Earlier this week I was preparing a column on the Delaware Senate race for Pajamas Media and having a bit of fun with it. Some skeletons have been rapidly emerging from the closet of Tea Party favorite Christine O’Donnell in terms of old campaign debt, IRS woes and sheriffs coming to foreclose on her home. (Since there is no sense rehashing it all, just follow the link if you’re not familiar with the particulars.) I also covered a bit of history on boring old Mike Castle who has seemed...

I was recently tasked with writing a column on the resurgence of Northeastern Republican Politicians. (Or NERPs) It was a fun topic to tackle, and one which I foolishly imagined the vast majority of conservatives and Republicans could embrace as “good news.” I was quickly disabused of this notion, however, when the usual parade of comments and e-mails emerged airing the same old litany of complaints. “[A]re these “Republicans” of conservative persuasion or of the country club...

It’s Sunday morning, and I just finished watching the round table discussion portion of This Week on ABC. We were blessed today with a few special guests filling out the panel, including Bill Maher. The man seemed unable to open his mouth without causing my jaw to head for the floor in synchronized response. Apart from the subject of this column, I could probably have spent a while dissecting these gems: “Conservatives are opposed to big government intervention… unless it’s...

The announcement of the retirement of Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens has brought us once again to the edge of change, though probably not as much as you might think or the kind of change some of you were hoping for. Frankly, I long ago gave up hope that presidents of either party would start appointing truly independent, non-partisan judges – the kind that will occasionally surprise you with brutal, cold readings of the constitution rather than always voting down predictable party...

They’re rude. They’re crude. They show up precisely where they’re not wanted and shout inappropriate, vulgar things. They not only make threats of violence, but engage in it as their preferred method of exercising their free speech rights. You know the type, right? What have they been up to lately? When a political author hosts a book signing and speech, they shout him down, hound him from the stage and attempt to physically assault him. Crowds of them gather, hurl eggs and shout...

I’m heading out for another 12 hour barnstorming run on the campaign trail so Mid Stream Radio won’t be in its usual slot this morning. But fear not, because my partner in crime, Cindy the Lady Logician will be filling in with Ladies Logic Radio at 10 am eastern to fill you in on the political news and views of the week. Join in for the always lively online chat. And if I’m near a cell phone tower I’ll probably call in myself for a bit. Remember, if you want to chat you’ll...

Not being a professional literary critic I don’t do too many referrals to the work of the other fine authors here at TMV, but this morning I will make an exception. In case you missed it yesterday, I would strongly suggest that you read the column by Robin Koerner, Obama; If This Is True, then Shame on You. Rarely do I run across such an exceptional piece which takes a subject which has been uncomfortably nibbling at the corners of my mind and crystallizes it into an understandable framework....

A rather dismaying headline crossed my desk this morning from our friends at Hot Air. Social Security will tip over into annual deficits … now. And given that the source of the story was The New York Times it’s hard to write this off as “right wing alarmism.” A long expected – but not expected just yet – milestone has apparently been reached. This year, the system will pay out more in benefits than it receives in payroll taxes, an important threshold it was not expected...

And now the deed is done, as Macbeth said upon emerging from the chamber with blood covering his hands. The Democrats’ majority in Congress has finished their series of back room deals and procedural maneuvers and gotten some version of their health care “reform” package voted past the bipartisan opposition to it and on its way to the President’s desk. And now that it no longer matters, somebody really should come along and let you in on the Dirty Little Secret underlying...

If you were awake and even glancing at the news yesterday, you likely caught wind of a fast breaking kerfuffle in the ongoing health care reform debate. Republicans were excitedly talking up a supposed “leaked memo” which was – eventually – alleged to have originated from Majority Leader Steny Hoyer’s office, instructing Democrats to avoid talking about planned increases in Medicare reimbursement rates later this year which would wipe out the savings currently claimed...

