Unless I'm mistaken, and that's entirely possible, on January 20 of next year the US will see for the first...
One from a web savvy candidate in Kansas and one from Oklahoma depicting Satan frolicking with gay men in togas. Yes, it's that bad (PDF)....
July 18, 2008
Which sitting member of the US Senate has appeared (credited) in one of this summers blockbuster action movies (though he didn't do damage to anyone)?...
This is the worst Chris Cillizza can come up with? He's an ambitious, populist pol who's happy to twist his views to fit with McCain? When did that become a net minus? And Cillizza thinks the country wants national politicians...
July 16, 2008
Ugh. Talk about racial politics in its most identity-over-policy form: Among the other eye-raising contributions tallied by Tinker is a $5,000 one from the Congressional Black Caucus. That's the caucus the white Cohen tried to join - and was rejected...
July 15, 2008
Thought I'd link to this since we haven't had a Veepstakes post in a little bit. I'd say it's wise. Personally, my top choice at this point is Sebelius, followed by Napolitano, and then either Kaine or Reed....
July 12, 2008
Zimbabwe is a mess. Mugabe has clearly "stolen" the election via violence and intimidation. For whatever reason (likely related to past histories of colonialism and rejecting those former colonizers politics), the African states (especially South Africa) seem unwilling to put...
July 11, 2008
John Cole seems to want to throw the remote over what's been uncovered or undercovered. And we haven't even seen Friday's news yet - but somehow I imagine that's going to be just as disappointing....
July 10, 2008
Donald Cazayoux's win in the US House seat centered around Baton Rouge was one of 3 big wins the Democrats had in the House in the last year - wins where they picked up previously Republican seats in the South...
July 08, 2008
Thought Morris might be interested in this. I believe Obama is a poker player. I don't know if he bets the kind of money that McCain does.UPDATE: Here's an even better summary of the article....
July 06, 2008
But at the moment I'm having trouble thinking of a more malevolent member of Congress - much less one who served for 30 years (thank you Helms voters in North Carolina!). Hilzoy collects some of his finer moments here. President...
I know that a certain level of friendliness to Republicans runs in his family (his brother is President Bush's Ambassador to Japan), but this is ridiculous. Last week he pretty much creates the whole Wesley Clark "controversy" all by himself....
July 04, 2008
And this doesn't even get into the problems involved in having to get a mass of security clearances all at one time ... when obviously we don't have the staff to do those clearances in a short time period. It's...
On the one hand I find this remark quite troubling, partially because it suggest limitations over women's health care rights, and partially because it seems to take mental health less seriously than physical health. On the other hand I really...
Does this push him up to the first-tier of vice presidential possibilities? Perhaps not. But it can't hurt....
July 03, 2008
Personally I can think of few things more important to a president's success than his ability to manage his decision-making team. Hilzoy appears to similarly prioritze that attribute, and here discusses (drawing from the Rolling Stone article) what we know...
July 02, 2008
Or at least arguments - but probably a pretty effective one too....
I rarely have anything good to say about Carville, so I suppose I should give him credit for a good line: If being a fighter pilot qualifies you to be president, then somebody get Randy 'Duke' Cunningham out of jail,...
If the co-host of a big Obama fundraiser did this I think it's safe to say it'd be a story for weeks. I haven't heard a peep about this though in the "mainstream" press - or of course from Rush,...
July 01, 2008
I live in the most socially conservative state in the country. Goody for me....
So just to go on the record about it, of late I'm annoyed by the senator from Illinois (since I know some people, like my younger brother, sometimes accuse us of never saying negative things about leading Democrats). I'm annoyed...
June 30, 2008
Oh please. As if. That's what Andrew Sullivan is calling General Clark's patently obvious assertion that getting shot down during the Vietnam War doesn't qualify you for the presidency. The media has blasted Clark, similarly clueless and seemingly unable to...
Here. Romney's the favorite, though McCain doesn't like him. Also in the first tier are Portman and Thune (talk about your empty suit, though I guess he is a relatively hunky empty suit - and far right). Second tier? That'd...
From a story in today's WaPo: On the television in his living room, Peterman has watched enough news and campaign advertisements to hear the truth: Sen. Barack Obama, born in Hawaii, is a Christian family man with a track record...
June 29, 2008
So far this year 3 members of the House have lost their bids for renomination to another term in Congress (2 in Maryland, 1 in Utah). Here CQ runs down more intra-party campaigns that could derail the hopes of several...
June 27, 2008
I'm most of the way through Nixonland, and happened upon this paragraph: (Part of a section describing Nixon's non-public actions to help secure his re-election in 1972) "Meanwhile there were the broadcast networks to flay - four of them, now...
Gotta agree with Hilzoy here. Kicking Russia out would be dumb. Trying to kick Russia out when you can't even make good on your word adds a whole new layer of dumbness. When it would anger someone were you to...
June 26, 2008
His initial thoughts conclude with this observation: All in all, not a great day for those who believe, as I do, that "there is no good reason to allow disparities in wealth to be translated into disparities in political power....
June 24, 2008
This is a nice article on what goes into how a presidential campaign selects a vice presidential nominee. And if you read all the way to the end, there are some educated guesses about who seems to be on the...
New York's #1 obstructionist is out of office, apparently immediately. If you know anything about Albany you know the head of the Senate has enormous power, and Bruno has used it to block a lot of stuff progressives have sought...
June 22, 2008
Can you imagine the sheer amount of data? And how tempting it would be to crack the security? And the burden on small business? Washington, DC - Hidden deep in Senator Christopher Dodd's 630-page Senate housing legislation is a sweeping...
June 20, 2008
I'm partway through Nixonland, and am liking it. Perlstein is trying to wind together a bunch of different strands (social, political, economic, generational, foreign policy, etc.) into a cohesive telling of the seismic shifts in American politics between 1966 and...
