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Category Archives: Columns
Former FBI Agent Ali Soufan on Bin Laden’s Death, War on Terror – The Daily Beast
Terrorism is always one bad day away from being issue number one and on the 11th anniversary of the Sept. 11th terrorist attacks, it can be easy to forget that the terrorist’s war on us hasn’t stopped. The good news … Continue reading
The Obama Iconography: Only One Candidate in Race Inspires Heartfelt Fandom – The Daily Beast
The two-week convention caravan is now at rest, and Tampa and Charlotte are in the rear-view mirror. So how did the two conventions compare, seen up close and side by side? Well, sometimes stereotypes ring true: Republicans fall in line, … Continue reading
Posted in Columns
Tagged 2012 Elections, Elections, President Obama, The Daily Beast
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Obama Needs a Second-Term Agenda in His Democratic Convention Speech – The Daily Beast
President Obama’s blessing is his curse—a soaring speech won’t be good enough Thursday night. Call it the Obama discount or just a credibility gap, but words are cheap where this POTUS is concerned. That’s why he needs to get serious … Continue reading
Posted in Columns
Tagged 2012 Elections, Elections, President Obama, The Daily Beast
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Better Off Than When, Exactly? – The Daily Beast
This is literally the most anticipatable question for a presidential re-election—and the fact that Governor Martin O’Malley got caught flat-footed on it is a cause for head-scratching, if not concern, given his otherwise stalwart performance as a Obama surrogate. If … Continue reading
Posted in Columns
Tagged 2012 Elections, Elections, President Obama, The Daily Beast
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Will Republicans’ Vast Super-PAC-Money Advantage Swing the Election? – The Daily Beast
As Democrats gather in Charlotte, N.C., the optimism is palpable. But the party has been dangerously overconfident throughout this election, and some are still in denial about the big money behemoth they are facing this fall. Mitt Romney just announced … Continue reading
Many 2008 Conservative Obama Backers, or ObamaCons, Will Stay True – The Daily Beast
Back in 2008, Barack Obama boasted the support of more than 40 prominent Republicans and conservatives, including Colin Powell, Bush press secretary Scott McClellan, and Reagan solicitor general Charles Fried. These “ObamaCons” were offered as a barometer of Obama’s crossover … Continue reading
Posted in Columns
Tagged 2012 Elections, Elections, President Obama, The Daily Beast
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Politics of Clint Eastwood’s Empty Chair – CNN.com
Clint Eastwood’s rambling speech to an empty chair in Tampa, Florida, was more than just awkward performance art on a political stage. It actually provided a useful metaphor for one of the most nauseating aspects of this presidential election — … Continue reading
US Election 2012: Why Mitt Still Needs to Polish His Sales Pitch – The Telegraph
The Republican Convention in Tampa ended after three days of frenzied networking and made-for-television speeches, all against a backdrop of American flags. This is now Mitt Romney’s Republican Party, even if it is more unified by intense dislike of President … Continue reading
Mitt Romney’s Missing Character Narrative Must Be Part of GOP Convention Speech – The Daily Beast
Mitt Romney’s nomination speech is receiving final edits as you read this—examined to make sure every essential theme is included, every phrase shined and sharpened. But Romney has an additional burden in this nomination address—he needs to fill in the … Continue reading
Is That the Best Mitt Romney Can Do? – CNN.com
Is that the best he can do? On family, Mitt Romney got an ‘A’ in his nomination speech last night. On positive presidential vision he got a ‘C’ — and on presidential policy he got an incomplete. There’s no question … Continue reading
The Convention’s Key Moment: Paul Ryan Introduces Himself to America – The Daily Beast
There’s been a lot of GOP spin about how this convention is Mitt Romney’s chance to “introduce himself to the American people.” This is ridiculous: the man’s been running for president for five years. If polls show he has a … Continue reading
Posted in Columns
Tagged 2012 Elections, Elections, Republican Reformers, The Daily Beast
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No Attack Dog: Christie Heels And Plays Positive – The Daily Beast
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie’s keynote address is the substantive center-piece of this first night of the Republican Convention. But contrary to expectations that he will play the traditional role of attack dog, the former U.S. Attorney will instead lay … Continue reading
Posted in Columns
Tagged 2012 Elections, Elections, Republican Reformers, The Daily Beast
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The Swinging-est State – The Daily Beast
It must have seemed like a good idea at the time. Tampa. In August. At the height of Hurricane season. Out of the 16 cities that bid for the privilege of hosting the GOP convention, Tampa won. No, it was … Continue reading
When Did the GOP Get So White: The Republicans’ Loss of Diversity – The Daily Beast
“Zero Percent of Blacks for Romney”—Oh, that headline hurts. And the WSJ/NBC poll can’t just be dismissed out of hand as the work of partisan hacks. Of course, this doesn’t mean that no African-Americans will vote for the Romney-Ryan ticket, … Continue reading
Posted in Columns
Tagged 2012 Elections, Elections, Republican Reformers, The Daily Beast
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GOP Policy Is the Scandal, Not Just Akin’s Comments – CNN.com
“If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut that whole thing down.” These were the words that got Rep. Todd Akin kicked to the curb by Republicans, ranging from Mitt Romney to Karl Rove … Continue reading
Medi-Scare: Now Ryan Budget Has Republicans Fear-Mongering Too – The Daily Beast
Republicans have long complained about Democrats playing the Medi-Scare card—trying to scare senior citizens about the affects of entitlement reform. The most vivid example of this ugly political ploy might have been the 2011 ad showing “Paul Ryan” literally pushing … Continue reading
Posted in Columns
Tagged 2012 Elections, Elections, Fiscal Responsibility, Health Care, President Obama, The Daily Beast
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Shays’s Rebellion: The Last Yankee Republican Fights For His Political Life – The Daily Beast
Chris Shays can’t believe this is happening. How does a longtime Newt Gingrich congressional ally who co-authored 1994’s Contract with America, helped achieve a balanced budget, and backed the Bush-era War on Terror to the hilt get called a Republican … Continue reading
Posted in Columns
Tagged 2012 Elections, Elections, Republican Reformers, The Daily Beast
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Obama’s ‘Romney Hood’ Tactic Reveals His Own Tax Problem – The Daily Beast
“Romney Hood.” As the president introduced that phrase Monday night, we saw the next step in the Obama campaign’s strategy that began with the Bain attacks and followed with the focus on Mitt’s taxes. The goal is now to paint … Continue reading
Posted in Columns
Tagged 2012 Elections, Elections, President Obama, The Daily Beast
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What We in 2012 Can Learn from Teddy Roosevelt in 1912 – CNN.com
One hundred years ago Monday, Theodore Roosevelt launched the most successful third party presidential bid in American history, declaring, “We stand at Armageddon, and we battle for the Lord!” It was the culmination of the Progressive Party Convention in Chicago … Continue reading
Posted in Columns
Tagged 2012 Elections, CNN, Elections, Fiscal Responsibility, Independent Voters, Republican Reformers
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Disavowal of Mark Clayton Shows Democrats’ Disarray in Tennessee – The Daily Beast
Something really strange happened in Tennessee last week. Democrats elected a fright-wing conspiracy theorist named Mark Clayton to be their U.S. Senate candidate—and the state party prompted disavowed him. It’s fair to say that if this were a Republican Senate … Continue reading