This is more of a local story involving the [tag]Senate[/tag] race in [tag]New Jersey[/tag], but it also speaks to how [tag]Republicans[/tag] in general choose to seek power in the 21st century. The Republican candidate for the United States Senate in New Jersey, Thomas H. [tag]Kean[/tag] Jr., intends to make a campaign film that accuses his […]
It’s been over a year, and I think we’re all probably a little tired of waiting. Thirteen months ago, the [tag]House[/tag] easily passed [tag]bi-partisan[/tag] legislation that would remove restrictions on embryonic [tag]stem cell research[/tag]. The companion measure in the [tag]Senate[/tag] had a filibuster-proof majority, [tag]Bill Frist[/tag] endorsed the bill and vowed to bring it to […]
Years ago, I was having a conversation with a jazz pianist who told me, “When I hit a wrong note, I keep hitting it — so the audience will think it’s intentional.” To move away from the wrong note would be a subtle admission of a mistake. I think House Intelligence Committee Chairman [tag]Peter Hoekstra[/tag] […]
It was an 11th hour shake-up for a close presidential race — [tag]Osama bin Laden[/tag] released one of his [tag]video[/tag] speeches in late October, blasting Bush. Conservatives and the media immediately created a narrative that insisted that the video was proof that bin Laden wanted the president to lose — which in turn meant the […]
I’m having a hard time understanding exactly what yesterday’s floor debate in the House hoped to accomplish, other than making congressional [tag]Republicans[/tag] feel better. The [tag]House[/tag] of Representatives on Thursday condemned the recent disclosure of a [tag]classified[/tag] program to track [tag]financial[/tag] transactions and called on the media to cooperate in keeping such efforts secret. Lawmakers […]
You’ve no doubt heard about the trendy demographic sub-groups that political scientists get excited about. We’ve seen NASCAR Dads, soccer moms, office-park dads, security moms, wired workers, freelance evangelicals, and others. [tag]Ryan Sager[/tag], who is a conservative Republican, wrote a fascinating item this week about a sub-group I hadn’t heard much about: “[tag]Wal-Mart[/tag] [tag]Voters[/tag].” I’ve […]
In 1999, Arkansas’ child welfare board banned gay people from becoming foster parents, arguing kids would be better off in orphanages. Four residents sued, claiming discrimination. Today, the state Supreme Court agreed. Arkansas cannot ban homosexuals from becoming foster parents because there is no link between their sexual orientation and a child’s well-being, the state’s […]
I like to keep an eye on Fox News’ TV ratings, and smile a little when they drop, so this new (subscriber-only) article from U.S. Politics Today also caught my eye. Joe Rothstein reviewed web traffic for a number of top outlets for online conservative commentary and found that the leading voices are still talking, […]
Just to update readers on a low-profile story I’ve been following, the Senate Commerce Committee took up a proposal yesterday to allow cable customers to pay only for those channels they actually want. How’d it turn out? The vote wasn’t even close. Cable networks’ advertising sales divisions may be breathing a sigh of relief now […]
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 Ohio, Rep. [tag]Ted Strickland[/tag] (D) appears to be well-positioned to beat far-right Ohio Secretary of State [tag]Ken Blackwell[/tag] (R) in this year’s gubernatorial race. But just to make things a little […]