In January, in a series of decisions made behind closed doors, Republican leaders decided to gut the House ethics rules. As Josh Marshall famously chronicled at the time, there was a small faction called the “Shays Handful” that said they opposed the changes, but they were ultimately inconsequential. Yesterday, however, when lawmakers were forced to […]
(Editor’s Note: The Carpetbagger Report, as I’ve mentioned in recent weeks, joined the Coalition for Darfur, a bi-partisan online initiative created to raise awareness and resources to address the crisis. This is the eighth in a series of posts from the Coalition.) On February 24, 2004, an op-ed entitled “The Unnoticed Genocide” appeared in the […]
James Dobson did a lot of his usual shtick at “Justice Sunday,” railing against the judiciary, lambasting the culture that’s made him wealthy, demanding better results from the Republican Party, etc. But there was one comment from the weekend stood out for me. “Five black-robed justices on the Supreme Court can tell us how it’s […]
At varying times over the course of the past few months, Republicans have had different scapegoats to blame for the party’s failure to advance Social Security privatization. The latest to be at the end of a pointed finger? The far-right GOP factions. As luck would have it, I think this criticism has merit. Some congressional […]
About a month ago, in a now-infamous speech, Tom DeLay was secretly taped talking to the Family Research Council about his plans to use Terri Schiavo to help advance the conservative movement. Though the comment was lost in the shuffle, DeLay mentioned, almost in passing, his opposition to a federal tax-law provision that prohibits churches […]
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: * Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin (D-Md.), a member of the House of Representatives since 1987, made his Senate campaign official yesterday with a kick-off event in Baltimore. Cardin joins former congressman and NAACP […]
OK, so House Republicans are caving and will undo the damage they did to the chamber’s ethics rules. It will, among other things, clear the way for a thorough investigation into Tom DeLay’s multiple and ever-escalating ethical problems. But what will DeLay find once he gets there? To put it mildly, five friendly, smiling faces. […]
So, who was responsible for booting three law-abiding, ticket-holding Americans from a presidential event in Denver last month because of a bumper sticker? We learn a little more every day. The chairman of the Colorado Young Republicans was one of the people involved in a March 21 incident in which three Denver residents were forcibly […]
If Bill Frist follows through on his nuclear-option threats, the vote will be very close. Indeed, if Frist doesn’t believe he has 50, we probably won’t see the GOP even try, since failing is more embarrassing than delay. It’s why Republican frustration with Arlen Specter is growing more intense. Senate Republicans are expressing concerns that […]
The Family Research Council has not yet become as recognized as some of its religious-right brethren — the Christian Coalition, for example, is far better known — but the FRC and its leadership have more power and influence in DC than any other group in the movement. Its president, Tony Perkins, is as serious a […]