David Sirota noticed a real problem Rick “Man on Dog” Santorum might have when running for a third term next year: he’s hardly a Pennsylvania resident anymore. When Santorum first ran for Congress in 1990, he made a huge issue out of his opponent’s home in suburban DC. As Roll Call reported at the time: […]
In recent months, Republicans in Congress have offered critics ample opportunities to use the “pro-torture” label. For example, when lawmakers endorsed Alberto Gonzales’ nomination to be attorney general, it was characterized as a practical referendum on Bush’s torture policies — to vote for Gonzales, despite his role in shaping administration policies that led to widespread […]
Democrats argue that Republicans want to eliminate Social Security and replace it with a private system. Republicans insist that they want to protect Social Security so it will be around for future generations. That is, that was the Republican argument. Republican lawmakers, trying to convince a skeptical public about the wisdom of their Social Security […]
OK, to be fair, this opponent didn’t realize he was criticizing Bush’s plan at the time, but the end result is the same. The New Republic’s Ben Adler discovered this gem of a quote: “I think it’s a nutty idea to fool around with the Social Security system and run the risk of [hurting] the […]
The back-and-forth between the Government Accountability Office and the Bush administration over publicly-funded propaganda has generated plenty of worthwhile attention, but a Senate staffer emailed me to point out a tidbit that seems to have been lost in the shuffle. We know, for example, that the GAO said that it’s illegal for the administration to […]
To follow up on yesterday’s item on Ethics Committee gridlock, guess who’s joined the Dems in wanting House Ethics reform? Rep. Joel Hefley (R-Colo.), the former chairman of the House ethics committee, said yesterday that he will co-sponsor a bill to repeal or revise changes that Republican leaders made to the committee’s procedure at the […]
My new daily feature about campaign-related news items that wouldn’t generate a post of their own, but may nevertheless be of interest to political observers: * New Jersey Sen. Jon Corzine’s (D) gubernatorial campaign is off to a good start — a new Quinnipiac University poll shows Corzine with double-digit leads over both of his […]
As many of you have noticed, there been rather severe server “issues” today. I think we’re back on track. Sorry for the inconvenience. And now, back to the news….
I can appreciate that it’s growing difficult to keep track of all of Tom DeLay’s various crises/scandals. (Think Progress came up with a pretty helpful list.) While the past couple of weeks have raised questions about DeLay’s problems with congressional ethics, let’s shift gears again back to DeLay’s pending indictment for illegal fundraising in Texas. […]
In recent years, as decorum and restraint have faded from Congress, it may have occurred to you that Capitol Hill has taken on all of the dignity of an out-of-control fraternity house. As it turns out, there’s a good reason for that — Republicans are drawing inspiration from “Animal House.” Literally. Lawmakers who attended a […]