The McCain campaign has been pushing this New York Post item pretty hard today. We’re in for taxing times if Barack Obama wins the White House, says CNBC’s Maria Bartiromo. “He’s going to take the capital gains tax at 15 percent right now all the way up to 25 to 28 percent,” the “Money Honey” […]
Obama eyes 20 VP possibilities, 50 states
It’s been about a week since Barack Obama wrapped up the Democratic nomination, and talk about who might be in the running for his VP slot has quickly gone from parlor game to all-consuming obsession in some political circles. Given this, it’s nice to have a little something to chew on. Illinois Sen. Barack Obama’s […]
McCain suddenly realizes he doesn’t like the estate tax after all
Remember the good ol’ days? When John McCain used to occasionally say sensible things and break with his party when they embraced ridiculous policy proposals? Good times, good times. For example, Republicans have been railing against the existence of the estate tax for years. It’s a foolish gambit for the GOP — they want to […]
GOP lawmakers decide it’s time to listen to Gingrich
At some point, it’s not entirely clear when, the DC establishment decided that Newt Gingrich is an intellectual. He gained a reputation as a “big thinker.” He’s someone whose ideas are “outside the box.” All of this is rather silly. The former Speaker can bloviate with the best of them, and he has opinions on […]
Lieberman lashes out, accuses Obama staff of ‘sleazy tactics’
Last week, in an eye-catching moment on the Senate floor, Barack Obama led Joe Lieberman to the back of the chamber and, according to one report, “engaged in what appeared to reporters in the gallery as an intense, three-minute conversation.” No one could hear the senators, but Roll Call noted the body language, and said […]
Tuesday’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: * The post-primary “bounce” is modest but noticeable for Barack Obama. Gallup now has Obama leading John McCain by six, 48% to 42%, while Rasmussen also has Obama leading by the same margin, […]
‘This is cronyism, this is waste, fraud and abuse’
The good news is, Bush’s Justice Department offers grants to community programs to address juvenile crime nationwide. The bad news is, Bush’s Justice Department seems to award the grants based on political connections, not merit. There’s a program in San Diego, for example, that was ranked #2 by the DoJ in its category of prevention […]
Why pro-choice Dems have nothing to like about John McCain
I can’t understand it, or relate to it on any level, but I realize there are probably a few pro-choice Democrats who supported Hillary Clinton and are looking for some rationalization to justify voting for a conservative Republican who opposes abortion rights and has vowed to overturn Roe v. Wade. Columnist Froma Harrop seems anxious […]
McCain, Carter, and Google — the salience of the generation gap
The most common comparison John McCain faces is, of course, to Still-President Bush. The problem for the Republican presidential hopeful is that the similarities are pretty overwhelming — they agree on practically everything; they’re both conservative Republicans; and neither seems to have any intellectual curiosity or tolerance for competing ideas. The McCain campaign seems to […]
McCain’s support for an indefinite war
Considering how worked up John McCain gets if anyone confronts him with his “100 years” comments on Iraq, it’s odd that he continues to articulate a policy of indefinite war. The Jed Report highlighted this clip from last night’s NBC Nightly News: For those who can’t watch clips online, Brian Williams asks, “The videotape clip […]