In what will be one of the biggest thematic swings in my reporting career, a week after getting back from Haiti I’m heading to Nashville, Tennessee to cover the first ever National Tea Party convention.
As with any kind of grassroots movement, holding a national convention is somewhat of an oxymoron. Before dispatching me, my boss, …
Sure, it’s improbable, but — as Charlie Cook points out in my new time.com story out this morning — it’s now mathematically possible. After all, virtually no one predicted the Dems could win back the Senate in February 2006. On the bright side, I bet Russ Feingold breathed a sigh of relief yesterday when Tommy Thompson joined a hedge …
Illinois today kicks off what will be a long and fascinating primary season. Voters braved snow flurries to head to the polls this morning as balloting began for a number of local and statewide races, including contests for the U.S. Senate and governor’s mansion. The names Obama and Blagojevich may not be on the ticket but there are …
Democrats are still smarting from Scott Brown’s upset victory in Massachusetts last week. Health reform seemed inevitable and then, suddenly, it wasn’t. As Karen pointed out, Democratic lawmakers are still searching for a path forward that might include reconciliation. They may succeed, but certainly not because the American people …
After looking at all their other options–drafting a smaller health care bill, or passing the most popular parts piecemeal–Democratic leaders in the House and Senate have come down to the realization that they’ve got one play left on health care: Get the House to pass the Senate bill, with the assurance of a set of revisions to be …
Okay, I think I’m done with the Revolutionary War allusions, but for Dems Mass AG Martha Coakley’s close race is a real scare. And even scarier: that the DSCC has been forced to spend money on her (we’ll soon see how much). Precious money that could have been used to defend Harry Reid — as if his week could get worse, Blanche Lincoln, …
Kristen Gillibrand may not have been their first choice to fill Hillary Clinton’s New York Senate seat (ahem, Caroline Kennedy) but the White House is sticking by her after former five-term Tennessee Rep. Harold Ford told the New York Post exclusively (note the interesting choice of Gotham publications for a Democrat):
It’s true: I am
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If House Dems had their way, it would be. Democratic observers have taken delighted note of the increasing number – three in the last week – of former GOP members running for their old seats. “Not only did President Bush and Congressional Republicans create the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, but now a bunch of …
If you needed any more evidence that former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin is far less concerned with winning the White House than she is with making money and building a brand, the New York Times reports:
Former Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska has signed on as a contributor to the Fox News Channel. The network confirmed that Ms. Palin will appear
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With the House returning to session tomorrow, the final stretch of negotiations over health reform begins in earnest. While there are plenty of differences to be worked out between the House and Senate bill, the so-called “Cadillac tax” is emerging as the main flashpoint. Here’s a brief story I wrote on this for TIME.com.
Trouble for Democrats seems to be brewing in Massachusetts where a special election to fill Teddy Kennedy’s Senate seat is due to be held a week from Tuesday — on January 19. It’s hard to imagine a Republican winning in solidly blue Massachusetts but GOP State Senator Scott Brown has been steadily gaining on the Democratic candidate, …
All signs should be pointing up for the GOP. They are the out-party at a time of serious economic woes–85,000 more jobs were shed in December and 661,000 people, or about as many people as live in Baltimore, gave up looking for work. Polls show rising enthusiasm among conservative voters and falling enthusiasm among Democratic voters. …
Here’s a slightly belated posting of a story that came out this morning on time.com on what Chris Dodd and Byron Dorgan’s retirements could mean for Dems in 2010 and beyond. There’s the obvious silver lining for Democrats to Dodd stepping down: Richard Blumenthal has a much better shot at the seat. I’d say that Blumenthal’s …
