They call this playing to the base.
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Miller’s Fine Line
One of Sarah Palin’s grizzlies is coming back to bite her. Joe Miller, Palin’s chosen candidate in the Alaska Senate race, was asked on Sept. 19 on Fox News if Palin is qualified to be president. His response? “That’s not my role to comment on those candidates.” His non-endorsement earned him an angry e-mail from Palin’s husband, Todd, …
Re: “Pulling the Plug on Grandma”
A quick recent history lesson seems in order, following Michael C.’s post below.
The “death panels” lie – and yes, it was a lie – came about after Democrats tried to include in health reform legislation compensation for doctors who talk to their patients about their end of life care plans. Talk to any doctor who cares for …
Pro-life? Pro-Choice? Pro-Jobs.
Yesterday, Sarah Palin said that abortion is an “essential issue” in the midterm elections, representing the choice for voters between a “culture of life” and “a culture of death.” “It’s essential that we use the 2010 midterms to elect a Congress that will make undoing the damage of Obamacare its first priority,” she said at …
The Tea Party Eyes the Midterms And Beyond
The Wall Street Journal fronted a good story today about how Tea Party groups in several states have worked to build closer ties among themselves and with lawmakers as they try to exert greater influence on public policy. The fruits of their efforts, as writer Neil King points out, will be on display at a conference beginning Friday in …
Throw Grandma in Jail!
Per my last item, Republicans aren’t the only ones hyping the other side’s sinister plans for granny. This DCCC ad comes in defense of longtime South Carolina Rep. John Spratt:
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“Pulling the Plug on Grandma”
And you thought the death panels debate had subsided:
The National Republican Congressional Committee is circulating a video of state Rep. Gary McDowell, the Democratic nominee in the race to replace retiring Michigan Rep. Bart Stupak (D), showing McDowell discussing the cost of health care in the last three months of
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The Health Care Number of the Day – $8.7 Million
That’s how much the federal government has spent to date on healthcare.gov, the new consumer web site that pulls together information about the Affordable Care Act and insurance options available to the public.
I’ve praised the web site for being easy to use and for including a gigantic amount of information about private and public …
Michael Bloomberg and Third Party Dreams
Thomas Friedman’s Sunday Times column about the prospects for a third-party candidate has drawn a good deal of blogospheric scoffing, but Nate Silver says not so fast–that the scenario is more viable than many people think:
So will Mr. Friedman see his dream candidate? Probably not. But if Mr. Friedman’s prediction is expressed too
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Morning Must Reads: Whispers
–President Karzai is reportedly talking reconciliation with the Taliban.
—Nepotism reigns in Afghanistan.
–Mark McKinnon doubts the whispers of a last-minute Democratic revival before the midterms.
—Rich Lowry is very optimistic about the new crop of Republicans likely headed to Washington in November. Philip Klein not …
Behind Closed Doors
The Hill reports that the Washington rumor mill and a reported warning from John Boehner are causing Republican Congressmen to avoid private meetings with female lobbyists, leading said lobbyists to complain about a competitive disadvantage.
The Democrats’ Communication Problem – Part 2
It’s just one poll, but Greg Sargent notices that a recent survey from Pew and National Journal indicates that the vast majority of Democrats don’t feel this has been a particularly successful Congress, legislation-wise. As Sargent notes, just 33% of Democrats believe this Congress accomplished more than recent Congresses. (37% said it …
The Afghanistan of Africa
Rape, brutality and the failure of the international community in Congo:
“Congo is the U.N.’s crowning failure,” said Eve Ensler, author of “The Vagina Monologues,” whose advocacy group, V-Day, has been working with Congolese women for years….
Within peacekeeping circles, Congo is becoming known as “the African
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