Author: Elspeth Reeve

The IRS Scandal Was First Revealed by an IRS Official Asking to Be Asked About It

Associated Press

The IRS official who revealed the IRS had inappropriately targeted conservative groups on Friday did so on purpose -- by asking a tax lawyer to ask her about it at American Bar Association tax section’s annual meeting.

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 17, 2012

Ryan Says 'Bring It On' About Medicare, But Means 'Bring Some Parts, Sort Of'

When asked about the Medicare debate, Paul Ryan said "bring it on," according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Salena Zito. But the Romney campaign's game face is not so steady behind the scenes.

Comments | 1,314 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 16, 2012

Romney's Whiteboard Presentation Proves 'Wonk' Is a Meaningless Word

Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have been celebrated as a team that might not be the most charismatic, but who are details-oriented number-crunchers who care deeply about policy—i.e., wonks.

Comments | 8,794 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 16, 2012

Paul Ryan's Abs: Defined and Divisive

The coverage of Paul Ryan's as-yet-unseen-but-theoretically-ripped abs from the coastal elite media has tended to imply that the presumptive vice presidential candidate is a little vain and a little metrosexual. And yet, in the flyover conservative message boards, the tone on his toned bod is entirely different.

Comments | 7,414 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 16, 2012

Where's Tim Pawlenty's Consolation Prize?

All the guys who were competing to be Mitt Romney's running mate have gotten a consolation prize, except one: Poor old Tim Pawlenty.

Comments | 1,898 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 15, 2012

What Some People Hear When Mitt Romney Talks About Welfare

Why are Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan talking about welfare so much?

Comments | 5,841 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 15, 2012

Ann Romney Not So Sympathetic When Talking About Taxes

Maybe you're one of those people who thinks Mitt Romney is doing a disservice to the American people by not releasing more years of tax returns as is standard among presidential candidates. Well, you're wrong—it's the American people who are doing Mitt Romney a disservice by demanding them.

Comments | 17,895 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 15, 2012

Boehner Auditions as the Republican Liberals Kind of Like

It might seem impossible now, but House Speaker John Boehner may follow in the footsteps of John McCain and George H.W. Bush, and become the Republican that liberals love after his comments to Fox News suggesting the Tea Party is made up of "knuckle draggers."

Comments | 2,823 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 15, 2012

Judge Won't Block Pennsylvania's Voter ID Law

A Pennsylvania judge decided not to issue an injunction blocking the state's voter identification law from going into effect, The Associated Press' Marc Levy reports.

Comments | 1,835 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 14, 2012

Ad Watch

The Election's No Longer About the Economy

Today in Ad Watch: Remember how in like every political story for the past year, reporters would caution that this election is all about the economy? Right now, that's not true. It's about welfare, Medicare, student loans, and mean ads.

Comments | 1,561 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 14, 2012

Joe Biden Threatens Republicans Will Put You in Chains

Vice President Joe Biden was doing fine when he warned a crowd at The Institute for Advanced Learning and Research in Virginia on Tuesday that Mitt Romney wants to "unchain Wall Street!" with a dramatic clenching of his fist, bringing boos from the crowd. Then Biden got into trouble. "They're gonna put y'all back in chains."

Comments | 5,471 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 14, 2012

Are Republicans Worried About Paul Ryan 'Bedwetters' or Realists?

Because Washington has no taste, "bedwetting" is a term of art in the city. When there is intra-party fretting over major decisions, campaign aides like to call that "bedwetting" to suggest the worries exist because the worriers are wimps, not because the campaign screwed up.

Comments | 5,703 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 14, 2012

Convicted Coke Trafficker Gets Second Chance at Romney Event

We should cheer Mitt Romney for believing in second chances, because on Monday the presidential candidate held an event in Miami with a convicted cocaine trafficker.

Comments | 1,379 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 13, 2012

Romney Picks the One Guy Who Most Wants to Lower His Taxes

In the Republican presidential nominee, Democrats have the embodiment of the rich guy who pays lower taxes than you, and in the Republican vice-presidential nominee, they have the face of the plan to let the rich guy pay even lower taxes than he is already.

Comments | 1,559 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 10, 2012

Why Are the Chinese So Good at Diving? A GIF Guide

When it comes to dominating a sport, there's nearly no comparison to China's mastery of diving. Of the nine diving medals China has win, six have been gold. Why is China so good? We explain in GIFs

Comments | 10,610 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 9, 2012

Why Yes, Rhythmic Gymnastics Is a Real Sport: A GIF Guide

Lots of people, mostly dudes, were puzzled by the rhythmic gymnastics qualifications that aired on NBC Thursday. But allow your gymnastics experts at The Atlantic Wire to explain see through the sparkle and understand why this is all a lot harder than it looks.

Comments | 10,635 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 9, 2012

Five Stages of Conservative Romneycare Grief

Conservatives want Obamacare to be cited as Exhibit A of Obama as a malevolent force in America. But Romney can't do that, because he established Romneycare in Massachusetts. But conservatives are not yet ready to accept that their candidate is not a torch-bearer for their principles.

