Blog: TAPPED

Insofar that Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour has a glaring weakness — aside from his uncanny resemblance to Boss Hogg — it’s his propensity for racial gaffes. In the last six months, Barbour has had to apologize for his praise of the Council of Conservative Citizens (the “uptown” Klan), crass racial “jokes,” and overly rose-colored memories […]

You may recall that in both 2008 and 2004 there were passionate debates among Democrats about which of the competing presidential candidates had the most electability. In retrospect, most of the arguments people made were wrong. In 2004, for instance, much was made of how John Kerry’s heroic war record would make him immune to […]

Adele M. Stan writes that as the first female vice-presidential candidate for a major party, Geraldine Ferraro — the daughter of working-class, Italian Catholic immigrants — quickly learned that it was her gender that counted most. Monica Potts writes that Ferraro, like all female politicians, inevitably disappointed progressives, but that’s just because we have too […]

Former Gov. Tim Pawlenty is introducing his supporters to his finance team this morning, and it caught my attention that one of his finance consultants, Andrea Evans, is focusing on Arizona. Evans is based in Phoenix and worked on McCain’s 2008 campaign as Arizona’s finance director, so it’s not surprising that the Pawlenty campaign assigned […]

This doesn’t come as a big surprise: The tax-writing Ways and Means Committee is planning a hearing to look into the “organizational structure, management, and financial growth” of AARP. […] “AARP is known for being the largest and most well known seniors’ organization in the country,” Herger said in a statement. “But what Americans don’t […]

Today the Supreme Court will be hearing arguments in the case of McComish v. Bennett, which will decide the fate of Arizona’s “clean elections” law and similar ones in a few other states. It seems likely that the Roberts Court, where protecting the interests of the wealthy and powerful so often trumps any other consideration, […]

Three states may not be a watershed, but passage in three states of Dream Act-like bills shows a growing momentum for a national bill that would put the children of illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship if they attend college. Maryland’s Senate recently passed a bill that would allow undocumented students an opportunity to […]

Jeff Zeleny takes an early look at conservative presidential politics in Iowa: The ailing economy and the Tea Party’s demand for smaller government have dominated Republican politics for two years, but a resurgent social conservative movement is shaping the first stage of the presidential nominating contest, complicating the strategy for candidates who prefer to focus […]

In an apparent homage to the Southern authoritarians of decades past, Republican lawmakers in the Old South are targeting undocumented immigrants (the current disfavored minority) with harsh, draconian legislation: Proposed legislation in Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina, where Republicans control the legislatures and the governors’ mansions, have moved further than similar proposals in many other […]

Pema Levy writes that Elizabeth Taylor was just too confident, sexual, and talented for her generation. And things haven’t changed much today. The Prospect gathers reactions to Geraldine Ferraro’s death from around the Web.