publius

by publius Well, you won’t hear me say this too often, but good for President Bush and good for John McCain for opposing the farm bill monstrosity. Obama should have done the same (maybe he will if and when he stops being an Illinois Senator). Here’s the Post describing a few of the bill’s more … Read more

by publius One last point about Kentucky… it’s not entirely fair to call this a “Democratic” primary. It’s more like a “mixed” primary. One thing to keep in mind is that many of Kentucky’s “Democrats” are Republicans for all practical purposes. Interestingly, registered Democrats still far outnumber Republicans 57%-36% (that’s as of 2006, though Republicans … Read more

by publius As expected, Kentucky was called for Clinton. I’m sure we’ll have more later, but I have a few quick thoughts: First, I would enjoy watching MSNBC a lot more if I could get a lot less Terry McAuliffe. Second, I’m frankly a little sick of the Clinton campaign’s whole delicate flower routine. Obama … Read more

by publius Richard Cohen pens an odd column today arguing that Clinton’s refusal to stop campaigning is evidence of her “leadership qualities.” Great leaders, Cohen argues, don’t quit. But then he uses a rather odd historical example to support his point — Robert E. Lee: In the end, no one begrudges a bitter-ender. Robert E. … Read more

by publius Obama drew 75,000 in Portland. Sorry, but I’m a sucker for this stuff. (Photo: Chris Carlson/Associated Press) (via The Caucus)

by publius Let me state this as clearly as I can — I don’t like Joe Lieberman. We have policy disagreements, sure, but I like lots of officials whom I disagree with. No, I dislike Fightin’ Joe because he’s driven more by petty wankerous spite than by policy or conscience. And nothing would make me … Read more

by publius I was going to write about Appalachia, but the Edwards endorsement knocked that one down the queue. Instead, I’ve listed a few scattered thoughts below on today’s big endorsement: First, color me a bit skeptical that everything came together at the last minute. It’s too perfect — endorsing Obama the day after West … Read more

by publius Jamie Kirchick — whose struggles with honesty have been discussed here — penned an odd column for the Politico yesterday. The argument is essentially that “the left” is hypocritical because it criticizes conservative religious extremists while “cynically” developing “a newfound love” for extremists like Wright. He writes: Yet the left, with its healthy … Read more

by publius Tonight, I think, marks the end of the Clinton campaign. I mean, it’s been over for some time, but tonight sucked the wind out of her rationale for staying in — particularly if Indiana flips when the Chicago vote comes in. Math-wise, tonight’s elections don’t change much. The math is bad for Clinton, … Read more

by publius Shorter Hitchens — Obama attended Wright’s church not because he was an aspiring Chicago politician, but because Michelle is a closet radical. The evidence? Her 1985 college thesis. The other evidence? None listed. All in all, a well-argued column. And bonus points if anyone can identify the logical relevance of the first two … Read more

by publius The bitter Marxists in Louisiana, House District 6, voted in a Democrat yesterday in a district that went solidly for Bush (59%). I haven’t been following it closely, but it had the potential to create further headaches for Obama. Jenkins, the Republican, appeared to be closing strong by tying Cazayoux with Obama and … Read more

by publius Steve Benen has the complete run-down on McCain’s most recent gaffe about oil and the Iraq War. A few thoughts, in no particular order: First, it reinforces my argument that McCain — paper credentials aside — is a weak campaigner. He’s extremely undisciplined and that’s ultimately going to cost him. It’s not just … Read more

by publius Given recent media narratives, it’s easy to lose sight of just how irrelevant the Indiana primary is to the overall nomination. It seems at times that Clinton is just an Indiana victory from storming back into contention. But she’s not. Regardless of the ultimate outcome in Indiana, the delegates will essentially be split … Read more

by publius I try to avoid writing posts like this, but I can’t really add anything so just go read Jon Chait. I agree 100%.

by publius Steve Benen says it perfectly, so I’ll just let him take it away: It’s one thing for a good presidential candidate to embrace a bad idea. It’s worse when the candidate knows it’s a bad idea. It’s worse still when the candidate attacks her rival for failing to embrace a bad idea. And … Read more

by publius It’s hard to explain just how silly I think the media’s manic obsessive focus on Jeremiah Wright has been. I’m not a big fan of the guy, but neither do I feel the need for ostentatious Maoist denunciations to show tmy bipartisan street cred. He should simply be ignored — there’s no reason … Read more

by publius Via Kevin Drum, I saw Brian Morton’s Dissent article praising the liberal blogosphere as the “New” New Left. Morton notes that many of these writers are unapologetically liberal because they came of age after the Cold War. On this point, Ezra Klein agrees, noting that post-Cold War liberals face less constraints: For instance, … Read more

by publius Alas, the Bataan Death March goes on. And I certainly share Matt Yglesias’s frustration regarding the annoyingly-reluctant superdelegates: All the superdelegates should just say who they’re voting for and bring this to the end. . . . The idea that in two weeks we’ll have another inconclusive primary, then another, then another, then … Read more

by publius My old nemesis the exit polls are (via Drudge) showing 52-48 Clinton. If that holds up, it would be big news. My hunch though is that it won’t. I suppose someone has figured this up somewhere on the Internets, but it seems like the exit polls have consistently overestimated Obama’s performance. Thus, it … Read more

by publius More like a straight-up deception, frankly: Sen. John McCain yesterday offered sweeping rhetoric about the economic plight of working-class Americans, promising immediate assistance even as he spelled out a tax and spending agenda whose benefits are aimed squarely at spurring corporate growth. . . . In yesterday’s speech, McCain played to his maverick … Read more

by publius I’m a bit underwhelmed by John Judis’s argument that Obama will struggle with working class whites in industrial swing states. I don’t necessarily disagree, but I think he focuses too narrowly on Obama. The fundamental problem is that any Democrat — not just Obama — will struggle with this group of voters in … Read more

by publius Megan McArdle has an interesting response to the “irrationality” argument below. She raises several interesting points (including that it’s perhaps not all that irrational), but I want to focus specifically on the observation that liberals act irrationally too. For instance, if it’s irrational for working class people to support Republican economic policies, then … Read more

by publius In my last post, I criticized Thomas Frank (and the larger argument he symbolizes) for naively reducing cultural issues to economics. I did, though, unfairly oversimplify his argument. While his theory may not adequately explain why working class people support Republican cultural policies, it’s far more persuasive in explaining why they support Republican … Read more

by publius Um, wow. But critics say an equally significant legacy of [Jackson’s] four years as the nation’s top housing officer was gross inattention to the looming housing crisis. . . . During Jackson’s years on the job, foreclosures for loans insured by HUD’s Federal Housing Administration (FHA) have risen and default rates have hit … Read more