Rick Perry wants to have a conversation about federal entitlement programs. That conversation is, in effect, about how to end them. “I would suggest a legitimate conversation about [letting] the states keep their money and implement the programs,” he said of Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid to Newsweek’s Andrew Romano last …
Republican Party
Michele Bachmann’s Life On and Off the Campaign Trail
A look at the Minnesota Congresswoman’s career from her days as student council president (and cheerleader) to her never-boring bid for President.
How Michele Bachmann’s Surge Reshuffles the GOP Presidential Race
Last week’s Des Moines Register poll tells us — assuming nothing actually happens in Iowa over the next six months — that about 22% of the 125,000 or so Hawkeyes most likely to show up for next year’s Republican caucus will …
Political Pictures of the Week, June 19 – June 25
TIME’s Photo Editors bring you the best political pictures of the past week.
Selling a New Stimulus
While Mitch McConnell is betting that the economy will bring down President Obama, Democrats are betting that Republicans aren’t immune to the bad jobs numbers either.
Senate Democratic leaders held a press conference this morning calling on Republicans to include a short-term stimulus package as part of the deficit reduction deal. …
Romney’s Courageous Convictions?
In 2008 Mitt Romney ran a Gumby campaign, turning himself inside out trying to be everything to everybody. He bought in to every straw poll, competed in Iowa, signed most pledges–and lost. This time around, Romney seems intent …
Newt Gingrich, Newbie Catholic
Newt Gingrich was a featured speaker at this morning’s National Catholic Prayer Breakfast, an annual event in Washington that traditionally draws (Republican) politicians looking to court conservative Catholics. Much of the breakfast was focused on the biggest news in the Catholic world this week–the upcoming beatification of Pope John …
Endangered Senate?
Back in February I wrote about how the Republicans weren’t likely to take back the Senate this cycle. In order to really come within striking distance of the Democrats’ 10-seat advantage, I wrote, they’ve have to not only hold all their own seats and take Delaware, North Dakota, Nevada, Arkansas, Colorado, Pennsylvania and Indiana …
DSCC Doubles Down on “Demon Sheep”
In a gambit to recapture the fascination with Carly Fiorina’s bizarre web video, the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee has thrown together this number to prebut the California Republican Senate debate tonight in Los Angeles. It features, among other things, an endless stream of ovine …
Virginia: Where History is Politics
UPDATED. See additions after the jump.
Having grown up in the Commonwealth, I’m no stranger to the tensions that inevitably lie at the intersection of Southern history and Southern politics. Back in the 1980s and ’90s, Virginia had a very awkward thing called Lee-Jackson-King Day. Believe it or not, the government decided it would be …
GOP Party Like It’s 1994?
Not so much. Today, I look at five reasons why this cycle is different from 1994… so far.
Temper, Temper…
Yesterday I reported that the GOP storm on health care seemed to be subsiding. Indeed, reconciliation looks on schedule to go through by Friday, though Senator Tom Coburn says he believes he’ll be able to successful strip out certain provisions forcing the Senate to send the bill back to the House for final passage. It seems, though, …
Be Afraid, House Dems, Be Very Afraid (or Not)
Not to beat a dead horse, but Republicans continue to write ominous memos and give cryptic quotes about the political danger House Democrats face if they pass the Senate health bill. They’re publicly naming names now in an effort to scare wavering or vulnerable House Democrats into voting against the bill. (Steve Driehaus and Nick …