Tag: Commentary

November 4, 2014

For all of the billions spent on the midterms and the fixation by the two parties and national media over which party will control the Senate, a lot of Americans don’t think either party has really made its case. That’s why every poll shows such low voter enthusiasm and disapproval of both parties. Nothing about this campaign has given voters reason to believe political gridlock and dysfunction will end, no matter which party controls the Senate.
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October 31, 2014

The Virginia Senate race, which has largely stayed off the national media’s radar screen because incumbent Democrat Mark Warner is expected to be comfortably reelected, illustrates how negative television advertising has come to dominate political campaigns. Polls show Sen. Warner leading his opponent, former Republican National Committee chairman Ed Gillespie, by seven t0 10 points. Yet the Warner campaign chose to go negative, creating ads that labeled Mr. Gillespie a “million-dollar lobbyist who has never looked out for you” and who worked for Enron and “a dictator now awaiting trial for war crimes.”
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October 30, 2014

Two recent surveys of Latinos and young people, both previously considered mostly Democratic supporters, prove that these groups do swing in their voting patterns, something Democrats should keep in mind for 2016. A Pew Research Center survey–written about further here–found that most Hispanic voters still favor Democrats but that support has been shrinking the past four years. Similarly, 18- to 30-year-olds who were so excited by Barack Obama‘s 2008 candidacy have cooled on both politics and the Democrats.
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October 23, 2014

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie made a startling pronouncement this week about why Republicans need to win the statehouses in key swing states this year that was almost certainly tied to his presidential ambitions. At a U.S. Chamber of Commerce event Tuesday, Gov. Christie said that Republicans must win gubernatorial races this year so they control voting procedures for 2016.
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October 17, 2014

Former vice presidential chief of staff Ron Klain will be the new “Ebola czar” to, as President Barack Obama put it Thursday, “make sure that we’re crossing all the T’s and dotting all the I’s going forward.” Mr. Klain may have significant political skills, but he has no medical training or public health experience. His appointment also wouldn’t have been necessary if the U.S. had a confirmed surgeon general. But the position of America’s chief doctor has been unfilled since July 2013 because of politics.
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October 16, 2014

After about the 20th reference it was hard to keep track of how many times Sen. Pat Roberts (R.) mentioned the “Reid-Obama agenda” in his Wednesday night debate with Greg Orman. Sen. Roberts wanted the voters of Kansas to know that although Mr. Orman is running as an independent he is really a “liberal Democrat” who would side with President Barack Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. Meanwhile, Mr. Roberts portrayed himself as a “trusted conservative Republican” who would help the GOP secure a Senate majority. Mr. Roberts said that “the number one thing” in this election is winning the Senate for the Republicans.
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October 14, 2014

Monday night’s debate between Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and his Democratic opponent, Alison Lundergan Grimes, illustrates why Americans are so unenthusiastic about the midterm elections. Pollster Peter D. Hart wrote in Think Tank on Monday that voters are both angry and disinterested. It’s no mystery why: When forced to choose between a Democrat and a Republican, a lot of voters aren’t enthusiastic about either–and don’t think voting for either would change much in Washington. By not showing up, voters are saying, “None of the above.”
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