Last Thursday, as the American International Group scandal exploded in Washington, Congressional Democrats and Team Obama, panicked by live cable coverage, provided one of the most surreal moments in recent political memory. It was a perfect storm of political posturing.
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24
Mar
AIG Bonuses Raise Questions About Obama’s Leadership
10
Mar
Obama Opens With a Very High-Stakes Game of Chess
Ben Franklin wisely called life “a kind of chess.”
For the past six weeks, Democrats and Republicans have been engaged in the biggest, riskiest, most costly game of political speed chess in the nation’s history.
A chess game starts with the “opening,” a series of moves that define the basic structure and direction the game is likely to take.
Sometimes chess players will begin with an unexpected opening to throw the opponent off. Then they execute a series of moves that takes the game back to a more familiar opening. That’s called transposition. (more…)
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24
Feb
Tonight’s Address Will Be Obama’s Positioning Statement
Washington’s main event last week featured presidential spokesman Robert “The Enforcer” Gibbs taking on CNBC’s Rick “Tea Party” Santelli over the housing bailout package, and it wasn’t pretty. Gibbs got personal at the podium, sarcastically unloading on the former trader with undisguised disdain.
His shots may have gotten a laugh in the White House briefing room, but across America, homeowners who are “playing by the rules” and paying their mortgages on time were cheering for Santelli, who clearly struck a nerve. Round One goes to Santelli.
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28
Jan
Democrats’ Stimulus Mired in Invalidated Ideas From the 1930s
Almost 40 years ago, as Apollo 13 made its way to the moon, an explosion threatened the mission and the lives of the three astronauts on board.
When the control room erupted into chaos, Flight Director Gene Kranz told his team to settle down, “Let’s work the problem, people,” he said. “Let’s not make things worse by guessing.”
Last week, Rep. Dave Camp (Mich.), the top Ways and Means Republican, posed the following question to Thomas Barthold, deputy chief of staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation, at a hearing on the Democrats’ stimulus bill.
“Can you tell me, Mr. Barthold, how many jobs will be created by this legislation?”
Barthold answered, “Well, in short, Mr. Camp, I can’t.” (more…)
14
Jan
Obama Better Realize That Honeymoons Do Not Last Forever
There is a widely told story of Nikita Khrushchev’s ousting as the first secretary of the Communist Party more than 40 years ago. As the tale goes, just before leaving office the short-tempered, shoe-pounding leader sat down and wrote two letters to his successor along with a short note of instructions.
The note supposedly said, “To my successor: When you find yourself in a hopeless situation, open the first letter and it will save you. Later, when you again find yourself in a hopeless situation, open the second letter.”
Sure enough, his replacement, Leonard Brezhnev, soon had reason to open the first letter. It said, “Blame it all on me.” That’s what the new party leader did, and it saved his job. Later, he found himself in a similarly dire situation and supposedly grasped for Khrushchev’s second letter as he desperately looked for a solution. (more…)
15
Dec
GOP, Rothenberg Should See Futility of Relying on Attacks
In his critique of my Dec. 2 column, my Roll Call colleague, Stuart Rothenberg, in essence, defended the Republican political status quo — an attack-based campaign doctrine that has failed both the party and its candidates, much to the delight of Democrats. If I were on the other side hoping for a permanent political majority, I’d encourage Republican operatives to keep doing what they’ve been doing for years, too. Clearly, the American people have moved on and want more from political leaders than negative campaigns and pork-barrel politics. To suggest, as he did, that “when your party’s reputation is in the toilet, trying to drive up your opponents’ negatives is one of the few things you can do,” is “simply wrong.” (more…)
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01
Dec
A Modern Agenda Would Lead the GOP out of the Wilderness
After three weeks of explaining to disheartened Republicans exactly what happened on Nov. 4, I’m beginning to feel more like a grief counselor than a political analyst. In the days leading up to the presidential election, with poll numbers trending the wrong way, most Republicans were in a state of group denial — “This can’t be happening.”
