The American Prospect’s Benjamin Weyl had a great item yesterday on what’s slowly become an important phenomenon: Republicans leaving the [tag]GOP[/tag] and becoming Dems. Kansas is the epicenter of [tag]party[/tag]-[tag]switch[/tag]ers, with nine former [tag]Republicans [/tag]running for office as [tag]Democrats[/tag], including Gov. Kathleen Sebelius’ (D) running mate, who was no less than the former state GOP […]
In the world of professional punditry, heavy-hitters like [tag]David Broder[/tag] and [tag]Thomas Friedman[/tag] not only help reflect the [tag]conventional wisdom[/tag], they help shape it. The mainstream political world considers their opinions as the most serious and credible perspectives in the country, and in turn, their points of view become synonymous with sensibility. And right now, […]
TV preacher [tag]Pat Robertson[/tag] is, oddly enough, finally feeling the heat. (TP has video) Conservative Christian broadcaster Pat [tag]Robertson[/tag] said Thursday the wave of scorching temperatures across the United States has converted him into a believer in [tag]global warming[/tag]. “We really need to address the burning of fossil fuels,” Robertson said on his “700 Club” […]
[tag]Republicans[/tag] pulled out all the stops, twisted every arm, and pushed as hard as they could, but in the end, enough Dems held firm and blocked the GOP’s cynical ploy. Senate Democrats blocked a Republican bid to combine a tax cut for the wealthy with a wage increase for the working poor last night, adding […]
Jim Pinkerton had an interesting column in Newsday today about the tendency of voters to “look up to war heroes.” As he sees it, this makes John McCain the odds-on favorite to win not only the GOP nomination in 2008, but also the presidency. With all due respect to Pinkerton — a professor from my […]
Former House Majority Leader [tag]Tom DeLay[/tag] resigned from Congress and withdrew himself from consideration for re-election, after he had already won a GOP primary, claiming he moved to Virginia and was therefore ineligible. A lawsuit challenged the move, arguing a) DeLay couldn’t take his name of the ballot just because he expected to lose; and […]
I don’t mean to belabor the point, but I think it’s important to remember — for policy and political reasons — that when it comes to the war in Iraq, the public and Republicans in DC are not on the same page. Last week, the New York Times released a poll showing a clear majority […]
After initially balking at the invitation, Defense Secretary [tag]Donald Rumsfeld[/tag] reversed course and agreed to speak to members of the Senate Armed Services Committee today. Given his position, he might as well have stuck to his original plans. Sen. [tag]Hillary Clinton[/tag] asked Rumsfeld a series of aggressive questions, in particular noting his track record of […]
The Bush administration, known for its unambiguous moral certainties, with-us-or-against-us worldview, and disdain for nuance and “gray areas,” isn’t quite clear on what conduct is prohibited under the Geneva Conventions. [S]enators [told Attorney General Alberto Gonzales] Congress should not endorse any treatment it would not want used on American soldiers. “We must remain a nation […]
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: * Two new Rasmussen polls offer good news for Dems in Pennsylvania. According to the latest numbers, Gov. [tag]Ed Rendell[/tag] (D) has sustained a double-digit lead for the third month in a row, […]