The Message of Ex-Im
The economics of the Export-Import Bank are pretty bad, but the politics are, in some ways, arguably worse. Think about the outlook that Republicans communicate with their persistent and sometimes...
View ArticleIn Case You Weren't Sure How Much Jindal and Vitter Dislike Each Other
It’s no secret that Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal and Louisiana senator David Vitter can’t stand each other. That distaste was on full display Wednesday when Jindal was asked whether he would back...
View ArticleListening to the 'Undercard' Debate
I listened to the “undercard” debate on the car radio, so it will be interesting if there’s a visual/auditory effect like in the Kennedy/Nixon debate. For starters, the format remains terrible; half...
View ArticleRubio Flips Question on Missing Votes into Attack on Media's Double Standards
Asked tonight about his missed Senate votes while campaigning for president, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) used the question to attack the Sun Sentinel newspaper, which called on him to resign, for...
View ArticleCruz Eviscerates CNBC Moderators: Questions Illustrate Why Americans Distrust...
Asked tonight about the debt ceiling, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) instead used the question as an opportunity to provide a blistering critique of CNBC’s debate moderators, earning rousing applause from the...
View ArticleA Big Night for the GOP'S Cuban-American Duo
This was indisputably the worst-moderated debate of this young cycle, and perhaps the worst-moderated debate ever. If the moderators at the next Democratic debate exhibited one-half of the hostility,...
View ArticleHarwood vs. Rubio on Taxes
I’m copying the transcript of the debate exchange from the Weekly Standard’s Mark Hemingway:HARWOOD: Senator Rubio, 30 seconds to you.The Tax Foundation, which was alluded to earlier, scored your tax...
View ArticleMontage: John Harwood Debates the Republican Presidential Candidates
The emerging consensus from tonight’s CNBC debate is that the moderators were rude. John Harwood in particular distinguished himself by not just asking tough questions, but asking them in the most...
View ArticleRubio and Cruz Shine
Rubio had the most consistently impressive night. He showed his political skill with the first couple of questions, which were hostile and had him playing defense, but he parried effectively and by the...
View ArticleThe Gang That Couldn't Bias Straight
How bad were CNBC’s debate moderators last night? So bad that they were ridiculed by even their liberal colleagues. Josh Marshall of Talking Points Memo called out “perhaps the most comically poor...
View ArticleBad Debates With Bad Moderators Can Be Edifying, Too
From the Thursday edition of the Morning Jolt:Bad Debates With Bad Moderators Can Be Edifying, TooMaybe the best thing you can say about last night’s debate is that the GOP candidates demonstrated they...
View ArticleThursday Links
Daylight Saving Time ends this weekend: Here’s DST history, including Ben Franklin’s satirical proposal, the guy who got two DUIs at the same time (an hour apart), rants, stories and video.All 14...
View ArticleBad Night for GOP-E
Other than the ineffable CNBC moderators (and the Mets), last night’s big loser was the Republican establishment.While expressing outrage over the mockery the moderators made of the debate, RNC...
View ArticleWhat Ben Carson’s Mannatech Answer Tells Us
When I inquired about Ben Carson’s speeches and appearances for Mannatech late last year, I was told I would not be speaking to Dr. Carson; I was only permitted to speak to his business manager,...
View ArticleSome Debate Notes
1) I give my overall take here. (Headline: “Cruz and Rubio Win. CNBC Loses.”) A few things I noticed about Cruz. a) He had a nice self-deprecating opening. b) He often gets criticized for being canned,...
View Article‘Bernie’s Conspiracy Theory’
I wrote about Bernie Sanders for Politico today:Bernie Sanders is the most prominent conspiracy theorist in America.He runs around the country alleging that the economy is “rigged” — a term borrowed...
View ArticleThe Cruz Tax Plan
Senator Cruz has released a tax-reform plan that cuts tax rates and promotes growth. It’s similar to Rand Paul’s plan in being a flat tax plus a value added tax, but the rates are different. Cruz’s...
View ArticleKasich 'Very Appreciative' of 'Good Job' Done by CNBC Moderators
Evidently vying for the McCain Medal, GOP presidential hopeful (and Ohio governor) John Kasich lavished praise on the CNBC moderators of last night’s debate.The moderators were jeered by the crowd in...
View ArticleOnly Nine GOP Members Voted Against Ryan
In the end, only nine Republicans voted against Paul Ryan for speaker on the House floor. That falls far short of the 45 who voted against him in the internal House GOP Conference yesterday.The nine...
View ArticleVienna Waits for the Mullahs
The Obama administration, and Reuters, have tried to put the best face on the October 28 invitation for Iran to join Syrian peace talks in Vienna. “Arch rivals Saudi Arabia, Iran to discuss Syria...
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