At the most recent debate for Republican presidential candidates, Rudy Giuliani said, “The reality is that I’m not running on what I did on September 11th.” It was unintentionally amusing — Giuliani wouldn’t be running if he hadn’t created a persona around 9/11 — but as it turns out, not everyone has gotten the message. […]
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: * CNN: “Trying to reclaim the health care spotlight from campaign rival Hillary Clinton, Democratic presidential hopeful John Edwards unveiled his plan to combat HIV/AIDS during an appearance at the Families USA/Kaiser Foundation […]
Last November, 70% of white evangelical and born-again Christians voted for Republican candidates nationwide, which is about the same performance as in 2004. DNC Chairman Howard Dean thinks Dems might be able to shave a few points off that number. Richard Land had never met one-on-one with a chairman of the Democratic National Committee. The […]
The NYT’s David Brooks insists today that, rumors to the contrary notwithstanding, it is the center, not the left, that is in ascension in the Democratic Party. Political observers can “learn almost nothing” from the netroots, Brooks argues, because the real power is with centrists and the Democratic establishment (though they are not mutually exclusive). […]
As a rule, “gotcha” political interviews make for good television, but that’s about all they do. Russert, Blitzer, & Co. will confront a policy maker with some old quote, pause for dramatic effect, and leave the interviewee temporarily flummoxed. Whether there’s a point to the exchange is oftentimes irrelevant. That said, occasionally “gotcha” moments tell […]
There’s just something painful about watching desperate people lash out wildly. Two weeks ago, Republican supporters of Bush’s Iraq policy decided that the single most important issue in the country was a newspaper ad from MoveOn.org. It took precedence over conditions in Iraq, troop rotations, and funding. The GOP, frantically hoping to avoid anything resembling […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * Huge news out of Detroit: Thousands of United Auto Workers walked off the job at General Motors plants around the country Monday in the first nationwide strike against the U.S. auto industry since 1976. UAW President Ron Gettelfinger said that job security was the top unresolved issue, adding that […]
With the Iowa caucuses less than four months away, I had more or less assumed Newt Gingrich’s time had come and gone. He’d signal that he’s getting in, then he’d do the opposite. He’d encourage supporters to create a groundswell, and then he’d tell them not to bother. With nine Republicans already in the race […]
Putting aside the question of whether Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad should be able to visit Ground Zero, the other controversy of the week involved whether Ahmadinejad should be a guest at Columbia University in New York. The right has argued, vociferously, that the university is misguided for providing a platform to a dangerous nut. His […]
Working with a Republican Congress for six years, the Bush White House has written federal budgets that grew at a rate of 7% per year — double the rate of growth under Clinton. According the Heritage Foundation and the Cato Institute, both conservative think tanks, even nonmilitary discretionary spending has blossomed under Bush, far more […]