OK, I give up. I don’t know what the heck is going to happen in the Republican race. Actually, the fundamentals of the race haven’t changed much, if you think about it. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney continues to appeal to about one-quarter of his party, with the other three-quarters still looking for an alternative. […]
If, as many Republicans hope and most GOP political operatives seem to expect, Virginia Republicans win enough seats tonight to take control of the state’s Senate, you will hear another round of talk about Gov. Bob McDonnell as a potential running mate for the Republican nominee in 2012. A Republican victory would be seen by […]
Longtime readers of this column may get the feeling that they have seen this headline before. Three and a half years ago, I wrote a column with a similar title after former Rep. Geraldine Ferraro (D-N.Y.), a supporter of presidential hopeful Hillary Rodham Clinton, asserted that Barack Obama wouldn’t be where he was in the […]
For former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, the GOP presidential campaign is looking like a simple matter of survival. With a substantial chunk of the Republican Party appearing unenthusiastic about embracing him, Romney now finds himself in the position of having to “hang around” in the GOP race while conservatives flirt with a series of alternatives. […]
When South Carolina state Rep. Thad Viers (R) came in for an interview recently, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I knew that he was a successful, young officeholder who surely was one of the favorites to win in the Palmetto State’s new Congressional district. I knew that he was quite conservative. I also knew […]
For anyone old enough to remember Bucky Dent’s memorable home run in the 1978 Yankees-Red Sox playoff, the current makeup and political strategy of the Democratic Party has to seem very odd. No, this isn’t your grandfather’s (or even your father’s) Democratic Party, and while that was an asset in 2006 and 2008, it very […]
While national public opinion polls are fun to examine, the real action for handicappers, of course, is in the Electoral College. But “generic” electoral vote projections are only of limited value because elections are ultimately about the candidates. GOP Reps. Michele Bachmann (Minn.) and Ron Paul (Texas), for example, don’t have the same chance of […]
Like a heroin addict who needs his next needle, the national media have once again whipped themselves up into a frenzy about a noncandidate. This time, it’s Chris Christie, the Republican governor of New Jersey. Christie, we are being told, is listening to pleas to enter the presidential race from average voters, uncommitted GOP fundraisers […]
As a handicapper who uses current circumstances to construct scenarios about the future, I know full well how unpredictable tomorrow is. In fact, I repeatedly warn readers and listeners that unexpected events can change our lives and our politics overnight. In the political sphere, the standing of President Barack Obama is a case in point. […]