Bruce Bartlett may have said it best when he wrote that Paul suffers from foolish consistency syndrome: I don't believe Rand is a racist; I think he is a fool who is suffering from the foolish consistency syndrome that affects all libertarians. They believe that freedom consists of one thing and one thing only–freedom from governmental constraint. Therefore, it is … Read More
Rand Paul And The Civil Rights Act: Part II
As the day progresses, Rand Paul is clarifying his position on the 1964 Civil Rights Act, assuring the voters that he will not try to repeal it. This afternoon, a spokesman for the Paul campaign told Greg Sargent, "Civil Rights legislation that has been affirmed by our courts gives the Federal government the right to insure that private businesses don't … Read More
Rand Paul And The Civil Rights Act
I saw a lot of Rand Paul on TV yesterday. And heard him on the radio. The newly-minted Republican candidate for Senator from Kentucky is facing national criticism because of his stance on the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Rand Paul, I honestly believe, is not a racist. He just believes that government should not be involved in business. And … Read More
Surging Republicans?
Conventional wisdom and the polls suggest that 2010 will be a banner election year for the Republicans, as anti-Obama fervor continues to grow. But Steve Benen took note of the special election yesterday in Pennsylvania's 12 District, to replace the House seat held by John Murtha. Democrats ran Mark Critz, a former Murtha staffer, against businessman Tim Burns, who touted his … Read More
Only In Alabama
In the Republican primaries for Alabama governor, the top Republican candidates are having a battle to show voters who is the more bonafide creationist. It all started with this attack ad: Ironically, the group behind that ad is called the True Conservative PAC, a political group that gets most of its money from the teachers' union — or, more accurately, … Read More
Americans Distrust Government
The Pew Research Center released a report yesterday showing that more Americans distrust their government now that at any point in the last half century. This is the lede chart: While this might reflect badly on Obama, and spell bad news for Democrats in the upcoming elections, I think this is more of a "dog bites man" story. Traditionally, mistrust in … Read More
The GOP Gets Cold Feet On Repeal
Prescient me, last week: This strikes me as a political tactic bound to fail. For one thing, healthcare reform will have already started, and people will like it. The obvious question to such GOP candidates will be this: "What part do you want to repeal first? The part where insurance companies can no longer drop your coverage when you get … Read More
The GOP Not Done Fighting Against Health Care Reform
Looking around the internets, there seem to be two ways that the GOP intends to undo what has been done. (1) Constitutional challenge to the law itself. Several state attorneys general plan to file a lawsuit challenging the newly passed law, on the grounds that the federal government cannot constitutionally require citizens to purchase health insurance. Without getting too deep … Read More
The Golden Issue: Campaign Finance
If the Democrats were smart, they will take this issue and own it. The issue: the recent Supreme Court decision, Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, where the Supremes ruled 5-4 that corporations have the same rights as individuals when it comes to political speech and can therefore use their profits to support or oppose individual candidates. The decision appears … Read More
Right Wing Sign Of The Day
I should make this a regular feature of this blog. Anyway, today's sign comes from yesterday's rally for Republican Rick Perry, running for Texas governor. Sarah Palin was at the event.
Election 2009: “No on 1” Loses In Maine
In May, Maine became the fifth state to approve marriage equality, and only the second state to approve gay marriage through the legislative process. Yesterday, sadly, a narrow majority of Maine voters turned back the clock. In a stinging setback for the national gay-rights movement, Maine voters narrowly decided to repeal the state's new law allowing same-sex marriage. With 87 … Read More
Election 2009: NY-23, NJ, and VA Thoughts
Republicans took back the governor seats in New Jersey and Virginia yesterday. Some have said that those two races were referendums on Obama, especially the Virginia race, since that state voted for the Democratic presidential candidate for the first time in a long time. I don't think one can make those kinds of conclusions about Obama based on a governor's … Read More
Election Day 2009
I actually saw someone with an "I voted" sticker. The New York Times has a nice write-up of three elections to watch, since they (supposedly) foretell the political winds. Personally, I think the story is already written on what these elections mean: We're seeing a complete break-up of the Republican party — and all-out political war between the purists (the … Read More
If The Midterm Elections Were Held Today
"If the election were held today," said House Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-Va.), "we would have the majority of the House back." Um…. I don't know about that. [Source: Daily Kos/Research 2000 Poll, Sept. 14-17; 2% MOE]
The GOP Candidate’s Dilemna: A Case Study
This Youtube video is a perfect example of how difficult it will be in the next election cycle (or two) for GOP candidates. The video shows Rep. Mike Castle (R-Del.), a moderate Republican who hasn’t announced whether he’s running for re-election or for the U.S. Senate next year, at a town hall meeting earlier this month. A woman gets up, holding … Read More