I can appreciate the significance of “framing” in contemporary politics, but there should be a clear difference between the terms partisans use for political gain and reporters use to convey information to the public. This has been a problem for a while now. Republicans and Democrats alike called Bush’s approach to Social Security “privatization.” But […]
With all the talk circulating about Tom DeLay’s ethics quagmire, it’s easy to forget that the House of Representatives still doesn’t have a functioning Ethics Committee right now. When we last checked in on the panel, Rep. Alan Mollohan (D-W.Va.), the ranking Dem on the Ethics Committee, had brought the committee to a halt, refusing […]
Today’s installment of campaign-related news items that wouldn’t generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers: * There was some good news and a whole lot of bad news for New York Gov. George Pataki (R) in a round of fresh polling data from the state. The “good” news: […]
I’ve sworn off speculating about would-be candidates in 2008, but that hasn’t stopped me from noticing that Wesley Clark has been keeping a very busy schedule of late and been maintaining the kind of role in the party that will help him in the “long term” (wink, wink). What made me think of this is […]
Some weeks, Republicans sound like they not only want to use the “nuclear option,” but have garnered the support to make it happen. Manuel Miranda, for example, is Bill Frist’s former top aide on judicial nominations and now heading up a Heritage Foundation coalition on ending Dem filibusters. He told the Boston Globe the GOP […]
Republican dogma dictates that every judicial nominee the Bush White House sends to the Senate deserves a full hearing and an up-or-down vote on the Senate floor. Fortunately, it’s encouraging to learn that there are at least some limits to this alleged rule. Newsweek reported in this week’s issue that an investigation launched by the […]
The New York Times reported Sunday that Republicans have begun to “speak privately about their sense that [Tom DeLay’s] standing is in danger, particularly if there are more developments.” I’d argue that DeLay’s multiple ethical and legal lapses should be enough by now, but if the party is looking for yet another development, as luck […]
One really has to wonder what the guy was thinking. It seemed bad enough that Rick “Man on Dog” Santorum was exploiting Terri Schiavo’s family last month, traveling to Florida, visiting her hospice, and appearing with her parents — all the while scoring points with religious conservatives, whom Santorum wants to embrace in advance of […]
I’ve never much cared for the phrase “Taliban wing of the Republican Party” because it’s too frequently misused and applied to conservatives who don’t deserve it. But those in attendance for this weekend’s conference on “Confronting the Judicial War on Faith” deserve the “Taliban-wing” label — they’ve worked hard to earn it. These folks aren’t […]
On Feb. 2, in his State of the Union address, Bush told the nation he “will listen to anyone who has a good idea to offer” on changing Social Security, and pledged to move ahead with his initiative with “courage and honesty.” Less than 24 hours later, the president was in North Dakota, presumably to […]