Kerry and Edwards lead Bush in national poll

If you had any doubt about the benefits of the Dems’ nominating process so far, look no further than the latest poll from USA Today/CNN/Gallup. In a hypothetical, general election match-up, Kerry leads Bush 55% to 43% among likely voters. More surprisingly, Edwards also leads Bush by a similar margin, 54% to 44%. I know […]

Proof that Bush doesn’t get past the sports section of the paper

One of my favorite Bush quotes of all time was a comment about his interest in the news. In a Fox News interview on Sept. 22, 2003, Bush explained his newspaper reading habits. “I glance at the headlines, just to get kind of a flavor,” he said. “I rarely read the stories, and get briefed […]

The woe of the ‘in-between’ states

Wisconsin’s primary is put on the schedule as a critical test — the last major challenge in a delegate-rich state before Super Tuesday. With this in mind, it’s easy to forget that the next important date on the calendar is not March 2; it’s February 24. Sure, Super Tuesday is the largest voting day in […]

Maybe the Dean campaign reads my site after all

I don’t like to brag, but I did call this one. The debate over whether Dean would drop out or keep fighting missed the third option: suspending campaign operations. Dean will still be on the ballot, he’s not endorsing anyone, and he’ll still use his delegates at the convention. Dean won’t actually be a candidate […]

‘It is wrong to discriminate… based on discrimination’

The president’s habit for offering embarrassing “Bushisms” is apparently spreading to other administration officials. The Washington Post noted today that the Office of Special Counsel publishes information offering government employees information about discrimination and their rights in the workplace. For years, this information has contained information about discrimination based on one’s sexual orientation. Naturally, the […]

Maybe Bush should tout his job-related program activities

The funniest AP feed I’ve seen in a long while: The White House backed away Wednesday from its own prediction that the economy will add 2.6 million new jobs before the end of this year, saying the forecast was the work of number-crunchers and that President Bush was not a statistician. White House press secretary […]

Chandler wins big in Kentucky’s 6th CD

As probably everyone knows by now, Ben Chandler (D) beat Alice Forgy Kerr (R) in yesterday’s special election in Kentucky. Chandler didn’t just squeak by; he won big — 55% to 43%. A 12-point victory in a conservative Southern district? Sweet. Considering this was the first race of 2004, and the Republican establishment’s candidate was […]

Reflections on Wisconsin

As an objective matter, it’s really not fair to compare expected results with actual results. But this is politics, and perception is reality. Yesterday’s results not only allow Wisconsin to maintain its reputation for surprising political pundits, but also extend the race for the nomination overall. Kerry — 40% (30 delegates) Edwards — 34% (24 […]

Dean could stay in the race, but ‘suspend’ his campaign

I’ve been thinking a lot about Howard Dean’s predicament — juggling failure with a desire to compete — and I think I have a helpful suggestion. I realize that Dean is probably not interested in my advice, but I think I know a way for him to keep his original pledge (stop campaigning after a […]

Another ‘conversation’ about Bush’s elusive economic success stories

Bush held another “conversation” with real people yesterday to tout his alleged successes in improving the U.S. economy. With a record like his, I’m surprised Bush would want to bring the subject up, but that’s up to him. In December, Bush held a similar event in Michigan (17 electoral votes), in which the president shared […]