The Anthony Weiner apology tour is not going well. Two days after the weepy press conference at which Weiner copped to swapping inappropriate online messages with multiple women, the chorus of Democrats criticizing him continues …
2012 Election
Michele Bachmann’s Legendary Loud-Mouthed Campaign Guru
Ed Rollins, a veteran strategist newly attached to Rep. Michele Bachmann, has a deceptively simple LinkedIn profile. Only two jobs are publicly listed: his current position as a fellow for CNN and Hofstra University and a stint …
Can Pawlenty Win Iowa?
The Weekly Standard‘s Steve Hayes visits the state and poses the critical question. Hayes doesn’t offer much in the way of a convincing answer, but his story has one very good insight. Hayes seems sympathetic to T-Paw, but also less than dazzled, and notes that, at times, “Pawlenty sounds more like a strategist than a candidate.” That …
Does Rick Perry Have a Jobs Problem?
If Rick Perry gets into the 2012 presidential race, you can bet he will campaign hard on jobs. Though Texas’ unemployment rate has largely tracked the national average throughout the recession, Perry touts himself as a pro-business governor, and regularly makes job-hunting raids to states like California, touting Texas’ tax credit …
Pawlenty’s Plan: Big Cuts, Big Assumptions and a Big Dodge
Tim Pawlenty took the next step towards fleshing out his presidential candidacy Tuesday morning with a speech in Chicago laying out his economic vision for the country. His timing is felicitous: Today’s Washington Post-ABC News …
Herman Cain: A Longshot’s Steady Rise
Once again, Herman Cain was in Iowa Monday, brimming with confidence as he pitched his presidential candidacy to voters. “This is where the vetting process really starts,” he told the crowd at a forum hosted by Iowa conservative …
Contrite and Not Quite Defiant, Can Anthony Weiner Survive Scandal?
The first crush of the crowd was toward the accuser, not the accused. Conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart was swarmed by reporters as he entered the royal blue third-floor ballroom of the Sheraton hotel in Midtown Manhattan on …
Why Paul Ryan Isn’t Running for President
Everywhere he goes, whether it’s the Racine County Fair or Fox News, Paul Ryan inevitably gets asked the question: will he run for President?
The Not-Romney Primary
Unlike Tim Pawlenty, who is the midst of a Truth and Authenticity tour to signal that he doesn’t suffer from Romney’s perceived flipfloppishness, Ron Paul isn’t being so subtle:
Huntsman Makes His Pitch to Social Conservatives
Mitt Romney isn’t the only Mormon candidate making his case to evangelicals at the Faith and Freedom Coalition. Jon Huntsman delivered a deft speech Friday morning, one that provided a peek at the pitch he’ll be making to social conservatives as he continues to explore a possible presidential bid.
Does Mitt Romney Have a Prayer with Evangelicals?
When Mitt Romney makes his appearance at Ralph Reed’s Faith & Freedom Conference Friday evening in Washington, he won’t exactly be headed into the lion’s den—but it might seem that way to him. A Pew Research study …
Would Newt Gingrich Be Better Off Running As a Gay Man?
[Updated below, 5:25pm] The Pew Research Center released some fascinating new findings Thursday on voter opinions about the 2012 field. (Short take: they’re not terribly psyched). I’ll have more to say later on the question of whether voters are willing to vote for a Mormon. But data on two other candidate traits jumped off the page as I …
Bachmann v. Pawlenty
The Minnesota congresswoman smacks T-Paw as a health care squish. This type of thing will provide an entertaining GOP primary subplot, as the two Minnesotans vie for conservative Iowa voters in a battle that could make or break Pawlenty’s candidacy. Bachmann will have the luxury of being a theatrical firebrand, whereas Pawlenty needs to …