I realize a certain sense of desperation has no doubt taken hold in Sen. George Allen’s (R-Va.) campaign, but when people start receiving phone calls at home alleging from people alleging to be state elections officials, threatening criminal charges if someone tries to vote, you know Republicans’ efforts to poison the political process has gotten […]
Now here’s a GOP-friendly headline in the New York Times this morning: “For Democrats, Even a Gain May Feel Like a Failure.” It’s about setting expectations, and as the NYT’s Adam Nagourney sees it, Election Day is a good time to dampen hopes. In most midterm elections, an out-of-power party picking up, say, 14 seats […]
The pre-criminations, at least among Republicans, began in earnest a couple of weeks ago, and we’ve already seen some doozies. As the NYT recently noted, “Tax-cutters are calling evangelicals bullies. Christian conservatives say Republicans in Congress have let them down. Hawks say President Bush is bungling the war in Iraq. And many conservatives blame Representative […]
In 2004, exit-poll data leaked, as everyone assumed it would, and caused widespread consternation. This year, pollsters are really intent on keeping the early numbers under wraps. Two-by-two, polling specialists from ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, Fox News and the Associated Press will go into rooms in New York and Washington shortly before noon Tuesday. Their […]
By way of Media Bistro, it appears Fox News wants its viewers to know that one party is poised to do well in today’s elections, but the network would prefer not to say which. I can understand that Fox News was hesitant — the network’s latest poll showed Dems ahead nationally by 13 points, up […]
Yesterday, Kevin asked the question on many of our minds: “[I]s the mainstream media even going to bother reporting on the saturation robo-calling currently being funded and coordinated by the National Republican Congressional Committee? … This kind of tactic is only going to get more common unless the media trumpets it loud and clear and […]
The president recently drew widespread laughter by labeling himself, “The Decider.” The truth, of course, is that Bush got it wrong. In our system, the president doesn’t decide, you do. And it’s time for you to make that choice. I’ve been looking forward to today since, well, almost exactly two years ago. I suppose it’s […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * I don’t watch much in the way of television news, but watching my friend Cliff Schecter beat up on an over-matched conservative on MSNBC is highly entertaining. * In 1999, the military conducted war games to anticipated what would happen in the event of an Iraqi invasion. Officials estimated […]
It’s interesting how we never really know what the election is going to come down to, at least far as issues that dominate the political world’s attention go. A month ago, Mark Foley was a largely-unknown backbencher from Florida, and no one cared. Ten days ago, John Kerry was telling plenty of jokes about Bush, […]
MSNBC and CNN have been touting the results of this poll all day, and I have to admit, it’s more than a little annoying. “There also are some indications that Sen. John Kerry’s ‘botched joke’ about the war Iraq may have had a modest impact on the race. Fully 84% of voters say they have […]