Yesterday’s quick hits seemed to be pretty well received, so here’s another edition. These are items that definitely deserve attention, but which I just didn’t get to today. * I’d strongly encourage readers to make time to watch Keith Olbermann’s oration from last night’s “Countdown.” (C&L also has the clip.) Powerful, poignant, and the kind […]
The Note suggested this morning that Bill Clinton’s appearance/smackdown on Fox News may have been “a paradigm-shifting moment” for Democrats. It struck me as wildly hyperbolic — will the interview still dominate the political discourse a month from now? — but I think it’s fair to say Clinton’s hard-hitting responses have certainly gotten the right’s […]
About a year ago, I heard some buzz that Rep. [tag]Tim Ryan[/tag] (D) was receiving encouragement to run for the Senate in Ohio against Mike DeWine (R) this year. It struck me as a little odd — not only does Ohio have other, higher-profile Dems, but Ryan is also a rookie, having only been elected […]
Just yesterday, the White House heard the bipartisan calls for declassifying the National Intelligence Estimate, and had a firm response: no. White House officials said Monday that making the information public would only help terrorists gain a better understanding of how much the United States knows of their operations. “What we don’t want to do […]
I guess a filibuster is out of the question. [N]ow that the Republicans have worked out a deal on detainees, Democrats are not planning any organized effort to filibuster the deal in the Senate, even though they may not agree with some of the specifics in the legislation. With just a few days left before […]
To briefly follow up on yesterday’s item, the Democratic Policy Committee’s “hearing” on Iraq and Donald Rumsfeld’s stewardship of the Pentagon seemed to go quite well. Attendance was strong, lawmakers from both parties attended, and military experts offered a variety of compelling perspectives about the war and its management. The press largely blew it off, […]
When it comes to the world’s most competitive economies, the United States leads the world. Or, at least we used to. The US has lost its status as the world’s most competitive economy, according to the World Economic Forum. The US now ranks only sixth in the body’s league table of global competitiveness, behind Switzerland, […]
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: * Though several recent polls showed Sen. Rick Santorum (R) closing the gap against Bob Casey (D) in Pennsylvania, new data shows the gap getting bigger again. A new Quinnipiac poll showed Casey […]
Just a couple of months ago, as the Abramoff scandal was picking up steam and lawmakers were anxious to recast themselves as champions of reform, the Republicans’ “[tag]K Street Project[/tag]” was seen as Exhibit A in the culture of corruption. John Boehner campaigned to be House Majority Leader on an anti-K Street Project platform, telling […]
One of these days, one of these studies will lead political leaders to seize a national policy opportunity. So what do Americans want when it comes to health care? Two things, according to a citizens group created by Congress: protection for all from high medical expenses and guaranteed coverage for specific checkups and treatments. The […]