As the Republican primary campaign grinds on, it’s looking likely — though it’s not certain — that Mitt Romney will emerge as the 2012 GOP nominee. He might be awkward and patrician, but he’s got the delegate math, …
Republican Party
Why the GOP Has Auto-Bailout Blues
It’s been clear for a while that the long Republican primary fight is damaging the GOP in ways that won’t be easily repaired before the fall election. Michael Scherer has nicely laid out the potential effect on the Hispanic vote. …
Barack Obama vs. ‘Folks’ (a.k.a. Mitt Romney)
Barack Obama never mentioned Mitt Romney when he spoke at the United Auto Workers Convention on Tuesday. But when Obama said “folks,” he meant Romney. When Obama said “these politicians,” he meant Romney. And when Obama said “some politicians,” he meant Romney.
A Draw in Michigan Won’t Solve Romney’s Problems
In baseball, a tie goes to the runner. But in presidential primaries, a tie goes against the front runner.
In a matter of hours, America will discover if Mitt Romney can pull out a squeaker in his native state of Michigan. As of this morning, Nate Silver, the whiz-kid of poll-based projections, pegs the state too close to call, with a …
What Jan Brewer Talks About When She Talks About Mexico
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This weekend, David Gregory flashed an image of my TIME cover story on the Latino vote in America. Then he held a discussion with Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer and California Gov. Jerry Brown that perfectly demonstrated the …
How Santorum’s Scolding Is Dooming His Campaign
In the early summer of 2006, then-Senator Rick Santorum was facing a tough reelection challenge, trailing Pennsylvania’s Treasurer Bob Casey by 9 points and struggling to shed his image as a Washington insider. So Santorum …
NASCAR Politics: Can a Tea Party Race Car Rev Up the Conservative Base?
In January 2011, Jason Bowles crossed the finish line as champion of the Toyota All-Star Showdown, a race that features some of the best drivers in NASCAR’s minor leagues. When he takes to the track on Saturday at Daytona …
Obama Cashes in on Auto-Bailout Success, but Skepticism of Government Remains
On Thursday, Pew released some timely data on three major federal undertakings that defined the beginning of President Barack Obama’s first term: the bank bailout, passed under George W. Bush just before Obama took office; the …
Arizona GOP Debate: Santorum Finds Himself in the Spotlight and On the Defensive
Rick Santorum found himself in unfamiliar territory on Wednesday night: at the center of attention in a Republican primary debate. The CNN forum in Arizona was the first in almost a month, and the only debate held since upsets in …
GOP Campaign Strategy: Can’t Talk About the Economy? Better Talk About the Economy.
With economic confidence perking up a bit, and Obama’s poll numbers following, Republicans are beginning to ponder the possibility of an election season in which voters don’t feel the country is plunging toward ruin. The conundrum then, as I wrote a little while back, is what Republican candidates can talk about in a rosier world.
With Saturday Victories, Romney Retakes Control of the GOP Narrative
Mitt Romney, the perpetually questioned front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination, had a rough week. Three embarrassing losses to Rick Santorum in Tuesday’s non-binding contests led to questions about Romney’s …
At CPAC, Romney Stresses Conservative Credentials
Three days after a trifecta of losses underlined lingering questions about his ability to win over the Republican Party’s base, Mitt Romney arrived at CPAC to allay skeptics’ fears. Throughout his second bid for the GOP …
Fears, Faith and Freedom at CPAC
“Ultimately, I’m a lobbyist for freedom,” a man in a yarmulke tells a pretty girl in the basement of a cavernous Marriott in northwest Washington. The man could have been attempting to network or to flirt — a seminar on how to …