Do the supposedly wise and deliberative citizens of Iowa and New Hampshire take their responsibilities seriously? And if they don’t, what does that say about the way we’re choosing the next leader of the free world?
Paul Waldman
Paul Waldman is a weekly columnist and senior writer for The American Prospect. He also writes for the Plum Line blog at The Washington Post and The Week and is the author of Being Right Is Not Enough: What Progressives Must Learn From Conservative Success.
Posted inArticle
NEWT GINGRICH, SUPER-GENIUS.
For a long time, people on both sides of the aisle have noted what a brilliant political strategist Newt Gingrich is. So one might have expected that when George Stephanopoulos asked him yesterday on “This Week” how Republicans can win the ’08 election, he’d have some striking insights. Well… not so much. Here’s what he […]
Posted inArticle
Whither the Conservative Culture War?
Last week’s Values Voter Debate may have looked like an easy appeal to the base, but the absence of the Republican front runners casts doubt on whether the religious right’s power is on the wane.
Posted inArticle
DEEP FRIED TWINKIES AND A COW MADE OF BUTTER? THAT REMINDS ME OF SEPTEMBER 11.
DEEP FRIED TWINKIES AND A COW MADE OF BUTTER? THAT REMINDS ME OF SEPTEMBER 11. For a brief moment, it seemed that Rudy Giuliani was laying off the September 11 references just a bit, perhaps out of an awareness that if he lays it on too thick, people might start asking whether walking down a […]
Posted inArticle
Voting for Strategy Over Policy
Voters can’t — and shouldn’t — judge who has the best health-care plan without hearing a persuasive case for why each candidate can overcome the political obstacles that stand in the way of meaningful reform.
Posted inArticle
THE BATTLE IS JOINED.
THE BATTLE IS JOINED. For years, I’ve been arguing that what the left needs to do is wage all-out war not just on particular problems or Republican screw-ups, but on conservatism itself. As I wrote on this very web site way back in 2005: Unlike liberals, conservatives don’t simply criticize specific candidates or pieces of […]
Posted inArticle
“VERY PROUD OF THE PERSON HE BELIEVES HIMSELF TO BE.”
“VERY PROUD OF THE PERSON HE BELIEVES HIMSELF TO BE.” On the Daily Show on Wednesday, Jon Stewart interviewed Robert Draper, the author of Dead Certain: The Presidency of George W. Bush. In the course of the interview, Stewart gave what may be the most concise, insightful description of George W. Bush, the man, that […]
Posted inArticle
Why Health Care Is a Losing Issue for the GOP
The Republicans candidates’ love affair with free-market fundamentalism has prevented them from addressing the health care crisis. The Democrats should take full advantage of that.
Posted inArticle
Trapped in the Political Closet
Larry Craig may have been guilty of hiding his sexuality, but the demands of public life lead more than a few politicians to carve out a hidden self.
Posted inArticle
A Guide to Media Manipulation, Republican Style
In recent years the GOP has turned the technique of making hay from their opponents’ words into a reliable formula for success — with a few distortions and a little help from the media, of course.