The “Annenberg Political Fact Check,” a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, is often relied upon for objective, non-partisan analysis of campaign commercials. When candidates or parties try to get away with playing fast and loose with the facts, Annenberg’s goal is to set the record straight. Which is […]
It’s one thing for a good presidential candidate to embrace a bad idea. It’s worse when the candidate knows it’s a bad idea. It’s worse still when the candidate attacks her rival for failing to embrace a bad idea. And it’s the worst when the candidate feels so strongly about the bad idea that she […]
After John McCain unveiled more details on his healthcare plan yesterday in Tampa, the Politico ran this headline: “McCain moves to middle on health care.” Given that any policy proposal aiming for the “middle” is perceived as moderate and sensible, the spin on McCain’s plan was obviously positive. But spin aside, the policy itself leaves […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * More discouraging economic news: “From soaring gas prices to weaker job prospects, Americans are gloomier about the economy than just before the U.S. invasion of Iraq. They’re so anxious that fewer people say they are planning to take a vacation than in 30 years. And those are worrying signs […]
We don’t hear nearly as much about ongoing events in Afghanistan as we should, so it was encouraging to hear a question from ABC News’ Martha Raddatz about the other war at this morning’s White House press conference. Specifically, she asked, “Are we winning in Afghanistan?” “I think we’re making progress in Afghanistan, but there’s […]
At his White House press conference this morning, the president was asked about GDP figures due to be released and whether he’s concerned that they’ll point to an official recession. After responding with some talk about drilling ANWR, Bush added: “[I]f you want to send a good signal during these uncertain times, is make the […]
Yesterday, Jeremiah Wright pushed Barack Obama pretty far. Today, at a DC press conference, Obama pushed back. Democrat Barack Obama said Tuesday he was outraged by the latest assertion by his former pastor that criticism of his fiery sermons is an attack on the black church. The presidential candidate is seeking to tamp down the […]
Bush held a press conference this morning on the South Lawn, most of which was dedicated to discussing the economy, gas prices, and the intersection of the two. The president seemed anxious to demonstrate that he’s aware of the problems, and almost desperate to address them, but didn’t have much to offer in the way […]
Six weeks ago today, Barack Obama delivered a stirring, arguably historic, speech on the issue of race in America. It came in the midst of a major controversy surrounding the remarks of Obama’s former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, but the address seemed to settle the nerves of the political world. Obama heard the discontent, […]
The Pew Research Center’s latest report notes, “Trends in the opinions of America’s youngest voters are often a barometer of shifting political winds.” If so, the winds are at Democrats’ backs, and will be for a quite a while. While young people shifted to the Democratic Party a bit in the 1990s, the bottom fell […]