Topic: Republicans

Jon Stewart Is Not Letting Cheney or Rumsfeld Join the Scandal Parade

Comedy Central

In continuing to address "Hurricane Scandy," Stewart had to admit that Republicans has something with the IRS and Benghazi dust-ups. He even proposed teaming up with Fox News! But you know who still doesn't get to take a GOP victory lap? Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney.

By John Hudson

Oct 24, 2012

Congress Seeking a Way to Call the Whole Fiscal Cliff Off

Call it the partial fix to the partial fix to the partial fix. National Journal's Dan Friedman and Billy House report that leading lawmakers are discussing a plan to make a "down payment" of cuts that would amount to half of the $110 billion in sequestration, which is set to go into effect in January.

Comments | 1,675 Views

By Adam Clark Estes

Oct 23, 2012

Republican Senate Candidate Says Rape Pregnancies Are a 'Gift from God'

Senate candidate Richard Mourdock, an Indiana Republican, turned a few heads and dropped a few jaws on Tuesday night when he said that pregnancies resulting from rape were "something that God intended to happen."

Comments | 22,273 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Oct 15, 2012

George W. Bush Whiles Away the Time Painting Pictures of Dogs

Being a retired Leader of the Free World is a lot like being a retired anything else, at least for George W. Bush, who spends his days painting portraits of dogs.

Comments | 29,792 Views

By John Hudson

Oct 10, 2012

Watch the House Brawl Over Intelligence Failures in Libya

It's the most anticipated House hearing in weeks and will likely provide the Romney campaign with talking points for the rest of the presidential race.

Comments | 1,938 Views

By David Wagner

Sep 27, 2012

Today in Research

The 'Michele Bachmann' Effect; Curiosity Finds a Streambed on Mars

Discovered: Republican women have more "feminine" features; some evidence for Mars' watery past;  element 113 is synthesized; how the brightest stellar event ever recorded happened.

Comments | 2,301 Views

By John Hudson

Sep 14, 2012

The Most Controversial Cuts the White House Unveiled Today

After months of foot-dragging, the White House finally announced how it would implement the mandatory spending cuts to defense and domestic spending Republicans and Democrats agreed to last year, but that no one — not Congressional Democrats, Republicans, or the White House — wants to see go in effect.

Comments | 4,181 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Sep 12, 2012

New York City May Not Be the Best Place to Run as a Homophobe

Juan Reyes, a former aide to Rudy Giuliani, has taken his campaign to a semi-hilarious, desperate low by sending out homophobic mailers which attack New York City Councilman Eric Ulrich and his wife for having dinners with gay men, and being nice to lesbian New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn.  

Comments | 1,795 Views

By Esther Zuckerman

Sep 11, 2012

Poll Watch

The Trouble with Likely Voters

Two national polls show conflicting results among likely voters, while Bible Belt whites have some lingering issues with Romney and Democrats mostly think they are hearing good news about the economy. Here's our guide to today's polls and why they matter. 

Comments | 1,639 Views

By Richard Lawson

Aug 30, 2012

What We Watched

Anger and Ecstasy in Tampa

I suppose I'm weak for only being able to last a day of this convention trying to be neutral about the whole thundering affair. Try as I might to be non-partisan, to view these things as spectacle rather than affirmation of policy, last night it became impossible to do that. No, what I saw last night frankly chilled me to the bone.

Comments | 7,681 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Aug 27, 2012

GOP Senate Candidate Says Rape Is 'Similar' to Getting Knocked Up

Pennsylvania Republican Senate candidate Tom Smith said getting pregnant by being raped is "similar" to getting pregnant out of wedlock Monday.

Comments | 6,917 Views

By Connor Simpson

Aug 22, 2012

What It Will Take to Get Todd Akin to Drop Out

The initial deadline for Todd Akin came and went Tuesday evening, and Akin stuck to his guns and stayed in the race. But Akin can still go to court and get out of the race before September 25, and now we know how far in the polls Akin has to fall before he'll pull the plug. 

