By: James Richardson (Diary)  |  August 6th at 10:24 AM  | 

For fear of being ‘ambushed’ by Republican “lynch-mobs,” Democratic Congressman Brian Baird (WA-3) said he refuses to hold in-person town hall meetings over the summer’s month-long Congressional recess. Citing the G.O.P.’s “Brown Shirt tactics” as the impetus for his decision, Baird told the Columbian he will instead host a telephone town hall, thereby lessening the ability for “extremists”—which ostensibly is anyone expressing legitimate dissent—to “shout | Read More »

By: James Richardson (Diary)  |  August 5th at 03:48 PM  | 

Escalating their attacks on President Barack Obama’s health care overhaul as a dangerous “experiment,” the RNC released a new web video today in which they characterize the President and his White House as, among other things, “in denial” over the economy. RNC Chairman Michael Steele said, “President Obama has been in office now for 200 days, and the second hundred days of his administration have | Read More »

By: James Richardson (Diary)  |  July 9th at 05:48 PM  | 

Reminiscent of the no-bid, cost-plus contracts awarded in the Bush administration to defense contractors, ABC News reported last night the Obama Administration awarded a five-year $18 million contract to Smartronix, a Maryland-based IT firm with connections to House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, for the redesign of Recovery.gov. Launched in February to track the expenditures of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, Recovery.gov was | Read More »

By: James Richardson (Diary)  |  June 28th at 08:09 PM  | 

Top White House aide David Axelrod told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos today that the administration intends to explore a number of means by which it can overhaul the nation’s health care system, but refused to reaffirm then-candidate Barack Obama’s “firm pledge” to not raise taxes on middle class Americans. “The president had said in the past that he does not believe taxing health care benefits at | Read More »

By: James Richardson (Diary)  |  June 27th at 11:32 AM  | 

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee announced Friday it will launch a series of district-specific radio ads targeting vulnerable Republicans who voted against President Obama’s controversial war supplemental package. As a matter of national security in years past Republicans have shown tremendous support for similar measures, however last week they voted en bloc against the $106 billion appropriations bill. The Democratic Leadership and the DCCC would | Read More »

By: James Richardson (Diary)  |  June 10th at 06:30 AM  | 

Former U.S. Senator Bob Smith (R-NH) announced Monday, via YouTube, he intends to challenge Governor Charlie Crist and former Florida House of Representatives Speaker Marco Rubio in the Republican primary for Florida’s vacant Senate seat in 2010. Echoing Rubio’s conservative sentiments, the Florida snowbird said his entry into the already-crowded primary was precipitated by the Republican Party establishment’s unacceptable lurch to the left. “I can’t | Read More »

By: James Richardson (Diary)  |  June 4th at 10:50 AM  | 

A review of Minnesota’s statewide database of registered voters revealed at least 2,812 deceased individuals voted in last November’s general election, according to a new report by the “traditional values” advocacy group Minnesota Majority. After obtaining the list of voters who participated in November’s election, the group hired an independent firm who specializes in “death suppression” for direct mailing lists to review the data. The | Read More »

By: James Richardson (Diary)  |  May 20th at 11:00 AM  | 

Republican National Committee members today will vote on a resolution to rebrand the Democratic Party the “Democrat Socialist Party,” upon the urging of leading conservative members of the committee. In an email to committee members announcing the resolution, conservative stalwart James Bopp, Jr., said President Obama’s foremost intention is to reengineer the American way of life, and will stop at nothing short of restructuring our | Read More »

By: James Richardson (Diary)  |  April 28th at 01:30 PM  | 

While the specific dynamics of November’s election are not yet known, University of Virginia political scientist Larry Sabato is wasting no time in making bold assertions. To say nothing of the fact the first African-American was elected President of the United States, he maintains 2008 was no ordinary election. 2008 was just the tip of the iceberg – a dramatic shift of political coalitions, likely ushering in | Read More »

By: James Richardson (Diary)  |  April 25th at 10:05 AM  | 

Republican Jim Tedisco conceded the special election to fill Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s vacated House seat to Scott Murphy yesterday, thereby giving Democrats their second Congressional victory post-November, but most importantly, a reason to cast Republicans – namely, Republican National Chairman Michael Steele – in a less than competent light. After rebounding from a series of gaffes and provocative interviews, Steele saw NY-20 as a means | Read More »

