Because House Majority Leader Tom DeLay may soon be under indictment for a fundraising scandal in Texas, the GOP has launched a two-prong strategy. One part included a House rules change that would allow DeLay to keep his post, even if indicted by a grand jury. The other part, predictably, is lashing out to smear […]
In case you missed it last week, I’d encourage readers to check out John Kerry’s new video and petition on an issue he’s going to be championing over the next year: expanding health care insurance to cover all American children. The proposal has merit and is worth pursuing, but that’s not the point I want […]
Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack, rumored to be the front-runner for the chairmanship of the DNC, withdrew himself from consideration yesterday, saying he simply couldn’t divide his time between the party position and his role as governor. Citing his responsibilities as governor, Vilsack said “these challenges and opportunities require more time than I felt I could […]
I’m a little too young to really appreciate Walter Cronkite’s iron-clad credibility, but it’s nevertheless encouraging to see the retired news anchor tell audiences what he really believes about the state of American politics. In a word, Cronkite’s angry. What America needs right now, legendary TV anchor Walter Cronkite said Thursday, is a new election […]
Just to reiterate something that The American Prospect’s Sam Rosenfeld brought up yesterday, Rep. Jane Harman (D-Calif.), the ranking Dem on the House Intelligence Committee, had a noteworthy reaction to Republicans killing the intelligence reform bill. “If there is another major terrorist attack on our soil — and sadly, there will likely be one — […]
I’ve noticed an odd double standard when it comes to politics and the Boy and Girl Scouts. Since the Scouts are generally well liked by the electorate, this seems like a distinction that deserves some attention. The Boy Scouts, for example, probably found it reassuring to learn last week they have a lot of allies […]
My friend Eugene Oregon has discovered the latest disturbing twist in the GOP drive to stop Dems from blocking Bush’s worst judicial nominees. It’s not a new scheme or clever legal strategy — it’s a name change. Human Events, one of the nation’s most conservative publications, describes the benefits of what they call the “constitutional […]
I continue to be impressed with Harry Reid’s approach to problem solving. For example, the Dems are still dealing with an internal conflict over who (and how) to elect a new chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Part of the problem is naming a new chair who may or may not be able to serve […]
No wonder the United States Commission on Civil Rights delayed its report on Bush until after the election; the president heads an administration in which civil rights laws go largely unenforced. Federal enforcement of civil rights laws has dropped sharply since 1999, as the level of complaints received by the Justice Department has remained relatively […]
It’s hard not to love “Michael Kinsley moments,” in which a political figure commits a gaffe by telling the truth. The latest example comes by way of Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) on the issue of tax “reform.” “You can’t very well claim there was a mandate in this election for tax reform,” said Senator Jon […]