Democrats pin tail on Ted Cruz

Activist voters from both parties who regularly keep up with politics view the latest battle through their own perceptual lenses and see what they want to see. “We’re winning, yahoo!” But most voters tuned out long ago and just hear, “Blah, blah, blah.” As I have said in this space […] Read more »

GOP & tea party unfavorables at all-time highs

A new national poll provides more evidence of the political hit the Republican Party, the tea party movement, and House Speaker John Boehner took over the government shutdown. According to a CNN/ORC International survey released Tuesday, 64% of Americans say they have an unfavorable view of the GOP, an all-time […] Read more »

The shutdown showdown: What changed in Washington, what didn’t

As with a terrible headache that finally eases, the reverberations of the 16-day government shutdown continue to echo around Washington even though the immediate crisis has passed. The question everyone in politics is trying to answer is whether and how much the shutdown showdown changed things inside and outside Washington. […] Read more »

Cruz Emerges Stronger From Republican Debacle

In the aftermath of the U.S. government shutdown and a close call with default, there is a political consensus among Democrats, many Republicans, establishment conservatives, business leaders and the inside-the-Beltway commentariat: Senator Ted Cruz of Texas and Tea Party members in the House have done grievous harm to themselves and […] Read more »