An odd but inescapable reality to many political controversies is the need among reporters for the opposition to drive a story. Controversies are rarely seen as independently interesting; news outlets tend to care (or at least, care a lot more) when one side “pushes” a story by staying engaged. In the Guckert/Gannon scandal, a lot […]
Before the White House gets its heart set on expanding Bush’s “No Child Left Behind” law, administration officials may want to step back and realize that everyone outside Bush’s payroll (we’re looking at you, Armstrong) sees the law as an abject failure. Concluding a yearlong study on the effectiveness of President Bush’s sweeping education law, […]
The Gadflyer’s Paul Waldman has an item on TomPaine.com this week, raising an issue that’s bothered me for years. Noting that last week’s Conservative Political Action Conference featured high-profile Republican leaders hobnobbing with some of the right’s most polarizing extremists, Waldman wonders why there’s no outcry when mainstream Republicans in powerful government positions rub elbows […]
When counting heads on which Republican senators would be willing to join Dems in opposing the “nuclear option,” Arlen Specter has been, at a minimum, leaning the right way. The Pennsylvanian told the Washington Times two weeks ago, for example, that he was wary of the change, but was non-committal about how he’d ultimately vote […]
I know you probably believe your opinion of Fox News Channel can’t get much worse, but wait, it can. Many of the major news websites — CNN.com, MSNBC.com, ABCNews.com, etc. — publish AP articles on their respective sites, under the AP’s byline. Fox News is no exception. The difference, however, as Media Matters discovered, is […]
Just to follow up for a moment on yesterday’s post about Bush’s tax increase on ammunition, I wanted to add that “user fees” (read: taxes) are, under the White House budget, poised to go up all over the government. According to the Office of Management and Budget, Bush’s 2006 budget includes: * A proposed fee […]
It’s 160 pages, but Frank Luntz’s strategy report, obtained and posted online by Kos, is one of the more important post-election documents available. Luntz, an über-pollster for Republicans and MSNBC, no doubt intended this to be available to a limited audience, which makes it all the more entertaining to read. Luntz’s playbook confirms all of […]
For a couple of weeks, it seemed Georgia Republicans were salivating at the idea of ramming a re-redistricting plan through the state legislature, effectively throwing a couple of moderate House Dems out of work. Now, however, the same gang wants to slow things down a bit. Republicans in the Georgia state House put off voting […]
Throughout every step of Bush’s presidency, his audiences have been carefully scrutinized to make sure he’s only exposed to loyal, sycophantic fans. With this in mind, it’s hardly a surprise the Bush gang would insist on the same policy overseas. Bush was originally scheduled to hold a town-hall meeting with regular German citizens today in […]
For an avowed tax cutter, Bush sure is picking some strange fights. First, the Bush White House announced a plan to raise taxes on air travelers with a new airport security tax. Then, Bush’s budget included a plan for a new health care tax on injured troops who need prescription drugs. But now Bush has […]