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...

  • Debate No. One: What to Expect from Obama and Romney

    By CHRIS CILLIZZA, The Washington Post

    It’s a tremendously rare moment in politics when everything and everyone stops for a single event. Wednesday night’s first general election debate between President Obama and former Massachusetts...

  • End the Health Care Tax Break: Reduce Coverage?

    By Merrill Goozner, The Fiscal Times

    Health care insurance benefits have been excluded from taxable income since 1943, when the National War Labor Board ruled employers, who were offering health plans as a way to attract workers without...

  • Amid Debate Prep, Biden and Ryan Work for Votes

    By Jeff Mason, Reuters

    Vice President Joe Biden and Republican rival Paul Ryan sought votes in political battleground states on Saturday while their running mates took a day off the campaign trail ahead of a potentially...

  • How Romney Can Win the Debates and Close the Gap

    By Eric Pianin

    If Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney fails to exploit the opportunity presented by next Wednesday’s debate with President Obama, the election could very well be over by the end of next week...

  • Why Big Money Can’t Buy an Election After All

    By Bruce Bartlett, The Fiscal Times

    One of the most surprising things to come out of this election cycle is how little value Mitt Romney appears to have gotten from the big money advantage he was expected to have. All during the summer...