You might have caught my dispatches from South Carolina this week, where I saw Michele Bachmann take her act to that important southern primary state. In this week’s print issue of TIME, you can read a longer, richer story on how Bachmann was received there, what comes next for a campaign suddenly under intense scrutiny, and the important ways in which she’s different from a woman to whom she’s often compared, Sarah Palin. I also talked to a former aide about Bachmann’s migraine condition; an adviser to a GOP rival impressed by her ability to withstand hostile interviews; a supporter who believes that “evil” has enveloped America and the Rapture is nigh; and a former Democratic colleague from Minnesota who calls the Iowa front-runner a sincere “true believer,” not an ideological opportunist. Pick up a print issue or subscribe online to read the whole thing.
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Obama’s Persuasive Powers on Gay Marriage Manifest in Maryland
When President Obama endorsed gay marriage earlier this month, the media grappled with two basic political questions: Was his personal “evolution” a case of a politician transparently following a national trend toward accepting same-sex unions (accelerated, perhaps, by his chatty No. 2), and would it hurt his re-election chances by alienating socially conservative voters like black churchgoers? Sure, there was a recognition that it marked a gratifying moment for gay-marriage advocates — as well as some grumbling about the President’s view that it remains a state issue, not a federal one. But by and large, there were few suggestions that one man, even the President, would shift public opinion on the issue or affect public policy. Based on a new Public Policy Polling survey out of Maryland, it seems this possibility was underestimated.
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Cherokee Zero
Apparently, Massachusetts voters don’t mind that Elizabeth Warren foolishly identified herself as a Native American early in her academic career–it was, apparently, a case of family pride and wishful thinking about a Cherokee ancestor. That’s good. Warren may be the best public figure when it comes to explaining the depredations of the financial industry and [...]
