A few months ago, Rep. Tom Davis, a Virginia Republican and former chairman of the NRCC, told the WaPo, “The House Republican brand is so bad right now that if it were a dog food, they’d take it off the shelf.” Has the GOP “brand” improved since? Apparently not. Nine of 12 targeted Republicans running […]
I keep expecting John McCain to become a better candidate. Part of me assumes it’s inevitable — the more he campaigns, the more time he has to learn about the issues, receive policy briefings from aides, get prepped for media interviews, etc. And yet, McCain, oddly enough, seems to be going in the opposite direction. […]
Before we get into the day’s news, a quick word on Carpetbagger Report advertising. As a rule, I maintain a strict firewall between my content and my advertising. In almost every instance, if a sponsor wants to advertise on the site, I’m going to accept it. Without pointing fingers or getting into specifics, last week, […]
In light of the McCain campaign’s ridiculous new ad, the Obama campaign is sending around a speech John McCain delivered on the Senate floor in May 2007: “How can we possibly find honor in using the fate of our servicemen to score political advantage in Washington? There is no pride to be had in such […]
There are two competing, conservative, anti-Obama smears going on at the same time regarding Barack Obama, his trip last week overseas, and U.S. troops. Both are completely wrong. The first is the basis of the McCain campaign’s new television ad, which argues that Obama blew off wounded troops to go to the gym, because the […]
It’s a study in contrasts. Two months ago in the Oval Office, President George W. Bush, coming to the end of a two-term presidency and presumably as expert on Israeli-Palestinian policy as he is ever going to be, was accompanied by a team of no fewer than five advisers and spokespeople during a 40-minute interview […]
John McCain was for affirmative action before he was against it. ABC News’ Teddy Davis and Kevin Kilbane Report: During a “This Week” interview with ABC News’ George Stephanopoulos John McCain reversed himself on affirmative action and endorsed for the first time a proposed state ballot measure which would end race and gender-based affirmative action […]
The Tax Policy Center prepared an interesting report (pdf) this week, noting the key differences between the economic policies articulated by John McCain and the economic policies presented by John McCain’s presidential campaign. There’s a bit of a gap — to the tune of $2.8 trillion (that’s “trillion,” with a “t”). According to the study, […]
Left with little else to say, the McCain campaign started attacking the media this week, accusing reporters of going easy on Barack Obama. Frank Rich found this rather laughable, noting “the press … still gives free passes to its old bus mate John McCain.” But let’s take this one step further and consider a more […]
It’s hard to imagine how Barack Obama’s week-long international excursion could have gone much better. But as Obama heads home, there are a handful of questions at the fore: Did the trip help? Do voters care? Will the effects of the trip linger? The LA Times’ report notes that Obama “conquered” the Middle East and […]