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McClatchy debunks VP hype
Yet another reason you should be reading the fantastic journalism of McClatchy’s Washington bureau — they debunk silly media hype rather than repeating it: Excited about VP picks? In November, they rarely matter By David Lightman | McClatchy Newspapers WASHINGTON — Despite all the hyperventilating about whom they’re likely to be, vice presidential candidates rarely
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New projection: Obama 53%
Andrew Gelman notes that the political scientists Robert S. Erikson and Christopher Wlezien have released a paper projecting an Obama win with 53% of the two-party presidential vote based on leading economics indicators and current trial heat polling. The economist Ray Fair, who has a well-known model that I’ve criticized in the past (see this
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Obama and the “race card” debate
John McCain’s campaign has accused Barack Obama of having “played the race card” for suggesting Republicans would highlight his race in the general election campaign: Senator John McCain’s campaign accused Senator Barack Obama on Thursday of playing “the race card,” citing his remarks that Republicans would try to scare voters by pointing out that he
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Nexis searching for liberal tendencies
From Dan Drezner via Kevin Drum, here is the Nexis search used by the Justice Department’s Monica Goodling to vet potential Bush administration appointees (see page 20-21 of the DOJ report [PDF]): [first name of a candidate] and pre/2 [last name of a candidate] w/7 bush or gore or republican! or democrat! or charg! or
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NYT/WP vs. Social Security facts
Two of our nation’s best newspapers apparently can’t find reporters who understand Social Security and/or have the courage to state the facts without faux “objective” hedging. Michael Powell and Susan Saulny in the New York Times (7/28): Mr. McCain also touched on domestic policy, saying he would not rule out tax increases in discussing Social
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John McCain’s silly analysis of oil prices
Via TNR’s Chris Orr, John McCain made this fantastical claim about President Bush’s influence on the price of crude oil: “In case you missed it, soon as the President announced that we were going to end the moratorium on offshore drilling the price of a barrel of oil went down $10,” the presumptive Republican nominee
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Warren Ballentine smears McCain as a racist
The New York Times quotes radio talk show host Warren Ballentine smearing John McCain as a racist who privately complains about having to speak to “Negroes”: Warren Ballentine, one of black talk radio’s new stars, was on a tear against Senator John McCain as he broadcast from the Greenbriar Mall here last week, blithely dismissing
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Is Obama vetting Tim Kaine’s eyebrow?
Via Drudge, the Washington Post and Politico are suggesting that Virginia governor Tim Kaine is high on Barack Obama’s vice presidential shortlist. Substantively, I don’t have strong feelings about Kaine either way at this point. But on a more practical level, did Obama and his vetters watch Kaine’s State of the Union rebuttal back in
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McCain raises Obama’s lack of service
ABC’s Jake Tapper reports that John McCain is questioning Barack Obama’s judgment because he didn’t serve in the military: Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., Monday hit Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, not for only being, in his view, wrong on the surge of troops in Iraq, but also for not having served in the military. Arguing that
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The myth of Bush spending growth
Ross Douthat and Sadly, No! catch elite conservative economists making misleading suggestions that pork barrel spending has grown dramatically under President Bush. But this is a myth, as the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (among others) points out (via Yglesias). Funding for domestic discretionary programs has actually “shrunk both as a share of the