On Monday I had a meeting on Capitol Hill with the chief of staff of a black representative in Congress. The subject: race and the 2012 election.
Surprisingly, one topic that did not come up in the hour-long chat was the Washington Post front-page story on Sunday that seemed to portray Texas Gov. Rick Perry as a racist because a large …
Even after weeks of fevered divination and his September Sermon on the Mount at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library, it should surprise no one that New Jersey Governor Chris Christie isn’t running for President.
Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin has always worked according to her own clock and cared little for the timing of others. Through most of the summer, the smart money in Washington has been betting she would not run–and she’s checking in at just 9% in the latest national horse-race poll. But Palin has a way of proving the experts wrong. …
Salem, N.H.
Mitt Romney is in front-runner’s form. Romney is standing amid a crush of supporters, warming up the standing-room town hall crowd at an Elks Lodge adorned with mauve stage curtains and plenty of his royal-blue …
The report that Rick Perry’s family leased a hunting property named “Niggerhead” illustrates two noteworthy dynamics of the Texan’s candidacy. One is simply that entering a presidential race as late as Perry did causes every pockmark to be magnified by an eager press corps and judged harshly by an impressionable public just getting to …
Even as Texas Governor Rick Perry downplays the story of a racist epithet painted on a rock outside a property that he co-leased, black Republicans are not giving him the benefit of the doubt. First came GOP presidential candidate Herman Cain, who said yesterday that Perry handled the episode in a “very insensitive” way.
And in an …
The Tea Party was once a joke, an aberration, a bunch of funny people in funny hats with neither power nor a coherent message. That was back in 2009, of course, before the loosely-defined group, organized through new technology …
When Barack Obama talks about taxes these days, he likes to talk about Omaha billionaire Warren Buffett’s secretary. “Middle-class families shouldn’t pay higher taxes than millionaires and billionaires,” Obama announced …
Ford Motors debuted a smart ad in recent weeks that should win someone a CLIO.
[youtube=http://youtu.be/e37qVWcRgVQ]
That guy sweats red, white and blue. Good stuff, with huge viral potential. Predictably, it has set off a political firestorm, with supportive YouTube videos, “scandal” segments on Fox News and, now, a Congressional …
Arrogance is an asset in politics and a prerequisite for the presidency. You have to have a healthy ego to conclude you’re singularly capable of tackling the challenges that beset the U.S. If the Republican presidential primary were a contest of egos, Newt Gingrich would be the dominant front-runner.
Alas, it’s not. And with a …
“Wall Street Is Bearish on Perry’s Electability,” proclaims the Wall Street Journal. The story presents some anecdotal evidence that bigwig bankers, who account for a decent chunk of campaign cash in presidential elections, are unconvinced that the Texas Governor has much appeal. I’m not sure how much that really affects Perry’s primary …
Two days after Jon Huntsman said his presidential campaign would be “singularly” focused on New Hampshire, his team announced plans to plant its flag permanently in the Granite State, shifting its national headquarters from Orlando to Manchester.
The move reflects a stark reality: without a strong showing in the nation’s first primary …
I’ve been writing about Mitt Romney’s remarkable good fortune. But his chief rival, Rick Perry, dodged a major bullet yesterday. In a new Fox News poll of Republicans nationwide, Perry finished second (at 19 percent). Surely Perry wishes he’d placed ahead of Romney, the top pick at 23 percent. But he definitely would have been unhappy to …
