Fundraising letters, by their very nature, have to be at least a little over-the-top. I know; I’ve written more than a few. But these shameless appeals for cash have to be tempered by a certain, inescapable reality — sometimes they’ll be read by someone other than your target audience. With that in mind, no matter […]
Talk of John Kerry tapping John McCain (R-Ariz.) as his running mate refuses to go away. In fact, the talk is getting louder, not quieter. Oddly enough, lending credence to the notion that this ticket is a distinct possibility, a lot of the talk is coming directly from the Kerry campaign. If there is a […]
It’s funny how “cover-up” and “Bush administration” are quickly becoming synonymous. Demagogue’s Eugene Oregon noted yesterday that Jack Spadaro, who has spent his adult life in government and has worked in Republican and Democratic administrations, is accusing the Bush administration of covering up the most serious environmental disaster in the history of the Eastern United […]
I noticed two interesting national polls were released yesterday, one from the Pew Forum, the other from Zogby. Both polls were conducted between April 1 and 4, which meant respondents were aware of some good news for Bush (strong employment numbers in March) and some bad news for everyone (the brutal attacks on Americans in […]
When I said I’d like Republicans to have a stronger appreciation for women, this isn’t what I meant. Via the Political Wire, we learn of today’s most amusing political story, which deals with a Republican legislative candidate — in Texas, of all places — who is under a little pressure because photos of him in […]
Plenty of high-profile officials have quit the White House in frustration — Richard Clarke, Paul O’Neill, John DiIulio, Rand Beers. But a startlingly small number have been fired for their mistakes and incompetence, or resigned as a way of taking responsibility for failure. I can usually take or leave the Washington Post’s Richard Cohen, but […]
Voters always say they hate negative campaigning and are turned off by attack ads, but whether they realize it or not, they’re wrong. They hear the attacks, believe the false claims, and vote accordingly. Particularly when voters are otherwise uninformed about basic current events, attacks ads serve as effective voter education. Even when the ads […]
“Accountability” is one of those education buzz words that conservatives love. It serves as the basis for the drive for more federal testing, a centerpiece of Bush’s NCLB policy. But accountability is one of the gaping holes in the one education policy conservatives demand but usually fail to receive: private school vouchers. When public funds […]
We interrupt this moratorium on all Nader-related news to share this encouraging update. Ralph Nader continued his long and much-maligned march to win the White House Monday night with an impromptu convention in Portland designed to collect the 1,000 voter signatures necessary to qualify for Oregon’s November presidential ballot. The tactic failed, but aides said […]
Usually, a flip-flop is when a politician takes a position on an issue and then later takes the exact opposite position. When it comes to supporting patients’ rights, however, George W. Bush has flipped, then flopped, then flipped back, then flopped again. We might need a new word for this kind of behavior. Charles Lane […]