If there’s good news for Bush and the GOP in the latest Washington Post/ABC News poll, it’s hiding very well. But by a 2 to 1 ratio, the public rejected easing Senate rules in a way that would make it harder for Democratic senators to prevent final action on Bush’s nominees. Even many Republicans were […]
I know the upcoming round of military base closings is a contentious issue, but North Carolina’s Elizabeth Dole (R) must realize how silly she sounded at a recent hearing on the nomination of Anthony Principi to be Chairman of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) Commission. For example, here’s Dole on the importance of an […]
Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Colo.), in response to a series of ugly attacks, recently criticized James Dobson’s Focus on the Family as acting in a way that “will threaten the basic cornerstone of our freedom.” It’s generated several colorful responses from far-right figures, but I was particularly fond of the reaction from Bill Donohue, president of […]
The Washington Post’s E. J. Dionne Jr. had a fine column today about moderates and self-identified independents abandoning the GOP, using the latest Democracy Corps poll for data, but there was one tidbit that jumped out at me. [I]n an amusing but revealing question, the pollsters asked how Americans would vote in a contest between […]
For months, the Republican strategy on the Hill was simple and logical when it came to Social Security privatization: the Senate goes first. If I were a House Republican (I know, strains the imagination, doesn’t it?), this would be a non-negotiable facet to any plan. After all, why should the House stick its neck out? […]
When it comes to judicial nominees and the nuclear option, the word of the weekend was “compromise.” Just yesterday, David Broder floated his idea for his “judicious compromise“; Bill Frist said he “intends to offer a compromise”; and Joe Biden said Dems “should compromise” and “let a number of [these controversial judicial nominees] go through.” […]
How bad is Bush’s Social Security scheme faltering? Fred Barnes, of Fox News and Weekly Standard fame, has decided the president’s wisest course of action is to give up entirely, saying Bush “needs an exit strategy” because it’s “hard to see how a reform measure can pass.” If Bush is forced to accept defeat on […]
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: * Bowing to party pressure, and realizing he had little chance of winning, former Sen. Rod Grams (R-Minn.) dropped out of the race to reclaim his old seat yesterday. GOP leaders have already […]
Newly-elected Sen. Ken Salazar (D-Colo.), a moderate Dem by anyone’s standards, tried to be patient in dealing with Focus on the Family, which is located in his home state. James Dobson’s group continued to attack Salazar, with increasingly incendiary rhetoric, until last week, Salazar had heard enough. Sen. Ken Salazar, D-Colo., intensified his war of […]
The trend continues: the more Bush hits the campaign trail to talk up Social Security privatization, the less popular his plan approach becomes. The latest USA Today poll: The percentage who said it was “extremely important” for the president and Congress to deal with Social Security this year dipped to 37%. In February, before the […]