I’ve long suspected that the right has greater success pushing culture-war issues to the fore when real issues lack political salience. Take the 1990s, for example. During a period of peace and prosperity, grassroots conservatives continued to push divisive trivia: “Gay people are scary!” “Why won’t the government do more to promote the Ten Commandments?” […]
Washington Post ombudsman slams paper’s anti-woman hit piece
Following up on an item from last weekend, the Washington Post, for reasons that defy comprehension, published a 1,700-word thought piece a week ago on women in America being dumb, shallow, and generally kind of pathetic. The author, Charlotte Allen, made her spectacularly dumb case, arguing that women are bad drivers, they have physically smaller […]
Why defeat in Hastert’s district is a ‘disaster’ for the GOP
It was the first big election of 2008, and Republicans had every reason to feel pretty good about it. Illinois may be a reliably “blue” state, but its 14th congressional district — up until recently represented by former House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R) — is considered a safe Republican seat. Not only have voters in […]
Obama ends rough week on a high note, wins Wyoming caucuses
Barack Obama has certainly had better weeks than this one. With defeats in Ohio, Texas, and Rhode Island on Tuesday, and the unexpected controversy surrounding Samantha Power’s “monster” remark on Thursday, the campaign needed some good news. It got some in Wyoming today. Sen. Barack Obama captured the Wyoming Democratic caucuses Saturday, seizing a bit […]
Former president calls Obama-Clinton (or Clinton-Obama) ‘unstoppable force’
What’s that old expression? Once is an accident, twice is a coincidence, three times is a trend? For the third time in the last four days, the Clinton camp is emphasizing, rather blatantly, the notion of a Clinton-Obama ticket. This time, it was the former president. At a small town hall meeting in Pass Christian, […]
CNN finds an Illinois Republican who’s unimpressed with Obama
Three days ago, CNN ran an online feature that asked, “Can Cindy McCain really be that perfect?” Today, the lead item on CNN’s Politics page shows this headline, “Fellow legislator saw little ‘bold’ about Obama.” [F]ormer Republican colleague Dan Cronin said the presidential candidate’s campaign of bold change doesn’t square with his past. “There were […]
Good news, bad news for candidates in Newsweek poll
Barack Obama got a bump in the polls after he pulled off 11 consecutive victories in February, and now Hillary Clinton is also getting a bump after winning in Texas and Ohio this week. Sen. Hillary Clinton’s primary victories in Texas, Ohio and Rhode Island have revived her near-dead campaign and brought her into a […]
Far-right GOP congressman says terrorists will applaud Obama presidency
When it comes to unhinged buffoons who manage to get elected to Congress, Iowa’s Steve King (R) is one of the more striking examples. He’s generally just an embarrassment to himself and his constituents. But the impressive thing about King is that he’s constantly trying to out do himself, ratcheting up the stupidity to new […]
Superdelegates start considering what’s in it for them
The Politico had an item this week explaining that there’s a group of Midwestern Democratic superdelegates who’ve created a voting bloc that will withhold convention endorsements until they get what they want — in this case, more assurances on the economy. The apparent deal among Ohioans is the first evidence of superdelegates’ banding together and […]
The story gets worse for McCain’s buddy Rick Renzi
For Clinton detractors, Norman Hsu is a huge deal. For Obama detractors, Tony Rezko is incredibly important. But where does Rep. Rick Renzi (R-Ariz.), a member of Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) National Leadership Team and a co-chair of his Arizona Leadership Team, fit into the mix? Renzi was, of course, recently indicted on felony counts […]