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Tag Archives: The Daily Beast
Hating Kennedy – The Daily Beast
This week, America was fixated on the 50th anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s assassination. Grief nourishes myth and a new CNN poll registers JFK as our most admired ex-president from the past half century. His brief 1,000 days in the … Continue reading

Pope Francis’s Lessons for the GOP – The Daily Beast
On the heels of Pope Francis’s triumphant visit to Brazil for World Youth Day, the humble pontiff is reinvigorating the Catholic Church after a time of scandal by reaching out, advancing reforms that threaten powerful special interests and leading by … Continue reading

Christie’s Reelection Triumph Is a Revenge of the RINOs – The Daily Beast
Chris Christie’s landslide reelection in a state President Obama won by 17 points offers the GOP a memo on how to win in 2016, if it wants one. Don’t just fixate on the top-line numbers. They obscure the real story. … Continue reading
Paralyzed by Polarization – The Daily Beast
After 12 days of stalemate, conversations – if not negotiations – have started. But House Republicans remain deadlocked with the White House, its leadership constrained by their own far-Right-wing caucus, announcing to members in a closed-door session this morning that … Continue reading
Shutdown Crisis: We Need a Hostage Negotiator – The Daily Beast
With the government shutdown entering its second week and debt ceiling default less than two weeks away, polarization has turned poisonous and confusion reigns on Capitol Hill. “It actually reminds me of a prison siege,” says Christopher Voss, a former … Continue reading
The Suicidal Shutdown: Hyper-Partisan Fever Rules the Government – The Daily Beast
It was darkly appropriate that Congressman John Culberson (R-TX) rallied his conservative colleagues on Saturday to vote for a government shutdown by saying “Like 9/11, Let’s Roll!” Because this legislative plane is headed defiantly nose-down into the ground. Decency, practicality, … Continue reading

Palin’s SarahPAC Embarrassment: Consultants Are Cashing In – The Daily Beast
The ex-governor and VP pick railed against political consultants at CPAC. But her latest FEC filings show they took millions of dollars from her in the last election cycle. She’s baaaack. Sarah Palin attempted to relaunch her political career and … Continue reading
Don’t Call Obama Racist – The Daily Beast
Race remains a fundamental fault line in American life. That’s why the Trayvon Martin murder trial drew wall to wall coverage on cable news and why the jury’s decision to acquit George Zimmerman drew outraged cries. And on Friday afternoon, … Continue reading
George H.W. Bush, Our Preppiest Ex-President, Honored at White House – The Daily Beast
It’s been a quarter-century since George H.W. Bush was elected president, but the wheels of history are finally turning his way. In a triumph of civility and character over hyperbolic hyper-partisanship, Bush 41 was honored Monday by President Obama at … Continue reading
Lindsey Graham Wasn’t Afraid to Fight for Immigration Reform – The Daily Beast
Profiles in courage are rare in our politics these days, but the Senate’s passage of comprehensive immigration reform is bright example of how Washington does not need to be a place where good ideas go to die. Credit goes to … Continue reading
Lisa Murkowski’s Declaration of Independence – The Daily Beast
Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski became the third Republican U.S. Senator to support same-sex marriage on Wednesday, just days before the Supreme Court is set to decide on its constitutionality. But what’s really significant about Murkowski’s decision is the argument she … Continue reading
The Military-Industrial Complex Is Real, and It’s Bigger Than Ever – The Daily Beast
In January 1961, President Dwight D. Eisenhower famously warned about the growth of the “military-industrial complex” in his farewell address. Ed Snowden, late of Booz Allen Hamilton, is just one small expression of its rise. The rest is evident throughout … Continue reading
NSA Spying Shows Obama’s Machine Out of Control – The Daily Beast
With news that Verizon was required to hand over supposedly private domestic phone records to the government as part of a national security dragnet, the second-term curse just got much more real for the Obama administration. To date, however, the … Continue reading
Michele Bachmann Is Done: Her Hostage Tape to Reality – The Daily Beast
Our long national nightmare is over. Well, that’s overstating it. But the congresswoman who represented the worst of modern American politics more than she ever tried to represent her Minnesota constituents has announced that she will not run for reelection. … Continue reading
Stuck Far From Home, Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett Asks for Prayers – The Daily Beast
When the mile-wide twister came down just outside his town, Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett was watching the devastation on television, just like the rest of America. The three-term mayor was stuck at an economic-development conference in Las Vegas—the last … Continue reading
Hispanic Outreach Director Explains Why He Said ‘Adios’ to the GOP – The Daily Beast
Conservatives should consider this a warning sign. The Republican National Committee’s former Hispanic outreach director for Florida has left the GOP and registered as a Democrat, citing a “culture of intolerance.” Pablo Pantoja is a decorated Iraq war vet who … Continue reading
With Benghazi Video, Karl Rove Kicks Off 2016 With Hillary Clinton Hit – The Daily Beast
Less than five months after Barack Obama began his second term, the 2016 presidential campaign kicked off this weekend with a Benghazi-themed attack ad that takes direct aim at Hillary Clinton. The 90-second web ad, called “Benghazi”, was issued by … Continue reading
IRS Wrong To Target ‘Patriots’–But Also To Let Non-Profits Play Politics – The Daily Beast
Forget slow-news Friday. The IRS admission today that it singled out for scrutiny political action committees with the words “Tea Party” and “Patriot” in their names rocketed around the Internet, fueling conservatives’ feeling of persecution. The actions were apparently taken … Continue reading
Mark Sanford Is the Comeback Kid, Winning SC Congressional Seat – The Daily Beast
The redemption tour is over and Congress has a new Comeback Kid. Scandal-laden former South Carolina governor Mark Sanford won back his old congressional seat on Tuesday night, defeating Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch by a 54 percent to 45 percent … Continue reading
Elizabeth Colbert Busch and Mark Sanford Clash at South Carolina Debate – The Daily Beast
There was rolling thunder and rain outside the Citadel on Monday night, but the lightning was inside the packed auditorium where Mark Sanford and Elizabeth Colbert Busch clashed in the one debate of the one congressional race in the country … Continue reading