June 19, 2008
Don't know if anyone else noticed this: the US Air Force is having a great deal of difficultly buying airplanes. The Air Force needs some new air-to-air tankers. These are the boring, unglamorous planes that are necessary. They are big...
June 18, 2008
I so like this guy, and he's a great face for the party. It's good to see him finally get some attention. And yes, he should be on the Veep short-list....
June 17, 2008
I hadn't thought of it as a battleground state for the fall, but 538 makes a good case. And I agree it'd make more sense to prioritize that state than it does to prioritize Georgia....
I noted earlier that the biggest bit of drama at the state's Democratic convention last week was the defeat of the state party's treasurer. That fight (which the incumbent treasurer lost decisively at in the state party's executive committee, though...
June 16, 2008
How else could you accumulate that much credit card debt? Senators John McCain and Barack Obama released their Senate financial disclosure statements on Friday, revealing that Mr. McCain and his wife had at least $225,000 in credit card debt and...
June 15, 2008
From the NYT: Four years after Massachusetts became the first state to allow gay couples to marry, there have been blissful unions, painful divorces and everything in between. Some same-sex couples say being married has made a big difference, and...
June 14, 2008
So I am back from attending the state party convention in Charleston (my apologies for taking so long to approve the comments - didn't touch a computer while I was away). I might have more to say about it tomorrow....
Mark Hosenball notes that the 3 top Democrats on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, all former presidential candidates, are "running" for Secretary of State - John Kerry, Joe Biden, and Chris Dodd. While Bill Richardson and others should certainly be...
June 12, 2008
From the NYT story on the Supreme Court rulings that struck down most of the Bush Administration's attempts to keep Al Qaeda out of our courts, comes this wonderful quote by our fearless Chief Justice of the Supreme Court: And...
So I see that the national press is picking up on this story. Will it be enough to knock the governor of Louisiana off the list of vice presidential prospects?...
June 11, 2008
Obviously those who want low turnout won't like it, but we really should vote on a Saturday.Well, we should probably vote by mail, or have the ability to vote over several days, but if there has to be an "election...
June 10, 2008
I'd just like to go on record as saying that whoever wins in November should keep Bob Gates around as SecDef. He's trying bring the Air Force in line, he's supported attempts to expand the Army, and he's making the...
MSNBC's Todd and Montanaro have this report on the long short list that has been discussed on Capitol Hill. They report 16 names have been discussed - Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, John Edwards, Evan Bayh, Kathleen Sebelius, Ted Strickland, Mark...
This is probably the best short piece Mark Halperin has put together in a long time. It's a short list, but there's a lot of truth in it....
This is dumb. E.J. Dionne makes the case for Joe Biden because he's a "happy warrior", who's "ready on day 1", and knows a ton about foreign policy.To which I respond - duh, what?How in the hell is Obama supposed...
June 05, 2008
I think this is an excellent strategy - and the name for it that Ben Smith uses is great too....
Ambinder runs down the pluses and minuses of Tom Ridge as a possible running-mate for John McCain. Personally, I think he's one of the strongest choices McCain could make....
Via Yglesias I ran across this, which would indeed seem to make an Obama-Clinton ticket extremely difficult. I mean Obama just banned the DNC from taking PAC money. Is he really going to cover for the Clintons on this stuff?...
June 04, 2008
Can the candidate of change put a Clinton on his ticket? Can a candidate who's going to have to argue judgment matters more than experience (especially on foreign policy) put a person who voted for the Iraq war on his...
June 03, 2008
Matt Stoller makes his case for the retired general. Mark Kleiman generally likes the idea, but he has a few concerns....
June 02, 2008
Poblano helps you figure it out, with a spread sheet in which you too can decide which votes count and which votes don't - just like the Clintons do!...
June 01, 2008
It will surprise no one that I agree with this: And yet, there's Terry McAuliffe bloviating on CNN about how this adds to Clinton's popular vote "victory" - a victory only if you count states that violated party rules (Florida),...
Lowell at Raising Kaine runs down the pros and cons of the 3 Virginians people mention as possible running mates for Sen. Obama. Mark Kleiman also touts Mark Warner, and has some questions about a Warner candidacy....
May 31, 2008
I think Publius is absolutely right. What the DNC decides today doesn't matter at all. How Sen. Clinton responds to it, that will be the important news of the day. And it could well reverberate all the way to November.In...
May 30, 2008
Our congressman has come out for the Illinois senator. That makes all 4 of the state's congressional Democrats for Obama - which of course stands in contrast to the preferences of the state's voters that were prominently displayed in the...
May 29, 2008
Well, of course it's a political stunt. But it's a damn clever one. Score one for the McCain campaign....
May 28, 2008
I've said it before, and I'll say it again - Jim Webb should not be Sen. Obama's choice for Vice President. On the other hand, infuriating Bob Novak is often a good thing, so that's one more reason to put...
May 22, 2008
Ever since last summer I've been starting to think that Rhode Island might now have the best delegation in the US Senate. Today I noted more evidence supporting that thought. Jack Reed and Sheldon Whitehouse were the only two Democrats...
Ambinder also has a post up on the start of the Obama campaign's search for a vice presidential nominee. He hits on the basic political issues involved, and he has a list of possibilities. Some of them are appalling (Nunn,...
That's who he's quite publicly meeting with this weekend. I think Crist could be an excellent choice - Jindal (who's getting hammered in the Louisiana press of late, something the national press might want to look at) and Romney, not...
May 21, 2008
Kos notes something I was unaware of - Puerto Rico gets to send more delegates to the Democratic National Convention than 26 states (including those Appalachian areas that have been much discussed of late, Kentucky and West Virginia)....
