After a spring of embarrassing ephemera (remember Donald Trump’s painful presidential flirtation/publicity tour?) and a summer of high-octane campaign kickoffs (Michele Bachmann, Jon Huntsman) that haven’t sustained much …
newt gingrich
Amid Straw Poll Nonsense, the GOP Presidential Race Roars to Life
Say what you will about the Iowa straw poll. (“Good-natured fraud,” says Walter Shapiro. “Not very predictive,” says Jon Stewart. “Overhyped, underwhelming,” says Michael Crowley.) But no one can deny that the event …
Trying to Reinvent Itself Again, the Tea Party Gears Up for 2012
Like any group in its infancy, the Tea Party goes through phases. Gone, or at least temporarily shelved, are the noisy rallies, the tricorn hats, the abundant signage that marked its birth in 2009. “We are not a protest …
Political Pictures of the Week, June 19 – June 25
TIME’s Photo Editors bring you the best political pictures of the past week.
The GOP vs. the Fed
Which arm of government is most deplored by today’s Republican Party? It might be the allegedly jobs-killing Environmental Protection Agency. Or perhaps it’s the Health and Human Services Department, now tyrannically implementing …
What You Missed While Not Watching the New Hampshire GOP Debate
–2 minutes. The debate hasn’t started yet, but the crowd is already restless. A mutiny is afoot. CNN may host this thing, but can CNN’s John King control it? “Let’s do the pledge,” shouts out someone in the audience, …
When GOP Presidential Candidates Skip, They Quickly Stumble
Republicans are always standing with things. They “stand with Israel.” The “stand with” each other. They “stand with” themselves. Sarah Palin even once said America should “stand with our North Korean allies.” Suffice it to say, …
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 …
The Front Runner Makes It Official: Romney Targets Obama, Acts like Himself
When Newt Gingrich announced his presidential campaign, he presented himself on YouTube as the optimistic care bear of conservatism, bathed in soft focus and speaking with a forced smile over synthesized strings. The effect was …
Enter the GOP Understudy: Tim Pawlenty’s 2012 Challenges
A few thoughts on Day Zero of the Tim Pawlenty for President campaign. First, Pawlenty is a serious candidate who, unlike many in the race, can actually be nominated. I put him in the current Gang of Three most likely nominees, …
With Mitch Daniels Out, Mitt Romney Rises
Finally, Republicans and Democrats have something they can agree on: The GOP presidential nomination race is a mess. “It’s the most unfathomable Republican race of our lifetime,” a senior aide to Barack Obama’s reelection effort …
No Quarter for Gingrich, but Gleeful Sympathy from Democrats
“I made a mistake,” Newt Gingrich said Tuesday night, the latest in a series of mea culpas designed to resuscitate a campaign that conservative commentators believe to be on life support. After calling Paul Ryan to apologize for …
Newt Gingrich’s No Good, Very Bad Week
One of the raps against Newt Gingrich is that he lacks the discipline to sustain the rigors of a presidential campaign. And while an outburst or two was inevitable, it’s safe to say nobody expected the former House Speaker to …