2012 Elections

Budget Battles

  • The Great Debate

    Five Debate Moments that Changed Elections

    By Robert Speel, The Conversation

    Every presidential election year in my American Political Campaigns and Elections course, I get an opportunity to spend a full lecture discussing with students some of the famous moments from...

  • House panel says IRS official waived rights, contempt possible

    Lois Lerner Is Cleared, Sparking Conservative Fury

    By Rob Garver

    Concluding that “poor management is not a crime,” the Justice Department on Friday informed members of Congress that it would not be filing criminal charges against anyone in what has become known as...

  • GOP Leaders Take on Far Right Pressure Groups

    By Eric Pianin

    There have been plenty of theories about why Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) strode onstage at a conservative gathering late last week carrying a rifle. Ostensibly, McConnell, the 72-...

  • Romney: If Hillary Runs, She Won’t Need Bill

    By Thomas Ferraro, Reuters

    Failed 2012 U.S. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney said on Sunday he expects Hillary Clinton to win or lose the White House on her record, not that of her husband, former Democratic...

  • Joint Session of Congress

    Voters Give a Thumbs-Down to Their Own Lawmakers

    By Eric Pianin

    In another sign of public outrage over a dysfunctional and politically divided Congress, a record low percentage of registered voters now say their own House member deserves another chance while even...

  • Pain for Cain, Knives Out for Romney

    By Ciro Scotti

    Monday Catch-up Pain for Cain; Why the Knives Are Out for Romney Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain is ahead in five polls in Iowa, where the caucuses on January 3 will be the first test...

  • The Secret of Herman Cain’s Political Success

    By Bruce Bartlett, The Fiscal Times

    Short answer: It’s because he’s black and a Republican. Let me explain. Liberals uniformly believe that the switch of southern Democrats into the GOP after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 meant that...

  • GOP Tax Plans: Who Wins, Who Loses

    By Karen Hube, The Fiscal Times

    When Texas Gov. Rick Perry unveiled his tax plan on Tuesday, there was some hope that he would deliver viable tax reform and distinguish himself from his Republican presidential rivals. No dice...

  • Romney Benefits from Lobbyists Donations

    By Dan Eggen and T.W. FARNAM, The Washington Post

    K Street is playing an increasingly central role in the 2012 presidential race, as hundreds of lobbyists representing some of the world’s largest corporations and trade groups pour money into...

  • Rubio Risky for GOP Ticket

    By Peter Wallsten, The Washington Post

    Republicans who are eager to repair the party’s battered image among Hispanic voters and unseat President Obama next year have long promoted a single-barrel solution to their two-pronged problem:...