Comments | 1,031 Views

By John Hudson

Aug 22, 2012

The 'Fiscal Cliff' Isn't Just a Game Anymore

For the last several months, Republicans and Democrats have been posturing their way towards the the edge of the so-called "fiscal cliff," a mix of nearly $500 billion in tax hikes and spending cuts set to go into effect in January.

Comments | 3,299 Views

By John Hudson

Aug 16, 2012

Romney's Tax Rate is Embarrassing, Just Not That Embarrassing

Combatting rumors that he paid zero taxes for 10 whole years, Mitt Romney spilled the beans on Thursday that he paid a tax rate of at least 13 percent on his income over the last decade.

Comments | 3,032 Views

Republicans Eat Chick-fil-A; Democrats Eat Boston Market

You are what you eat, in more ways than one. Some of our consumer choices reflect a deeper connection to the brands we know and love, one that goes beyond mere habit and becomes a part of our self-image. There's a strong correlation between our spending, eating, and drinking habits and our political actions.

Comments | 1,675 Views

By John Hudson

Aug 16, 2012

Obama Campaign Strikes Back Against Former Navy SEALs

Politically speaking, Navy SEALs aren't the safest targets to rail against in a presidential race, but the Obama campaign isn't hesitating to take down a group of former SEALs who've criticized the president's national security decisions. 

Comments | 37,157 Views

By John Hudson

Aug 10, 2012

Huntsman Daughters Deny Report He'll Appear at Democratic Convention

In a rumor receiving a lot of push back, Breitbart.com's Mike Flynn claims that former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. has accepted a speaking slot at next month's Democratic convention, citing an anonymous "high-ranking Republican official."

Comments | 8,397 Views

By John Hudson

Aug 10, 2012

The Possible GOP Turncoats at the Democratic Convention

Democrats are planning on enlisting "several" wayward Republicans to help turn out the vote for President Obama at next month's Democratic National Convention, but who will it be?

Comments | 7,448 Views

By John Hudson

Aug 10, 2012

James Baker Throws a Lifeline to Embattled Romney Adviser

Former Secretary of State James Baker attempted to shield Bob Zoellick, the new head of Mitt Romney's national security transition team, Thursday night following blistering criticisms from neocons that Zoellick is insufficiently pro-Israel and opposed the Gulf War.

Comments | 517 Views

By Alexander Abad-Santos

Aug 10, 2012

The Time Bad Luck Turned Mitt Romney into a Nice Guy

Today The New York Times introduces us to the Stampes, an average American couple that bucks the idea that Mitt Romney is out to get every single middle-class American ... sort of. 

Comments | 2,459 Views

By John Hudson

Aug 9, 2012

Donald Trump's Twitter Math: A Little Off

Donald Trump is a pretty popular guy. So popular, in fact, that he may not be able to attend this month's Republican National Convention in Tampa, he tells The New York Times' Jeremy Peters

Comments | 433 Views

By John Hudson

Aug 8, 2012

Mitt Romney Needs Paul Ryan, but in What Way?

The Paul Ryan vice presidential buzz has reached a deafening amplitude this week with the Romney campaign telling numerous reporters that the Wisconsin congressman is at the top of the shortlist.

Comments | 1,780 Views

By Justin Elliott, ProPublica

Jul 31, 2012

Lobbyist-Linked Group Paid the Bill for Burton’s Bahrain Trip

When Rep. Dan Burton (R-IN) and his wife Samia arrived in Bahrain in April, they were greeted with a huge welcome poster featuring oversized smiling headshots of the Burtons.

Comments | 1,059 Views

By John Hudson

Jul 30, 2012

Paul Ryan's Race Against Time to Change the Country

It's no secret that Rep. Paul Ryan is the intellectual leader of the GOP's fiscal resurgence (though "intellectual" isn't the word Paul Krugman would use), but what's less known is the biographical impetus behind his youthful crusade: His family's health history.

