We’ve been hearing about it for a while now, but the [tag]House[/tag] [tag]Democrats[/tag] are unveiling a policy agenda they’d implement if they take back the [tag]majority[/tag] in November. It sounds pretty good. The “[tag]New Direction[/tag]” platform hits all the high points — stem-cell research, use Medicare to negotiate lower prescription-drug prices, minimum wage increase, a […]
[tag]White House[/tag] [tag]Press Secretary[/tag] [tag]Tony Snow[/tag] appeared on [tag]Don Imus[/tag]’ show today, and the two apparently enjoyed themselves by attacking former President [tag]Jimmy Carter[/tag]. One of Snow’s comments, in particular, stood out. Whereas Bush “snuck off” to visit Iraq, Carter “used to sneak off and fish on the weekends.” First, for a Bushie to criticize […]
A couple of months ago, a report by the Commonwealth Fund, a private, health care policy foundation, showed that nearly 60% of all Americans of uninsured Americans with chronic conditions either skip doses of medication or go without because it’s too expensive. Of course, because they can’t afford preventative measures, those same Americans are more […]
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: * The back-and-forth in New Jersey’s Senate race seems to have swung in the incumbent’s favor, at least for now. A new Quinnipiac poll shows Sen. [tag]Bob Menendez[/tag] (D) leading state Sen. [tag]Tom […]
I was surprised and delighted to see that Bush will designate a 1,400-mile island chain northwest of [tag]Hawaii[/tag] as a [tag]national monument[/tag] today. It will, apparently, be the largest protected [tag]marine reserve[/tag] in the world. Oddly enough, up until fairly recently, the president held the opposite position. While Clinton had declared a coral reef ecosystem […]
The LA Times ran a front-page item today explaining the Republicans’ new strategy when it comes to the politics of Iraq: talk about how they consistently see the war differently than most of the public. The [tag]Iraq[/tag] [tag]war[/tag] is the most immediate foreign policy problem besetting the [tag]Bush[/tag] [tag]administration[/tag]. But as a political issue, the […]
For decades, the [tag]Pledge of Allegiance [/tag]was purely secular. It used to end, “one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” In 1954, Congress changed the language and inserted “[tag]under God[/tag]” as part of the response to the Cold War. (If the enemies were godless communists, we did the opposite. Now that our enemies […]
Administration officials might have a tough time explaining this one. A luxury private jet leased by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for use in emergencies has been used instead primarily to shuttle Health and Human Services Secretary [tag]Mike Leavitt[/tag] to dozens of news conferences and meetings, a Journal-Constitution analysis of the aircraft’s flight […]
When it comes the [tag]Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee[/tag] ([tag]DSCC[/tag]), I don’t necessarily mind when it endorses candidates, even before a [tag]primary[/tag]. If party officials have a candidate they think has the best shot at winning, voters can take into consideration which Dem is the “[tag]establishment[/tag]” candidate. Of course, there’s an inherent understanding behind this: the […]
A few months ago, Jennifer Loven wrote a great item for the AP on the frequency with which [tag]Bush[/tag] relies on [tag]straw-men[/tag] arguments to gain the rhetorical upper hand. Today, in a Rose Garden press conference, the [tag]president[/tag] went to the same well repeatedly. * “…I fully understand how people might have made the decision […]