I suppose you have to get pretty jaded before you can find the current health care debate in Congress to be amusing. OK… call me jaded. I have long since given up hope that the assembled clowns, crooners, swindlers and shouters on the hill would strip down and re-tool the proposed health care legislation into anything useful, but there’s no reason that we can’t at least sit back, munch some popcorn, and watch the absolute worst aspects of the legislative sausage factory operating...

Beware the Ides of March she said, Or we shall have to tell The way you died A strange demise On your way to rot in hell That was the opening stanza of a poem I composed more than three decades ago, back in 1973, for a high school English class assignment. (And I still have a copy of it today.) I not only received an “F” on the project but my parents were called in for a conference because I submitted a piece of paper with the word “hell” on it. My mother was scandalized,...

One of the strangest and possibly least noticed political stories of the week comes out of Utah, where State House Majority Leader Keven Garns (R-Layton) has resigned his office in the midst of what is being described as a “hot tub scandal.” This might have quickly passed through the maw of the 24 hour news beast as just another “scumbag politico gets caught” story unless we take a moment to dig a bit deeper into the details. On the surface it looks pretty simple. A picture...

I’m off on another campaign road trip today, so Mid-Stream Radio needs to take a week off. Fortunately, my partner in crime will leap into the breach and commit acts of journalism later this morning on Ladies Logic Radio at 10 a.m. eastern time, along with Gary Gross of True North. They’ll be covering Bob Bennett’s curious take on earmarks, Bart Stupak’s uphill battle on healthcare and the low points of the week in politics. I may even call in briefly myself if I’m near...

Both the media and many high profile politicos still seem to be flailing around trying to find some way to label, quantify and pigeonhole the myriad tea party groups which are springing up all around the country. Even Karl Rove, during a stop to promote his new book, expressed concerns over whether or not they might spur some sort of third party movement which could hurt the Republican party. After some time out in the trenches I regret to inform them all that the task of defining this movement may...

For those who enjoy reading about politics on the web, we should probably have a specific tag for strange stories of the day just for items coming out of New York. Given the path of self-destruction which Democrats in that state have been charting over the last few months, one has to wonder who would possibly want to be associated with them. Well, the answer just may be … the Republican Party in New York. The Republican nomination for governor, which had for months seemed all but locked up...

The Supremes are considering another 2nd amendment case which might have far reaching consequences (in a good way) on this particular battle front. George Will has a good column this week which takes a look at the history of the fight and what the implications of McDonald v Chicago might be. It probably will result in a routine ruling that extends a 2008 decision and renders dubious many state and local gun-control laws. What could — but, judging from the justices’ remarks during oral...

Due to some scheduling issues, Mid Stream Radio will be taking to the air a bit early this weekend, at 10 am eastern time. We’ll be catching up with my neighbors in NY-29 and the upcoming resignation of Eric Massa, Obama’s Matheson appointment boondoggle, the John Patrick Bedell shooting, Governor David Paterson’s painful delusions and more. I’ll be joined, as always, by The Lady Logician and Gary Gross, and will be taking your calls at (646) 595-3963. See you on the radio.

President Obama seems to have teed up the Democrats this week, and once again the Republicans are looking to hit one out of the park. Were this story found in a Nero Wolfe mystery we might have called it, “A Muddle of Mathesons.” The question which we, as observers, are left to wrestle with is, was it a case of blatant nepotism and bribery or simply astoundingly tone-deaf idiocy? In case you missed it, the story in question is two-fold. Part one consists of President Obama appointing...

Are primary battles good for the party, good for the voters, good for democracy? Or do they just waste money, burn out candidates and spark internal wars? In my new column today at Pajamas Media I look at two primary battles: McCain vs. Hayworth in Arizona and Crist vs. Rubio in Florida. Some party leaders seem to feel these types of brawls weaken the party and make the Republicans look like they are falling apart from the inside. But in reality, they are the firewall that keeps the power in the...