It’s hardly a secret that the Democrats’ strategy for 2008 is premised, at least in part, on tying John McCain to George W. Bush. This isn’t complicated — Bush is the least popular president since the dawn of modern polling; Americans are desperate for a change in direction; and by showing voters that McCain offers […]
One of the points I’ve tried to emphasize with my ever-growing list of John McCain’s flip-flops is that this isn’t just about catching McCain with a bunch of “gotchas.” The point, rather, is to highlight McCain’s malleable principles. As Josh Marshall put it a while back, “McCain is absolutely gung-ho and certain that he’s right […]
I vaguely recall a time — I think it’s the period known as “before 2001” — in which the United States would play a key diplomatic role in bringing Middle East countries to the table for talks. Now, discussions like these seem to fall into the White House’s category of “appeasement.” After eight years of […]
As John McCain has gone through a series of ideological shifts, so too has his approach to lobbyists. For years, McCain dealt with lobbyists the same way most lawmakers do: taking their money and offering them influence. After McCain’s role in the Keating Five scandal, for which he was admonished by the Senate Ethics Committee, […]
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 that violate the law run the risk of losing their tax-exempt status. Once in a great while, unfortunately, […]
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: * Interesting tidbit from Oregon — Greg Sargent noted that Obama beat Clinton among working-class whites by a healthy margin, despite the fact that these are the same voters Obama is supposed to […]
It’s funny, in a way. Every time Joe Lieberman gets more comfortable in the role of Republican attack dog, I think, “Well, now he’s done it. Lieberman couldn’t possibly get any worse.” And yet, the guy keeps finding new sharks to jump over. It’s not that Lieberman has changed, necessarily, but rather it’s that his […]
In late March, Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), the co-chairman of John McCain’s 2000 presidential campaign, raised a few eyebrows when he said he hadn’t endorsed McCain this year, and didn’t have any plans to do so. “When I endorse someone, or when I work for someone, or commit to someone, I want to be behind […]
Following up on the last item, the Clinton campaign has a variety of reasons for hanging around and keeping the Democratic race going, some more compelling than others. In the meantime, though, the campaign’s worst arguments do little to build up goodwill within the party. If I’m not mistaken Terry McAuliffe just announced two new […]
It’s hard to measure these questions with any reliable specifics, but it seems as if there’s been a relative ceasefire in Democratic circles the past couple of weeks. Hillary Clinton is still working hard, just as she has been, but it’s clear her campaign has shelved the “kitchen-sink” strategy first utilized in March, preferring not […]