October 03, 2008
In praise of negative ads
Greg Sargent reports, citing an analysis from the Campaign Media Analysis Group, that McCain has gone 100% negative. Dog bites man. Steve Benen, referencing the story, contrasts this with Cindy McCain's promise in May not to go negative. Ditto. But the implications of both stories is somehow this is inherently wrong. I don't buy it. Look, there is absolutely nothing...
February 14, 2008
Time to Attack
This is a little more like it: If our nation is left vulnerable in the coming months, it will not be because we don't have enough domestic spying powers. It will be because your Administration has not done enough to defeat terrorist organizations - including al Qaeda -- that have gained strength since 9/11. We do not have nearly enough...
December 18, 2007
FISA: The Talking Point
Ted Kennedy gets it right: The President has said that American lives will be sacrificed if Congress does not change FISA. But he has also said that he will veto any FISA bill that does not grant retroactive immunity. No immunity, no FISA bill. So if we take the President at his word, he's willing to let Americans die to...
December 13, 2007
The Senate Democrats: Enablers of the GOP
The Washington Post presents us with a thoroughly depressing story today on the inability of Congressional Democrats to come together on a political strategy for fighting against one of the most reviled Presidents in American history. But the story reveals the heart of the problem: the Senate Democrats' inability to understand how to create a narrative. House Democrats are of...
December 06, 2007
Two More Filibusters
Senate Republicans have now decided to filibuster two MORE critical bills coming out of the House, as well as Senate committees. One bill would amend the Alternative Minimum Tax to give relief to middle-income taxpayers; the other is the energy bill, which would raise federal fuel efficiency standards for the first time in 30 years and set renewable energy portfolio...
November 06, 2007
The wisdom of the impeachment strategy
More follies in the House today, where Dennis Kucinich offered a privileged motion to impeach Cheney. The Dem leadership tried to sit on the motion, but then the Republicans decided to back it, forcing the Dems to either anger the base or (supposedly) waste time in a futile effort at impeachment. Finally, the motion was sent back to committee on...
September 18, 2007
African-Americans and the GOP:
The Delegitimization Strategy
If Mitt Romney, Rudy Giuliani, Fred Thompson, and John McCain can't stand up to Tavis Smiley, than how can they stand up to the terrorists? The "leading" GOP candidates refusal to speak to African-Americans, as it was with Latinos, seems in one sense to really be a grave miscalculation--not for the GOP generally (which it is with Latinos but not...
August 09, 2007
Fox News: Hit them again--harder
The Horse' Mouth has a nice clip of Neil Cavuto practically begging Democrats to appear on his show. As Greg Sargent accurately notes, this demonstrates the wisdom of the blogosphere's strategy to aggressively attack the right-wing noise machine, which has now moved mainstream in Democratic circles. But since the only thing that terrorists understand is force, the next step should...
February 23, 2007
Simile Contest: Dick Cheney edition
Josh Marshall is right: Nancy Pelosi shouldn't complain about Dick Cheney attacking her. She should attack back, in similar fashion to the way that Barack Obama did at a recent campaign rally. Cheney is quoted as saying of Pelosi that he doesn't question her patriotism, he questions her judgment. This leads to an exclusive RBC simile contest, to wit: Dick...
February 02, 2007
Easiest Post EVER
Over at MyDD, diarist Progressive Boy asks, "After 6 Years Can Democrats Finally Forgive Ralph Nader?". No. That is all....
January 24, 2007
Waist Deep in the Big Slimey
Mark's right; the attacks on Webb are just outright lies. That should tell us something: the Republicans are very afraid of Virginia's junior senator. Over at the Corner last night, they were falling all over themselves about how terrible he was and how much he was lying. Expect this to get louder and uglier every time Webb opens his mouth....
January 17, 2007
Just a suspicion
Josh Marshall wonders why the NSA warrantless wiretap program, which "the administration spent like -- what? -- a year saying was vital to national security . . . can now apparently be brought under constitutional supervision without any problem whatsoever." If I were a cynic, I would answer in the following way: Once the program was brought to light, Karl...
November 14, 2006
The House Majority Leader's Race: 3 Comments
1) If Murtha is smart, then his campaign should include a promise that he will immediately ask the House Ethics Committee to investigate him. Murtha's ethical issues are disturbing but not overwhelming: but this only as far as we know now. The Democrats absolutely cannot let the GOP be the ones to pick up the rock and be shocked, shocked...
November 10, 2006
The Agenda, Part XXX
Steve's political argument on health care for kids is persuasive to me, and I'm glad he agrees on abortion reduction. But I'm wondering a little on CAFE standards and card-check. 1) Although I am not sure that Blue Dogs would go along with card check, I'm not sure they would oppose it, either. Although one idea of conservative/centrist Democrats is...
Four More for The Agenda
I agree with Steve's agenda and Mark's addendum. But I think that the Democrats can do more that can attract a broad base of Democratic support and put the party in a good position for 2008. I'd be interested to see what people think. 1) Raise the CAFE standards. This works as environmental policy and national security policy. 2) Abortion...
September 28, 2006
Sunk costs and bad metaphors
It's always useful to have a clear understanding of the kind of problem before one, and misclassifications are especially common when we are desperate to be seen throwing the right kind of slogan at an issue in time for a news cycle or an election. For example, political habits of thought make a lot of conflicts look as though some...
Exactly
Republican strategists think they can win this fall, not by passing a good law but by forcing Democrats to vote against a bad one so they could be made to look soft on terrorism.
January 27, 2006
Latest wiretap poll: The Frame's Afoot.
Latest wiretap poll: Framing remains the key, and most trust government to know who's a likely terrorist.
Memo to POTUS:
Some Thoughts Concerning the College Curriculum
UCLA isn't the only place where disrespect for the Commander in Chief and the War on Terror is taught. The problem is much bigger.
January 24, 2006
The T-word, the L-word —
and our old friend Pat Roberts
We now know Bush's line on the wiretaps: flog "terrorism," vaguely assert legality—and trust the senator who can always be counted on to stonewall.
January 23, 2006
Framing the Wiretaps: Might we Actually Win?
Last week I was sure that the NSA wiretap issue was a loser for Democrats. And I was right—then. But two hidden bombshells since then make me much less sure. Watch what McCain says—and Kerry.
December 05, 2005
95-10: A liberal abortion wedge?
Steve's post helpfully shows us a thoughtful debate about liberal strategy on abortion. But maybe Jack Balkin and Sandy Levinson are arguing about the wrong things. Balkin and Levinson can talk all they want about whether to abandon Roe, but The Carpetbagger has a better idea: endorsing Tim Ryan's "95-10" legislation (still in process). The numbers signify the bill's claim...
November 03, 2004
