gop
Huckabee’s ‘Heart Says No’ on 2012
Mike Huckabee announced Saturday night he would not take another shot at the White House, telling viewers tuned into his Fox News talk show that he had made a “spiritual” decision not to run. The former Republican governor of …
Newt Gingrich Courts Hispanic Voters
Hispanics are not a typical target demographic for Republicans seeking a presidential nomination. Rather, since at least 2007, GOP candidates tend to jump all over each other to prove that they will take a tougher, no-amnesty line on immigration. But Newt Gingrich is breaking from the pack.
Ayn Rand: The GOP’s Godless Philosopher
When George W. Bush declared in a 1999 GOP debate that his favorite political philosopher was Jesus, pundits snickered and wondered whether he actually knew any political philosophers. But the answer was politically canny, …
GOP Debate Preview: Will Pawlenty Be a Giant–or a Pygmy?
Tonight in South Carolina, Fox News will televise something that purports to be a 2012 Republican presidential primary debate. In truth it will be an almost entirely meaningless event. After all, most of the big-name candidates …
Mitch Daniels’ Dilemma
You kind of knew this was bound to happen after Indiana Governor Mitch Daniels called for a “truce” on social issues. The mild-mannered fiscal conservative might want to avoid contentious moral debates, but Indiana just became …
The Clown Candidacy
In the annals of political reportage, I thought perhaps we’d hit bottom last week with this: a fake journalist interviewing a fake presidential candidate about a campaign that will never exist. Meghan McCain and Trump banter …
Tim Pawlenty, Seeking Definition, Purchases An Online Video Pose
“The first duty in life is to assume a pose,” wrote Oscar Wilde. “What the second duty is, no one has yet discovered.” A cynic might say the same of Presidential politics. Barack Obama posed as the bearer of hope. George W. Bush posed as a compassionate conservative. John McCain posed as a maverick.
Perhaps more than most, Tim …
Nevermind Tim Pawlenty’s Announcement Of A Future Announcement, Let’s Look At The 2012 GOP Maps
At 3 p.m. today, anyone with a working Facebook account can get exclusive access to an announcement that has already been announced, setting the stage for further announcements about Tim Pawlenty’s desire to be President of the United States. Such is the absurdity of modern presidential politics that candidates create news events out of …
Pawlenty’s Debut
In January, outgoing Minnesota governor and proto-presidential candidate Tim Pawlenty has a (familiar-looking) book coming out, a publicity swing through first-in-the-nation Iowa and New Hampshire (as well as DC, Florida, Ohio and Texas), and above all, an opportunity.
As Richard Land recently pointed out to Newsweek, the Republican …
The GOP’s Bad/Inadequate Ideas on Health Care
I was going to write a post about how unworkable the health care plan in the GOP’s new “Pledge to America” is. But Jonathan Cohn already did it so well, I see no need to repeat. Click here to read Cohn’s explanation of how the Republican plan to cover pre-existing conditions is pretty much bogus.
A few other things Republicans are …
We Need More Money! Wait – Maybe Not.
There’s not a better illustration of the priority divide between Republicans in Washington DC and those in the states than the Medicaid funding passed by the House today. In a 247 to 161 vote – taken after Nancy Pelosi called her members back from recess – the chamber just passed legislation that will provide $26 billion in …
Bob Corker and Resolution Authority: Is Financial Reform a Recipe for Bailouts?
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell came out in vociferous opposition to the current financial reform bill on Tuesday, arguing the legislation “institutionalizes… endless taxpayer-funded bailouts” that will ultimately allow the failed giants of Wall Street to escape accountability.
McConnell’s criticism comes at a pivotal …