Month: December 2008
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Obama honeymoon watch IV
Despite my suggestions to the contrary, the Blagojevich scandal has failed to damage Barack Obama. After several weeks of coverage, approval of his job performance and his transition efforts remains very high (via Yglesias). Meanwhile, the Republicans are struggling to coordinate on an anti-Obama message that would change the flow of political information to the
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Fred Thompson on the radio?
News of the weird: Someone thinks that Fred Thompson, who clears his throat every ten seconds and was last seen begging die-hard GOP activists for applause, can draw a mass audience as a radio host: It is a lively time to be behind the microphone. One television talker, Joe Scarborough, is starting a radio show.
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Save Matthew Yglesias from CAP!
Back in July, I worried that the move of Matthew Yglesias from The Atlantic to the Center for American Progress would undermine his independence due to “the structural incentives of working for a movement organization and appealing to a more movement-centric audience.” Sadly, that seems to have to come true. After praising the group Third
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White House changes metric of US support
When it comes to measuring support for the US abroad, the Bush administration keeps selecting different metrics. Back in 2003, the White House was caught exaggerating the size of the coalition that overthrew Saddam Hussein’s regime in Iraq by including tiny countries that were not active military contributors: The administration asserts that 44 nations are
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Politico on “Nepotism Nation”
Politico has done an excellent job documenting how the disturbing Caroline Kennedy boomlet is part of a “trend toward dynasty politics.” The statistic in bold is particularly troubling: [Obama’s] secretary of state will be Hillary Clinton, the wife of the former president. The Senate seat she’ll vacate is being pursued by Caroline Kennedy, the daughter
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Obama honeymoon watch III
As I’ve written (here and here), Barack Obama has been on track for a classic presidential honeymoon before the Blagojevich scandal came along. For instance, here’s a nice illustration from Rasmussen of how strong disapproval of the president-elect has declined since the election: Now, however, those numbers may change (though they haven’t budged yet). Gallup
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Senate property rights and dynastic politics
I’m supportive of efforts to elect more women and minorities to the Senate, but I’m uncomfortable with the idea that Hillary Clinton must be replaced by a woman or Barack Obama by an African-American simply because of the previous officeholder’s background. What’s worse is that Caroline Kennedy, who is now seeking Hillary’s seat despite a
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Blagojevich and his brush (aka “the football”)
When you’re governor of a major state, apparently you begin to think it’s acceptable behavior to berate your aides for not having your hairbrush on hand at all times: Mr. Blagojevich, 52, rarely turns up for work at his official state office in Chicago, former employees say, is unapologetically late to almost everything, and can
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Obama honeymoon watch (continued)
On Thursday, I asked if the Blagojevich scandal would wreck Barack Obama’s nascent presidential honeymoon. The next day, The Hotline, an influential newsletter for political insiders, asked the same question, signalling a potential shift in the conventional wisdom: Could Pres.-elect Obama’s honeymoon be over before 1/20? For the first time since 11/4, RNC emails are
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Granholm smears auto bailout opponents
Jennifer Granholm, the Democratic governor of Michigan, is smearing opponents of the auto bailout as “un-American”: Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D) said it was “un-American” for senators to have voted against approving a bailout of troubled automakers last night, saying their vote may cause a recession to become a depression. “It is unacceptable for this