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 […]
Thursday’s Mini-Report
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 […]
Those generous and helpful Big Oil lobbyists
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 […]
You, too, can be a mindless, rewarded McCain campaign troll
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 […]
Is McCain going to get stuck in an ‘energy trap’?
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 […]
House Republican endorses ‘the Paris Hilton plan’ on energy
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 […]
Gingrich raises the specter of another government shutdown
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 […]
Karl Rove’s odd advice for John McCain
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 […]
Thursday’s campaign round-up
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 […]
Obama uses a deft touch — while some would prefer a sledgehammer
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.” […]