May 20, 2008
So SUSA has polled Pennsylvania and shows that in a head-to-head Obama leads McCain 48-40. They also polled a variety of tickets involving the two senators. Is this really all that helpful? I mean I don't find it at all...
May 19, 2008
The country's top political donor promised the leaders of Young Democrats of America $1 million if they wouldn't back Sen. Obama. The Young Democrats though stood with their pro-Obama membership and turned down the $1 million. While this race looks...
May 14, 2008
Racially, educationally, in terms of its economy, in terms of the age of its population, it is an outlier. Something that you'd think more people might have brought up on tv last night when interpreting the supposed larger meanings of...
Seriously, is there anyone on tv who's more perfect for today's political media environment than Chris Matthews? It's like they popped him out of a network talking head machine.And, more broadly, why won't the networks say poor white people? That's...
May 13, 2008
The governor of Washington state took time out of her busy schedule today to write a diary on Daily Kos in which she attacks Sen. McCain for leading the fight that allowed for a major air tanker contract to be...
And happily some of them actually have a sense of humor (predictably, some don't).Ted Stevens: "No. I've got too many things that I still want to do as a senator. And I don't like the idea of a job where...
Marc Ambinder is arguing that today's important election isn't in West Virginia, it's in Mississippi. And indeed, if the Democrats manage to win a blood-red seat in the Deep South that President Bush won by 25 points in 2004 that'll...
May 11, 2008
So since earlier today I brought up the question of McCain's running-mate, I figure I might as well open a thread for any thoughts anyone has about who Sen. Obama should choose. My top choices? Gov. Bill Richardson of New...
He was at it again today in Mingo county. He told them his wife represented "people like you, in places like this", and urged voters to turn out in record numbers on Tuesday to send a message to the "higher-type...
It might be a little hard to imagine, but as recent polling shows Senators Smith (OR), Cornyn (TX) and Dole (NC) to be in trouble, it's starting to look possible. In contrast, the Republicans are really only contesting 1 Democratic...
So last night Ryan and I were once again talking about who McCain might run with. And I was having trouble thinking of many possibilities. Gov. Tim Pawlenty of Minnesota and Gov. Jon Huntsman of Utah seem like good possibilities,...
May 10, 2008
He makes a pretty good case....
May 08, 2008
I'm a lot less worried about the racial tinge to what she said than the fact that what she said flies in the face of reality. Over time Obama's been becoming more and more popular in those voting blocs that...
May 05, 2008
Some of these are repeating from comments, but these are the relevant stories covering the WVU Faculty Senate vote that recommended that WVU President Garrison resign: The basic news blurb from our local AM talk radio station. Commentary from one...
If Obama has to apologize for Ayers that is. The answer is of course abundantly obvious. The media likes McCain, has decided his character is not campaign issue, and has told the public how great McCain is for a good...
May 04, 2008
Yup, that headline is sure to piss some off, including perhaps some of the other members of the Coup. But when she insists on restating her threats against Iran and her call for a gas tax holiday ... well, c'mon....
Yup, that headline is sure to piss some off, including perhaps some of the other members of the Coup. But when she insists on restating her threats against Iran and her call for a gas tax holiday ... well, c'mon....
May 03, 2008
The least important contest of the primary cycle? Perhaps. But at this point both campaigns want every delegate they can get. There's still 1 precinct (out of 19) outstanding, but his lead should be secure as he's up by 6-7%...
Ari Berman investigates what it does, and how it connects Obama and Ayers (this link goes out to Morris, given his Ayers fixation - and to the Clinton campaign which keeps pushing the Obama-n-Ayers smears)....
Ari Berman investigates what it does, and how it connects Obama and Ayers (this link goes out to Morris, given his Ayers fixation - and to the Clinton campaign which keeps pushing the Obama-n-Ayers smears)....
Charles Blow points out some interesting data. Despite all the pundits' analysis and hyperbole, over the course of the presidential campaign (since last July) white Democrats' opinions of Barack Obama haven't changed much - both his favorables and his unfavorables...
Oh please. "The great divide in this country is not by race or even income, it's by those who think they are better than everyone else and think they should play by a different set of rules," he said. "In...
May 02, 2008
And Labour takes a beating all over....
Well, at least according to the Oklahoma Statutes on forcible sodomy, and forcible sodomy being what they have legislated. And given that they have just proposed to "[force] another person to engage in the detestable and abominable crime against nature"...
May 01, 2008
North Carolina is the most populous state voting on Tuesday, but the perception seems to be that Indiana is the swingiest. So with that in mind, FiveThirtyEight projects the likely outcome here....
Joe Andrew tears it to shreds, arguing it's cheap Rovian "old politics" that the country needs to rise above in this moving letter that explains why he's jumping ship and backing Sen. Obama.And also via Ben Smith, I see this...
April 30, 2008
Personally, this makes me happy.On a more serious campaign note, what's with the Democratic candidates facing their enemies and/or hacktacular assholes this week? Barack Obama went on Fox News and was interviewed by Chris Wallace last weekend. Hillary Clinton is...
I hadn't thought about the fact that it was an Indiana voter ID law that the Supreme Court just allowed to stand and that Indiana's presidential primary is next week. Given the usual demographics of who supports Obama and who...
April 29, 2008
Neat map. It might not tell us much about Obama vs. Clinton (Obama has won both more wine states and more beer states than Clinton has), but it does illustrate some other divides....
Ugh. Surfing around to matter related to the preceding post I found this. Predictable. And predictably ugly....
True, it's an influential one - Gov. Easley of North Carolina, whose state will vote next week. But talk about an ugly way to endorse: "I've been accused of being persistent, and down right aggravating…but this lady right here makes...