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10
Nov
GOP Proves You Can’t Win Without Running a Campaign on Issues
GOP campaign leaders and operatives once again adopted a base strategy despite the fact that neither party can win without attracting key swing voters in the middle. With party affiliation slightly shifting away from Republicans in this election, an economic meltdown and a hugely unpopular president, it was astonishing to see so many Republican political leaders and consultants cling to what had already been shown to be a self-defeating strategy. (more…)
28
Oct
Don’t Rush to Any Early Conclusions on Election Night
Four years ago, early exit poll data was leaked midday to the Drudge Report, showing Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) with a huge lead in Pennsylvania — so large, in fact, that Republicans were in despair and the Kerry folks were celebrating their “victory.” The problem was the exit poll data reflected a partial sample with a significant number of interviews yet to be completed and, thus, was not yet statistically sound.
Until a full sample is completed, some of the underlying demographics may be disproportionate. So, in the interests of electoral integrity and to help avoid a similar rush to an erroneous conclusion next Tuesday, here is a short primer on how to interpret Election Day exit polls and results.
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16
Oct
Subprime Lending Spree Is at Heart of Latest Debacle
“These two entities — Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac — are not facing any kind of financial crisis. The more people exaggerate these problems, the more pressure there is on these companies, the less we will see in terms of affordable housing.” (New York Times, Sept. 11, 2003)
So said Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), then-ranking member on the House Financial Services Committee, in response to a Bush administration proposal offered five years ago by then-Treasury Secretary John Snow to reform Fannie and Freddie. Snow’s plan would have gone a long way toward depoliticizing the two housing giants and reining in their subprime lending spree that is at the heart of today’s economic crisis. In fact, the Times called the proposal “the most significant regulatory overhaul … since the savings and loan crisis.” (more…)
09
Sep
McCain’s Campaign Picks up Big Win During Conventions
Who could blame Sen. Barack Obama’s (Ill.) camp for thinking the Democratic convention would finally end its candidate’s consistent underperformance in the polls? After all, how can you go wrong with a stage right out of a Hollywood back lot and a “green” convention full of Hollywood types for the college crowd? How can you not get a big bounce with the Clintons finally bringing the party together?
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02
Sep
Palin’s a Risky Pick, But Could Yield Big Dividends
The post-Palin coverage by many in the media has been a melange of confusion, cynicism, doubt and derision, even going so far as to characterize Sen. John McCain’s vice presidential choice as one of “desperation.”
Choosing to stay with his comrades in a North Vietnam prison and enduring five and a half years of torture, starvation and solitary confinement, the Arizona Republican understands desperate circumstances better than most. Selecting a running mate is a big decision but an act of “desperation” in McCain’s biography of life experiences? Not hardly.
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26
Aug
Off-Track Democrats Need a Crucial Convention Boost
Last Saturday in Springfield was a picture-perfect day for the Obama campaign. The selection of Obama’s running mate had been squeezed for every possible drop of anticipation, drama and media frenzy.
All was going according to plan at the convention kickoff rally when presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Sen. Barack Obama (Ill.) inexplicably bungled his introduction of running mate Sen. Joseph Biden (Del.), calling him “the next president.” Taking a cue from his leader, Biden proudly followed suit by referring to Obama as “the next president of the United States, Barack America.”
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22
Jul
McCain Needs to Pick VP Nominee Sooner Rather Than Later
Over the weekend, there was public speculation that Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) might announce his vice presidential selection on the same day as Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-Ill.) acceptance speech.
That would be the political equivalent of putting C-SPAN up against the Super Bowl and expecting ratings.
Let’s face it. McCain could parachute into the Broncos’ stadium with his new running mate, and the media would relegate his announcement to “in other political news yesterday.” This trial balloon, if it is a trial balloon, is a nonstarter. (more…)
08
Jul
Obama’s Latest Change: Now It’s Refinement You Can Believe In
A new word entered Sen. Barack Obama’s (D-Ill.) political vernacular last week. He no longer simply changes his positions when politically convenient or advantageous. No, the oratorical whiz of the 2008 election is now “refining” his policies.
Thanks to the guy who told us “words matter,” issue “refining” as political speak now enters the realm of such classics as “revenue enhancement” (tax increases) and “strategic redeployment” (retreat). If this were just another politician, this kind of behavior would hardly be surprising.
But for the past 18 months, Obama has marketed himself to his supporters, especially his youngest backers, as a new kind of candidate, wrapping himself in “change we can believe in.” (more…)