Democrats Enter Attack Formation
It's been a short, strange trip for the unemployment benefits debate. When Sen. Jim Bunning (R-KY) first blocked an extension of aid to jobless Americans in February, it was widely assumed at first...
View ArticleLet's Hear It for the Olds, Just Not That One
What's missing from the American body politic? Wrinkles, Peggy Noonan told us last week: All right, you know what I think people miss when they look at Washington and our political leadership? They...
View ArticleBeltway Beast Begins
Welcome! I'm Benjy Sarlin, Washington Correspondent for The Daily Beast and editor of Beltway Beast, our new politics blog. As the name suggests, the blog's primary topic will be national affairs,...
View ArticleThe GOP's Deficit Backlash
Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) took to CNN Sunday to bash Democrats' "gargantuan spending spree," the latest in a long line of Republican attacks over the deficit that began almost immediately...
View ArticleWhere are GOP Women in Repro Rights Debates?
The ongoing controversy over the treatment of abortion and contraception under health-care reform illustrates one of the defining political shifts of the last 20 years: the gradual extinction of the...
View ArticleBibi and Obama's "Chemistry"
President Obama's relationship with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has undergone probably more press scrutiny than that of any other world leader, with observers looking for signs of tension or thaw...
View ArticleOn Stingy Young Alums
Daniel de Vise of the Washington Post notes that young college graduates aren't inclined to help out their alma mater these days, with one report showing 8 in 10 under-35 grads uninterested in donating...
View ArticleWill Elizabeth Warren Head CFPA?
The Wall Street reform bill is passed, but the battle is far from over for progressive groups who are now looking to assure that new regulations will have teeth. The most immediate item on the agenda...
View ArticleThe Special Relationship
Washington morphs into "The Bachelorette" today as observers want to know just how strong the bond is between the White House and the newly installed team at 10 Downing Street. Will David Cameron get a...
View ArticleKey Senators Mum On Warren Nomination
As per this morning's blog post, attention is turning quick among Wall Street reformers to who will run the brand new Consumer Financial Protection Agency. At issue is whether Elizabeth Warren, the...
View ArticleLindsey Graham's Warning
One recurring question I like to ask Republican politicians when I get the chance is whether they're worried that their constant filibusters and secret holds will come back to haunt them when they...
View ArticleThe Silver Lining to a Disastrous Week
Ben Smith has a despairing piece at Politico today arguing that predictions President Obama's election would herald a new dialogue on race have given way to an idiotic shouting match instead. Citing...
View ArticleIs Georgia's Mama Grizzly "Pro-Choice"?
As Georgia Republicans head to the polls today in a gubernatorial run-off election, Georgia Right to Life is robocalling voters, urging them to vote against front-runner and Palin-endorsed Mama Grizzly...
View ArticleConservatives Rush to Defend Shirley Sherrod
There's an interesting dynamic playing out in the case of fired USDA official Shirley Sherrod -- conservatives are lining up to demand her reinstatement. First we had Glenn Beck launching into an...
View ArticleThe Shirley Sherrod Controversy: A Brief History
Conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart unleashed a tempest in a Tea Party pot Monday when he posted a video of United States Department of Agriculture employee Shirley Sherrod speaking at a recent NAACP...
View ArticleGibbs Apologizes to Sherrod
Robert GIbbs' just offered an apology to Shirley Sherrod for her firing and said USDA head Tom Vilsack was trying do the same. A good start at defusing this self-inflicted distraction. It's also...
View ArticleMorning Roundup
Some Morning Links to go with that coffee... After weeks of obstruction, the Senate extends unemployment benefits -- but some won't get their checks for weeks. [AP] Already a longshot, talks on an...
View ArticleAndrew Breitbart's 'Triumph' or Humiliation?
In an interview with Andrew Breitbart, The Daily Beast's Lloyd Grove declares the Shirley Sherrod videos-which Breitbart took out of context and posted on his website in order to make Sherrod look like...
View ArticleTom Vilsack's Political Future
If you're head of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, it's probably best that your name stay out of the news. And unless there's some kind of beef recall in the near future, Tom Vilsack likely intends...
View ArticleThe Pragmatic Paul Ryan
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) is generally considered among the more rigid conservatives on budget matters, having proposed a plan that would severely cut health and Social Security spending in order to...
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