Weird. John Yarmuth had already endorsed him, and now the very popular Ben Chandler has. Kentucky's just a beyond terrible state for Obama against both Clinton and McCain. For these men to back him in what's his weakest state East...
Tumulty (who I think's been doing rather nice posts over on Swampland) offers her take on the proposed gas tax holiday (favored by Senators Clinton and McCain, opposed by President Bush and Senator Obama - and of course opposed by...
April 28, 2008
That's the message Ben Smith sees in these pieces by the Boston Globe (on Hillary Clinton and Iran) and Fareed Zakaria (on John McCain's call for "war" against Russia and China)....
April 26, 2008
Wtf?!? Now the premise of this piece, that Hillary Clinton very well might win the nomination and that somehow that'll get decided by Kentucky shows that Eleanor Clift knows just as little about national politics as ever (and yet for...
April 25, 2008
How weird is it that one of Clinton's top surrogates is making the argument that members of Congress from Indiana shouldn't make a public endorsement in the presidential nomination fight?...
April 24, 2008
Last week Steve Benen posted this handy list of John McCain flip-flops. You might want to save it away for later....
She needs 70% of the remaining elected delegates and over 60% of the remaining superdelegates. Given that, I don't see any way for her to win the nomination. But then I haven't seen much more than a faint glimmer of...
April 22, 2008
So what gives with the timing of this? Is it a talking point for Team Obama to use tonight (a bit of good news to mention during a night of a probable Clinton win)? And if it's not that ......
April 21, 2008
Looks like this piece in The New Republic has something for everyone. For those looking for a reason to back Obama, it charts the backstabbing world of the Clinton campaign (really, would anyone want a White House staff like this?)....
April 20, 2008
Nico Pitney analyzes the questions that've been asked in the 4 one-on-one debates, and finds that the ABC debate was in a class of its own with its focus on alleged personal scandals. And, interestingly, Obama has been the target...
Is it just me, or is that kind of funny? It's predictable, and probably doesn't matter at all in terms of the vote, but Mr. Vast Right Wing Conspiracy siding with the woman he long painted as a socialist dragon...
April 18, 2008
Larry Bartels had a column in yesterday's New York Times noting that it's not working-class people who vote at unusual levels on social issues - it's wealthier people. This holds internationally too right? The green revolution in Europe, or the...
April 17, 2008
So last night I went down to a local watering hole to watch the debate. I had a nice evening - as long as I didn't concentrate on the debate too deeply because, well, the whole spectacle was appalling. Josh...
April 16, 2008
Interesting. Maybe Moon or one of our usually silent readers could say if this was expected or not, but since I presume that Western PA should generally be strong for Clinton it's probably notable that its biggest paper is going...
April 15, 2008
Uh-huh. This hits a little close to home. And if you aren't reading DTWOF... get with it!...
April 14, 2008
It was much ado about nothing in terms of the basic idea, which is far from controversial. Along with many others, Bill Clinton's said much the same thing. And of course neither the Clintons, nor the Republican chorus denouncing the...
April 13, 2008
That's the way things look according to the reports at West Virginia Blue. And that was certainly the case here in Mon county. As West Virginia's delegates are alotted according to the outcome of the primary election it's not clear...
April 12, 2008
Given Baltar's connection to Vermont, and my favorable feelings about instant run-off voting, I thought I'd link to this story on gov. Douglas vetoing an IRV system in Vermont which Fruits and Votes described thusly: The governor of Vermont, with...
April 09, 2008
Here's a primer. It's complicated.Key dates to keep in mind in the near term are this coming Saturday, when the counties are holding their conventions to choose delegates for the state convention in June, and April 22, which is the...
The upcoming appropriations season has started some intraparty discussions about Byrd: Senior Democratic senators privately considered Tuesday Sen. Robert Byrd's capacity to handle his spot at the top of the powerful Senate Appropriations Committee, but the 90-year-old lawmaker won't be...
April 08, 2008
Seriously, how often does McCain get to make comments that imply he knows nothing about the region's people, or terrorist organizations, before the powers that be in the media start to question his understanding of foreign and national security policy?...
SUSA is having a good year when it comes to accurately predicting election outcomes. ARG is not. So I'd say ignore those numbers suggesting that Obama is cutting in to Clinton's lead in PA - because according to SUSA she's...
It's not the usual narrative on McCain, so it's worth considering. "For one, he's extremely undisciplined. With virtually no pressure on him at all, he's already offered a series of troubling gaffes. He's also prone to - as Kaus says...
Woo-hoo! As someone who loathed the Electoral College before that was cool, I'm happy to see that Illinois has joined Maryland and New Jersey. Together they have 47 electoral votes - states totaling 270 votes must join for it to...
April 06, 2008
John Cole runs down the details. She's continuing to tell a health care tale that doesn't fit with the facts of the case - facts her campaign has been alerted to. And of course she's continuing of the nonsense of...
April 05, 2008
The one who smelt it dealt it....
It's US House race run-off day in two special elections in the Bayou State. In LA-1 there's a race on the Republican side to choose the certain successor to Gov. Bobby Jindal. But in LA-6 (the district based around Baton...
Which really shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone, but you never know if such news might affect some voters. Between this and Clinton telling a tall tale (lie?) in her stock health care speech she's likely in for a...
April 03, 2008
The Republicans may finally have found their candidate against veteran US senator Frank Lautenberg (D) of New Jersey. But the bigger news in this race is that long-time US Rep. Rob Andrews from South Jersey is going to challenge Launtenberg...
April 02, 2008
In this case he doesn't even know his own mind. Yesterday in one interview he described Sadr as a major player whose influence must be reduced. In a different interview yesterday he said Sadr's influence had been on the...
