I realize that the right’s talking points insist that the Democrats’ sweeping victories last week really, truly prove that the nation has embraced conservatism as the nation’s dominant ideology, but they’re the only ones who think so. The electorate certainly doesn’t seem to agree. In the poll taken Thursday through Sunday, just after Democrats swept […]
If there was a competition for the worst member of the Senate, Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla.) would have to be near the top of the list. No matter what the new Democratic Senate majority does over the next two years, removing Inhofe as chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee has just improved […]
Upon learning that former New York mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) has formed a [tag]president[/tag]ial [tag]exploratory committee[/tag], I immediately thought of Katon Dawson, the South Carolina Republican chairman, who told New York magazine in 2004 that Giuliani could compete in the Bible Belt because of work on 9/11. And then, Dawson started backpedaling. Did he know […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * Today was the groundbreaking of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the national mall, the first monument honoring an African American. As the AP noted, Bill Clinton, who received a standing ovation from the largely black crowd, noted that the memorial will stand between the Jefferson Memorial and […]
From what I hear, Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele (R) really wanted the RNC job, but the White House rejected him in favor of Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.). Sen. [tag]Mel Martinez[/tag], a Florida Republican elected in 2004, has accepted an offer by the White House to become the new chairman of the [tag]Republican National Committee[/tag], […]
Conventional wisdom notwithstanding, congressional Dems will begin 2007 with a fairly aggressive policy agenda, and near the top of the list a key health care policy Dems have been itching to implement for a long time: using the government to negotiate lower drug prices for Medicare beneficiaries. The Bush administration opposes the move. This is […]
With the elections over, and the Dems in control, the first big fight for the party isn’t with the administration or the outgoing GOP majority, it’s within — Dems need to fill leadership posts. The party avoided one contentious fight last week on the Majority Whip gig, but the Majority Leader contest is just heating […]
On Meet the Press yesterday, Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) rejected a troop redeployment plan for Iraq out of hand, insisting that it would “lead to chaos.” Indeed, McCain ended up using the word “chaos” four times during the interview. I’m curious, if this isn’t chaos, what is? Baghdad’s morgues are full. With no space to […]
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: * Despite multiple scandals, including allegedly accosting a woman in a Las Vegas parking lot, Gov.-elect Jim Gibbons (R) managed to win Nevada’s gubernatorial race last week with 48% support. The Las Vegas […]
It’s a time-old political tradition: if you’re in charge when your team suffers a dramatic defeat, you fall on your sword. It’s not only the honorable thing to do, there’s also a degree of common sense — whatever you were doing wasn’t working, so it’s time for a new team. With this in mind, Bob […]