Uncategorized
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Marshall insinuates National Journal bias
What is this elliptical comment from Josh Marshall supposed to mean? [I]f John McCain would be the big winner of a result tonight that would insure a continued and hard fought Democratic primary race, you have to figure that a big loser would be the National Journal who would be faced with the possible need
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McCain, Obama, and the fundamentals
Ezra Klein flags a new Pew poll showing that John McCain is becoming a much more polarizing figure: Via the new Pew Poll comes evidence that McCain’s broad coalition of People Who Like Him is beginning to polarize by party as he moves towards the Republican nomination. His favorability numbers among Democrats have tanked, and
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Bill and Hillary: Overhyped
Jon Chait has a nice piece in the LA Times that echoes the points I’ve made about Hillary’s overrated 2000 victory in New York: The real reason Clinton will lose is more prosaic: Obama is a far better politician. Republicans have long had a kind of black-magic fear of the Clintons’ political potency. From the
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Another Obama smear from Limbaugh
Rush Limbaugh, who has already said that Barack Obama looked like Osama bin Laden in a picture in which the Democratic presidential candidate was wearing Somali clothing, added on “The O’Reilly Factor” this week that Obama was “looking like [Osama bin Laden’s chief collaborator] Ayman [al-]Zawahiri.” On a related note, I heard Limbaugh ranting today
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Is Barack Obama the next Michael Dukakis?
As Paul Krugman and Bob Somerby have argued, the risk that Barack Obama will turned into the next Michael Dukakis (or worse) is real. After months of largely respectful coverage and debate, there has been a slew of attacks in the last few weeks on Obama as unpatriotic and/or a Muslim that are being widely
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Bloomberg not running
In a move that will reduce David Broder and political consultants to tears, Michael Bloomberg published a NYT op-ed announcing that he’s not running for president. Despite his stated belief that “an independent can win,” this was the only rational decision (see my previous posts on Bloomberg hype for more). So who will the third
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William F. Buckley used big words
The New York Times obit of William F. Buckley implies that his most notable characteristic was his use of big words, which they reference in the headline (that’s what “sesquipedalian” means) and the lede: William F. Buckley Jr., 82, Dies; Sesquipedalian Spark of Right By DOUGLAS MARTIN William F. Buckley Jr., who marshaled polysyllabic exuberance,
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Louisiana ethics hijinks
Dispatches from the shady political culture of Louisiana, where Republican Governor Bobby Jindal passed what sounds like a long-overdue ethics reform package: [L]awmakers are known to scour the chambers for willing lobbyists when a day’s session ends, hoping to cadge a dinner invitation. They need not look far. Mr. Jindal took that penchant on as
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Hutchison smears withdrawal supporters
Via Andrew Sullivan, Kay Bailey Hutchison has joined the long list of Republicans who have suggested since Sept. 11 that anti-war dissent is treasonous, saying that a bill requiring a rapid withdrawal from Iraq would “put a bullet right in the hearts of our troops who are there.” (She later claimed she meant to say
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Paul won’t run, Bloomberg shouldn’t
Contrary to my counterintuitive hype of a possible Ron Paul third party presidential candidacy, he has apparently ruled out an independent bid: “I am committed to fighting for our ideas within the Republican Party, so there will be no third party run” (via Michael Crowley). However, I do feel validated by the poll (via Douthat)