Lunatic candidate in Tennessee embarrasses Republicans

I guess the GOP outreach to the African-American community has suffered yet another setback. A racist/lunatic named James L. Hart will probably be the Republican nominee in a Tennessee congressional race this year. [Hart] is an unapologetic supporter of eugenics, the phony science that resulted in thousands of sterilizations in an attempt to purify the […]

Kerry’s outreach to Cuban-American voters may reap political rewards

Carpetbagger regulars know that I pay particular attention to two traditionally-Republican constituencies that, I believe, may shift to Kerry-Edwards this year. The first is the military vote, which I discussed in some detail yesterday. The other is the Cuban-American vote, about which I’m just as optimistic. In the 1992 and 1996 elections, Bill Clinton was […]

If they’re going to attack now, what were they doing before?

Bob Novak reported this week that John Kerry’s constant references to his heroic military service during the convention leave the Bush gang with little choice: Kerry’s decorated service will be an area for GOP attack. Kerry has opened a door that could prove troublesome for him…. Until now, Bush campaign strategists have given Kerry a […]

Just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you

On Sunday night, the offices of the Ohio AFL-CIO were broken into and all of their computers were stolen. According to a report from ABC News, this is no joke. There “were no signs of forced entry and the union’s office was the only one in the building robbed.” Now I’m not one to jump […]

Forget the horse race; let’s look at approval ratings

Speaking of polls, I thought I’d take the luxury of updating an item Ryan Lizza wrote for The New Republic in May. (Sorry, Ryan, if I’m stealing one of your ideas) There’s plenty of attention, with some justification, focused on the Kerry vs. Bush poll numbers. But let’s not forget a different number, which got […]

Kerry is still right where he needs to be

I know many of you were looking for the nearest high window to jump out of when the CNN/USAT/Gallup poll showed Bush getting a small bump in the polls after the Dems’ convention, but there’s every reason to believe Kerry is still right where he needs to be with three months until Election Day. As […]

The secret plan to attack South America

On Sept. 11, 2001, after Bush returned to the White House, the president and his top advisors gathered to discuss how best to respond and retaliate. Richard Clarke, Bush’s top counterterrorism advisor, wanted to focus attention immediately towards Afghanistan, but faced some resistance. As Clarke told 60 Minutes in March, Don Rumsfeld insisted, “There aren’t […]

Consumer Spending Plunges to 3-Year Low

I know Bush is fond of his new campaign slogan — the U.S. has “turned the corner” — but he may need something a little more persuasive and a little less naïve. After all, when it comes to the economy, there’s no reason to believe he’s right. Hit with high energy prices, consumers in June […]

It’s not political; it’s just praise for the president on a key issue during the campaign

Tom Ridge, explaining security precautions at the DNCC, on July 15: “We don’t do politics at Homeland Security.” Ridge, alerting the public to a new terrorist threat, on Sunday: “[W]e must understand that the kind of information available to us today is the result of the president’s leadership in the war against terror.” Why reporters […]

The information is how old?

This threat alert seemed different. The timing once again seemed convenient, right on the heels of the Dem convention, but Tom Ridge’s announcement about a new possible al Queda attack had the makings of a serious risk. Consider the report on the front page of the Washington Post yesterday, with a few phrases bolded for […]