Over the last week or two, I’ve seen several Dean campaign staffers, and Dean himself, insist that the political landscape shifted dramatically after Al Gore extended his support to Dean. In fact, they argue, it led to such desperation that the Dem establishment pulled out all the stops to derail Dean’s campaign. I can agree […]
Long-time readers know that I’ve written a handful of posts about a proposed constitutional amendment to alter the “natural born citizen” rule for presidential candidates. While the measure hasn’t generated much attention on Capitol Hill, a comment from Arnold Schwarzenegger is bringing added interest to the amendment in the press. Article 2, Sec. 1, of […]
I know stories like this one are filled with subjective anecdotes that are inherently unreliable, but, if nothing else, they’re a morale booster. The New York Times reportedly conducted “dozens of random interviews around the country,” and found a bunch of independents and Republicans who voted for Bush in 2000 who “say they intend to […]
Over the years, I’ve had a variety of feelings about Ralph Nader. Before 1996, I was generally appreciative of the fact that he helped get everyone seatbelts. Then he ran for president, was widely ignored, and served an inconsequential role — a minor speed bump on route to Clinton’s second term. Like millions of others, […]
It’s Friday afternoon, so I guess we should have known the Bush White House would be pulling some offensive stunt. This one is beyond the pale, even for him. In another affront to a constitutional system which he obviously holds in contempt, Bush bypassed the Senate — again — to install Alabama Attorney General William […]
When the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) announced its support for Howard Dean in the fall, I thought it was a major step towards Dean winning the nomination. When AFSCME bailed on Dean a couple of weeks ago, it was a clear sign the campaign was finished. AFSCME, led by Gerald […]
It’s kind of sad, really. The Bush White House, which once promised to usher in an “era of responsibility,” goes to great lengths to place blame on just about everyone for Bush’s mistakes. At the top of the list, of course, is the Republicans’ catch-all for the nation’s ills: Bill Clinton. The latest in the […]
James Webb, a Vietnam veteran and the secretary of the Navy during the Reagan administration, wrote an op-ed for USA Today that’s getting a lot of attention. It deserves it. The point of Webb’s essay is pondering how the “military vote,” particularly that of veterans, will go in 2004. It’s no trivial matter. Republicans have […]
Ralph Nader will officially announce his intentions for the election on Sunday’s Meet the Press. Of course, potential candidates rarely go on the show to announce they’re not running, so the smart money is on him declaring his candidacy.
Roll Call’s Stu Rothenberg has been enjoying the same parlor game I have: picking Dems for Kerry’s ticket. He recognizes the three most obvious names — Edwards, Clark, and Gephardt — but concludes that there’s already plenty of speculation about them, so “there’s not much point wasting time on them.” Fair enough. And Rothenberg completely […]