George W. Bush can cut taxes and speak Spanish, too. But is compassionate conservatism anything more than Gingrichism with a human face?
Robert Dreyfuss
Robert Dreyfuss is a senior correspondent for The American Prospect. He is the author of Devil's Game: How the United States Helped Unleash Fundamentalist Islam. He can be reached through his website.
Posted inFeatures
Rousing the Democratic Base
I f Al Gore finds himself standing across from Chief Justice Rehnquist, taking the oath of office in January, it would be fitting if Paul Lemmon were holding the Bible. As Pennsylvania state director for the national AFL-CIO, it’s Lemmon’s job to make sure that the state’s 23 crucial electoral votes end up in Gore’s […]
Posted inFeatures
Political Snipers
The National Rifle Association knew its stance on assault weapons was unpopular, so in 1994 it went underground, took advantage of loopholes in the campaign finance laws, and waged a stealth campaign to unseat Democrats in vulnerable districts.
Posted inAmerica and the World
Orbit of Influence: Spy Finance and the Black Budget
America’s huge budget for electronic reconnaissance might have come in for scrutiny after the Cold War. But the few in Congress who are supposed to watch over the world of spy finance are also big beneficiaries of it.
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Mississippi Waltz
While the House Republican leadership imploded after the 1998 elections, the Senate majority leader kept a low profile. Despite his reputation as a conservative ideologue, Trent Lott is a big-money pragmatist—some would say an opportunist.
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
The Turnout Imperative
Low voter participation favors conservatives. If liberals want to avoid a reprise of 1994 in 1998, they have to make turnout a top priority — and fortunately some are already hard at work.
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Popping Contributions
Last year conservatives tried and failed to destroy the effectiveness of food and drug regulation. Now they say they want only modest FDA reforms. Watch out.
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Harder Than Soft Money
The explosion of issue advocacy — money spent by individuals and independent groups to support political causes — threatens to make even an outright ban on “soft” money irrelevant. Worse, much of what passes for “issue advocacy” is really covert campaign financing. Still worse, it can’t be regulated.
