When Voters Aren’t Heard
What happens when only the swing voters matter?
On the Newsstand:Campaign
Midterm Recap: Speaker Boehner’s Action Plan
The eyes of the nation and political commentators will be on the Republican House of Representatives and Speaker John Boehner in the immediate future. Their actions now may well determine the course of the Republican Party as we know it for the next few decades of American history.
An Objective Lesson in Corporate Civics
Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court infamously ruled in Citizens United v. FEC that corporate funding of independent political broadcasts in candidate elections cannot be limited under the First Amendment to the Constitution. In other words, the Court reaffirmed the idea that money serves as a means by which individuals can express their speech. Specifically, corporations are today allowed to contribute ... Read More
Who We Are–the Tea Party Uncovered
Let me begin this by saying that I do not consider myself a member of this self-identified political movement that now claims 28% of the national public. However, I do believe they have unfairly gotten a bad rap from Democrats and even many Republicans, and I think everyone needs to know more of their story. When polled recently, this “Tea-Party” ... Read More
Look to the Governors
Forget the hype over the Congressional elections, it all comes down to the Governors. With the 2010 Census coming to an end, the Governors and State Legislatures will soon redraw Congressional districts that will be in place for the next ten years. Even more importantly, these same states represent the battleground states of ’08, and Republican leadership could help swing ... Read More
Dispatch from the West: The California Primary and Arizona’s Campaign Finance Law
The most populous state in the Union went to the polls on Tuesday, and as Californians were voting, the Supreme Court issued a bizarre ruling that put an immediate halt to a crucial provision of Arizona’s public financing program. What do the two have in common? I’ll get to that later, but first, here are my thoughts on the California ... Read More
Taking Stock of the Spill
Apparently, Obama’s BP Oil Spill performance has been a total disaster. Just check the news. He’s weak, aloof, unemotive, Maureen Down explains. “Mr. President, take command,” David Gergen urges on CNN. James Carville exhorts: “This president needs to tell BP, “I’m your daddy.” And Peggy Noonan, writes, simply, for WSJ: “I don’t see how you politically survive this.” Count me among ... Read More
Rand Paul: Against the Civil Rights Act
As I said yesterday, the Kentucky Senate race between Rand Paul and Jack Conway should be a real battle. Paul is probably not helping himself by insisting, as many libertarian ideologues but few Senate hopefuls do, that the 1964 Civil Rights Act was wrong to ban racial discrimination in private establishments like restaurants and movie theaters. INTERVIEWER: Would you have ... Read More
Reality Check: Democrats Continue House Special-Election Streak
Last night probably could not have gone better for Democrats, even though the party establishment is shedding crocodile tears over Arlen Specter and Blanche Lincoln (the latter of whom is in serious trouble, as Lt. Gov. Bill Halter outperformed polls and has three more weeks to close the deal). Even in Kentucky, Democrats probably got the more exciting (not to ... Read More
Scandals: Three-for-One Sale!
It’s scandal day in the world of politics. First, Sue Lowden, the front-runner in the Nevada Republican primary, looking to replace Harry Reid, seems to have broken campaign finance laws by accepting a luxury campaign bus from a donor. This could be good news for Reid because Lowden has been performing better in polling match-ups against Reid than have either ... Read More
Chris Christie Takes Down Reporter, Earns Grudging Respect
I don’t pay enough attention to politics in my home state of New Jersey. I think I fear it would sap all of my youthful idealism. I certainly did not celebrate Chris Christie’s victory last fall. And his governance so far has been exactly what I feared. He’s actually trying to do what he campaigned on: make huge cuts to ... Read More
