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...

  • Bush, Perry Rift Roots in Nixed in-Law Appointment

    By WILL WEISSERT

    AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Here's the still-beating heart of the rift between Texas Gov. Rick Perry and his predecessor, George W. Bush: When Bush was governor he refused to appoint Perry's brother-in-law...

  • Housing Crisis May Foreclose on Obama’s Reelection

    By NANCY BENAC, Reuters

    For many 2012 voters, the housing crisis may be the most powerful manifestation of a troubled economy. The problem is worse in many battleground states which will be critical for Obama in the...

  • GOP Rewrites State Election Law

    By KRISSAH THOMPSON and Aaron Blake, The Washington Post

    Looking to capitalize on their historic gains last year, Republican lawmakers in several states are rewriting their election laws in ways that could make it more difficult for Democrats to win. They...

  • Obama’s Lack of Focus Could Be Politically Fatal

    By Bruce Bartlett, The Fiscal Times

    There is still a deep reservoir of good will among the American people for Barack Obama. Every poll shows that he is well liked personally. But even Democrats are starting to wonder whether he is up...

  • After 9/11, the Unions Didn’t Have a Tea Party

    By Ciro Scotti

    Two days after September 11, 2001, I headed downtown from the Upper West Side of Manhattan to see if I could help out at Ground Zero. Here’s who I didn’t see marching south toward the human carnage...