When most people think about the religious right’s biggest names, folks like Robertson, Falwell, and Dobson come to mind. But there’s a TV preacher in Florida named D. James Kennedy who enjoys a huge following, has signficant political influence, and hosts widely-attended conferences that he calls “Reclaiming America for Christ.” And what do eager followers […]
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: * Further proof that Pennsylvania’s Senate race is getting a little closer comes by way of a new Strategic Vision (R) vision poll, which shows [tag]Bob Casey[/tag] (D) leading [tag]Rick Santorum[/tag] (R), 47% […]
The one thing that’s irked me all week about [tag]George Allen[/tag]’s “[tag]macaca[/tag]” flap is Allen’s choice of slurs. Sure, Allen has a race problem. And sure, Allen clearly hoped to demean and humiliate S.R. Sidarth with an ugly insult that the senator almost certainly knew quite well. What’s more, it also seems clear that the […]
Reader R.G. emails an interesting tidbit about the length of the war in Iraq. December 7, 1941 (attack on Peal Harbor) to May 8, 1945 (VE-Day) was 1,248 days. March 19, 2003 (U.S. launches invasion of Iraq) to today is also 1,248 days. Now, one could quibble a bit about the length of World War […]
At Monday’s White House press briefing, Tony Snow mentioned that the president would effectively remain neutral in only one Senate race in the country this year: Connecticut’s. Snow said, “The president supports the democratic process in the state of Connecticut, and wishes them a successful election in November.” A day later, a reporter noted how […]
Usually when we talk about the dramatic flaws in the nation’s health-care system, we’re looking at the 45 million Americans (and growing) who lack insurance. It’s a problem that generally effects lower-income families. But it’s also worth remembering, as Ezra put it, “health care is now a middle-class problem.” About half of adults in middle-income […]
I know you’ve heard plenty about those trendy demographic sub-groups that political scientists get excited about — [tag]NASCAR dads[/tag], [tag]soccer moms[/tag], office-park dads, [tag]security moms[/tag], wired workers, freelance evangelicals, etc. The groups probably get a little more attention than they deserve, but from a poli sci perspective, I nevertheless enjoy keeping an eye on them. […]
At first glance, this seemed like a story of little or no consequence. Nicole Kidman has made a public stand against terrorism. The actress, joined by 84 other high-profile Hollywood stars, directors, studio bosses and media moguls, has taken out a powerfully-worded full page advertisement in today’s Los Angeles Times newspaper. It specifically targets “terrorist […]
I wish I could say this is surprising, but Orrin Hatch’s record belies exactly these kinds of ugly smears. Sen. Orrin Hatch, who continuously decries the bitter partisanship in Washington, implied this week that Democratic success in November’s election could result in terrorist attacks on America. Hatch was quoted in Tuesday’s Tooele Transcript Bulletin as […]
I think it’s safe to say the far-right will really not like today’s federal court ruling on the president’s warrantless-search program. For example, the conclusion to U.S. District Judge Anna Diggs Taylor’s ruling quotes (.pdf) former Chief Justice Earl Warren: “Implicit in the term ‘national defense’ is the notion of defending those values and ideas […]