Bush was in Albuquerque, New Mexico, last week for another campaign stop “town hall” meeting to discuss privatizing Social Security. As usual, tickets were distributed through a local Republican office. But in a move that may be less common, the GOP office quizzed would-be attendees before making the free tickets available. (via Froomkin) A spokesperson […]
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: * Tom DeLay, fresh off the weakest re-election support of his career, is continuing to slip in popularity at home. A Houston Chronicle poll published over the weekend found 45% in DeLay’s Texas […]
Looking back at Bush’s first term, there wasn’t much the White House requested but didn’t receive. Even when there was some initial hesitation and skepticism, it was usually only a matter of time before Bush leaned on some GOP holdouts and got what he wanted. This term is starting out a little differently — and […]
Robert Novak spoke to a GOP lawmaker recently and seemed surprised to discover that the Republican was thoroughly unimpressed with the Bush White House’s congressional relations. A senior Republican senator who avoids the headlines and tries to help President Bush as much as possible was discussing with me two weeks ago the problems of seeking […]
When RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman spoke last week at Howard University, one of the nation’s most prestigious historically black colleges, it seemed like another step in the Republicans’ half-hearted campaign to woo African-American voters. As it turns out, Mehlman’s speech wasn’t even that. The American Prospect’s Garance Franke-Ruta was on hand for the event and […]
I was born and raised in Florida. Spent my first 21 years there, went to college there, even met Mrs. Carpetbagger there. I mention this because when I see pieces that marvel at Florida’s unique ability to thrust itself into the national headlines, as the New York Times did yesterday and Tom Tomorrow does today, […]
If you missed Michael Kinsley’s column yesterday, and you’re looking for the kind of information that can come in handy at family barbecues with that annoying right-wing uncle, I think you’ll find it’s the kind of piece that can come in handy. At the outset, let me acknowledge that comparing economic data across decades can […]
Guest Post by Morbo Like most Americans who can read above the fifth-grade level, you may wonder how President George W. Bush gets away with the outrageous things he does. I have good news for you! The staff here at Morbo Consulting Corporation, Inc. (a wholly owned subsidiary of Halliburton) has been studying the Bush […]
Guest Post by Morbo Proponents of education privatization assert that once the public school “monopoly” is broken, scads of privately run institutions will compete among themselves to serve the children trapped in troubled public schools. Fat chance. Many private schools serve wealthy suburbanites and aren’t interested in low-income students from the inner city, no matter […]
Guest Post by Morbo With the Terri Schiavo case dominating the news last week, you might have missed an interesting Associated Press dispatch about the state of America’s young people. It’s important to understand that bashing kids has a long, worldwide pedigree. Even today you can still read screeds delivered by ancient Greeks moaning about […]