By: James Richardson (Diary)  |  February 14th at 11:57 AM  | 

Marred by a week-long cycle of bad press and Cabinet defections, President Obama’s $787 Billion stimulus package passed both houses of Congress last night, despite the rigid partisan-divide. Clearly emboldened by their unanimous “No” votes on the first version, House Republicans, masterfully corralled by Minority Whip Eric Cantor (R-VA), held the line yet again. Three Senate Republicans – Arlen Spector (R-PA), Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Susan | Read More »

By: James Richardson (Diary)  |  February 3rd at 12:17 PM  | 

Wasting no time, President Obama began quickly overturning standing Bush executive orders in an effort to end nearly a decade of, what President Obama called on the campaign trail, “Bush cronyism.” Among his first moves were orders to freeze senior White House staffer’s pay and to toughen ethics and lobbying rules. As White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs is fond of saying, Barack Obama has | Read More »

By: James Richardson (Diary)  |  January 27th at 02:00 PM  | 

As party leaders prepare to gather later this week in Washington, D.C., tasked with the unenviable mission of reassembling the pieces of GOP, the six-way battle for RNC Chairman is significantly heating up. The very dynamics of the race and current political climate lends itself to personal and even misleading attacks: Each candidate, vying to differentiate themselves in a fiercely Democratic environment, will invariably levy | Read More »

By: James Richardson (Diary)  |  December 28th at 11:44 PM  | 

Acting outside the confines and rules of the Republican National Committee, Grover Norquist’s Americans for Tax Reform (ATR) announced its intentions to host a debate for the 6 announced candidates – Mike Duncan, Michael Steele, Saul Anuzis, Ken Blackwell, Katon Dawson, Chip Saltsman – vying for the Republican helm on January 5, 2008. Norquist invited all 168 committee members to the debate, though they will not be permitted to ask any direct questions of the candidates. The committee members’ | Read More »

By: James Richardson (Diary)  |  December 27th at 10:18 PM  | 

Following Mike Duncan’s public statement, Ken Blackwell and Saul Anuzis have now broken their notable silence on “CD gate” — both statements coming over 24 hours after news of the story initially broke. Mirroring much of the public’s response, two of the three total candidates to offer comment have forcefully criticized Saltsman’s actions, yet he still refuses to apologize for the apparent gaffe. When first cornered by The Hill’s Reid Wilson, | Read More »

By: James Richardson (Diary)  |  December 16th at 05:41 PM  | 

The fact that Republicans lost their credibility with the American public on matters of ethics and corruption is no secret, but what still confounds the Party leadership is that we’ve yet to be miraculously forgiven for our many, many indiscretions. In an email today to all 168 voting members of the Republican National Committee, Michael Steele, former Chairman of GOPAC and contender for the RNC | Read More »

By: James Richardson (Diary)  |  December 2nd at 11:02 AM  | 

Though no official announcement has been made, Chris Cilliza reports that the Sunshine State’s lone Republican US Senator, Mel Martinez, has decided to not seek a second term in 2010. According to sources close to Martinez – the former beleaguered General Chairman of the Republican National Committee who resigned amid the comprehensive immigration debate – the retirement was prompted by a desire for “more free | Read More »

By: James Richardson (Diary)  |  November 30th at 01:28 AM  | 

Was Joe Biden’s nomination for Vice President – a pick elicited first by the criticisms of Hillary Clinton, then John McCain, for Barack Obama’s relative foreign policy inexperience – a shallow attempt to dispel the disparaging ‘naiveté’ narrative? Will Vice President Cheney, a man who has expanded the powers of the Office of the Vice President more than any VP in recent memory, be succeeded | Read More »

By: James Richardson (Diary)  |  November 27th at 12:04 AM  | 

After being dealt a serious blow today by the Minnesota state Canvassing board, who, much to the ire of Team Franken, refused to re-examine rejected absentee ballots, Al Franken’s band of merry men were forced to regroup, but vowed to continue their fight in a press conference. According to Marc Elias, Franken’s lead recount attorney, the protracted legal battle for Norm Coleman’s senate seat will | Read More »

By: James Richardson (Diary)  |  November 22nd at 03:24 PM  | 

Per the AP, British health experts have begun lobbying Parliament to explore a possible ban on happy hours – designated times for discounted drinks in bars – to stem the growing “epidemic” of liver disease. Speaking on the condition of anonymity, a government spokesman said the ban will be evaluated when an independent study on binge drinking and alcohol-related illnesses is published in the coming | Read More »