Guest Host Jacki Lyden speaks with Andy Kohut, president of the Pew Center, about the real significance of approval ratings and polls in this 2012 election season.
Starring On Capitol Hill: The Celebrity Or The Cause?
On March - 17 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Despite the excitement surrounding actor and activist George Clooney's visit to Washington, D.C., this week, there's nothing new about stars testifying before Congress. As celebrities get more involved in politics, can their star power still draw an audience for a worthy cause?
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Buying A Political Ad? Let A SuperPAC Foot The Bill
On March - 16 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Mitt Romney and the superPAC that supports him vastly outspent his rivals in Alabama and Mississippi, yet Romney still lost both primaries. This has some political experts wondering: When it comes to TV ads, is there a saturation point?
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Obama Spreads (Tele)Phony Story About Long-Dead President
On March - 16 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
President Obama told a story about his predecessor Rutherford B. Hayes questioning the future utility of the telephone, portraying the 19th president as blinkered to the future. Unfortunately, there's no record of the Hayes story being true.
North Carolina Polling Firm Spotlighted During Race
On March - 16 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Public Policy Polling is a Democratic-leaning survey firm based in North Carolina. Within just a few years of its founding, the company has become one of the most prolific polling outfits in the country. And during this election cycle, its polls have strengthened their reputation for predictive accuracy.
Week In Politics: Primaries And Obama Campaign
On March - 16 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Melissa Block talks to our regular political commentators — E.J. Dionne of The Washington Post and Brookings Institution, and David Brooks of the New York Times — about the GOP primaries and President Obama's re-election campaign.
Some Backers Think What Ails Illinois Could Be Romney’s Tonic On Tuesday
On March - 16 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Illinois is in the worst fiscal shape of any state in the country. And that could be good news for Mitt Romney on Tuesday, when Illinois holds its primary, at least according to state Treasurer Dan Rutherford, who backs the former Massachusetts governor.
Wisconsin Recall Target Decides To Quit Instead
On March - 16 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
A Wisconsin recall election will go ahead as planned even though its target, one of four Republican state senators facing recalls, said Friday that she's resigning.
It’s All Politics, March 15, 2012
On March - 16 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Is the battle for the GOP presidential nomination about history? Or is it about math? Santorum may be getting big headlines with his primary wins, but it's Romney who is advancing further to the magic 1,144 number. And more defeats mean more pressure on Gingrich to pull out.
NY Democratic Rep. Gary Ackerman Won’t Run Again
On March - 16 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman, a 15-term Democrat who has held key committee posts that help shape foreign policy in the Middle East and oversee the regulation of financial institutions, announced Thursday he will not seek re-election.
Court Allows Edwards To Hire Mistress’s Lawyers
On March - 15 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
The former U.S. senator faces charges that he broke federal campaign finance laws, allegedly using nearly $1 million from two wealthy donors to hide the pregnant mistress and prevent a scandal from erupting as he campaigned for the White House in 2008. He has pleaded not guilty.
Report: Prosecutors Hid Evidence In Ted Stevens Case
On March - 15 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
A blistering report finds the government team concealed documents that would have helped the late Ted Stevens, a longtime Republican senator from Alaska, defend himself against false-statements charges in 2008. Stevens lost his Senate seat as the scandal played out and later died in a plane crash.
In Protest, Democrats Zero In On Men’s Reproductive Health
On March - 15 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Lawmakers in at least six states — all women and all Democrats — have proposed bills or amendments in the last few weeks that aim to regulate a man's access to reproductive health care. The proposals are a response to legislation that would limit women's access to those services.
Review: 15-To-1 Spending Advantage Netted Romney Two Third-Place Showings
On March - 15 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Mitt Romney and the superPAC supporting him spent more than 15 times as much as Rick Santorum and the superPAC backing him on television ads in Alabama and Mississippi, according to an analysis. Santorum won both states on Tuesday, while Romney finished third in both races.
For Appeal To Future, Romney’s Rhetoric Looks Back
On March - 15 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Although Mitt Romney's stump speech has changed with time, one idea has remained constant from the earliest campaign stops. Romney invariably tells voters that he wants to "restore" America.
How To Pander: A Guide For The Candidates
On March - 15 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Robert Siegel and Melissa Block explore how the political candidates can pander correctly in Missouri, Illinois, Louisiana and Maryland.
Biden Pitches For Obama In Ohio
On March - 15 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Vice President Joseph Biden campaigned in Toledo, Ohio, on Tuesday. At a United Auto Workers union hall, he gave the first in a planned series of speeches in states designed to frame the Obama-Biden re-election rational. Afterward, he stopped by a Jeep factory to shake hands with workers at the shift change.
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Preview To Primary In Illinois
On March - 15 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
The Illinois Republican primary isn't normally a closely-watched race, but this year it's a different story. Fifty-four delegates are up for grabs in the Land of Lincoln on Tuesday. Robert Siegel talks with Peter Roskam, R-Illinois, about the upcoming vote.
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Romney’s Wins In Obama Country May Not Mean Much Come Fall
On March - 15 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Some observers think it could be bode well for Romney that he has done well in 2012 in some of the same metro area counties in Ohio and Michigan Obama won in 2008. But it's risky to read too much into that, a political science warns.
Former Inmate Offers Advice For Blagojevich
On March - 15 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Gov. Rod Blagojevich is serving a 14-year prison sentence in a Colorado prison. Former Missouri state senator Jeff Smith served a year in federal prison on obstruction of justice charges. He offers sober advice to Blagojevich on what to expect, and what and what not to do behind bars.
Thursday Political Grab Bag: Obama And UK’s Cameron Showcase Unity
On March - 15 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
Obama hosted British Prime Minister Cameron... Santorum trails Romney in money as well as delegates... Romney is looking to swing states and districts to boost his claim on the nomination.
Obama’s Unofficial Ambassador To The Middle Class — V.P. Biden — Hits Ohio
On March - 15 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
On Thursday, Vice President Joe Biden will give the first in a series of campaign speeches designed to frame the debate for the November election. He's speaking in Ohio, where the Obama campaign notes that 120,000 people are directly employed by the auto industry.
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Biden Speeches To Frame Election Debate
On March - 15 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
On Thursday, Vice President Joe Biden travels to Toledo, Ohio, where he'll give the first of four "framing speeches" for the campaign. He'll be talking about what the auto rescue means for that state, and its industrial workforce.
Campaign Videos: A Time-Tested Election Tactic
On March - 14 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS
President Obama's re-election campaign is releasing a video Thursday that looks back on his first term. The video was directed by Academy Award winner Davis Guggenheim and narrated by actor Tom Hanks. But it isn't anything new: Video tributes to candidates have a long history.
