Benjamin Franklin popularized the sentiment that nothing is certain “except death and taxes.” But the public isn’t too keen on the current federal tax system, with 59% saying there is so much wrong that Congress should completely change it (38% say it works pretty well and needs only minor changes). […] Read more »
What the polls say about who might vote for Rand Paul
As Rand Paul officially begins his pursuit of the presidency Tuesday, his campaign’s opening video hinted at the mix of constituencies and themes he’ll try to balance: there’s the Tea Party strain of anti-spending (and anti-Washington) activism that first catapulted him to national prominence. There’s his outreach to groups beyond […] Read more »
Parties Trade Places in Culture Wars Over Rights Measures
The uproar set off by legislation in Indiana and Arkansas that sponsors billed as religious freedom measures not only signaled a revival of the culture wars, but also threw into stark relief the expectations and tensions in the coalitions that now make up the two major political parties. The contrasting […] Read more »
Consensus Conservative in 2016?
Many are looking at the 2016 GOP primary in the same way they look at recent congressional GOP primaries: a contest between the Tea Party or very conservative forces versus the traditional conservative/establishment forces. At the House and Senate level, of course, the candidate who corralled the support of the […] Read more »
Marco’s Moment?
… While many talk of the GOP race as a battle between the establishment and non-establishment forces, the winner of the nomination is ultimately the one who can prove to be acceptable to the four or five significant factions of the party: establishment, Tea Party/Libertarian, social conservative and internationalist/defense hawk. […] Read more »
Jeb Bush’s Headwinds
The race for next year’s Republican presidential nomination is going to be fascinating on so many levels, but none more than the challenges facing former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. … Bush will likely find no greater challenge than on immigration and education. Results of a new NBC News/Wall Street Journal […] Read more »