Ezra Klein

Yesterday, the President said: Some observers also claim that America would be better off by cutting our losses and leaving Iraq now. This is a dangerous illusion, refuted with a simple question: Would the United States and other free nations be more safe, or less safe, with Zarqawi and bin Laden in control of Iraq, […]

This bit from William Galston and Elaine Kamarck’s Third Way report strikes me as fairly important: Jimmy Carter captured only 72 percent of the liberal vote in 1976 and won the presidency. John Kerry captured 85 percent of the liberal vote and lost. Carter captured 77 percent of registered Democrats and won; Kerry captured 89 […]

Great line from Eugene Robinson: The story line was a classic: Beauty and the Beast. Remember the Atlanta courthouse shootings a few months ago? Brian Nichols was the ogre whose homicidal rampage led him to the apartment of an attractive young woman named Ashley Smith, who soothed his savage breast by speaking gently of God […]

From page four of Michael Katz’s The Price of Citizenship: The positive connotations of “welfare state” were so entrenched that The Saturday Evening Post’s editors advised critics to avoid the term when discussing President Truman’s plan to extend social benefits. “The opponents of such a system,” they wrote, “have an excellent case, but they do […]

Oh, this is just too rich. According to RedState, Tim Kaine, the Democratic nominee for governor is desperate and pulling “shenanigans” because — get this! — he wants to be able to use moments from this Saturday’s debate in ads. The Kilgore camp, apparently terrified of what their candidate will say, is insisting on a […]

Props to Rod Blagojevich for making health care a priority in his state: Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) will unveil a proposal Thursday to subsidize health insurance for 253,000 uninsured children in Illinois, a move that specialists describe as more far-reaching than any other program in the country. Seventy-percent of the state’s uninsured children belong to […]

I’ve had a couple folks e-mail in to tell me that, contrary my allusion at Tapped yesterday, Sam Seaborne actually won his quixotic campaign in Orange County. My recollection was that he got crushed and we last saw him sobbing into the arms of Toby and Josh, who, on Bartlett’s orders, were wresting control of […]

Man, I don’t know what happened to that wooden dude we had a few years back, but these days, each time Al Gore opens his mouth barns everywhere spontaneously burst into flame: I came here today because I believe that American democracy is in grave danger. It is no longer possible to ignore the strangeness […]

Kos says: No political reporter nailed 2004 better than the National Journal’s Chuck Todd, hence I have great respect for his analysis. But here’s Chuck Todd: 2004 could be a decisive victory for Kerry. The reason to think so is historical. Elections that feature a sitting president tend to be referendums on the incumbent–and in […]

Over at Tapped, I’ve got a strong post rebutting Rep. Bobby Jindal’s call to rebuild Louisiana into a wonderland for health insurance companies. I think you folks will like it.