April 01, 2008
Krugman is talking about regulating financial markets: For example, there was a 2003 photo-op in which officials from multiple agencies used pruning shears and chainsaws to chop up stacks of banking regulations. The occasion symbolized the shared determination of Bush...
The latest numbers are up on Campaign Diaries. Obama's lead over Clinton among the pledged delegates has grown to 162 (1415.5 to 1253.5). I don't see any way Clinton can overcome that. And I still find it weird that people...
March 31, 2008
Via LGM and The Monkey Cage, a piece by a Stanford PhD candidate called Republican Vote Buying in the 2004 US Presidential Election (PDF). The abstract: In the aftermath of the summer 2004 Florida hurricane season, the Federal Emergency Management...
So now that the break is over, we'll be getting back to posting. I'll start by noting a few things worth checking out from Sunday. Ezra Klein has a nice op-ed on our society's appalling views regarding prison rape. Hilzoy...
March 26, 2008
Ewwww. That's far beyond a cats and dogs living together moment. As Josh Marshall notes, that's just wrong on a hundred levels. Remember, this is the guy who spent millions of dollars puffing up wingnut fantasies about Hillary's having Vince...
March 24, 2008
Joshua Keating looks at the history of John McCain's commentary on foreign involvements over the last quarter century and notes he hasn't always held the views he does now.On Lebanon: The longer we stay in Lebanon, the harder it will...
Spencer Ackerman spends some time with Sen. Obama's foreign policy advisors in an attempt to determine the core of his foreign policy....
The Democratic race promises to go on and on and on - and the longer it goes on, the more different people are coming up with their own rules for deciding this thing. Yesterday Campaign Diaries noted that Sen. Johnson...
March 22, 2008
So in his widely-read weekend column Bob Novak (Novakula, the Prince of Darkness, what have you) is noting that a lot of people on the right are floating the name of Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal as a possible vice presidential...
Well, not quite - but political gun for hire and extremely skinny guy James Carville (to see him in tight jeans is a wee bit disconcerting) has likened New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson to Judas and is talking about "30...
March 21, 2008
Interesting. Today through my office building copies of a sheet of paper have been taped up and posted. The paper details Obama's supposed flip-flops on NAFTA (with a reference to the debunked AP/Canada story), supposed flip-flops on troop withdrawals (with...
This really is rather staggering. President Bush is not a stupid man. But there seem to be things he simply insists on believing, whether or not they have any connection to reality. This is bad enough when it comes to...
Now that she's campaigning in Coal Country (WV this week, and I presume she'll be in Kentucky soon given that both areas fit her base demographic perfectly) Senator Clinton has being sharing her views on coal. Sen. Obama, from the...
Unlike a lot of other screaming headlines of "OMG!11!! Sumonez aftr Obama!!1!" due to the reported security breaches, I'm not shocked, surprised or particularly appalled. This kind of stuff has always gone on, with medical records and everything else. Flunkies...
Now this makes me happy, mostly at the thought that Richardson could be considered for a VP or other major foreign policy spot in an Obama administration. As you know, I have been less willing than Armand to commit in...
Bitch PhD makes a list of some of the White, and from the Right, nuttiness in order to point out the double standard: Kotsko sums it up: white preachers obviously believe all kinds of crazy things -- for instance, that...
March 19, 2008
In one more step toward her coming big victory in the PA primary, Sen. Clinton has won the support of Rep. Jack Murtha, arguably the most influential member of PA's House delegation, and an influential Democrat in the Congress as...
March 17, 2008
So today Hillary Clinton is giving a speech explaining why she is better prepared to lead on security matters than is John McCain or Barack Obama. I find that laughable given that she voted for and supported going to war...
Yep. That's what you call it: The account that emerges from those interviews, and from access to previously unpublished documents, makes clear that Mr. Bremer’s decree reversed an earlier plan - one that would have relied on the Iraqi military...
March 14, 2008
Kos notes that Obama leads Clinton among: pledged delegates, primaries won, caucuses won, red states won, blue states won, overall contests won, and money raised....
This year is likely to see big wins for Democrats in both the House and Senate, and the news has been almost uniformly good for them when it comes to key races. But not today. Rep. Bud Cramer has announced...
March 13, 2008
I think Shugart is definitely on to something in describing the race that way. Seems surprisingly spot-on considering that it's comparing today's campaigns to a race that took place before some of my friends were born....
As I expect Clinton to win Pennsylvania by a lot, these endorsements might not be that surprising or that meaningful. But they are still noteworthy and a sign of Clinton's strengthen in the Pittsburgh area....
March 12, 2008
This is about the former president, not the junior senator from New York. But it's really rather striking, and is yet another reason why I find gay people's love for the Clinton's bizarre. "It's the economy, faggot" indeed....
I'd say Will Bunch is onto something here....
And they've got a chart to prove it. There's no way the Clinton campaign will come anywhere close to erasing that lead. They'll cut into it in Pennsylvania and some other states, but even if she gets revotes in Florida...
Was elected yesterday. The other Muslim member of Congress is Keith Ellison (D-MN). The new one is Andre Carson who won a special election yesterday in the US House district centered on Indianapolis. I actually had no idea he...
March 11, 2008
What the hell is she thinking? The Clinton campaign's response to all this (Obama's the racist because he's pointing out race-based language by our people!) is predictably tiresome, but it's also utterly predictable. But this ... please. I'd say save...
Sinbad thinks Hillary Clinton is being misleading in stating that her 1996 trip to Bosnia was dangerous and a sign that she's battled tested and ready for those 3am phone calls. He was on the trip, and didn't feel imperiled....
Could the man who brought us Stuart Smalley really be a US senator? Well, he just got a lot closer to the office....
