I’ve always thought that one of the most annoying aspects of running for President must involve the amount of unsolicited advice you get. Everyone thinks they’re a political genius who sees the obvious angle no one else “gets.”
2012 Election
Super PACs, the Great Democratizers
Following a now familiar pattern in the GOP nominating contest, Rick Santorum’s Feb. 7 hat trick and sudden surge in the Michigan primary polls have motivated Mitt Romney’s ad men. Restore Out Future, the Romney-backing super PAC, has bought more than $800,000 of TV time in Michigan, slathering local broadcasts with the same caustic goo …
How Romney Can Fix Himself
Mike Murphy, who advised Mitt back in his Massachusetts days, offers some counsel in the pages of TIME:
He should drop the biography-based message. Nobody wants a well-intentioned accountant in charge when the house is on fire. For the first time in his professional life, Romney needs to stop thinking and calculating and get stupid. The
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The Saga of Rick Santorum’s Second Surge
Only six weeks ago, Rick Santorum was basking in the aftermath of his Iowa triumph. Pundits and voters alike wondered how they missed a force hiding in plain sight. Santorum talked about taking his one-state campaign national, …
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.
Texas Redistricting Fight Pushes Primary to End Of May
After the Supreme Court ruled unanimously in January that a Texas court had gone too far in overriding the State legislature’s plan for redestricting, it seemed likely the state’s important primary would be pushed back, further elongating the protracted GOP presidential nomination contest. Today comes the news that, indeed, the primary …
Mitt Romney Took Advantage of Government Subsidies at Bain
Mitt Romney’s making an interesting play in the firewall contest in Michigan, finessing his stand that the car companies would have been better off without President Barack Obama’s bailout to keep them afloat. He’s also made much of the dangers of government “picking winners and losers” when they give subsidies to companies. But the …
Why Obama’s Re-Election Fortunes Are Suddenly Looking Up
President Obama’s performance in head-to-head matchups with his Republican competitors, especially Mitt Romney, have dramatically improved in recent weeks. In a survey conducted by the Pew Research Center for People & the Press, …
Rick Santorum Wants to Fight ‘The Dangers Of Contraception’
Candidates often say things when polling in the single digits that come back to haunt them when they start leading the polls. Last October, Rick Santorum gave an interview with an Evangelical blog called Caffeinated Thoughts, in …
Inside the Numbers: Potential Trouble for Romney in Michigan and Beyond
The Republican nominating contest is taking a much needed siesta this week, with no primaries, debates or other confabulations planned. But the polls are still trickling out and they’re ugly for the ever precarious front runner, …
White House Budget as Political Manifesto: Obama’s $3.8 Trillion Plan for American Revival
With a divided Congress still standing at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue, the annual White House budget isn’t a policy proposal destined for markup in the subcommittee rooms of the Capitol. It’s a statement of principle.
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 …