Ted Sorensen, a speechwriter, strategist and adviser to President John F. Kennedy, died yesterday at 82. His nephew, Swampland’s own Adam Sorensen, penned a moving remembrance that is well worth a read.
Rally, Take 2
How it looked from my spot on the ground. For what it’s worth, CBS News estimates the event drew 215,000 people. I have no idea if that’s accurate, but it was a huge, happy crowd.
The Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear
Jim Poniewozik’s take on yesterday’s Stewart/Colbert rally on the National Mall.
The Coming Generational Shift in Congress
Here’s Jay explaining how the Democratic leadership in the House is likely to look very different in 2011.
Pawlenty’s Obamacare Purity Gets a Little Less Pure
Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty has been making a show out of resisting implementation of the Affordable Care Act and the funding for states contained within. He’s not the only one, but his resistance has been noteworthy, in part, because of his presumed ambition to be the GOP nominee for president in 2012. If he does pursue the nomination, …
2010 and 2012
As we head into Tuesday’s vote, it feels like the cake has been baked. Although stunning results are always possible in politics, the real suspense isn’t about Congress. Why? Because even if Democrats maintain control of the House and Senate they’ll almost certainly lose their ability to pass any kind of substantive agenda. Nor is any …
Ambassador Pelosi?
When Speakers retire — and this is pure speculation, Nate Silver this morning still gave Dems a 20% chance of keeping the House — but, historically speaking, when speakers retire they tend to drop off the map (Denny Hastert, Jim Wright), hover in political circles (Newt Gingrich), write a book (Tip O’Neill), or lark off an am …
In the ArenaIran
Is Iran Coming Around?
The BBC–hat tip Laura Rozen–is reporting that the Iranians have agreed to resume negotiations about their nuclear program next month. This follows the Iranian appearance, and expressed desire to cooperate, at a meeting of Afghanistan’s neighbors in Rome last week (indeed, the Iranians–who played a positive role in the contact group …
The Rally to Restore Sanity, or What You Will
Oh, the insanity—of the Rally to Restore Sanity.
Since Jon Stewart announced this meeting of measured minds last month on his fake-ish newscast, The Daily Show, more than 200,000 people have professed via Facebook that they will attend. Arianna Huffington has offered to bus as many New Yorkers as want to go to the three-hour event …
In the ArenaUncategorized
Two Columns
I’m a great admirer of David Brooks’s relentless civility and intelligence, even when I disagree with him. So I was a bit surprised to see him expressing this sentiment about the President in today’s column:
Obama came to be defined by his emergency responses to the fiscal crisis — by the things he had to do, not by the things he
…
Morning Must Reads: Meek
Reuters/Hans Deryk
–Remember when Scherer wrote that Florida had the best Senate race in America? It still manages to be fascinating despite Marco Rubio’s robust lead. The drama unfolding there is, well, dramatic. I would (re)direct you to our Miami bureau chief Tim Padgett. Reading between the lines: With Charlie Crist cajoling …
Dems’ Efforts to Get Meek to Drop Out: Too Little, Too Late?
A guest post from TIME’s Miami bureau chief Tim Padgett
So how desperate are the Democrats to keep control of the U.S. Senate? The answer is fairly clear in a story that appeared Thursday evening on Politico.com that quotes spokesmen for former President Bill Clinton claiming he tried to convince Democratic Florida Congressman …
Will Washington State Raise Taxes on the Wealthy?
In addition to the bevy of Congressional battles and state-legislature clashes with consequences for redistricting, voters hitting the polls next week will be confronted with an array of state-ballot initiatives. One of the most interesting is in Washington state, where residents will consider a measure that would impose a new income tax …