Remember, Newt [tag]Gingrich[/tag] has characterized himself as one of the more serious, idea-driven leaders in the conservative movement, despite all evidence to the contrary. On the September 1 edition of Fox News’ Hannity & Colmes, discussing a speech by Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld, during which, in the words of an August 29 Associated […]
With Labor Day behind us, Congress is facing a tough month. On the one hand, lawmakers in both parties are anxious to get out of DC, return to their home districts, and campaign as hard as possible in advance of November 7. On the other, many lawmakers, particularly Republicans, aren’t exactly looking forward to hitting […]
Earlier this month, House Ways and Means Social Security Subcommittee Chairman Jim McCrery (R-La.) raised a few eyebrows when he told a conference of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce that he’d like to see lawmakers take up Social Security [tag]privatization[/tag] again next year. Apparently, the White House is on the same page. President George W. […]
In case you were away from your computer over Labor Day, [tag]ABC[/tag] has caused a bit of an uproar over its decision to air a docudrama called “[tag]The Path to 9/11[/tag],” giving the film six hours of prime time the evenings of September 10 and 11. Unfortunately, the project seems poised to be little more […]
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 Missouri’s closely-watched Senate race, a Research 2000 poll for the Post-Dispatch and KMOV-TV shows incumbent Sen. [tag]James Talent[/tag] (R) closing the gap against state Auditor [tag]Clair McCaskill[/tag] (D) after a furious […]
I’ve done plenty of work in political communications, so I can appreciate the importance of carefully-chosen words as part of an effective pitch, but I’d feel a little more comfortable about the Bush administration if they didn’t quibble over rhetorical choices quite this much. Last fall White House aides were grappling with a seemingly simple […]
I’ve learned from a number of reliable sources that Joe Lieberman, whose online troubles became a major story a month ago, is launching a new-and-improved blog today. The point, as Atrios explained, isn’t to engage in online activism — it’s to make Lieberman’s critics look bad. It’s basically going to be a trap to entice […]
It’s amazing what Google will turn up when you start digging around. Aravosis, for example, found a terrific CNN report from July 1996 about then-President [tag]Clinton[/tag] facing stiff resistance from a [tag]Republican[/tag] [tag]Congress[/tag] on tough anti-[tag]terror[/tag] legislation. From the CNN piece: President Clinton urged Congress Tuesday to act swiftly in developing anti-terrorism legislation before its […]
Last week, top administration officials, including Bush, Cheney, and Rumsfeld, equated the war in Iraq with fighting [tag]Nazis[/tag] in World War II. As part of this analogy, the Bush gang made its critics out to be Neville Chamberlain — as if troop redeployment in Iraq is the moral equivalent of appeasing Hitler. As if that […]
In recognition of [tag]Labor Day[/tag], I’d planned to do a lengthy, link-rich post about the ongoing challenges facing American workers. But then I decided there’s no reason to reinvent the wheel — the Center for American Progress covered this ground nicely in its most recent Progress Report. I hope the fine folks at CAP won’t […]