Beat ’em for Jesus! The unhappy childhood of Dr. James Dobson

Guest Post by Morbo Have you ever wondered why Dr. [tag]James Dobson[/tag] of [tag]Focus on the Family[/tag] is such a nutcase? Why is he so obsessed with the sex lives of people he doesn’t even know? Why does he hate gay people so much? Why does he claim to love Jesus so much, and then […]

Why Bush’s numbers on the economy are so awful

One of the more routine [tag]Republican[/tag] talking points argues that Bush deserves more credit for the “growing” economy. It’s not fair, they say, that [tag]GDP[/tag] is up and the [tag]unemployment[/tag] is relatively low, but Americans continue to say they strongly disapprove of the president’s handling of the [tag]economy[/tag]. As a public service to Bush sycophants […]

Religious leaders resign from Bush’s Katrina committee in disgust

This is a fascinating story, not only because of the resignations, but also because the resignations tell us a great deal about how the [tag]Bush[/tag] gang operates. Nearly all the religious leaders serving on a committee created by the Bush-Clinton [tag]Katrina Fund[/tag] to disburse money to [tag]churches[/tag] destroyed by [tag]Hurricane Katrina[/tag] have [tag]quit[/tag] their posts, […]

The story of ‘Joe’s dead intern’

I’ve heard a lot of odd stories about Rep. Katherine Harris (R-Fla.) and her misguided Senate campaign, but this is a new one. Katherine Harris’ floundering U.S. Senate campaign lost its high-level staff again this week and is groping for a message — which doesn’t surprise Republican insiders who trace the seeds of her trouble […]

Friday’s political round-up

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: * It probably won’t matter too much, but [tag]Jonathan Tasini[/tag], the former president of the National Writers Union, filed the necessary petition signatures yesterday to challenge Sen. [tag]Hillary Clinton[/tag] in a Dem primary. […]

The ‘shift in the political winds’ isn’t blowing the GOP’s way

The Hill had a front-page item this week reporting that House Republicans are growing “more optimistic” about 2006. The GOP is willing to concede that the party had a tough time a few months ago, but their “newfound optimism is grounded in what Republicans say is a shift in the political winds.” As far as […]

Deposing some top Republicans — and not just in the Plame case

Yesterday, the announcement that Valerie and Joseph Wilson are filing a civil suit against top White House officials involved in the Plame scandal sparked speculation about the interesting insights to be gained through the [tag]discovery[/tag] process. But as long as we’re talking about deposing [tag]Republicans[/tag] in a civil suit, let’s not forget the [tag]New Hampshire[/tag] […]

In election-year pandering they trust

The [tag]Senate[/tag] has a limited amount of time left this session and plenty of proposals lawmakers would like to try and pass, but the chamber found time yesterday to approve a resolution that “celebrates, commemorates and reaffirms” the national [tag]motto[/tag]: “[tag]In God We Trust[/tag].” James Dobson and Focus on the Family are thrilled. “It is […]

House conservatives smacked around on Voting Rights Act

I noted on Wednesday that a rebellious group of about 80 House Republicans were threatening to derail reauthorization of the [tag]Voting Rights Act[/tag] because they opposed bilingual ballots in some districts and they were “offended” by federal oversight of voting in districts that “were notorious for institutionalized acts of racism, such as adopting laws designed […]

Specter, true to form, caves on NSA surveillance

The headline on the front page of the Washington Post today tells readers that [tag]Bush[/tag] “compromised” on his warrantless [tag]surveillance[/tag] program. Similarly, the New York Times leads with word that the [tag]White House[/tag] backed down “after months of resistance.” Given the details of the “[tag]compromise[/tag],” however, it appears that Bush gave up very little — […]