Following up on an item from yesterday, the Democratic primary in Tennessee’s 9th congressional district went well beyond “heated.” Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), who is white and Jewish, was seeking re-election in a predominantly African-American district. Nikki Tinker, whom Cohen defeated in a 2006 primary, was seeking a rematch, and had received support from Emily’s […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * Prosecutors wanted 30-to-life; they got 66 months: “A military jury sentenced Osama bin Laden’s former driver to 5 1/2 years in prison for aiding terrorism, making him eligible for release in six months. Salim Hamdan was acquitted of conspiracy in the first Guantanamo war crimes trial. The sentence was […]
Just yesterday, at a campaign stop in Indiana, Barack Obama said, “[I]f Sen. McCain wants to talk about why Washington is broken, that’s a debate I’m happy to have. Because Sen. McCain’s energy plan reads like an early Christmas list for oil and gas lobbyists. And it’s no wonder — because many of his top […]
Ideally, a presidential campaign would inspire supporters to defend the candidate’s ideas, promote his/her agenda, and advance his/her policies. But the McCain campaign has already been suffering from an “enthusiasm gap,” so it appears his supporters need a little incentive to say nice things about the presumptive Republican nominee. On McCain’s Web site, visitors are […]
It didn’t generate too much attention, but last week, the “Gang of 10” — a group of five Democratic senators and five Republican senators — unveiled a compromise energy bill called the “New Energy Reform Act.” It has quite a few elements, but Nate Silver summarized the highlights: * Opens additional drilling areas in the […]
We’re well past the point at which congressional Republicans have jumped the shark, but let’s pause to appreciate the fact that at least one leading GOP lawmaker is now looking to a fake ad by a 27-year-old heiress/reality-show star as a serious source of public policy. The lines between celebrity and politician blurred into a […]
In the 1990s, then-Speaker Newt Gingrich helped orchestrate a government shutdown, which helped make him something of a national villain. Soon after, Gingrich forced a second shutdown, and was blamed for that, too. A few years later, Gingrich was forced from his post and resigned, but he continues to linger in DC, and has managed […]
Back in April, in a WSJ column, Karl Rove urged John McCain to be less reserved about his personal life and background, and run more on his biography. “[I]t is clear,” Rove wrote, “that Mr. McCain is one of the most private individuals to run for president in history.” Four months later, Rove recycled the […]
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: * In light of new reports about possible convention tensions, the Obama and Clinton offices issued, for the first time, a joint press statement last night: “We are working together to make sure […]
I talked to someone earlier this week who worked tangentially on some previous campaigns with David Axelrod, the Obama campaign’s chief strategist. He told me, “Axelrod’s not the type to drop a refrigerator on a guy’s head. He’ll take the refrigerator apart, drop one piece at a time, and save the biggest piece for last.” […]