Inside Washington
Inside Washington for June 6th 
Election ’08: A Democratic Year or a Realignment Year?
Strategists from both major parties agree that Illinois Sen. Barack Obama begins the general election battle with the upper hand over Arizona Sen. John McCain. The factors that will continue to define the political environment over the next five months remain unchanged – an unpopular war, an unpopular president in the White House, a housing crisis, spiraling gas prices, rising food prices, etc. What these factors have in common is that they aren’t likely to change any time soon and collectively they have placed a crushing weight upon the neck of the national GOP “brand.” (more…)
Inside Washington for May 30, 2008
Know the Vice Presidential Contenders
With the Democratic presidential nomination race all but over, the attention of Washington’s political handicappers has move on to the next big question: who will McCain/Obama choose for running mates? This enduring ritual is the political equivalent of “Goldilocks and the Three Bears” – this one’s too hot, that one’s too cold, but this one’s just right! (more…)
Inside Washington for May 23, 2008
Ten factors that will shape politics in the coming months
With just over five months until Election Day and all eyes still glued to the Democratic presidential nomination fight, here’s a Top 10 list of factors likely to shape American politics as we know it this year and next. (more…)
Inside Washington for May 16, 2008
Has the GOP meltdown begun?
There’s only one story in Washington this week and it’s not Hillary Clinton’s victory in West Virginia or John Edwards’ endorsement of Barack Obama. Rather, it is the GOP’s loss of its third straight special election in a row this year, which happened on Tuesday in Mississippi’s 1st Congressional District.
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Inside Washington for May 9, 2008
Panic comes to town………..
The GOP loss of Louisiana’s 6th Congressional District in last Saturday’s special election has sent shock waves that have rocked both the GOP House delegation and (in a much more subtle way) the Democratic presidential nomination race. (more…)
Inside Washington for May 2, 2008
May’s other political stories
Yes, nationally, all eyes are on May 6th’s two Democratic presidential primaries in North Carolina and Indiana. But political operatives from both major parties are keeping their fingers on the pulse of two special House elections this month where conservative Democratic candidates have a chance to take two open seats long-held by the GOP. (more…)
Inside Washington for April 25, 2008
Lessons from the Pennsylvania Primary
The Pennsylvania Democratic Presidential Primary is finally over but the race goes on forever. While it was a foregone conclusion that Sen. Hillary Clinton would win, her margin (officially just short of 10 percentage points) has obviously given her campaign a boost in fundraising and put some brakes on the march of undecided “Superdelegates” towards the campaign of Sen. Barack Obama. (more…)
Inside Washington for April 18, 2008
Iraq debate shifts from “blood” to “treasure”
An article in this week’s Washington Post suggested that there is a debate going on between several economists as to whether or not the war in Iraq has a causal link to the huge downturn in the U.S. economy. Much like that other ongoing debate among economists – as to whether or not we’re really, finally “in a recession” – the academics are way behind the curve. According to the architects of political reality – politicians and the voters who elect them – the jury is in. (more…)
Inside Washington for April 11, 2008
There’s somethin’ happenin’ here (what it is, is pretty clear)
It doesn’t take a weatherman to tell you that there’s some sort of electoral storm brewing across the U.S. this election year. The first hint came in January and February during the first and second wave of presidential primaries and caucuses. Anecdotes about long lines at polling places and precincts running out of ballots gave way to post-election stats showing huge Democratic turnout in state after state.
By the middle of March, the estimates were that almost 18 million more voters had turned out to vote in this year’s primaries than did in 2000. As of February 5th’s Super Tuesday, already more than 27% of eligible voters nationwide had turned out to cast ballots in this year’s contests, putting the country on track to surpass the 25.9% presidential primary turnout record of 1972. And as of this week, primary turnout records have been broken in 23 states. (more…)
Inside Washington for April 4, 2008
Dems still hold advantage in down-ballot races
With all the attention on the Democratic Party’s presidential nomination contest, it’s easy to forget that many contests for the U.S. Senate, U.S. House and governorships are gearing up. The good news for Democrats is that they continue to show a strong edge over the GOP at each of the three contest levels.
Governors: There are 11 gubernatorial contests this year, featuring six seats held by Democrats and five by the GOP. All the action is in just three states: Washington, where Gov. Christine Gregoire is the lone vulnerable Democratic governor this year, Indiana, where first-term incumbent Mitch Daniels (R) is under fire, and Missouri, where first-term GOP Gov. Matt Blunt has decided not to seek reelection. (more…)