Comments | 7,760 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 9, 2012

Of Course Gingrich Doesn't Need 'Proof' Obama's Gutting Welfare Reform

It might seem weird that Newt Gingrich admitted on CNN that there's "no proof" that President Obama gutted welfare reform (as a Romney ad claimed) especially since it was Gingrich himself who suggested to Romney's advisers that the candidate attack Obama on welfare. Talk about being an underminer.

Comments | 1,207 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 9, 2012

Vindication on the Hilariousness of Olympic Dressage (or: Horse Dancing)

Oh, you're so terrible, they said. How dare you monsters make fun of something as classic and elegant and beneficial as horseback riding, they said. There is nothing mockable about dressage, Ann Romney's fancy horse sport, they said. Well, they can turn on their Olympic daytime coverage right now and see for themselves. Dressage is happening live, and it is weird.

Comments | 2,208 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 9, 2012

Let's Marvel at the Beauty of Our Olympic Track Champions

The American track team won seven Olympic medals -- three of them gold -- for its best night at the Olympics in 20 years on Wednesday.

Comments | 1,244 Views

By Dashiell Bennett and Elspeth Reeve

Aug 8, 2012

Rings Cycle

London Olympics Live Blog, Day 12

Only a few days left in the 2012 Summer Games so get caught up on all the latest results from the London Olympics.

Comments | 1,435 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 8, 2012

Romney Ruined a Perfectly Good Moment for Righteous Outrage

Mitt Romney was perfectly set up to spike a ball of righteous outrage at Democrats, but the campaign screwed it up in conservatives' eyes.

Comments | 4,998 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 8, 2012

Olympic Love Is Fleeting

For a sense of how quickly the stench of loserdom can attach to an Olympic champion, it helps to watch not Jordyn Wieber, but her coach, John Geddert.

Comments | 10,722 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 8, 2012

Claire McCaskill and How to Attack the Opponent You're Rooting For

Missouri Sen. Claire McCaskill made the unusual decision to run attack ads against all three primary candidates running to be her Republican opponent, but one of those attack ads was not like the others.

Comments | 2,587 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 8, 2012

Let's Talk About Why Aly Raisman Won: A GIF Guide

Aly Raisman's job during the team competition was to not fall off, her reliable scores insurance against her more famous but less dependable teammates, who were expected to shine later on the individual events. But, after getting the bronze on beam and gold for the floor, it was Raisman who will leave the Olympics with more medals than any other American gymnast.

Comments | 12,780 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 7, 2012

Blaming Obama for Drudge's Petreaus-as-Veep Story

If a puzzling political story shows up on the Drudge Report, you might be inclined to believe that Matt Drudge is looking to help Mitt Romney. But for conservatives pondering his report of David Petraeus being on the V.P. shortlist, this was some chicanery that goes all the way back to Obama.

Comments | 2,331 Views

By Dashiell Bennett and Elspeth Reeve

Aug 7, 2012

Rings Cycle

London Olympics Live Blog, Day 11

The medals will be coming fast and furious as we head into deeper in the final week of the Summer Olympics. Stay tuned to our live blog all day for news and results.

Comments | 6,228 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 7, 2012

Ad Watch

Romney and Obama Remember the 90s

Today in Ad Watch: Usually Democrats are the ones reminiscing about the 1990s, but now it's Mitt Romney getting nostalgic for the Clinton years. Meanwhile, a pro-President Obama Super PAC beats up Romney with a sad story about a woman's cancer.

Comments | 1,035 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 7, 2012

The Crazy Things Women Did on Bars: A GIF Gymnastics Guide

Don't be too upset that American Hero Gabby Douglas didn't win a medal in gymnastics bars finals Monday night. It really was just an honor to be nominated.

Comments | 6,408 Views

By Dashiell Bennett and Elspeth Reeve

Aug 6, 2012

Rings Cycle

London Olympics Live Blog: Epic Women's Soccer Semi-Final

Can Great Britain continue to capitalize on its home field advantage at the Summer Olympics?. Keep checking this page for news and results all day long.

Comments | 5,634 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 6, 2012

Meet the Manliest Man on the Romney Campaign

Washington men experience a second puberty when they work for a presidential campaign. No longer are they the sickly nerds with shriveled T-Rex arms. They blossom into icons of masculinity, Ernest Hemingways on the campaign bus.

Comments | 1,781 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 6, 2012

Republican National Convention Speakers Are Not Fresh Faces

The Republican National Committee announced the headlining speakers for the party's convention in Tampa Monday, and the list does not reflect what's happened in the Republican Party over the last two years.

Comments | 1,660 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 6, 2012

What Happened to McKayla Maroney? A GIF Guide

America was cruelly denied the pleasure of watching McKayla Maroney prance across the podium after winning a gold medal on vault Sunday night. All she had to do was land on her feet, but she did not.

Comments | 84,991 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 3, 2012

Here Are Some Great Things About Romney's Benched Press Secretary

One way to get Mitt Romney to talk to the press more is yell, "WHAT ABOUT YOUR GAFFES?" as he walks to his car. Another way is to write about what a sweetie-pie his press secretary Rick Gorka is.

