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Tag Archives: Elections
Exclusive: Congressional Ethics Probe Adds to Michele Bachmann’s Political Woes – The Daily Beast
The Hindenburg. The Titanic. Michele Bachmann. Eighteen months ago, the Minnesota House member was considered an unlikely but undeniable Republican rising star, winning the Iowa straw poll that unofficially begins the primary season. Today, she is embroiled in a litany … Continue reading
More Sarah Palin Than Ronald Reagan: CPAC’s Paranoid Style – The Daily Beast
There’s no place where the paranoid style in American politics mixes with presidential aspirants quite like CPAC. At this year’s conservative conclave, held at the Gaylord Hotel in Maryland, there is a mood of grim resignation after their rejection in … Continue reading
With Plea Deal, Jesse Jackson Jr.’s Fall From Grace Seems Complete – The Daily Beast
Former Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. agreed Friday to plead guilty to charges of misusing campaign funds, in an apparent bid to an end a federal investigation that threatens to also implicate his wife, former Chicago Alderman Sandi Jackson. Both had … Continue reading
Republicans’ Nefarious Election Ploy – The Daily Beast
Something’s rotten in Virginia. Conservatives in the Old Dominion state legislature are quietly plotting what could amount to an electoral coup d’etat: pushing forward a bill that would have delivered the majority of the state’s electoral votes to Mitt Romney, … Continue reading
Jindal, Courage is Not Enough – CNN.com
Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal rode into the Republican National Committee retreat in Charlotte, North Carolina, ready to offer a dose of tough medicine for the Republican Party, which he now says “must stop being the stupid party.” “The Republican Party … Continue reading
Mark Sanford on Run for Congress, a Second Chance at Politics – The Daily Beast
It’s official: Mark Sanford is running for his old congressional seat in South Carolina. The former governor, who ended his second term in disgrace after admitting to an extramarital affair with an Argentine woman he described as his “soulmate,” had … Continue reading
Romney’s Rorschach Test – CNN
‘Severe conservative’ or ‘Massachusetts moderate’, which one of these terms would you use to describe Mitt Romney? If you’re having a hard time picking just one of those two options, you might not be alone. CNN Contributor John Avlon speculates … Continue reading
Why Tim Scott Should Replace Jim DeMint – The Daily Beast
Apart from Stephen Colbert, the best pick South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley could make for Jim DeMint’s Senate seat is Congressman Tim Scott. Happily, Scott is also reportedly DeMint’s first choice, though the current senator has nothing more than advisory … Continue reading
Republican Politicians Must Stop Pandering to Conservative Populism – The Daily Beast
Republicans need to “stop being the Stupid Party.” That was a blunt postelection declaration of independence by Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal. “We’ve also had enough of this dumbed-down conservatism,” continued Jindal. “We need to stop being simplistic, we need to … Continue reading
Posted in Columns
Tagged 2012 Elections, Elections, Independent Voters, Republican Reformers, The Daily Beast
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The Final Insult: Mitt Romney’s Clueless Gift Gaffe – The Daily Beast
Mitt Romney made his final newsworthy post-election pronouncement, explaining to a conference call of big-dollar donors that he had fallen short because President Barack Obama had bribed liberal special interests with expensive gifts. Here’s what he said, according to The … Continue reading
They Failed to ‘Buy’ the US Election in 2012: Will Conservative Donors Ever Open Their Wallets Again? – The Telegraph
An unprecedented amount of money was spent in the 2012 election — some $6 billion in total. But the real slumbering scandal was how much of that was an infusion of cash from Super PACs – supposedly independent “political action … Continue reading
Obama’s Strong Support Among Cuban Americans Underlines Demographic Shift – The Daily Beast
The depth, if not dimensions, of President Obama’s reelection victory is slowly resonating, even in Republican circles. After all the partisan spinning, it is clear that the combination of the Obama campaign’s ground game and demographic evolutions in our nation … Continue reading
Posted in Columns
Tagged 2012 Elections, Elections, President Obama, The Daily Beast
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Welcome to the Twilight Zone – Newsweek – The Daily Beast
Partisan politics is starting to look like a cult, and after this presidential election, Republicans will need some serious deprogramming. The overheated anti-Obama echo chamber on the far right led to a fact-free fanaticism, inspiring otherwise educated folks to ignore … Continue reading
Battleground Blog: How the Swing Counties Swung – CNN.com
Over the last two months of the campaign, CNN focused on the swing districts of swing states as a way of looking at who would win the election. From Jefferson County Colorado and Loudon County Virginia on CNN’s OutFront’s Final … Continue reading
Posted in Columns
Tagged 2012 Elections, CNN, Elections, Independent Voters, President Obama
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Nightmare Scenario—Ohio’s Provisional Ballots May Be 2012’s Hanging Chads – The Daily Beast
There was a traffic jam on the highway leading to the early voting station in Franklin County, Ohio, on Monday. Inside the former box store, lines snaked around the showroom floor with voters waiting more or less patiently for an … Continue reading
Independent and Centrist Voters Breaking with Precedent – CNN.com
The final polls are out and behind the national horserace is a fascinating dynamic – Mitt Romney is narrowly winning independent voters while President Obama is winning centrist voters by a nearly 20-point margin. For example, here in the must-win … Continue reading
Posted in Columns
Tagged 2012 Elections, CNN, Elections, Independent Voters, President Obama
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Presidential Election Likely to Come Down to the Future vs. the Past – The Daily Beast
The fault lines in the 2012 election are the future versus the past—and not in an empty rhetorical “America is at a crossroads” sort of way. Something more fundamental and demographically measurable is at work. Consider this: President Obama’s largest … Continue reading
Posted in Columns
Tagged 2012 Elections, Elections, President Obama, The Daily Beast
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What’s Really at Stake in Election 2012 – CNN.com
The stakes in this election go far beyond just who takes the oath of office in January. Each of us is faced with choices that will have huge ramifications in our nation for decades — and the choice is not … Continue reading
Posted in Columns
Tagged 2012 Elections, CNN, Elections, Independent Voters, President Obama
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Sex, Drugs, and Ballot Initiatives – The Daily Beast
Ballot initiatives are direct democracy—the cutting edge of politics—but they don’t get the respect they deserve despite the huge consequences that can come from giving citizens the rebellious ability to do an end run around their slow-moving state legislatures. With … Continue reading
Vote the Bums Out: the Eight Worst Members of Congress – The Daily Beast
This divided and dysfunctional Congress has earned its record low-approval rating. Luckily we have the remedy in our hands on Election Day: vote the bums out. Here is my brief list of the eight worst congresspeople in 2012 from both … Continue reading