Monday’s campaign round-up

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 significance of the “bitter” remarks is based largely on how the public perceives them. At this point, the initial reaction for Obama isn’t encouraging for his campaign: “A new Rasmussen poll […]

‘People see him as a centrist’

What a pleasant surprise; the Associated Press has made note of John McCain’s political ideology. The independent label sticks to John McCain because he antagonizes fellow Republicans and likes to work with Democrats. But a different label applies to his actual record: conservative. The likely Republican presidential nominee is much more conservative than voters appear […]

When ‘Meet the Press’ gives us an excuse not to watch

Every Saturday night, I check in on the “Meet the Press” homepage to see who’s going to be on Sunday morning. Most of the time, it’s a panel of political reporters, political spin doctors, and occasionally some combination therein. I’m invariably relieved, knowing I can safely skip the episode and do something else with my […]

Everyone wants to be on the offensive

Atrios raised a very good point over the weekend, which captures an important aspect of the presidential campaign: “95% of the time in politics, all that matters who is perceived as playing offense and who is perceived as playing defense. The details are usually irrelevant, although occasionally such things backfire. If you can get the […]

How Bush’s HUD responded to the mortgage crisis — or in this case, didn’t

I’ve marveled for years at the apparent corruption and incompetence in Bush’s Department of Housing and Urban Development, but the Washington Post ran a disconcerting front-page item yesterday explaining that mismanagement and criminal investigations arguably weren’t the most offensive part of Bush’s HUD. In late 2006, as economists warned of an imminent housing market collapse, […]

Clinton, Obama, and the forum on faith

When Faith in Public Life first scheduled a forum weeks ago for the presidential candidates, it sounded like it was going to be a pretty compelling event. While not a debate, per se, the event would press the candidates specifically on issues relating to compassion, morality, and culture in a way that most forums usually […]