I can appreciate the fact that House Republicans look back at the “Contract with America” with solemn reverence, but this is just silly. Members of Congress want to ensure that our nation’s children understand basic American civics. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay (R-Tex.), for example, put a link to the Constitution on his Web site […]
We all had a good laugh marveling at John Ashcroft’s prudish discomfort with “Lady Justice.” No longer will the attorney general be photographed in front of two partially nude statues in the Great Hall of the Department of Justice. The department spent $8,000 on blue drapes that hide the two giant, aluminum art deco statues, […]
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 […]