National Politics

Democrats “Gingrich-Bush” Shield No Longer A Factor In Northeast

By Marc Comtois | January 19, 2010 |

Ross Douthat comments on Steve Kornacki’s contention that: … the rise of southern/religious-based conservatism in 1994 — when Newt Gingrich and the GOP won control of Congress — triggered an immediate and enduring cultural backlash among swing voters in places like Massachusetts. Before ‘94, they still saw the GOP (generally) as a big tent party…

ProJo’s Last Shot at Brown – Scare Tactics

By Marc Comtois | January 19, 2010 |

On election day in Massachusetts, the desperate ProJo editors have resorted to listing a bunch of “what ifs?” should Scott Brown be elected and Obamacare not pass. Notwithstanding that a counter-argument can be made that passing this particular monstrosity called health care “reform” would make all of the items they identify even worse, the panicked…

Go Ahead, Democrats

By Justin Katz | January 18, 2010 |

Seal your doom: The White House and Democratic Congressional leaders, scrambling for a backup plan to rescue their health care legislation if Republicans win the special election in Massachusetts on Tuesday, are preparing to ask House Democrats to approve the Senate version of the bill, which would send the measure directly to President Obama for…

Early Peaking in Massachusetts

By Justin Katz | January 18, 2010 |

Much discussion about the Massachusetts special election over in the Corner, including a thread about whether Republican Scott Brown “peaked early.” Naturally the thread began with an email from a self-confessed Massachusetts liberal; then followed a statement of jitters from a New Hampshire conservative: Over the weekend, while reading the “Globe” online and watching political…

Patrick Stumps for Senate Candidate What’s-Her-Name

By Justin Katz | January 17, 2010 |

It’s so Patrick Kennedy to enlist in a partisan battle and offer passionate support for a candidate whose name he doesn’t know: Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), speaking with a gaggle of reporters after the event, said that while state Sen. Scott Brown (R) offers voters a quick fix, in reality, the problems created by “George…

And Let’s Not Move Too Quickly Past the (Previously) Absurd Proposition that the Race for Ted Kennedy’s Seat Should Even be Competitive

By Monique Chartier | January 17, 2010 |

Mark Steyn didn’t make that mistake in his column yesterday. … If you were at the Hopeychange inaugural ball on Jan. 20, 2009, when Barney Frank dived into the mosh pit, and you chanced to be underneath when he landed, and you’ve spent the last year in a coma until suddenly coming to in time…

Another Learning Lesson from Brown – This One for Democrats –

By Monique Chartier | January 17, 2010 |

may be developing out of the Mass senatorial race. [Marc’s “lesson” pertained to Republicans.] If Coakley defies certain polls and pulls out a win this Tuesday, the margin will almost certainly not be the thirty point gap she started with two months ago. At that point, a proportionality exercise will, inexorably, flash into the minds…

Political Spin on a Used Car Salesman Scale

By Justin Katz | January 16, 2010 |

Anybody who watches politics must be prepared for spin to the border of falsehood, but in Brian Riedl’s telling, it’s difficult not to conclude that the Obama administration has stepped well into the range of what would more accurately be called scams and con jobs: Last spring, President Obama proposed $11.3 billion worth of discretionary…

Learning Lessons from Brown

By Marc Comtois | January 15, 2010 |

Win or Lose, the Scott Brown candidacy in Massachusetts has shown that there is a motivated bunch of people looking to upset establishment apple carts, mostly those being pushed around by the in-power Democrats. Brown has struck a chord with these folks based on his common-sense, man-of-the-people approach. Yet, as both Erick Erickson and David…

But for a Government Gone Too Far

By Justin Katz | January 14, 2010 |

Kevin Williamson notes an unfamiliar state of affairs: It’s a world gone mad: The Euro-welfarized ‘Nucks are hard at work, their wages up 2.3 percent year over year, while the Aussies, who have a 45 percent top rate for personal income taxes plus a 5 percent payroll tax, are booming. But the rugged individualists toiling…