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: * Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham (R-Calif.) is the House member most likely to be in jail before the next election, but the besieged lawmaker said yesterday that he “absolutely” plans to seek a […]
I have assumed for months that the White House, and probably the president himself, are aware of the fact that the drive to privatize Social Security is a complete debacle. Perhaps I misjudged their capacity for self-deception. From the Bush gang’s perspective, they hoped a post-election “mandate” and an aggressive sales pitch would put the […]
There’s rhetoric… Karl Rove, President Bush’s chief political architect, said precedents from the most recent Supreme Court vacancies suggest that opposition-party senators have a responsibility to back a president’s choice if they believe a nominee is qualified, even if they disagree with the person’s views. […] “Throughout the history of the republic, Supreme Court nominations […]
We’ve discussed, on many occasions, the tendency of the Bush White House to ignore, and sometimes edit, the work of objective scientists who conduct research and come to politically inconvenient conclusions. But, as Chris Mooney wrote this week, scientists would probably prefer Bush’s disinterest to Rep. Joe Barton’s (R-Texas) harassment. On June 23, presumably as […]
As if Rep. Bob Ney (R-Ohio) didn’t have enough to worry about, with ethics questions already swirling around him, a new controversy has arisen over alleged abuses waged against Ney critics. Three radio show hosts in West Virginia have accused House Administration Committee Chairman Bob Ney (R-Ohio) of attempting to intimidate them after they read […]
Rep. Katherine Harris’ (R-Fla.) Senate campaign hasn’t exactly gotten off to a good start. Dems are anxious to remind voters about Harris’ role in stealing a presidential election, while Republicans are openly recruiting other candidates to run against her in a GOP primary. But Harris’ policy work is also open to scrutiny. As my friend […]
I realize that needle-exchange programs can be controversial, but to see a conservative Middle Eastern theocracy take a more progressive approach to the issue than the United States is just embarrassing. Fearing an AIDS epidemic, Iran’s theocratic government has dropped a zero-tolerance policy against increasingly common heroin use and now offers addicts low-cost needles, methadone […]
On the Hill, Rep. Marty Meehan’s Military Readiness Enhancement Act, which would repeal the military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy, continues to slowly build stronger and broader support. As of this week, the bill (H.R.1059) has 89 co-sponsors, three of whom are Republican, and six of whom have signed on within the last few weeks. […]
When the Bush administration hired Armstrong Williams, they not only found a second-rate pundit who’d sell his integrity for $240,000, they also managed to find one of the rare syndicated columnists who hasn’t learned to use Google. In a column published yesterday, Williams wrote: The government cannot raise our kids. As Abraham Lincoln observed 130 […]
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 ongoing struggle among Michigan Republicans to find a challenger for Sen. Debbie Stabenow (D-Mich.) has taken yet another turn. After several recruited candidates said no (and unwanted candidates said yes), Republicans […]