Comments | 3,276 Views

By Jen Doll

Jul 30, 2012

Let's Give Mindy Meyer a Reality TV Show and Be Done With It

The New York Post is staying on the story of Mindy Meyer, the 22-year-old Brooklyn who's running for New York state senate, as inspired by Kim Kardashian, Rudy Guiliani, and Legally Blonde's Elle Woods.

Comments | 808 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

By Elspeth Reeve

Jul 26, 2012

Karl Rove Hates the Money Game He's So Good at Playing

Karl Rove doesn't want it to be this way. He doesn't want outside groups like his own to have so much power.

Comments | 1,207 Views

By John Hudson

Jul 26, 2012

House Republicans Will Not Be Thwarted by Pesky Typos

It's been a tough week of typographical errors for House Republicans. Yesterday, the House nearly approved a bill that would've put a freeze on major federal regulations forever because of a typo. Today, in trying to fix the error, made another clerical snafu.

Comments | 888 Views

By Eric Randall

Jul 25, 2012

D.C. Democrats Are Getting Hotter, According to The Hill

The Hill newspaper has released it's annual want-but-can't-look-away of a listicle: The Hill's 50 Most Beautiful People, which rounds up the most attractive politicos the swampland has to offer. The big news this year: Democrats have are now just as attractive as Republicans.

Comments | 3,199 Views

By Esther Zuckerman

Jul 25, 2012

Trimming the Times

Jewish Voters, British Journalism, and 'Homeland'

A summary of the best reads found behind the paywall of The New York Times.

Comments | 862 Views

By John Hudson

Jul 24, 2012

How Come Gun Sales Spike After Mass Shootings?

By now, you can set your watch to a phenomenon that follows nearly every mass shooting in America: A sharp uptick in gun sales.

Comments | 3,635 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Jul 24, 2012

Elle Woods Would Not Approve of Mindy Meyer

A 22-year-old Republican candidate for the New York state senate has learned all the right lessons from Kim Kardashian, who is one of her inspirations: it doesn't matter if you get famous by people making fun of you as long as you actually get famous.

Comments | 5,418 Views

By John Hudson

Jul 20, 2012

Will Gun Control Always Be a Stale Debate?

Hours after the tragic shooting deaths in Aurora, Colorado advocates on both sides of the gun control debate began reciting the same talking points they've reiterated for years.

Comments | 2,435 Views

By John Hudson

Jul 19, 2012

Budget Cuts Cannot Cool the Pentagon's Love of NASCAR

Did you know the Pentagon spends $80 million a year on NASCAR sponsorships, ultimate cage fighting, bass fishing tournaments and other sports?

Comments | 588 Views

By John Hudson

Jul 17, 2012

How McCain Flirted and Then Dumped Campaign Finance Reform

Sen. John McCain stroked the fantasies of campaign finance reformers with the impression that he would cross the aisle and vote with Democrats to help pass the DISCLOSE Act legislation, but yesterday the bill failed after a 51-44 party-line vote in favor. Behold the star-crossed romance...

Comments | 797 Views

By John Hudson

Jul 16, 2012

Some Democrats Say They're Willing to Jump Off the 'Fiscal Cliff'

It was the Democratic talking point throughout last year's debt ceiling debate, "The Tea Party is taking the economy hostage," but now in a role reversal from last year, Democrats are the ones threatening economic ruin in an effort to wring concessions from Republicans.

Comments | 1,625 Views

By John Hudson

Jul 13, 2012

Is Your State Refusing Federal Money for Poor People?

It's the hottest trend sweeping the nation: Refusing free money from the federal government to insure millions of poor people by expanding Medicaid.

Comments | 3,230 Views

G.O.P. Attempt to Regain the Senate Not Being Helped by Its Slate of Candidates

Conservatives are paying close attention to the composition of the Senate, knowing that their last chance to overturn the healthcare law is with a Republican president and a Senate majority. But the odds of Republicans taking back the upper chamber are no better than 50-50.

