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Tag Archives: Elections
Michele Bachmann Fumbles the Facts – CNN.com
There’s an old saying that a lie can go halfway around the world while the truth is putting its boots on — and in politics, a steady drumbeat of misinformation and mischaracterization can too often shape the national debate. So … Continue reading
GOP Rivals Need to Get Real on Foreign Policy – CNN.com
“It would be an irony of fate if my administration had to deal chiefly with foreign problems,” said Woodrow Wilson during his presidential campaign 100 years ago. World War I soon intruded on his plans — and international conflicts have … Continue reading
Election Day Backlash – The Daily Beast
Swing voters asserted their independence again on Election Day 2011, repudiating Republican ideological overreach in key votes but denying Democrats clear-cut victories heading into 2012, as the cycle of over-reach and backlash continues.
A year from election, how does Obama measure up? – CNN.com
Is President Barack Obama running against the GOP or the GDP? In exactly one year — November 6, 2012 — we’ll be lining up at polling places to cast our votes for the next president. How much of that decision … Continue reading
How Obama Can Win – The Daily Beast
On the campaign trail, President Obama is already offering flashes of his favorite 2012 narrative: “Give ‘em Hell, Harry” redux, running against the “Do-Nothing 112th Congress.” It is the hyper-partisan Republicans in the House, he says, who have stopped his … Continue reading
Posted in Columns
Tagged 2012 Elections, Elections, President Obama, The Daily Beast
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Jan Brewer’s Sleazy Power Grab – The Daily Beast
This is low and cynical even by political standards. Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer is trying to impeach her state’s independent redistricting commission because they recommended political districts that do not disproportionately favor Republicans.
Birthers, Smokers, Jokers – It’s Silly Season in GOP Politics – CNN.com
Silly season has begun again. The sideshow is threatening to move into the big tent, and distraction will seem like it’s the main event. We’ve begun that long stretch where political campaigns are viciously jockeying for position before the first … Continue reading
The End of TV Campaign Ads? – The Daily Beast
In the two hours after Herman Cain’s “Smoking Man” video was released to the public, it was watched more than 100,000 times. Two days later, it had tallied nearly 700,000 views on the campaign’s YouTube channel alone—a total that doesn’t … Continue reading
Rick Perry’s Missed Opportunity – The Daily Beast
Rick Perry unveiled the details of his flat-tax plan and overall economic package today in South Carolina. Give the man points for going big: it’s a 20 percent flat tax for both individuals and corporations. This is smart politics for … Continue reading
GOP Debate Focuses on the Economy – CNN
CNN contributors Hilary Rosen, John Avlon and Will Cain provide analysis on the latest Bloomberg GOP candidate debate.
Perry’s Do-or-Die Debate – The Daily Beast
Applications for the GOP’s Messiah of the Month Club are now closed. The Christies and Danielses have declined. Sarah Palin’s belated bow-out seemed bizarrely anticlimactic after three years of overheated speculation from fans now left at the altar while she … Continue reading
2012’s New Contenders – The Daily Beast
We are living in a “pox-on-both-your-houses” moment. Congressional approval is at an all-time low. More than 40 percent of Americans believe that both Republican and Democrat policies are moving the country in the wrong direction, while Tea Party approval has … Continue reading
Politics as Ideological Blood Sport – CNN.com
They just don’t get it. Two months after playing partisan chicken with the debt-ceiling limit and leading directly to a U.S. downgrade, our dysfunctional divided Congress was at it again — carelessly bringing the country to the brink of a … Continue reading
Independent Voters and 2012 Election – C-SPAN
John Avlon talked about the role of independent voters in the 2012 elections. Topics included voter attitudes on issues, the two political parties and Washington politics in general, and the viability of an independent political movement. He also responded to … Continue reading
Posted in Columns, Videos
Tagged 2008 Elections, 2012 Elections, C-Span, Elections, Independent Nation
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Rick Perry’s Fantasy About Obama, Israel – CNN.com
Gov. Rick Perry unleashed an onslaught against President Obama’s Israel policy Tuesday in New York, calling it “moral equivalency,” “appeasement,” “naive and arrogant, misguided and dangerous.” All this sounds very bad, deepening the narrative that Obama is hell-bent on alienating … Continue reading
Christine O’Donnell: Exhibit A for Getting Rid of Closed Primaries – CNN.com
One year ago this week, America got a wake-up call about a core problem in our politics that empowers ideological extremists and special interests. On September 14, 2010, both Delaware Rep. Mike Castle? and Washington Mayor Adrian Fenty lost closed … Continue reading
Wake Up, Washington! – The Daily Beast
Republican Bob Turner won the special election to succeed Anthony Weiner last night, and conservatives are crowing that it signifies a tidal shift against President Obama. It’s true that this Queens-Brooklyn district, once represented by Geraldine Ferraro, hasn’t voted for … Continue reading
Perry’s Smash-Mouth Debate Style – The Daily Beast
So much for the 11th Commandment. At the start of the Republican debate at the Reagan Library, Mitt Romney and Rick Perry came out swinging, with the former Massachusetts governor jabbing the Texan as a career politician, followed by a … Continue reading
Not-Ready-for-Prime-Time Palin – The Daily Beast
Sarah Palin’s “will-she or won’t-she?” act is getting pretty old. All eyes will be on her Saturday speech at a Tea Party rally in Iowa, but Palin’s 2012 expiration date is looming. The scattershot dysfunction that accompanied even this event … Continue reading
Chris Christie’s 2012 Tease – The Daily Beast
As Hurricane Irene bore down on the East Coast on Saturday afternoon, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie had a simple message: “Get the hell off the beach.” “You’re done. It’s 4:30 p.m. You’ve maximized your tan,” he bellowed from behind … Continue reading