… Washington Post chief correspondent Dan Balz’s new book, Collision 2012: Obama vs. Romney and the Future of Elections in America, is everything one would expect from the worthy successor to the mantle of Balz’s mentor, the late David Broder. Without a trace of snarkiness or the self-righteousness that creeps […] Read more »
Racism doesn’t explain why Obama’s approval rating is falling
Does being black cost President Obama support among white voters? We all know that there’s a certain proportion of the electorate that’s not going to support Obama because he’s black. … What needs to be pointed out, however, is that most of Obama’s current approval slide likely isn’t because of […] Read more »
When campaigning backfires: Did a pro-Obama canvass produce McCain supporters?
In the aftermath of the 2012 election, one rare point of bipartisan agreement has been about campaign tactics: Obama had a significant edge in the ground game, many agree. One piece of evidence for that claim was the Obama campaign’s almost three-to-one advantage in its number of field offices. Still, […] Read more »
Why Jeff Bezos Will Feel Out of Place in Washington
… The biggest reason Washington doesn’t work is not too little integrity but too much rigidity. The principal role of the political system—the value it adds to the American life—is mediating the perpetual differences in our very diverse society. But Washington has almost entirely lost its ability to fulfill that […] Read more »
Fox News Poll: 82 percent say Congress doesn’t deserve August recess
Members of Congress started a five-week summer recess on Monday that most Americans don’t think they deserve. A new Fox News national poll finds 82 percent of voters think Congress hasn’t worked hard enough to take the month of August off. Just 14 percent think lawmakers deserve the break (some […] Read more »
The Obama Magic Fades
When he was sworn in for a second term in January, Barack Obama’s political standing was the best it had been in years. His job approval had climbed into the mid-50s—not extraordinary but solid—and he seemed to have the wind at his back as he called for a new era […] Read more »