In his inaugural address Obama told us that "the time has come to set aside childish things." He promised to bring "an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics."

Not only has President Obama failed to live up to those promises so far, it appears that on more...]]> Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0500 Every White House complains about its press coverage. A contentious relationship between the Executive Branch and a free and independent media is part of America's DNA. Always has been.

But this White House seems to feel they're different. It's not just that the current occupant of the Oval Office has a particularly thin skin when it comes to criticism - which is especially ironic given that he's been the recipient of more glowing press coverage than possibly any candidate or president in modern American history. But not since Nixon conjured up an "enemies list" have we seen the full weight of the Office of the Presidency brought to bear in such a targeted and deliberate...]]> Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0500 Mon, 14 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0500 Mon, 27 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0500 In an exclusive interview with RealClearPolitics last week, South Dakota Senator John Thune said the Obama administration is "overreaching" and that Republicans in the Senate would stand together in opposition to a health care proposal that included either a public option or an individual mandate.

"I think there are 40 Republicans who are united on the point that we don't want a government takeover of health care," Thune said last Thursday in the thirty minute interview in his Senate office in the Russell Senate Office Building. "So if [Democrats] insist on this public...]]> Mon, 13 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0500 Every time I read a Paul Krugman column I stop and wonder: what would America look like if this man were in charge of the country?

We know from his most recent writings that Krugman would have nationalized the entire banking system, that he would have enacted a significantly larger stimulus package than the $787 billion that passed, that he would move America to a single payer health care system, and that he'd enact much tougher environmental policy to deal with global warming.

Today, Krugman spends the first half of his column lamenting the fact that without an additional stimulus...]]> Sat, 27 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0500 In his Newsweek column this week (One Nation Under Medicare) liberal pundit Jonathan Alter made the following assertion about the administrative costs of Medicare:

But the administration of Medicare is a miracle of low overhead and a model, despite all the fraud and abuse, of what government can do right. Three percent of Medicare's premiums go for administrative costs. By contrast, 10 to 20 percent of private-insurance premiums go for administrative costs. Roll that figure around on your tongue. When you swallow and digest it, you'll understand that any hope of significantly reducing health-care costs depends on a...]]> Fri, 12 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0500 Barack Obama is good at giving speeches. So good, in fact, he once referred to it as his "gift." More than any other factor, Obama's rhetorical skills are responsible for his rapid rise to the presidency, beginning with his blockbuster speech at the 2004 convention and continuing through a nearly two year primary and general election campaign. Obama's penchant for soaring oratory remains a political asset, but signs are emerging there may be a political downside to all of the President's speechifying.

In Depth: 10...]]> Thu, 05 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0600 Tuesday at a breakfast with progressive media types, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi scoffed at a report that the White House was uncomfortable with how quickly the stimulus bill made its way through Congress:

]]> Mon, 08 Dec 2008 00:00:00 -0600 The following May, Obama gave a speech in Little Havana saying that his policy toward Cuba would be "guided by one word: libertad." In the speech Obama again advocated easing restrictions on remittances and travel to Cuba.

Obama lost the meaningless Florida primary to Clinton in January by 17 points, which included a 33-point thumping among the state's Hispanics.

But Obama won the Sunshine State 51-49 over McCain in November, including a majority of the Hispanic vote. Obama lost the Cuban vote to McCain by thirty points, 65-35, though there was a stark discrepancy among age group. The oldest demographic of Cuban-Americans (aged 65+) voted overwhelmingly for McCain, 84-16, but...]]> Fri, 31 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Start with the aftermath of the election. Roughly 40% of the country (aka Democrats) will be absolutely despondent if Barack Obama loses. There will be ugly cries of racism and - if the election is close, particularly in battleground states where Electoral College votes could have switched the outcome - legal challenges and a collective waving of the bloody shirt will again tear at the social fabric of America.

So unless McCain scored a clear cut victory, he would take the oath of office presiding over a deeply divided country, and one in which parts of the electorate will be nursing psychological wounds and harboring resentments.

Barring some miracle turn around by...]]> Wed, 15 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Tonight's debate offers McCain his last chance to break through the hazy clutter of the campaign and speak directly to large number of Americans who will be heading to the polls on Election Day. Here are three things McCain must do to walk away from tonight's debate a winner:

1) Be genial but aggressive. The Obama campaign has been effective at portraying McCain as angry and erratic - often with help from McCain himself. McCain has to be on the offensive at all times tonight, but he has to do so with a demeanor that won't turn voters off. According to recent polls, McCain is already seen as the "more negative" of the two candidates, so his task is to present himself as the...]]> Mon, 13 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Fri, 03 Oct 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Thu, 11 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Obama probably thought it was a clever play on words to take Palin's signature line and turn it on its head. Irrespective of what he might have been trying to do, however, the words he said are the words he said.

Did the McCain camp go over the top with its cries of indignant outrage? Sure. To say Obama "smeared" Palin is an obvious stretch. But that is what campaigns do - and Obama is the one who gave them the opportunity to do it. If nothing else, the episode was a stark reminder that for all his intelligence, eloquence, and self assuredness, Obama is still a rookie. It was a stupid mistake.

Aside from that, I'm a bit slack jawed by the response from Obama supporters in the...]]> Tue, 09 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Barack Obama presents himself as a Washington outsider and post-partisan, post-racial unifier who offers to change politics and the culture of government as we know it.

John McCain presents himself as an experienced public servant who has consistently put country above all else, and with his choice of Sarah Palin for Vice-President McCain has pivoted to his credentials as a fighter and a political maverick who will bring his own brand of change to Washington.

While issues do matter, at its most fundamental level the race is a battle between the narratives of these two men and which campaign can do a more effective job of framing the choice in November as a referendum....]]> Wed, 03 Sep 2008 00:00:00 -0500 The McCain campaign has pushed back hard against criticisms of Palin and what they consider to be unfair scrutiny she's been receiving by the press. Tonight, however, Palin has the chance to bypass the press and to answer those questions directly and potentially win over those who are anxious or unsure whether she belongs a heartbeat away from the presidency.

To do this, Palin needs to do the following tonight:

- First and foremost, she must deliver a performance that conveys more strength, seriousness and gravitas than her initial speech in Dayton on Friday.

- Drive home her executive experience as Governor of a state with 24,000 employees and a $10 billion annual...]]> Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Sat, 23 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Mon, 04 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Thu, 10 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Most of the great presidents have grown in many ways from what they brought to the door of the office. I think that office is almost unique in its demand for people to set things behind them and to continue to grow. And I think he's someone, from what I can tell, who has the personality and has the intellect to do that.

So I don't know enough to label him. And I would hate to do so because I think what the presidency needs is an agile, intelligent mind, looking at some of these problems from a basis of deep patriotism not of some particular solidly constructed view of the world.

RCP: Right, but, he has tacked to the middle. He has changed position on public...]]> Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Wed, 18 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Tue, 18 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0500