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House, Senate Could Both Flip in 2012
Tweet Share on Facebook June 29, 2011 Comment (7)Political observers and pundits are, understandably, primarily focused these days on the 2012 presidential race. There is more to cover on the Republican side, where 10 or so candidates vie for the Republican nomination and the races in various states have more twists than a fun house mirror. Rep. Michele Bachmann was supposed to be a flash in the pan—she is the new campaign poster-child. Jon Huntsman was the dark horse with the hype and the chance—his campaign is sputtering at the moment. Newt Gingrich's entire campaign team essentially resigned, all but signaling that Texas Gov. Rick Perry would enter the race.
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Paul Ryan Deserves More Credit for Taking on Medicare
Tweet Share on Facebook May 19, 2011 Comment (25)Credit House Budget Chairman Paul Ryan with one of the more selfless political acts in recent memory. For some time Social Security, and increasingly Medicare, have been assigned an untouchable status by both parties that would make Eliot Ness jealous. It's not hard to determine why given the political thunderstorm Ryan is navigating.
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Bin Laden, Economy, Jobs to Dominate GOP 2012 Debate
Tweet Share on Facebook May 5, 2011 Comment (8)GOP presidential hopefuls gather tonight in South Carolina for their first official debate of the 2012 election season. Much more has been made about who isn't participating than who is. Fox News' invitation garnered five participants, only one of whom the Washington chattering class deems a "serious" candidate. Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee, Newt Gingrich, Jon Huntsman Jr., and Mitch Daniels all presumably declined. Instead, viewers will be treated to the GOP's version of the Mos Eisley Cantina from the original Star Wars movie; would-be candidates of all political shapes, sizes, and species--some of whom the majority of the viewing public may have never even heard of before. It's worth briefly noting who will be there and just who they are.
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Panetta at Pentagon Is Smart, But Is There a Petraeus-CIA Plot?
Tweet Share on Facebook April 29, 2011 Comment (3)The Obama administration announced this week that CIA Director Leon Panetta will replace Bob Gates as the secretary of Defense. Panetta is a shrewd and well-respected Washington operator who formerly served in Congress as well as in the Clinton White House. He is a known political moderate often credited with a keen, measured management style and a thorough policy mind. It will be a tough duty to replace Gates, who many cite as one of the best Pentagon bosses in recent history. But Panetta is certainly as equipped for the task as anyone on the Democratic roster.
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Jon Huntsman Could Be Obama's Worst Fear for 2012
Tweet Share on Facebook March 29, 2011 Comment (9)Last weekend, my dinner partner, a self-described "Theodore Roosevelt Republican, very disturbed and discouraged by the Tea Party movement," detailed for me the reasons Jon Huntsman Jr. could not win the 2012 Republican presidential nomination. "He is intelligent, attractive, has proven leadership credentials as a businessman and former governor, and would be best suited to take on Obama in a general election. So, of course, our party won't nominate him."
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Tragic Flaws Could Sink Newt Gingrich in 2012 Race
Tweet Share on Facebook March 17, 2011 Comment (14)Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich appears to (finally) be inching closer toward an official announcement of his candidacy. Despite some initial stumbles (one top aide leaking an impending formal announcement, which promptly generated a retraction by Gingrich’s official spokesperson the next day) Gingrich appears to be well on his way to joining what will surely be a crowded GOP presidential field.
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Barack Obama, the Surprisingly Silent President
Tweet Share on Facebook March 10, 2011 Comment (3)When you lead the free world, everything matters. Including tone. Although substantive policy traditionally drives and defines the electorate (mandating individual healthcare coverage versus permitting individuals to choose insurance, for example), the manner in which the president approaches his job also serves as a nuanced tool of persuasion.
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The GOP Can Win the Budget Battle Without a Government Shutdown
Tweet Share on Facebook February 22, 2011 CommentAt almost 5 a.m. on Saturday morning, the House passed their version of the FY2012 budget. Riding the conservative, Tea Party wave, newly elected Republicans succeeded (for the most part) in slashing spending on hundreds of government departments, agencies, and projects. Although many complained the cuts didn't slice deep enough, all but three Republicans voted in favor of the bill.
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Obama's New Chief of Staff is 'The Wolf' of Pulp Fiction
Tweet Share on Facebook January 7, 2011 Comment (3)In Quentin Tarantino's 1994 opus Pulp Fiction, two hitmen—portrayed by John Travolta and Samuel L. Jackson—find themselves in a pickle after accidentally shooting of a colleague on a California freeway. Frantic, Jackson's character phones his gangster boss, pleading for help. Not to worry, says the boss, “Wait for The Wolf—who should be coming directly.” The Wolf—played brilliantly by Harvey Keitel—arrives on the scene, briskly barks directions and coolly cleans up the mess.
Enter William “The Wolf” Daley—Barack Obama's own hope for a swift and smooth political course correction.
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GOP Wins in Florida, Pennsylvania, and Ohio Are Key
Tweet Share on Facebook December 8, 2010 CommentAs members-elect of Congress shuffle in and out of the halls of Capitol Hill learning how to "stack" votes, caucus with their parties, and receive the all-important results of the infamous "office lottery," the mainstream media appears to have overlooked three of the most important Republican victories in the 2010 elections—and they didn't send people to or from Washington.
