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: * Just a few months after begging her to take on [tag]Hillary Clinton[/tag] in New York’s Senate race, Kathleen “KT” [tag]McFarland[/tag] is now under pressure to drop out. The New York Daily News […]
If you haven’t seen Sen. [tag]James Inhofe[/tag]’s (R-Okla.) remarks yesterday on the Senate floor about the [tag]Federal Marriage Amendment[/tag], it was quite a performance. Yes, the amendment is dead, and yes, the floor debate was largely sad political theater, but Inhofe’s tirade is worth considering anyway. Think Progress has a short video clip of one […]
The outcome was never in doubt, but now it’s official. The [tag]Senate[/tag] on Wednesday rejected a constitutional [tag]amendment[/tag] to ban [tag]gay marriage[/tag], but supporters said new votes for the measure represent progress that gives conservative Republicans reason to vote on Election Day. The 49-48 vote fell 11 short of the 60 required to send the […]
In May, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman [tag]Arlen Specter[/tag] (R-Pa.) talked tough in response to revelations about Bush’s legally dubious [tag]surveillance[/tag] efforts. At one point, Specter even complained publicly, “[T]here really has to be in our system of law and government, checks and balance, separation of powers, congressional oversight and…there has been no meaningful congressional oversight […]
Remember last year, when the president’s pseudo-plan to [tag]privatize[/tag] [tag]Social Security[/tag] became a debacle for the ages? Apparently, at least one key House [tag]Republican[/tag] wants a rematch. It’s not available online for non-subscribers, but Congress Daily reported yesterday: Congress should make Social Security overhaul its top priority next year, while a rewrite of the tax […]
Last week, the [tag]AP[/tag]’s [tag]John Solomon[/tag] decided that he wanted to tarnish Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid. One story, followed by another, and then a third, tried to characterize a non-story as an ethical scandal from a man who not only has great integrity, but who hadn’t done anything wrong. It reached a point in […]
I won’t delve too deeply into every individual campaign result from yesterday, but the one race on everyone’s radar deserves a closer look. A former Republican congressman narrowly beat his Democratic rival early Wednesday for the right to fill the House seat once held by imprisoned Randy “Duke” Cunningham, a race closely watched as a […]
About a month ago, the Boston Globe reported that Republican leaders in Congress were considering a legislative agenda in which they would literally give up on passing major policy initiatives and instead focus on divisive bills that they didn’t expect to pass. According to (subscription-only) Roll Call, the Senate GOP is officially on board with […]
Anyone who watches “[tag]The Daily Show[/tag]” realizes that [tag]Jon Stewart[/tag] is not terribly fond of the Bush administration, but I think it’s safe to say his disappointment has officially turned to disgust. That was Comedy Central’s Jon Stewart cutting up while emceeing yesterday’s Peabody Awards for broadcasting excellence at the Waldorf-Astoria. “This afternoon’s program is […]
As part of the [tag]White House[/tag]’s drive to impress the [tag]religious right[/tag] with talk about the [tag]Federal Marriage Amendment[/tag], Press Secretary [tag]Tony Snow[/tag] sat down with Focus on the Family’s [tag]James Dobson[/tag] for an interview. Snow insisted that the president is not a Johnny-come-lately to the issue. During that interview, however, Dobson pointedly asked Snow […]