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: * New York Attorney General [tag]Eliot Spitzer[/tag]’s (D) lead in the state’s gubernatorial race just keeps growing. In a new Quinnipiac poll, Spitzer led former Massachusetts Gov. [tag]William Weld[/tag] (R) 66% to 17%, […]
[tag]Treasury[/tag] Secretary [tag]John Snow[/tag] was having a delightful time testifying on the Hill yesterday. He took particular pleasure in telling lawmakers, “Average hourly earnings are picking up. We learned from this month’s jobs report that average hourly earnings have risen 3.8% over the past 12 months — their largest increase in nearly five years.” Rep. […]
This is just breathtaking. A [tag]Pentagon[/tag] probe into the death of Iraqi civilians last November in the Iraqi city of [tag]Haditha[/tag] will show that U.S. [tag]Marines[/tag] “[tag]killed[/tag] [tag]innocent[/tag] [tag]civilians[/tag] in [tag]cold blood[/tag],” a U.S. lawmaker said Wednesday. From the beginning, Iraqis in the town of Haditha said U.S. Marines deliberately killed 15 unarmed Iraqi civilians, […]
It was probably just an innocent mistake, but I found this funny. A set of flashcards designed to help applicants for U.S. citizenship learn basic civics has become one of the most popular items sold by the Government Printing Office. But the $8.50 [tag]flashcards[/tag] — which contain questions and answers from the actual citizenship exam […]
For nearly a year and a half, the [tag]House[/tag] [tag]Ethics Committee[/tag] literally did not function. It did not meet, it did not consider controversies, and it did not appear to be capable of ever working again. No matter how serious a House lawmaker’s scandal, the panel simply would not lift a finger. That is, until […]
Last week, [tag]Fox News[/tag]’ [tag]John Gibson[/tag] urged white people to “get busy” and “make babies.” This week, Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly took a firm stand in defense of the “[tag]white[/tag] [tag]Christians[/tag] who hold power” in this country. During the May 16 edition of Fox News’ The O’Reilly Factor, host Bill O’Reilly claimed that The New […]
At first blush, it might seem like a worthwhile project. [tag]Knowlegis[/tag], a software research firm, released a list this week of congressional “[tag]power rankings[/tag],” which ranked every member of [tag]Congress[/tag], in both chambers, allegedly based on their influence and effectiveness as lawmakers. Unfortunately, the list is almost entirely useless. It’s not political analysis; it’s a […]
For the last several years, [tag]Republicans[/tag], confident in the size and stability of its base, have targeted specific constituency groups who usually vote for Dems — Catholics, Hispanics, seniors — through aggressive outreach and wedge-issue campaigning. This year, Dems are turning the tables a bit. House [tag]Democrats[/tag], trying to capitalize on conservative dissatisfaction with Republicans, […]
I don’t mean to belabor the point, but it just doesn’t make sense that telecommunications companies are denying having cooperated with the NSA on its phone-records database. Think Progress uncovered a presidential memorandum, however, that may shed some light on the subject. Ordinarily, a company that conceals their transactions and activities from the public would […]
This AP story on [tag]Al Gore[/tag] covers relatively familiar ground, but it’s worth considering anyway. Al [tag]Gore[/tag] is running to California, New York, Utah, Washington, France and points in between to promote “An Inconvenient Truth,” a film chronicling his elaborate slide shows to educate people about global warming. But is the former vice president running […]