Garance Franke-Ruta

I’m pleased to find that Matt Yglesias now agrees with me on “the irrelevance of the ‘real’ Romney,” as he praises Sam Boyd‘s reiteration of my argument from the September Prospect, which directly took on what was then the Yglesias-Klein-etc. argument about how Romney wasn’t that bad because he was some kind of secret liberal […]

The Washington Post‘s Chris Cillizza has a fantastic feature out today on the impact former Howard Dean campaign manager Joe Trippi has had on the John Edwards campaign, and the close bond between Trippi and Elizabeth Edwards. It’s a total must-read if you want to understand where that campaign is going, and why. –Garance Franke-Ruta

Via a commenter, And Still I Persist, a blog about the California fires written by a former Marine and data specialist, with maps of the evacuation areas. The news photos at the LA Times are more dramatic than his, but the shots on this site will give you a feel for what it’s like to […]

The wildfires that started in the Malibu region have now spread through San Diego County and are burning all the way to Mexico. More than 250,000 Californians have already been forced from their homes, which I believe now qualifies the fires as a disaster of memorable and epic proportions. The reasons for the fire include […]

Now that Barack Obama has decided to ratchet up the contrast with Hillary Clinton, it occurs to me that perhaps he might want to take on a Republican or two, as well. Last night’s G.O.P. debate was a reminder, in case anyone had any doubt, of just how convinced leading Republicans are that Clinton will […]

Elizabeth Becker explains the mystery of the farm bill’s resistance to reform efforts on The Washington Post opinion page this morning: Why has the reform movement been such a flop? Because most members of Congress won’t be thinking about farms when they vote for the farm bill. They’ll be voting for the only part of […]

I’d be remiss in my ongoing campaign against the dangers of the Corn Lobby if I failed to note that Hillary Clinton campaign, according to a report by ABC News’ Jake Tapper, announced plans to hold a “Rural Americans for Hillary” briefing and luncheon in the Washington offices of the lobbying firm that represents agribusiness […]

Adam B. at Daily Kos provides some helpful number crunching on the presidential campaigns, including the surprising fact that John Edwards, not Barack Obama, is leading in the percent of campaign contributions that came from small donors (under $200) this year, though the difference between the two is minimal. Hillary Clinton trailed with just 13 […]

Lynne Cheney discovers that Barack Obama is an eighth cousin of her husband, Vice President Dick Cheney, and that they share the common ancestor of Mareen Devall, a French woman who came to these shores in the 17th century. Who knew? –Garance Franke-Ruta