Comments | 2,448 Views

By Dashiell Bennett and Elspeth Reeve

Aug 3, 2012

Rings Cycle

London Live Blog, Day 7: Getting on Tracks

It's the first day of track and field as the Summer Olympics heads into its middle weekend.  Check here for all the latest news and results.

Comments | 1,379 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 3, 2012

Gabby Douglas: Her Childhood Path to the Olympics

It might seem a little early soon to do a career retrospective on a 16-year-old, but even as an 8-year-old, Gabby Douglas could do more pushups than you.

Comments | 20,667 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 3, 2012

Gabby Douglas's Awesome Night: A GIF Guide

You know in your heart that Gabby Douglas is the most amazing high-flying hero Olympic gymnastics champion, maybe ever. But you need to understand it with your head, too, with a rational and objective analysis of her talent through GIFs.

Comments | 51,403 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 2, 2012

This Photo of a Headscarf-Wearing Runner Doesn't Mean What You Think

This image of Palestinian runner Woroud Sawalha has exploded on Tumblr as a feminist symbol, with Sawalha hailed for easily winning in a sporty abaya while the other runners wither despite conforming to fascist beauty standards at the 2012 London Olympics. The problem is this photo isn't from the Olympics—and Sawalha isn't winning, she's getting lapped.

Comments | 43,195 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 2, 2012

So, How Is Ann Romney's Dressage Horse, Rafalca, Doing at the Olympics?

The Atlantic Wire has conclusively proven that it is 100 percent okay to make fun of Ann Romney's fancy horse sport, dressage, but the time for mockery has passed. It's the first day of dressage at the Olympics, so we must now celebrate the beauty of Rafalca.

Comments | 4,644 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 2, 2012

The Men's Gymnastics All-Around Final: A GIF Guide

Danell Leyva crawled back from 18th place to win the bronze medal in the men's gymnastics all-around final Wednesday night, but he didn't get near the attention of certain other members of the U.S. Olympic team.

Comments | 6,605 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 1, 2012

What to Watch For in the Women's Gymnastics All-Around Final, in GIFs

There are four women with a good chance of winning the all-around in gymnastics Thursday night: Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman, Viktoria Komova, and Aliya Mustafina.

Comments | 13,424 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 1, 2012

How the U.S. Gymnastics Team Crushed the Russians: A GIF Guide

If you watched NBC's prime time coverage of the women's gymnastics team final, you were deceived -- the U.S.'s crushing defeat of Russia was even more brutal than the network's packaged show.

Comments | 108,470 Views

By Dashiell Bennett and Elspeth Reeve

Jul 31, 2012

Rings Cycle

London Live Blog, Day 4: Phelps Goes for a Medal Record

Michael Phelps just competed for his 18th Olympic medal. Check here to see if he got it!

Comments | 3,986 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Jul 31, 2012

Harry Reid Says Someone Told Him What's in Romney's Taxes

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid says he heard from a Bain investor who heard that Mitt Romney paid exactly zero taxes for 10 years, Reid tells The Huffington Post's Sam Stein and Ryan Grim

Comments | 7,414 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Jul 31, 2012

The Weird End to the Men's Gymnastics Team Final: A GIF Guide

The Japanese men's gymnastics team—and its star, Kohei Uchimura, who dominates the individual competition—didn't win a medal in the team competition Monday. Except, then they did.

Comments | 10,394 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Jul 31, 2012

Florida's Jewish Grandmas Are Mixed on Romney's Israel Trip

Is there a chance Jewish voters will vote not quite so overwhelmingly Democratic in the presidential election?

Comments | 1,035 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Jul 31, 2012

Romney Aide Curses at the Press in Poland

Mitt Romney's press secretary got so mad at reporters yelling questions at the candidate that he yelled back, "Kiss my ass. This is a holy site for the Polish people. Show some respect."

Comments | 3,138 Views

By Dashiell Bennett and Elspeth Reeve

Jul 30, 2012

Rings Cycle

London Live Blog, Day 3: Missy Franklin Rules

It's the first full weekday of Olympic competition (with 12 medal events) and we're here to keep you posted with news and results. The men's gymnastics final is under way now.

Comments | 4,668 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Jul 30, 2012

Why Jordyn Wieber Didn't Make It: A GIF Guide

Jordyn Wieber was hyped as the all-but-certain gold medalist in the individual all-around gymnastics competition, but on Sunday night, she didn't even make it out of prelims.

Comments | 48,739 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Jul 30, 2012

What We Learned About Romney on His Israel Trip

The Israel leg of Mitt Romney's trip abroad went much better than the London leg, and while he didn't offer much foreign policy details, we did learn something about how Romney sees the world.

Comments | 9,139 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Jul 30, 2012

Newsweek's Weak Case for Romney's Weakness

While a solid skewering of a powerful person is usually fun, Newsweek's case that Mitt Romney is too insecure to be president -- "the wimp factor," as its cover says -- is deeply unsatisfying.

Comments | 1,379 Views

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