Just to follow up for a moment on the [tag]Fox News[/tag] poll noted below, I wanted to add that the poll offered a couple of examples that highlight why FNC is not exactly a credible news outlet. When asking about the president’s approval ratings, the [tag]poll[/tag] played it straight and asked respondents, simply, “Do you […]
Oh the indignity. The [tag]Bush[/tag] gang not only has to endure a new [tag]poll[/tag] pegging the president’s approval ratings at a stunning 33%, but they’re also in a position in which they can’t bash the news outlet that produced the poll — [tag]Fox News[/tag]. President Bush’s job [tag]approval rating[/tag] slipped this week and stands at […]
I’ve always found the idea for third parties interesting on a poli-sci level, so when I saw that New York magazine ran a big, multi-part feature this month on “The [tag]Purple Party[/tag],” I was anxious to see what the basic pitch was. I came away a little confused. Writer [tag]Kurt Andersen[/tag] explained that he tends […]
To follow up on yesterday’s item, I’ve obtained a copy of the script of the [tag]DNC[/tag]’s new Spanish-language [tag]ad[/tag] on [tag]immigration[/tag]. To briefly recap, the [tag]RNC[/tag] unveiled a breathtakingly dishonest ad late last week on several Spanish-language radio stations in the West, accusing Dems of voting to “treat millions of hardworking immigrants as [tag]felons[/tag],” when […]
Richard Nixon, of all people, helped boil the strategy down into an obvious observation: if you’re running for the GOP presidential nomination, run to the right in the primaries, then to the middle in the general election. It’s a common-sense approach that helps explain why [tag]John McCain[/tag] is suddenly chummy with a clown like [tag]Jerry […]
Much to the [tag]White House[/tag]’s chagrin, the Wall Street Journal’s [tag]Peggy Noonan[/tag], the former Reagan speechwriter, hasn’t exactly been a [tag]Bush[/tag] cheerleader. She’s panned Bush’s State of the Union and even openly speculated about Bush getting rid of Dick Cheney. Noonan certainly hasn’t shifted to the left — she did, after all, say that liberals […]
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: * In a setback for DSCC recruiting, Las Vegas Mayor [tag]Oscar Goodman[/tag] (D) announced yesterday that he will not run against incumbent Sen. [tag]John Ensign[/tag] (R-Nev.) this year, despite pressure from leading Dems. […]
Anyone who gets a presidential [tag]pardon[/tag] from [tag]Bush[/tag] has to consider themselves awfully lucky. With only 80 pardons issued since 2001, Bush is on pace to be the stingiest two-term president in American history when it comes to granting clemency. But in the case of [tag]Anthony Franchi[/tag], it may have been more than luck. On […]
[tag]China[/tag]’s [tag]Hu Jintao[/tag] will receive a warm welcome at the Bush White House today, complete with a 21-gun salute the on the South lawn. [tag]Bush[/tag] and [tag]Hu[/tag] will then discuss international affairs, followed by the traditional news conference that always accompanies meetings between the U.S. presidents and foreign leaders. Actually, never mind that last part. […]
Jonathan Chait has a good review of Joe Klein’s new book, “Politics Lost: How American Democracy Was Trivialized by People Who Think You’re Stupid,” in the upcoming issue of The New Republic. Apparently, the gist of Klein’s premise is that domestic politics has become “mechanistic and bland” due to emotionless politicians who listen to overly-cautious […]