March 10, 2008
To hear the press and Cilnton tell it, Obama's campaign is stalled and on ther verge of collapse. Weird. Since as Kos notes, Obama picked up more delegates than Clinton did last week. I really wish the press would report...
March 09, 2008
In 1974 there was a special House election to replace a long-time Republican House leader. And though Gerald Ford had held his Midwestern seat for 24 years, his replacement turned out to be a Democrat, Richard Vander Veen. In 2008...
March 08, 2008
Including the one up the road in Pittsburgh, according to an Oklahoma politician: More information on her, and Oklahoma politics at Okie Funk. Rep. Kern's page. In addition to freaking out about the gays, looks like she loves her some...
March 07, 2008
That certainly seems to be what she's implying. Someone should ask her to confirm that explicitly. And if she thinks that, why that's so....
March 06, 2008
I didn't even know these existed. They are yet reason it's hard to see Clinton winning the nomination....
So it seems like everyone and his mother has commented on this post of Drum's dealing with whether or not tough primary fights are harmful for a party's general election chances. He says, hey the 1968 primary was a mess,...
March 05, 2008
So since John McCain wrapped up the Republican nomination last night it's not surprising that there are pieces out there today focused on his potential running mates. Someone, I forget who, was touting Chris Cox. This piece is the Times...
February 27, 2008
What was already looking like a good year for the Democrats in the fall Senate races got better today. Anchorage mayor Mark Begich filed papers to form an exploratory committee. So it looks like he's going to take on Ted...
Ron Klain skewers Nader (in a much more polite way than you'd expect) here....
Oy. He spends a ton of time asking a factually incorrect question in which he seems to confirm that Obama being anti-Israel is an idea to be taken seriously and be troubled about, and, yeah, you do have to wonder...
February 26, 2008
Yay. I like Dodd a lot, so it's nice to see him join the Obama team. Now if only he could displace Harry Reid as Majority Leader ......
February 25, 2008
So Ambinder notes that in today's speech she said: We've seen the tragic results of having a president who didn't have neither the experience nor the wisdom to manage our foreign policy and safeguard our national security. We can't let...
Noted without comment (source): Two years and 142 cases have passed since Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas last spoke up at oral arguments. It is a period of unbroken silence that contrasts with the rest of the court's unceasing inquiries....
February 24, 2008
An ESTJ, an ESTP, and an ENFP. No wonder I like Obama best....
February 21, 2008
And if you are interested in his circle, they list several key people (though I'm surprised Mark Lippert's not on their list). But I'm a bit puzzled by their description of Greg Craig: "is a newcomer to foreign policy. At...
So the latest young darling of the righ-wing, who's even making it on some fantasy lists for Vice President, has worked to kill a couple of ethics reforms proposed in the state legislature. Because if there's something Louisiana doesn't need...
Matthew Yglesias has two insightful short posts up today on stories that could, down the road, bite the Clinton and McCain campaigns. As he notes, if a President Clinton is raising money to pay off a campaign debt she owes...
February 19, 2008
So Sen. McCain has pledged to not raise taxes, and in fact to pursue new tax cuts as well. Okay then Sen. McCain, as we are already running giant budget deficits, does that mean you are committed to carrying those...
Plagiarism? PLAGIARISM? That's the best you can do? (See here and here.) She's down in money, tied in delegates, doesn't know how the Texas primary works (here), and the best arrow she's got in her quiver (the night before a...
February 18, 2008
I'd think it unlikely that Sen. Obama would take him up on the suggestion, but I agree with Jonathan Zasloff that that this presents a certain sort of opportunity. Though of course the key thing is to make sure that...
February 17, 2008
I just read most of a hot discussion going on about whether Obama's words are being misinterpreted, or he was telegraphing an "emotional women don't belong in the White House" message. I'm not shocked and appalled that Obama's speech might...
February 16, 2008
There's a good deal of debate about whether or not newspaper endorsements really affect voters' choices. But on the chance that they do, the Obama campaign has to be happy that recently their candidate has picked up the endorsments of...
February 15, 2008
Yes. This is built on the assumption of Clinton winning the state by 8%, and due to gerrymandered state senate districts and traditionally low Hispanic turnout (so less delegates are awarded in districts where they comprise larger percentages of the...
February 14, 2008
Pretty funny. Gotta love YouTube....
These are topics where Clinton is regularly praised, but is her reputation built on that much? Just what is her "experience" that she says makes her vastly better prepared to be president than Barack Obama? Those 35 years of experience...
February 13, 2008
Today there are a lot of posts up saying that former Sen. Edwards (D-NC) is considering endorsing Hillary Clinton for president. These posts make some decent arguments (endorsing her would have more impact than endorsing Obama, presuming Edwards is looking...
February 12, 2008
So the polls just closed in what was supposed to be the toughest state of the night for him, and the networks have already called the race. Sen. Obama wins Virginia. According to the exits I've seen he won senior...
Look, I like talking politics more than most, but this? Just stop it. We don't know who's going to win in VA, MD, and DC yet. It's fun to make projections and everything - but since we don't know if...
February 11, 2008
Courtesy of Nick Beaudrot. Don't you love maps? Basically, in WA Obama won everywhere, while in LA the voting patterns, as in Alabama and Tennessee, showed a big racial divide. Who'd have guess that? But if Obama is weak in...
Okay, I rarely find this kind of thing all that impressive - but this really is pretty funny, and actually I'd love to see someone pay to put it on tv (where it'd surely get lots of free media attention)....
I'm sure you all read TPM anyway, but don't miss these posts on the counting of the Republican caucus vote in WA. It really does kind of defy belief - so much so that it's sort of hilarious as well...
February 10, 2008
So I can see a candidate making an argument against releasing her tax returns at all, and I can see a candidate releasing them early in order to show transperancy and a lack of corruption - but I'm really unclear...
