The Carpetbagger Report

In previous election cycles, South Carolina’s Republican presidential primary has been dominated by the right’s 3 Gs: God, Gays, and Guns. This year, at least over the last few months, has been relatively substantive, at least by the right’s standards, with considerable debate over immigration policy and the economy. But the Republican base is still […]

Chris Matthews’ record of creepy, on-air misogyny is not exactly new, but it reached new depths last week with his small-minded dismissal of Hillary Clinton. After years of anti-woman rhetoric, this one seemed to cross the line. Thankfully, Matthews seemed to get the message. Or, at a minimum, his bosses seemed to get the message, […]

Today’s edition of quick hits. * The markets take another tumble: “Wall Street extended its 2008 plunge Thursday, tumbling after a regional Federal Reserve report showed a sharp decline in manufacturing activity and as investors grew concerned that downgrades of key bond insurers could trigger further trouble with souring debt. Each of the major indexes […]

Over the weekend, Bob Novak cited close advisors of John McCain, concluding “there is no possibility that Independent Democratic Sen. Joseph Lieberman would be McCain’s vice presidential running mate on the Republican ticket.” But McCain apparently wants to keep the speculation brewing anyway. There’s been plenty of speculation since self-described Democratic-independent Sen. Joe Lieberman started […]

I first took note for Roger Cohen’s work in the New York Time last summer, when he wrote a very odd op-ed arguing that the war in Iraq is a disaster, but it was worthwhile anyway. In October, Cohen again raised eyebrows, this time with a bizarre NYT piece insisting that the neocons have gotten […]

It’s become quite a dispute in Democratic circles. The Nevada Democratic Party created “at-large” casino precincts about eight months ago, so that casino employees (most notably, members of the Culinary Workers Union) would be able to participate in the Democratic causes easily and conveniently. At the time, the Nevada Democratic Party said the precincts were […]

It’s one of those political truisms that everyone seems to know — senators don’t usually win presidential elections. In American history, only two sitting senators — Warren Harding and John F. Kennedy — have ever won the White House, and only five others — Lewis Cass, Barry Goldwater, George McGovern, Bob Dole, and John Kerry […]

About a month ago, David Corn took a closer look at a book Mike Huckabee wrote as governor in 1998, called “Kids Who Kill: Confronting Our Culture of Violence,” and found a “fierce culture warrior.” The Arkansan was especially pointed in his criticism of gays. At one point in the book, Huckabee argues, “It is […]

For those who were following the 2000 presidential race, the efforts to smear John McCain in South Carolina’s Republican presidential primary is the stuff of legend. McCain, fresh off his big win in New Hampshire, ran into some scurrilous and nasty attacks in the Palmetto State, where Bush supporters accused McCain of having gone crazy […]

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: * Sen. Pat Leahy (D-Vt.) endorsed Obama this morning: “Leahy likened his support of Obama to the 1968 presidential campaign, when as a young prosecutor he endorsed Robert Kennedy over Hubert Humphrey. ‘He […]