Republicans on Tuesday night captured the New York City House seat vacated by scandal-scarred Congressman Anthony Weiner, winning a special election in a Democratic district that has grown disillusioned with President Obama and …
2012 Election
About Last Night’s Debate
Michael Scherer does a nifty job of recapping last night’s debate. A few miscellaneous musings of my own:
-How many Republicans tuned in to catch their first glimpse of frontrunner Rick Perry and were stunned by his faltering performance? Hailed for his swagger and brio, the Texas governor was bloodied by a flurry of jabs and …
New York’s Special Election: Looming Upset Would Be a Rebuke to Obama
Back in May, Democrats pulled off an upset in a special election in Western New York, snatching a House seat in a Republican stronghold. On Tuesday the GOP appears ready to exact its revenge.
Republican Bob Turner, a retired television executive, holds an edge over Democratic Assemblyman David Weprin in the special election to replace …
What You Missed While Not Watching Last Night’s Tea Party Debate
TIME recaps every absurd minute of the GOP's prime-time food fight on CNN.
Perry Experiences the Full Force of His Rivals’ Wrath
Firmly entrenched as the double-digit front-runner for the Republican President nomination, Texas Governor Rick Perry endured the unpleasant privilege of his status on Monday night.
Rick Perry’s Social Security Position Evolves
With Social Security sure to come up again at Monday night’s Republican presidential debate, Rick Perry set the stage with an op-ed in USA Today that, er, contextualizes his recent descriptions of Social Security as “a Ponzi …
Rick Perry Gives Good Ads
Perhaps the only thing that beats a politician in chaps is that same politician walking through a sausage factory, all the while looking good and not at all phony. Meet Texas Gov. Rick Perry, whose long political career, is filled with high quality and effective television spots.
Sometimes he is the Marlboro Man. Sometimes he is right …
Tonight’s Debate: Bachmann’s Last Chance to Break Out?
Let’s take bets. How long will Michele Bachmann wait before making her voice heard during Monday night’s CNN/Tea Party Express debate? In the Sept. 7 debate, Bachmann didn’t speak until the 14-minute mark. And when she did speak, she didn’t go on the offensive against Texas Gov. Rick Perry, the candidate winning over the …
Tim Pawlenty Becomes a Romney Surrogate
It’d be a mistake to overstate the impact of a single endorsement, especially one from a one-time rival who never commanded much in the way of national popularity or resources, but Tim Pawlenty’s quick backing of Mitt Romney says a few things about the current primary race, only now rounding the corner into its first straightaway.
Road Trip 2011: And So It Begins
San Antonio, Texas
Road Trip 2011 begins today. Well, we had so much fun last time, why not? And there’s still a lot to learn, and enjoy, about this country. So I’m in San Antonio, and in a few hours I’ll pick up our first traveling companion and head down to the Mexican border at Laredo. Some basic facts about this year’s trip:
On Social Security, Perry’s Not Suicidal
Plenty of people, not least the ones affiliated with the Romney campaign, are insisting that Rick Perry rendered himself all but unelectable last night by repeating his harsh view of Social Security, which he called a “Ponzi scheme” and “a monstrous lie” to young Americans. I’m not so sure.
What You Missed While Not Watching Last Night’s Reagan Library Debate
0 minutes. Presidential debates come and go. But tonight’s GOP debate, the fourth in a series too numerous to bear, is a special treat. “We are all gathered under the wings of Air Force One,” says NBC’s Brian Williams, …
Romney and Perry Clash in Debate as GOP Primary’s Bloodletting Begins
Any spectators of American political sport who were eager for the gentle, get-to-know-the-candidates phase of the Republican presidential primary to give way to real bloodletting got their wish on Wednesday night. Introductions …