National Republicans
Blaming Bush
I have a real problem with the way President Obama blamed George Bush for the budget deficit in his State of the Union speech. But my objection is directly opposite Republicans’. I don’t think Obama blamed Bush enough. As I recall, Ronald Reagan was still blaming Jimmy Carter and the Democrats for everything…
Read MoreA Formidable Opponent
President Obama showed anew Wednesday night why he got elected – and why he remains the dominant political talent in America today. His speech was masterful. His tone was perfect. And he smilingly skewered a range of targets – Republicans, Democrats, Supreme Court, big banks, you name it. But his positioning was even…
Read MoreCongressional Malpractice
President Obama made exactly the opposite mistake from Bill and Hillary Clinton on health-care reform. The Clintons drew up a sweeping reform plan in secret, then sent it to Congress, where it died. Obama let congressional Democrats come up with a reform plan. The first time it went to the voters, they voted…
Read MoreDucking a Political Fight?
Up in Washington, DC the Democrats on the City Council have put the Democrats in Congress on the hot seat by passing a law to make gay marriage legal in our nation’s Capital. Now how on earth does that affect, say, Congressman Bob Etheridge who’s running for reelection here in North Carolina? …
Read MoreMass Hysteria
The polls hadn’t even closed in Massachusetts when Democrats formed up the requisite firing squad to fix the blame. In truth, there are three factors here. 1. Scott Brown had the greatest gift in politics: an inept and overconfident opponent. Did she really go on vacation in the Caribbean last month? 2.…
Read MoreObama Can’t Lose
Health-care reform may die in Massachusetts today, and Democrats across the country may panic, but a loss in the Senate race won’t be the death blow to the Obama Presidency that Republicans dream of. In fact, Obama wins either way. A Democratic win in Massachusetts guarantees enactment of reform. A Republican win gives him…
Read MoreThe Real Campaign
Nearly 50 years ago, Theodore White wrote a book, The Making of the President, that changed how campaigns are covered. Now Mark Halperin and John Heilemann have revolutionized the genre again with Game Change – in a way that says a lot about today’s politics, communications and culture. White told the inside story…
Read MoreFight Back
Democrats need to stop wringing their hands and worrying about November. And start fighting back on health care. Here’s the message: This year – over the opposition of every single Republican in Congress – we did something that Americans have needed for 50 years. When the health-care bill passes, every American will be…
Read MorePolitical Cycles
There is a natural rhythm that usually governs politics. And it suggests that 2010 will be a Republican year. But not so fast. Arthur Schlesinger Jr. wrote The Cycles of American History about those political rhythms. In recent years – as both parties have migrated to their political extremes – the cycle…
Read MoreThe Roots of Health Care Reform
As the health-care battle resumes in Washington, some history may be just what the doctor ordered. Most people believe this battle traces back to Bill and Hillary Clinton’s failed effort to reform health care in 1993-1994. Actually, it goes back to 1991 – and a now-forgotten special election for the U.S. Senate in…
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