The Texas Blue: News
Good News for DCCC, DSCC
Mon, 03/24/2008 - 2:30pm
Congressional Quarterly has examined the financial action at the national legislative campaign organizations in February and has determined that things look good for Democrats.
What is the Republican Majority Campaign?
Mon, 03/24/2008 - 1:30pm
I hadn't heard of them until I saw this report on TPMuckraker, but the Republican Majority Campaign is spending a whole lot of money against Democrats and when asked for specifics, they keep it general and vague. There will be plenty of groups like this popping up between now and November, and you can bet they will have plenty of cash to spend.
Plans for Rebates
Mon, 03/24/2008 - 1:00pm
According to a new CNN poll, most people do not plan on spending their rebate. I am curious as to what the economic impact of 20 percent of people spending this money will be, if this poll reflects reality. We could see different numbers once the checks go out and the question becomes, "What did you do with your rebate?"
Clinton Proposes ForeclosuresTask Force
Mon, 03/24/2008 - 12:25pm
Senator Clinton called on the Bush administration to actually do something about the growing tide of foreclosures in the United States today via a special working group at the federal level. The group would recommend ways to solve the mounting housing crisis, including auction methods for home loans in default.
House Sales Up, but Crisis Continues
Mon, 03/24/2008 - 12:19pm
Existing home sales rose rose 2.9 percent in February. It's the first such increase since July, but it's still too early to signal the end of the housing crisis. Sales were still down more than 20 percent from last February.
GOP Battered, Demoralized, and Underfunded
Mon, 03/24/2008 - 12:00pm
Some say that John McCain is getting a boost from the protracted Democratic nomination. If so, he may need that extra help, because the GOP is hardly in top form for 2008. In many states, the Republican party is facing low registration numbers, diminished funding, and of course, scandal.
White House Disposes Hard Drives, Stymies Federal Inquiry
Mon, 03/24/2008 - 11:30am
In its latest attempt to squirm away from scrutiny, the White House has told a federal court that there is no point in looking for millions of its e-mails, because they destroy old hard drives. Every year, the White House says, they "refresh" one third of the Executive Office workstations, and while some files are transferred, they don't keep all the data.
Hagel and McCain
Mon, 03/24/2008 - 11:00am
Republican Senator Chuck Hagel spent Sunday talking about why he isn't waiting in line to endorse McCain. The reason? They don't agree on the Iraq War, where Hagel has diverged from his party for a while. He did not slam the door on the possibility of supporting McCain in 2008, but The Hill points out that Hagel was one of McCain's presidential co-chairs in 2000. Is it Hagel or McCain that has changed? Or did the Iraq War just reshape everything?
McCain's Wandering Eye
Mon, 03/24/2008 - 10:30am
I think the story that I am most surprised to see continually cropping up this cycle concerns McCain's past considerations of possibly joining the Democratic Party (in 2001) and of joining John Kerry's ticket (in 2004). Don't get me wrong, I think it is very interesting, and provides some insight into what makes McCain tick, I just didn't expect to see so much of it. Today's New York Times article on the subject provides some chronological context, and is worth checking out.
US Calls for Another Troop Surge in Iraq... from the British
Mon, 03/24/2008 - 10:00am
The US military will ask Britain to launch a new "surge" to deal with violence in the city of Basra. Judging from this story, it seems that British officials are unsurprisingly reluctant to increase their military commitment to Iraq. Given the widespread anti-war sentiment in Britain, this latest announcement should go over splendidly.