Tim Pawlenty didn’t have much choice: He had to go after Michele Bachmann sooner or later. The Minnesota congresswoman has completely overshadowed Pawlenty’s campaign, and appears on track to finish first or second in Iowa’s caucuses, where Pawlenty had banked on a splash-making strong showing that could vault him into subsequent …
2012 Election
Palin’s Latest Cover
Bachmann’s Keywords: Against, Won’t, Didn’t
In a new ad set to run statewide in Iowa, Michele Bachmann concentrates on the fiscal-conservative leg of her stool. Still in the early courting stages with Hawkeye voters, she regurgitates her biography first (Iowa-born, tax lawyer, mom), and then she speaks out against the bailouts, against the stimulus and against raising the debt …
Michelle Bachmann and the Sexism Factor
After the apology of senior advisor Vin Weber for referring to Michele Bachmann’s “sex appeal,” Tim Pawlenty’s team is learning the hard way that campaigning against a woman can be uniquely tricky. The charge of sexism constantly lurks just around the corner. It is frequently justified, because politics and media remains a male-dominated …
A Savvy Political Observer’s Guide to the Modern Campaign Fund-Raising Report
There’s lots of spin out there concerning fund-raising numbers for GOP presidential candidates. Federal Election Commission filings are quarterly X-rays of campaign bank accounts, which political junkies pore over like treasure …
Pawlenty’s Hope
It remains entirely possible, despite his summer slump, that Tim Pawlenty will win Iowa, and all the attendant money and momentum that comes with that feat. Hiring the daughter-slash-political-advisor of Mike Huckabee, who won Iowa in 2008, probably helps a little bit. If it means that Pawlenty may be lining up an endorsement from Huck …
A Notable Exception to the Proliferation of GOP Noninterventionists
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Mark Benjamin notes that it’s not just Jon Huntsman who is fatigued with Afghanistan and wary of Libya:
Romney’s Recession Riddle
The political media is having fun with a new Mitt Romney flip-flop, namely that the former Massachusetts governor first said, last week, that Barack Obama’s policies made the great recession worse, then denied having saying said that*, and then repeated the original charge in New Hampshire on Sunday, saying that “the recession is deeper …
Behind the Scenes, Christian Right Leaders Rally Behind Rick Perry
Correction appended.
In early June, TIME has learned, a group of prominent figures on the Christian Right held a conference call to discuss their dissatisfaction with the current GOP presidential field, and agreed that Rick …
Mittmentum, Continued
Despite the mania around Michele Bachmann, you can sense a new Washington conventional wisdom hardening around the idea that Mitt Romney is quite likely to be the 2012 Republican nominee. Even John Chait is reconsidering his …
The Perils of Political Pledges
The political pledge is a handy weapon in the political advocate’s arsenal. They work. Build a simple statement around a popular principle — keeping taxes low, opposing abortion — and you can pressure skittish politicians to …
Super PAC Satire: FEC Approves Stephen Colbert’s Committee
The Federal Election Commission made it official on Thursday: Stephen Colbert can form his own super PAC. This means that the satirical newsman joins the 100-odd similar committees who can raise (and spend) unlimited amounts to support or oppose candidates in the 2012 elections. The FEC ruling also had implications for media companies …
Romney’s Obama-Centric Message
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Mitt Romney’s currently enjoying a comfortable lead in many state polls and the $25-$30 million in donations he’s said to have brought in this quarter will likely dwarf his opponents’ hauls. But it’s early. Michele Bachmann is rising. Tim Pawlenty and Jon Huntsman are not as well …