A veteran Democratic consultant once told me something very wise: 90 percent of what happens in a campaign has little to do with determining who wins and who loses.
The problem is that we don’t know exactly what the important 10 percent is.
I think of this…
It wasn’t that long ago that any talks leading to a possible major bipartisan deal would include names like former Sens. John Breaux (D-La.) and Sen. Evan Bayh (D-Ind.), former Rep. John Spratt (D-S.C.), Sens. Dick Lugar (R-Ind.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine) and, yes, Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio).
…
As a Democratic senator in a red state, Claire McCaskill has always known that she was going to have a tough race. But she might have made things a little more difficult for herself.
After years of crafting an image as an independent, good government politician, McCaskill has…
There is an old joke, attributed to both Winston Churchill and George Bernard Shaw. It goes something like this:
Churchill: Madam, would you sleep with me for 5 million pounds?
Woman: My goodness, Mr. Churchill ... Well, I suppose ... we would have to discuss terms, of…
In recent years, Democrats have consistently criticized Rasmussen Reports for flooding the public space with polls and driving the narrative of races to favor Republican candidates. But six months into the 2012 cycle, public polling in Senate races has been dominated by one Democratic firm.
Public Policy Polling,…
With President Barack Obama’s job approval sliding, the stock market showing its nerves, the public increasingly pessimistic about a jobs rebound and signs of a slowing economy everywhere, the president looks to be increasingly in trouble.
Trying to take advantage of what they see as an opportunity, Congressional…
With millions of dollars in the bank and no challenger, the path to re-election looks like a freshly paved freeway for some Senate incumbents. But using recent history as a road map, those factors can be poor predictors of electoral success and certainly don't guarantee another term.
With…
Competitive Democratic primaries are nothing new in Connecticut, and next year, the Nutmeg State will host another one.
Back in 2006, Sen. Joseph Lieberman lost renomination only to come back and win the general election as a third party candidate. In the face of another likely primary challenge,…
My eye caught a small item in Roll Call on Tuesday announcing that “Blackwell Leads GOP Senate Hopefuls in Ohio Poll,” a reference to the 2012 Ohio Senate contest.
Polls are news, of course, so this newspaper and its competitors dutifully report them, eager to post a new…
It’s no wonder many Americans hold politicians in low regard.
Our political “leaders” often say one thing when they are in power and something diametrically opposed when they are not. They often appear to be reading from a script, changing roles depending on whether they just won or…