Comments | 3,020 Views

By John Hudson

Jul 11, 2012

The Only Way to Debate Health Care: Pop Culture References

After 32 votes to repeal President Obama's health care reform bill, Democrats and Republicans are out of fresh talking points on the law. But worry not: you can never run out of strained pop culture references.

Comments | 2,924 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Jul 9, 2012

Perks of Being a Former GOP Boy Wonder Include Girls Who Flirt

There are both costs and benefits to denouncing the conservatism that made you famous at 13.

Comments | 3,249 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Jul 5, 2012

Why Is Mitt Romney Running on His Biography?

Conservatives have complained for months that Mitt Romney's campaign message is "vote for me because of who I am."

Comments | 3,621 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Jul 3, 2012

Profiles in Politrolling: Hero Inspector Joe Walsh

Poor old Joe Walsh had no idea his little town hall would get national attention when he said his opponent, Tammy Duckworth, might have lost her legs in the Iraq war but wasn't a true hero. Right? The Illinois congressman just got caught thinking out loud about public service and life and death and never thought this might stir up bloggy outrage, right? Actually no.

Comments | 3,621 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Jul 3, 2012

Anarchy in the G.O.P.

Once upon a time, about eight years ago, the Republican Party was seen as perfectly disciplined unified organism, responding in concert to its nerve-center's wishes and whims. Squabbling Democrats cowered before its discipline. Today, Rove is certainly not gone -- he's running a well-financed Super PAC that will surely be influential this election. But the sense of order in the GOP is.

Comments | 4,783 Views

By Esther Zuckerman

Jun 29, 2012

Trimming the Times

Obama's Legacy, Tasteless Tomatoes, and 'Magic Mike'

A summary of the best reads found behind the paywall of The New York Times.

Comments | 690 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Jun 26, 2012

This Is How Proud Romney Was to Be Pro-Gay Rights in 1994

Mitt Romney earned huge cheers at a conservative conference in February when he bragged, "On my watch, we fought hard and prevented Massachusetts from becoming the Las Vegas of gay marriage." But in 1994, running for Senate against Ted Kennedy, he told a local gay and lesbian paper he was even more pro-gay rights than Kennedy.

Comments | 98,983 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Jun 25, 2012

GOP Can't Decide If Immigration Ruling Is Their Victory or Feds' Failure

The Supreme Court's ruling on Arizona's controversial immigration law was confusing for the press, who couldn't decide whether it was a major defeat for President Obama or a victory for the federal government. But Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer was not conflicted at all.

Comments | 2,697 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Jun 22, 2012

Inside Agenda 21: The International Tyranny of Bike Lanes

Agenda 21 is right now an important issue that is being passionately debated in many state legislatures around the country, but it's mostly been ignored by our national leaders and the press. It is being ignored because it is an insane conspiracy theory. 

Comments | 10,893 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Jun 21, 2012

A Growing Force in Republican Politics: The Email Forward

Joe the Plumber, a campaign trail prop in 2008 and Ohio congressional candidate in 2012, is the latest conservative public figure to get busted stealing from an email created by the army of anonymous right-wing forwarders.

Comments | 2,738 Views

By Elspeth Reeve

Jun 19, 2012

Vice President Rubio Looks Unlikely: He's Not Being Vetted

Over the last several days, Romney's been holding a kind of audition for several running mates -- Rob Portman, Kelly Ayotte, Tim Pawlenty, Paul Ryan -- during his bus tour through the Rust Belt, but Florida Sen. Marco Rubio did not make the trip. Maybe that's because he's not being vetted by the Romney campaign, ABC News' Jon Karl reports.

Comments | 4,312 Views

By Richard Lawson

Jun 18, 2012

HBO, Your Liberal Id Is Showing

Some sort of slickster-sounding company called Buyology that does "neuro-insight" recently surveyed 4,000 Americans asking them how they feel about various products. Part of what they learned is that HBO and Showtime are "the most politically polarizing brands in entertainment." Democrats are totally into them but Republicans really are not.

Comments | 2,759 Views

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