Scary thought for the day — a brokered Democratic convention

I personally don’t think this is going to happen, but the American Prospect’s Bob Kuttner wrote a column this week that explains how a divided Democratic electorate may lead to a brokered convention this summer. (Kevin Drum pondered the same question back in November.) It’s a scary thought, but just as importantly, it’s exactly the […]

Now Harris looks like she won’t run for the Senate

I can’t figure this out. Just a week after strongly hinting that she’ll be announcing a bid for the Senate, Katherine Harris has apparently decided not to run and will instead seek re-election to the House. The AP is reporting that it just “learned” this information so there’s no explanation as to why Harris has […]

Charlie Cook suggests Dems may benefit from losing in 2004

I noticed that blogger-extraordinaire Matthew Yglesias was at an event hosted by the New America Foundation the other day and heard Charlie Cook, a non-partisan election analyst, suggest a provocative thesis. As Matt explained: “Cook suggested that perhaps the best thing for the Democrats would be to lose in 2004, force the Republican Party to […]

Dick Cheney ‘may face subpoena’ in Halliburton bribery scheme

This story hasn’t quite worked its way up to the front page of the national papers yet, but it’s percolating along and you might be hearing more about it soon. I have no idea if there’s something to this or not, but it’s worth keeping an eye on. The Dallas Morning News ran a detailed […]

CBS rejects MoveOn ad for Super Bowl

That was quick. A day after reportedly being in “negotiations” to broadcast the winning commercial from MoveOn’s “Bush in 30 seconds” contest during the Super Bowl, CBS announced yesterday that the ad has been rejected. Ad Age magazine reported that a CBS spokesman “said the decision against broadcasting the spot had nothing to do with […]

A media case study — who got the Drudge scoop wrong and who got it right

Just to add to the last post, I found it interesting to see how the press played this story differently. It’s a classic case study. One of my biggest difficulties with contemporary journalism is the fear of drawing conclusions. Reporters and editors are afraid, somewhat understandably, of appearing biased. As a result, stories/articles strive for […]

Drudge, GOP unleash smear against Clark

While I certainly don’t think Wesley Clark should be immune to criticism, I think it only fair to criticize him for things he’s actually said and done, not things his detractors wish he’s said and done. Yesterday, cyberhack Matt Drudge, whose journalistic integrity appears to fall somewhere between the National Enquirer and Fox News Channel, […]

Bush’s drive to politicize science takes another turn

I don’t know if there’s a significant pro-science voting bloc out there, but if there is, Bush is in trouble. Or at least should be. Yesterday, I talked about the Bush administration’s habit of manipulating government research and reports for political purposes. The truth is, the HHS report on race and health is really the […]

Clark inches even closer in New Hampshire

From today’s daily tracking poll in New Hampshire, conducted by ARG: Dean — 29% (down 3 points) Clark — 24% (up 2 points) Kerry — 15% (up 2 points) In other words, Dean continues to fall, Clark and Kerry continue to rise. Who would have predicted this a month ago at this time? Not me. […]

Right wingers still not satisfied with Bush’s marriage initiative

If the Bush White House hoped the unveiling of a new $1.5 billion marriage initiative would help the president “solidify his conservative base,” as the New York Times reported yesterday, it looks like Rove & Co. will have to go back to the drawing board. The left obviously isn’t crazy about Bush’s marriage plan. Not […]