There’s been considerable discussion this week about whether Barack Obama has, to the media’s satisfaction, rejected/denounced the beliefs of some controversial figures who’ve endorsed his campaign. Most of the talk is a rather classic example of guilt by association, but it seems to be big news anyway. The Farrakhan squabble seems especially unhelpful, given that […]
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: * After a couple of weeks of speculation about his intentions, Georgia congressman and civil rights pioneer John Lewis officially switched his support from Hillary Clinton to Barack Obama. In a statement issued […]
Federal tax law, as it relates to tax-exempt religious ministries, is pretty clear — houses of worship may not legally intervene in political campaigns, either in support of or opposition to a candidate or a party. Those who violate the law run the risk of losing their tax-exempt status. What’s less clear is why the […]
Chances are, few would have heard about professional right-wing loudmouth Bill Cunningham’s tirade against Barack Obama at a McCain event earlier this week, had McCain not personally denounced it. The story created an interesting dynamic — it served to amplify Cunningham’s ugly attacks (which undermines Obama), while making McCain look like he’s above it all […]
Yesterday’s exchanges between Barack Obama and John McCain offered the political world much of what it craves: a fairly substantive back-and-forth between leading candidates from both parties on the year’s biggest issue. As a result, what was a relatively routine dust-up literally became front-page news. Now, as far as I can tell, Obama didn’t start […]
Last month, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg led a group discussion in Oklahoma with elders from the Democratic and Republican parties. The whole thing was going to be awesome — everyone would recognize what a visionary Bloomberg is and how he (and only he) has the unique independent skills to lead the nation during […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * I’m worried: “Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke warned Congress that the nation is in for a period of sluggish business growth and sent a fresh signal Wednesday that interest rates will again be lowered to steady the teetering economy… Since Bernanke’s last such comprehensive assessment last summer, the housing […]
It’s unexpected, but even Karl Rove is discouraging Republican attack dogs from throwing around Barack Obama’s middle name. No less an authority figure than Karl Rove has warned Republican operatives from demagoguing Barack Obama’s middle name. At a closed door meeting of GOP state executive directors in late January, Rove said the safest way to […]
To be sure, the real outrage in the scandal surrounding trumped up charges against former Alabama Gov. Don Siegelman (D) are the charges themselves. Local Republican officials, in apparent conjunction with Karl Rove, railroaded a sitting governor because he was a Democrat. It was political corruption at its most pernicious. But if we also take […]
In his national radio address on Saturday, the president, predictably, went after House Democrats for refusing to give him all the surveillance powers he wants, along with retroactive immunity for telecoms that cooperated with Bush’s illegal warrantless-search program. Not surprisingly, Bush said our security was absolutely dependent on Congress short-circuiting the legal process and clearing […]