John McCain recently acknowledged, “The issue of economics is not something I’ve understood as well as I should.” That’s a perfectly accurate self-assessment, but the Republican presidential hopeful is in a bit of a jam — he hoped to ride into the White House merely by being wrong about Iraq. Now that the economy is […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * Not a big surprise: “Senate Republicans blocked a proposal Tuesday to tax the windfall profits of the largest oil companies, despite pleas by Democratic leaders to use the measure to address America’s anger over $4 a gallon gasoline. The Democratic energy package would have imposed a tax on any […]
The “fist bump” heard round the world has sparked all kinds of media interest, but for sheer stupidity, it’s hard to top Fox News. “America’s Pulse” anchor E.D. Hill did a segment on the Obama gesture late last week, alerting viewers to the various ways in which the affectionate moment between the candidate his wife […]
The McCain campaign has been pushing this New York Post item pretty hard today. We’re in for taxing times if Barack Obama wins the White House, says CNBC’s Maria Bartiromo. “He’s going to take the capital gains tax at 15 percent right now all the way up to 25 to 28 percent,” the “Money Honey” […]
It’s been about a week since Barack Obama wrapped up the Democratic nomination, and talk about who might be in the running for his VP slot has quickly gone from parlor game to all-consuming obsession in some political circles. Given this, it’s nice to have a little something to chew on. Illinois Sen. Barack Obama’s […]
Remember the good ol’ days? When John McCain used to occasionally say sensible things and break with his party when they embraced ridiculous policy proposals? Good times, good times. For example, Republicans have been railing against the existence of the estate tax for years. It’s a foolish gambit for the GOP — they want to […]
At some point, it’s not entirely clear when, the DC establishment decided that Newt Gingrich is an intellectual. He gained a reputation as a “big thinker.” He’s someone whose ideas are “outside the box.” All of this is rather silly. The former Speaker can bloviate with the best of them, and he has opinions on […]
Last week, in an eye-catching moment on the Senate floor, Barack Obama led Joe Lieberman to the back of the chamber and, according to one report, “engaged in what appeared to reporters in the gallery as an intense, three-minute conversation.” No one could hear the senators, but Roll Call noted the body language, and said […]
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 post-primary “bounce” is modest but noticeable for Barack Obama. Gallup now has Obama leading John McCain by six, 48% to 42%, while Rasmussen also has Obama leading by the same margin, […]
The good news is, Bush’s Justice Department offers grants to community programs to address juvenile crime nationwide. The bad news is, Bush’s Justice Department seems to award the grants based on political connections, not merit. There’s a program in San Diego, for example, that was ranked #2 by the DoJ in its category of prevention […]