Hilarious, and utterly typical:

The Republican National Committee plans to raise money this election cycle through an aggressive campaign capitalizing on “fear” of President Barack Obama and a promise to “save the country from trending toward socialism.”
The strategy was detailed in a confidential party fundraising presentation, obtained by POLITICO, which also outlines how “ego-driven” wealthy donors […]

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Ah, the Wall Street Journal editorial page rarely disappoints.
Today’s topic is how the Dems might ram through the health care bill via “reconciliation” -basically doing an end-run around the filibuster, limiting debate and permitting the measure to pass with a simple majority in the Senate. Though the WSJ notes that both Republicans and Dems have […]

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First question I get as I get into the office today: Who’s gonna win up in Massachusetts?
My answer: Coakley, the Dem, but by a razor-thin margin.
Brown, the Republican, could take the seat. But you know what? If he does - good. Health care reform may be dead; and despite saying a few weeks back that […]

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The big news this morning is that two Dem senators - Dorgan and Dodd - along with Democratic Gov. Bill Ritter of Colorado have announced they are stepping down at the end of their terms, all of which is causing “another bout of heartburn for Democrats as they struggle to defend themselves in a sour […]

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Hilarious.

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Via Sullivan, David Frum is correct:
We’re getting worse and less conservative results out of Washington than we could have negotiated, if we had negotiated.
As is, we’re betting heavily that a bad economy will collapse Democratic support without us having to lift a finger. Maybe that will happen. But existing party strategy has to be reckoned […]

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Hilarious.

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Now, if you were a Republican who opposed abortion and you donated money to the Republican National Commitee, wouldn’t you be OUTRAGED!!! if you found out that the RNC, in fact, offered its employees health insurance that included coverage for… abortion?
But wouldn’t you also want to know if any RNC employees - loyal Republicans! - […]

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Pretty amazing:
As everyone now knows, Bill Owens will be the first Democrat to represent New York’s 23rd since the mid-19th century, after defeating Doug Hoffman yesterday. This got me thinking about the representation of the region.
New York has 29 congressional districts. As of today, the state is represented by 27 Democrats. As recently as a […]

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Fight!
Last night on Fox News’ On the Record, host Greta Van Susteren asked Gingrich about the “heat” he’s been getting for endorsing Scozzafava, especially from Beck. Gingrich fired back, saying the right-wing support for Hoffman is based on “misinformation” and an abandonment of conservative values:
GINGRICH: I just find it fascinating that my many friends who […]

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Via Sullivan, David Weigel puts his finger on it:
The Democrats are in worse political shape than they were a year ago because unemployment is at 9.8 percent, the war in Afghanistan has grown less popular, and the bailouts of struggling banks are seen as wastes of money that haven’t worked. Republicans benefit when they talk […]

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Hilarious.

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Classy.

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Interesting:
From all indications, the face of the electorate will look very different in 2010 from the way it did in 2008. That prospect presents an immediate danger for Democrats. But it also represents a more subtle, long-term threat for Republicans. …
<snip>
In 2008, Obama assembled what I’ve called a “coalition of the ascendant” that revolved around […]

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I know: Ew.
But David Brooks makes some excellent points in how Democrats -but also and more importantly, Republicans - kowtow to Rush and Beck and O’Reilly:
They pay more attention to Rush’s imaginary millions than to the real voters down the street. The Republican Party is unpopular because it’s more interested in pleasing Rush’s ghosts than actual people. The party […]

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Oh, lookee, Karl Rove’s gonna lecture us all on patriotism - as Christopher Manion notes over at the Lew Rockwell blog, by using other people’s patriotism “to vindicate and glorify - themselves!”
Christine Krissoff’s husband and sons, wrapped in prayers and armed with swords and scalpels, have served our nation with valor. So has she. So long […]

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Zipper trouble for the GOP class of ‘94, “Contract With America”-types who rode into office on a wave of OUTRAGE:
In the 14 years since that star-crossed class arrived in Washington espousing an agenda that placed family values at its core, no less than a dozen of its members have been caught up in affairs, sex […]

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Amongst Republicans, thanks to Palin and a recent story in Vanity Fair.
Funny. Notes Sullivan:
What I make of it is that the selection of Sarah Palin was one of the most absurd, nutty, cynical and incompetent decisions in the modern history of American campaigning. And the Republican party, far from trying to understand how they made […]

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Via Sullivan: Nate Silver with a post on how simple demographics make the GOP’s uphill climb all the more steep:
Gallup has data out suggesting that 89 percent of self-identified Republicans are white; the comparable figure among Democrats is 65 percent. These numbers closely match those from last November’s Presidential election, when 89 percent of John […]

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Via Sullivan, Peggy Noonan in the Wall Street Journal, of all places:
Some, and they are idiots, look at Judge Sotomayor and say: attack, attack, kill. A conservative activist told the New York Times, “We need to brand her.” Another told me a fight is needed to excite the base.
Excite the base? How about excite a […]

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