New ABC News/Washington Post poll shows Obama with lead in Iowa.
TPM’S Highlight Reel Of Last Night’s Debate
A shortish video: My problem with debates, particularly at this stage in the game, is that the media tries to make them all about "gotchas" and "one-liners". There was a time when the media used to look down on that kind of thing; now their questions to the candidates encourage that. Sure, a debate about differences in policy issues is … Read More
Pat Robertson Endorses Rudy Guiliani
Rudy is running on 9/11. And he recently received an endorsement from Pat Robertson. Recall that on 9/13/01, Pat and his buddy Jerry were saying that America "deserved" to be attacked. Watch it: James Dobson’s Family Research Council, a religious conservative group with whom I never agree, actually asks a good question: In an interview with Election Central, a top … Read More
Don’t Pay Attention To Politics? Don’t Know Who You Favor?
The Smartselect website will ask you a series of questions relating to your views on various issues, as well as how strongly you feel about that issue (for example, you may be opposed to gun control, but you don’t care about that issue as strongly as you do, say, the Iraq War issue). It then matches your positions with those … Read More
When It Hits Home
It seems that Rudy Guiliani was against universal health care in his early political career. Then he was in favor of universal health care once he was stricken with prostate cancer. But once that cancer went in to remission, he was against universal health care again. Read more.
Kentucky To Become As Gay As San Francisco
That’s what Pat Boone is worried about. Seriously. With the Democrat ahead in the governer’s race in that state, and with election day being tomorrow, the GOP is playing the "gay paranoia" card that worked in 2004. Pat Boone has been solicited to make robo-phone calls to Kentucky voters. Full story (and the Pat Boone recording) here.
Here We Go Again….
The rightosphere is pushing the meme that Hillary is a lesbian. I remember hearing that one as far back as 1992. This time though the lesbian in question is a Muslim!! (More rumor-mongering here) Ten bucks says it will be on Fox News within a week. They won’t report it as fact. That’s not how it works. Instead, they’ll just … Read More
Kucinich Gets The UFO Question
Damn. I wish I’d seen the Democratic debate last night — just for that.
Obama Implosion
He’s making some very bad campaign choices, and putting off potential supporters. I’m amazed, even within myself, at how the sheen as worn off, and what a spectacularly bad campaign he is running. In a detailed insightful post, Chris Bowers explains the problems with the Obama campaign, and indeed, the candidate: Obama seems to have shot his own coalition in … Read More
Email Chain
Via Matt Yglesius: Chris Hayes has a great piece on the bizarre world of right-wing chain emails, in which all manner of vicious slurs and lies circulate for months or even years without anyone in the MSM noticing. Sometimes they pop up on a sufficiently mainstream place — Fox News, Rush — for someone in the real press to bother … Read More
Presidential Candidates Respond To California Fires
First, the Democrats: John Edwards has been out front in responding to the fires in Southern California, both on his website and through One Corps. Barack Obama offers this statement of support for the fire victims and his website prominently features the following message: California needs us. …with a link to California Volunteers. Hillary Clinton‘s website features a "How to … Read More
My Assessment In Hillary Goes Up
And it’s largely because of her answers to these questions: I want to start with some questions about foreign policy and terrorism. If you become president you’ll enter the White House with far more power than, say, your husband had. What is your view of this? And what specific powers might you relinquish as president, or renegotiate with Congress — … Read More
Kucinich Even Crazier Than We Thought
He looks like a hobbit, especially standing next to his 6 foot tall, tongue-pierced, 20-something, hot British wife. Not very presidential, I would say, which is why he’s in the bottom of the barrel in polls. So this bit of news is likely to bring into the political mainstream: Democratic presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich has claimed to have seen a … Read More
Who Celebrities Support
Variety’s managing editor tells us the campaign contributions of big stars, broken down by fiscal quarter-years. Some snippets: George ClooneyQ2: Obama Barbra StreisandQ1: Clinton, Edwards, Obama Tobey MaguireQ1: ObamaQ2: Clinton Susan SarandonQ1: ObamaQ2: Obama (additional contribution)Q3: Richardson, Edwards Paul Newman06: DoddQ1: Dodd (additional contribution)Q2: Clinton, Obama, RichardsonQ3: Edwards Tom HanksQ1: ObamaQ2: Clinton Michael DouglasQ1: Obama, Dodd, Richardson, ClintonQ2: Richardson (additional … Read More
For Your/Future Reference
With health care dominating the news, here’s a handy guide to the various health care policies and programs offered by the ’08 Presidential Candidates. Not suprisingly, the Republican’s idea of "health care" reform boils down to tax cuts for employers, as well as certain individuals to defray the costs of insurance. Democrats are more in favor of expanding programs like … Read More