Maybe there's just something about Sarah. Among the broad American electorate, Alaskan governor and recent Republican nominee for vice president Sarah Palin certainly seems to be damaged merchandise. Read on
It's not uncommon for companies, from time to time, to reposition a product. Occasionally, a company might even change direction, completely reorienting its focus and line of brands. Such a marked shift might indicate that the market for a given product has aged, that the long-term prospects for that segment look unfavorable, or perhaps that a more profitable market has been identified. Read on
It has often and quite appropriately been said that campaign skills do not necessarily translate into governing skills, but it is also true that the personal traits one demonstrates day in and day out are enduring.
Much of the skepticism, including often in this column, to former Sen. Barack Obama's bid for the presidency was built around what was said to be a thin resume. Read on
It's fascinating that an election as historic and momentous as Tuesday's, one that resulted in the election of the first African-American, indeed the first minority, president in history, is also one of the most complicated and nuanced in memory. Read on
It has been 38 years since the Grateful Dead recorded "Truckin'," the song whose lyrics capture this campaign so well: "What a long, strange trip it's been." We haven't had a presidential election in 40 years with as many unexpected twists and turns and weird dynamics. Read on
Late Monday afternoon I was standing in front of 200 or so congressional staff members when someone in the front row handed me a Blackberry with the news bulletin announcing Sen. Ted Stevens' seven-count felony conviction. As I read the news flash to the gasping Hill aides one thing jumped into mind: "Foley Friday," Sept. 29, 2006, when news broke of then-GOP Rep. Read on
For a political analyst, the normal posture this time of year is much like a baseball umpire's: hunched over, peering carefully as the ball approaches the plate, watching for whether it breaks left or right, whether it's coming in high or low. Read on
One of the most unsettling aspects of this campaign is that for an election cycle so turbulent, with so many surprising twists and turns, over the last few days it suddenly has had the feel of concrete setting. Just seven or eight weeks ago, Sen. Barack Obama had a lead over Sen. John McCain, but it hardly seemed sure; we wondered, is this lead real, is it durable? Read on
If this election really is a choice between one nominee who should have become president eight years ago and another who should become president eight years from now, more voters certainly seem to be betting on hastening the future's arrival than on clinging to the past. Read on
If we have learned anything from this election cycle, it should be how volatile and unpredictable campaigns can be. This cycle, nothing has remained static for long; it's an election in which the rule book seems to have been chucked out a window. That's why it is now so dangerous to conclude that this presidential race might be over, despite a preponderance of evidence that it might be. Read on
What if the Electoral College ended up tied, 269-269, prolonging this Alice-in-Wonderland campaign? That's what would happen if Barack Obama won every state that went for Al Gore in 2000 plus Colorado, or if Obama carried every state that John Kerry won in 2004 plus Iowa, New Mexico, and fast-changing Nevada. Read on
Early last year, some notable Senate leaders on both sides of the aisle speculated that the Democrats just might gain enough seats in 2008 to hit 60 votes, a filibuster-proof majority on strict party-line votes. At the time, the prospect seemed pretty outlandish. Read on
It's for someone else to say for sure that our economic and credit crisis is the greatest since the Great Depression. Some of our nation's best-known and longest-standing financial institutions will soon be gone or permanently altered and some fear that big names in other critical sectors might soon bite the dust as a result of the credit crunch and weakened economic conditions. Read on
The 2008 presidential campaign is entering a critical phase. Yeah, political analysts say that all the time. But right now, it happens to be true. The bounces have finished bouncing, and this race has returned to even.
Republican presidential nominee John McCain's post-convention momentum has run out of steam. In fact, no one seems to have momentum for the time being. Read on
It has been almost two weeks since the conclusion of the Republican National Convention. It's now clear that while Sen. Barack Obama of Illinois got a bounce out of the Democratic gathering in Denver, Sen. John McCain of Arizona -- or maybe I should say his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin -- got a bigger one out of the GOP event in St. Paul, Minn. Read on
Republicans who were depressed just two weeks ago seem to have a new lease on life. And their prospects might be rising along with their morale. Read on
The second question is easier. We obviously do not know what is going to happen over the next 55 days until the election. Little has been predictable so far about this election, so why should it start being predictable now?
We do know that both sides have picked presidential nominees and running mates, held conventions and gotten bounces. Read on
As John McCain prepares to accept his party's presidential nomination tonight, Democrat Barack Obama is 5 to 8 percentage points ahead in the latest polls, making the Republican an underdog but hardly a long shot. This lead is real but not insurmountable. Obama is ahead in a lot of states by relatively small margins. Read on
There are a dozen ways to slice and dice this year's electorate and how it breaks down. Indeed, every pollster and analyst seems to do it a bit differently.
One way is to think of a stool with four legs. The first and easiest-to-predict leg this year is the African-American vote. Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama is incredibly strong among black voters. Read on
Is it just me, or is this the most bizarre presidential campaign in modern American history?
Eighteen months ago, John McCain was the front-runner for the Republican nomination. Fourteen months ago he was toast. Seven months later he was the presumptive nominee. Read on
Most everyone agrees that John McCain's selection of Alaskan Gov. Sarah Palin as his running mate could be a "game-changer." But they disagree over which way it might change the game. We don't know how Palin will perform over the next 64 days. The choice could turn out to be inspired and resonate with swing voters, women, and independents. Read on
The first objective in selecting a vice presidential running mate, it's often been said, is to follow the Hippocratic Oath, which has been paraphrased as, "First, do no harm." Consider John McCain's choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin through that lens. Read on