February 09, 2008
So Sen. Obama won all of today's contests. He won by huge margins in Washington, Nebraska and the Virgin Islands, and with 78% in, he's leading in Louisiana 54-39. On the Republican side? Mike Huckabee trounced John McCain in Kansas,...
Are you kidding me? I won't be at all surprised if some of the rest of you disagree with this, but I find the Clinton campaign's outrage over David Schuster's "pimped out" comment to be something between weird, absurd and...
I guess we can check back in on Sunday night or Monday to see if they are right....
Considering what we know about the Republican party in Kansas, that's not that surprising. But it is a reminder that while John McCain is sure to be the Republican nominee, there are a lot of Republicans who aren't happy about...
February 08, 2008
Huh. I hadn't thought of that. But the governor of Utah makes this list (Ambinder's) of possible McCain running mates, and I've got to say it makes a certain sense, even if Pawlenty, Crist and Huckabee are the more obvious...
One of the next presidential contests will be held in Washington state. Sen. Obama has now secured the support of that state's governor, Christine Gregoire. Sen. Clinton has the support of the state's two senators, Patty Murray and Maria Cantwell,...
This will be somewhat obscure, 'cause I don't want this to be public (this will make sense; just read on).I've been invited to have dinner with a gentleman being inducted to this august University's Alumni Hall of Fame (or whatever...
In a little-reported story yesterday, the Attorney General of the United States argued that if the Justice Department declares something to be legal, it cannot (later) be investigated to see if it is (in fact) legal or not: Testifying before...
February 07, 2008
Somebody gets very pissed off here. (It doesn't say anything new, but it does say it very angrily.)...
Now there are some celebrities who are actually deeply informed about politics. And then there are some who aren't. And then there are some who aren't who nonetheless feel the need to talk about it and the "reasoning" behind why...
So CNN is reporting the Romney campaign is over. So will we really see some McCain/Huckabee contests? Or is this thing done?...
Ezra Klein makes an excellent case for why Sen. Webb should stay in the Senate, and not be put on the national ticket....
February 06, 2008
Obama's raised $5 million since the polls closed yesterday!?! And the number keeps going up! I don't know how he's going to overcome her lead in super-delegates, but at this point I think I can honestly see him beating her...
Bradbury is appalling, and the kind of guy a lot of people would probably think might more appropriately be facing charges than running (seemingly in violation of the law - kind of funny in a sick way given his job)...
Obama seems to have a problem winning the votes of white Catholics, though it's not entirely clear why....
Look at that patch of green....
Ummm, so multiple networks called Missouri for Hillary Clinton. Now who "wins" the state is likely largely irrelevant given that that has little to do with delegate allocation. But it's still probably worth noting that now with 97% of precincts...
February 05, 2008
Well this is an exciting way to start the night. If Obama's numbers are right the size of his win in Georgia is enormous. Per Obama spokesman Bill Burton: Obama's victory in Georgia was achieved through a broad coalition of...
On the conclusions at least, and the feelings about Dodd. I don't share all the negatives he lists for Clinton, and my trust is not as high, but I do share the belief about generational politics. And I would love...
If these turn out to be right, McCain is not putting it away by the margins I expected....
In more West Virginia news, the closed Republican Caucus (down in Charleston, 200 miles from here in Morgantown) decided to support Huckabee. The first round of voting gave Romney 41%, but convention rules say you have to win with 50%,...
Obama could get the most delegates from Tennessee even if he doesn't win the state's popular vote, and it's possible that Huckabee could win the West Virginia caucuses in a bid by McCain forces to thwart Romney....
Today's election that I'm most interested in, other than the Democratic presidential contest, is the primary in Illinois-3. Dan Lipinski, a pro-life, pro-Bush, pro-war product of nepotism is being challenged in his bid for another term. I strongly hope Mark...
February 04, 2008
Tomorrow is the Republican state convention in West Virginia, so if anyone feels inclined to make a case for a particular Republican candidate, well, it seems an appropriate time to do it on this blog. I suppose being anti-evolution makes...
Apparently we're going to be waiting a few days to learn the Democratic delegate count from California....
As Emptywheel notes, this is a big deal, and definitely calls the commission's work into question, no matter what Isikoff says....
February 02, 2008
The LA Times has this great graphic explaining the process....
February 01, 2008
Now that it's a two-person race for both the Republicans and the Democrats, The Fix has decided to stop doing a Line on who'll win the presidential nominations - he's moved on to considering possibilities for the bottom half of...
McCain-Feingold is perhaps John McCain's signature achievement in the 20+ years he's been in the Senate. There aren't any top-rank conservative legal eagles who support it. So would a President McCain really appoint conservatives to the Supreme Court? The question...
January 31, 2008
The Washington media types love the National Journal rankings, so you know this'll be a story in the campaign if Obama wins the nomination. However, I'm highly dubious of any ranking system that says that Joe Biden is more liberal...
I'm not sure what I think of the analysis at the top of this post given that today's Rasmussen tracking numbers are good for Clinton. But the bulk of it, going through each of the Feb. 5th states, is some...
January 30, 2008
Since I don't expect Super-Duper Tuesday to settle the Democratic nomination, the contests just after it could be key to the press deciding who has the big mo'. One of the first contests after Feb. 5th are the caucuses in...
That's according to the AP.So, how do you think this will affect the rest of the race for the nomination?...
I'd much rather go back to the days when this thing wasn't a speech. Matthew Shugart nails some of the format's basic flaws. In this respect, the State of the Union is really the worst of both worlds. The head...
January 29, 2008
As of this time, several news sources are reporting that Guiliani will drop from the race tomorrow. At least the worst candidate for President won't win. That's gotta be worth something....
