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: * A new Rasmussen poll in Florida shows incumbent Sen. [tag]Bill Nelson[/tag] (D) expanding his lead over [tag]Katherine Harris[/tag] to 30 points. The poll shows Nelson ahead, 57% to 27%, which is a […]
Republicans are poised, for the first time, to run three African-American candidates for statewide office in the same campaign cycle (Blackwell in Ohio, Steele in Maryland, and Swann in Pennsylvania). GOP leaders like Ken Mehlman suggest campaigns like these will help lure African-American voters away from the Dems. What seems to go unmentioned is disheartening […]
Colorado’s legislature, for the second time in as many years, approved legislation that would make it easier for women to obtain emergency contraception without a prescription. And, just like last year, Republican Gov. [tag]Bill Owens[/tag] vetoed it. Gov. Bill Owens on Thursday vetoed a bill that would have made it easier for women to get […]
Two days after congressional [tag]Republicans[/tag] complained that Bush has been a no-show in the [tag]immigration[/tag] debate, the president decided to mix it up a little bit by blaming Harry Reid for the legislative breakdown. Until late last week, Mr. [tag]Bush[/tag] had, at least publicly, stayed to the side of the warring between factions of his […]
The group of retired generals who want Donald Rumsfeld’s ouster has now reached six. The widening circle of retired generals who have stepped forward to call for Defense Secretary Donald H. [tag]Rumsfeld[/tag]’s resignation is shaping up as an unusual outcry that could pose a significant challenge to Mr. Rumsfeld’s leadership, current and former generals said […]
I always thought [tag]Tom DeLay[/tag] was clearly in the wrong job when he held the House Majority Leader post, but rumor has it, he may actually be up for an even scarier job. The White House is looking at a list of cost-cutting candidates to head the [tag]Office of Management and Budget[/tag], and Rep. Tom […]
Slate’s [tag]Jacob Weisberg[/tag] wrote a provocative piece yesterday arguing that liberal critics of [tag]John McCain[/tag] are just confused. We think he’s a conservative whose reputation as a “maverick” is little more than media hype and an effective public relations strategy. We agree with Paul [tag]Krugman[/tag]’s analysis: “The bottom line is that Mr. McCain isn’t a […]
Way back last September, Zogby released a poll that I found rather discouraging. Bush’s popularity was already slipping badly — this was post-Katrina, and Zogby pegged his national support at 41% — but the poll added a twist. Zogby asked respondents how they’d vote in hypothetical match-ups pitting Bush against the past presidents of the […]
In case readers were interested, I thought I’d mention that National Journal’s Blogometer did it’s “Blogger Spotlight” feature today on me. (It’s towards the bottom of the page.) It includes some info on my background, my schedule, and my only-vaguely-coherent response to a question about how I see “the new media and old media affecting […]
It’s impossible to say for sure without the benefit of hindsight, but as David [tag]Broder[/tag] explained today, one of the most important lasting legacies of the Bush years will no doubt be the astonishing debt he’ll leave behind. The cover letter in the report from Treasury Secretary John Snow contains the bad news. Whereas the […]