So what's been the most maddening thing about the election this year? Quite possibly it's been the media's obsession with who wins a state. Now for the Republican contests in Florida and New York that is indeed hugely important because...
January 28, 2008
Presuming the president is going to point to her in his speech tonight, well, the press needs to ask how she got here in the first place (to be used as a prop). Because she wasn't supposed to be admitted...
January 27, 2008
I really like the idea of an Obama-Sebelius ticket, and this would seem to help that along. And yeah, I know Obama has to win the nomination first and that's not even close to being secured, but you all know...
It's fairly late to be jumping into a congressional race, but with John Unger suddenly dropping out the race the Democrats needed a new candidate in WV-2, and they now have one with excellent political connections. Whether those will be...
January 26, 2008
Looks like West Virginia won't have a single interesting congressional race this year, now that state senator John Unger (D) has dropped his challenge to Rep. Shelley Capito (R)....
Well this endorsement might not matter quite as much as Gov. Crist's endorsement of Sen. McCain, but given that she's doing it on the pages of the New York Times, given her family's influence and her prominent role in the...
So is this belittling? Race-baiting? Delegitimizing? Or what? For more on this general area, Jack and Jill Politics has posts up on "The Clintons, Black Folk and America" and "The Media's Three-Fifths Compromise". The latter deals with the tendency in...
This isn't a huge surprise by any means but it could end up having lasting implications as: 1) at the moment the Republican race in Florida looks very tight, and 2) a fairly strong argument could be made that a...
And if this exit poll is accurate it's going to be by a giant margin - much bigger than the winning margins we saw reported in Iowa, New Hampshire or Nevada.UPDATE: With 75% of the results in he's crushing his...
January 25, 2008
The latest is Dave Weldon from Florida's Space Coast. He's the 25th Republican to announce he won't seek reelection in November. That's over 12% of their caucus, and there is every reason to think more retirement announcements are on the...
January 24, 2008
No wonder the Republican establishment hates Mike Huckabee. Sure the guy can give a speech, answer a question, or work a crowd better than anyone else in their field - but he also makes statements like this again and again...
Two legislators from Raleigh County have filed to run against Joe Manchin. Sen. Russ Weeks (R) and Del. Mel Kessler will both face very long odds given that Manchin is one of the most popular governors in the country....
We've known for some time that State's employees have major problems with how the Department is being run, and that many have lost faith in Secretary Rice's leadership. But I was unaware of how badly the Department was serving its...
This should definitely put another Democrat in Congress. Walsh, who has served in the House for 10 terms, almost lost to Dan Maffei last time. Maffei should win this seat now that it's open. The district, which includes Syracuse, leans...
January 23, 2008
Publius is definitely on to something in this post from Tuesday. It's something they do frequently - for example, in this attack ad playing in South Carolina. It's mendacious. It's thoroughly untrustworthy. It's horrible for political discourse in this country....
I tend to find voting records to be problematic measures of policy differences, but if you are inclined to use them, here's an examination of what they've differed on while in the Senate (it says something that a policy piece...
January 22, 2008
When I was looking over the blogs this morning and last night a lot of people seemed to think Hillary did a great job last night because it showed her to be the kind of street fighter that said bloggers...
January 21, 2008
The gloves are off, and there are cuts and bruises galore. Ben Smith's doing a great job of blogging this knockdown masquerading as a debate at The Politico. For a transcript of how it began, check here. And since then...
January 20, 2008
The man knows how to inspire, there's no question about that. He's probably too subtle on some of the points that could help him politically (the war), and he's surprisingly explicit on points that could hurt him politically (gays, immigrants)....
January 19, 2008
So the latest (that I can keep track of) inane brouhaha stirred up by the Edwards and Clinton campaigns over a comment by Senator Obama had to do with grossly misinterpreting something Obama said about President Reagan. Predictably, it was...
January 18, 2008
This Pew study that Kevin Drum (among others) has linked to is fascinating. Both Republicans and Democrats see the Republican presidential candidates in a strikingly similar way, ideologically speaking. But Republicans and Democrats have notably different perceptions of senators Obama...
Clinton is playing the "gambling card" against Obama. Will it help her in Nevada and California? Barack Obama has warned about the dangers of gambling - that it carries a "moral and social cost" that could "devastate" poor communities. As...
January 17, 2008
And I'd say this is one of them: "It would be wrong to discuss Mitt Romney's actual religious beliefs, but perfectly fine to discuss Barack Obama's fictitious ones."...
Shocking I know. Yesterday the former president was bloviating (aka, making shit up) to explain why forces aligned with Sen. Clinton's campaign were trying to make it harder for people who work at casinos to vote on Saturday. Now I...
January 16, 2008
Indeed. And that's why he's the Republicans best hope in Novmeber, whether they like him or not.It should also be noted that the underlying argument in the linked post is very peculiar - a 7% win in a caucus and...
January 15, 2008
Ezra Klein's posted a handy graphic from the Treasury. Mike Huckabee wants to stick it to the middle class, while lightening the tax bills of the rich and the destitute. I'm shocked. Just shocked....
Is it all about framing the South Carolina primary? David Weigel argues: The Clinton team doesn't expect to win South Carolina, and the best way of cushioning a blow right before Super Tuesday is to make the subliminal argument that...
January 14, 2008
I was appalled by the president's comments that were reported this weekend. Fred Kaplan was too.President George W. Bush hasn't accomplished much on his voyage to the Middle East, but he did take the time to inflict another wound on...
It looks very thin to me. But you can judge it for yourself....
January 13, 2008
Hilzoy raises two primary reasons she opposes Sen. Clinton. The second has to do with the tone of politics, and her argument on that merits being read in full. A thumbnail sketch of it would be incomplete. But her first...