The New Republic Politics

Two Presidents at a Time--Why The Economy Can't Wait Until January 20.

The Editors — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

On November 15, President Bush will host a 'Summit on Financial Markets and the World Economy' at the National Building Museum in Washington, D. C. Great Britain's Gordon Brown, China's Hu Jintao, and Russia's Dmitri Medvedev are among the 20 heads of state who will attend what's being billed as 'Bretton Woods II.'

Somalia May Present Barack Obama's First International Crisis. Here's How He Should Handle It.

Jonathan Stevenson — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

Somalia, a genuine failed state, ranks alongside Sudan as the world's most conspicuous candidate for American attention in the early days of Barack Obama's administration.

Why Appointing Napolitano To Homeland Security Will Screw Arizona Democrats

Seyward Darby — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

Arizona governor Janet Napolitano looks likely to be secretary of Homeland Security (thank you, leaky transition team). Though many are applauding her candidacy, her pending appointment is raising anxiety among Arizona Democrats. 'It's a dreadful step,' Democrat Phil Lopes, minority leader in the state house, told TNR today.

How Should Obama Use His Millions Of Online Supporters?

E.J. Dionne, Jr. — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON--While the nation's capital obsesses over who will be the next pick for Barack Obama's Cabinet, the president-elect's lieutenants are engaged with what may be a more important long-term issue: What will become of Obama's vast grass-roots network?

TNRtv: The Top 5 Reasons We Already Know Obama Is Serious About Health Care Reform

Jonathan Cohn — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

TNR senior editor Jonathan Cohn channels David Letterman to give us the top five indications that Obama and the Democrats are serious about health care reform.

Why Argentina's Ruling Couple Are To Blame For The Country's Current Economic Crisis

Pierpaolo Barbieri — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

Less than two months ago, key members of Argentine president Cristina Fernández de Kirchner's cabinet boasted that the global financial crisis would not affect Argentina. At the Waldorf Astoria in New York on September 25, the president herself reacted bitterly to an American executive who asked about her plans to cope with the looming downturn: "It is you [the US and Europe] who need a Plan B."

Obama's Secret Plan To Muzzle Talk Radio. Very, VERY Secret.

Marin Cogan — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

Rush Limbaugh, Fox News, and other friends have spent the past year screaming about the horrors of Barack Obama. And, while it's true that they talked ad nauseam about socialism and the Weathermen and Jeremiah Wright, careful listeners would have noticed a recurring theme of anxiety: that Obama was going to use the newly acquired levers of government to destroy them.

Keep TARP Alive! How Obama Can Save The Bailout That Bush Bungled.

Clay Risen — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

If nothing else, the Treasury's $700 billion bailout has been a boon for unintentional black comedy.

Reality Check: Has ANY Country Had Luck Cutting Emissions?

Bradford Plumer — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

Next month, international talks for a successor treaty to the Kyoto Protocol will kick off in Poland. But whatever happened with the last treaty?

TNRtv: What Does Boehner's Leadership Mean For The Future Of The GOP?

Eve Fairbanks — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

TNR associate editor Eve Fairbanks dishes on what Boehner's leadership means for conservatism, and how more traditional conservatives like Cantor and Hensarling wouldn't be able to take the party in "remotely a winning direction."

Why Tom Daschle Is The Perfect Choice To Lead Obama's Health Care Crusade

Jonathan Cohn — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

So much health care news, so little time to blog. But let me weigh in on the news, via, CNN, that Tom Daschle will be Secretary of Health and Human Services. He will also serve as the White House point person on health care reform.

Quotas, Dueling Interest Groups, Poisonous Gender Politics … Oh My God, It's 1993 Again!

Jonathan Chait — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

A few days ago, I wrote a column about identity politics and Democratic presidencies. My argument was that the focus on social issues in general and identity politics in particular derailed the first two years of the Clinton presidency, and the return of identity-politics mau-mauing represents a threat to Obama's presidency.

Every Economist Agrees On Our Fatal Flaw--Yet No Politician Will Mention It.

John B. Judis — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

For those Americans who are not daily readers of the Financial Times, the past few months have been a crash course in the abstract and obscure instruments and arrangements that have derailed the nation's economy. From mortgage-backed securities to credit default swaps, the financial health of the country has undergone a gory public dissection.

A (Quasi) Appreciation Of John Boehner: The Amazing Teflon Minority Leader

Eve Fairbanks — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

The House Republican leadership elections are today, and GOPers will almost certainly reselect John Boehner, their eternally tan, chain-smoking, long-suffering caporegime, as their leader - and not only that, but they'll also probably approve Boehner's entire hand-picked roster of candidates for the caucus's other leadership positions.

What Can Hillary Do With Her $8 Million Campaign Debt If She Becomes Secretary Of State?

Amanda Silverman — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

With Hillary Clinton likely to be appointed as Secretary of State in the coming days, what happens to the $22 million in debt she accrued during her run for president? One of her best options for whittling down the debt was rolling it over to her 2012 Senate reelection campaign--and option that would seem to be off the table if she accepts the cabinet post.

A Kinder, Gentler Bankruptcy For GM?

Jonathan Cohn — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

As a number of analysts have noted, the biggest reason a General Motors bankruptcy is so frightening is that it might not work out like the airline bankruptcies have. Remember, if General Motors were trying to reorganize itself under bankruptcy, it would have to come up with cash in order to buy parts. Thanks to the problems on Wall Street, that could be extremely difficult. That means GM could end up filing for bankruptcy under Chapter 7, rather than Chapter 11, and going through liquidation.

In Congo's War, There Are No Angels

Alvaro Vargas Llosa — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON--When both sides have a point in a war, you know you are in deep trouble--in deciding whom to help, whom to blame, or whom to punish. That's the case in Congo, where the Rwanda-backed rebel force led by Laurent Nkunda is fighting a combination of government troops and the exiled Rwandan Hutu militia known by its acronym FDLR.

Barack Won A Mandate: Here's Why You Shouldn't Let Anyone Tell You Differently.

Jonathan Chait — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

The funny thing about elections is that their meaning undergoes a metamorphosis the very instant they occur. A couple weeks before the vote, a Republican member of Congress declared at a McCain rally, 'This campaign in the next couple of weeks is about one thing. It's a referendum on socialism.' If you said now that the election was a referendum on socialism, or even mere liberalism, you'd be taken for a left-wing maniac.

How The Global Economic Crisis Could Bring Down The Chinese Government

Joshua Kurlantzick — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

How The Global Economic Crisis Could Bring Down The Chinese Government

What Will The Republican Party Look Like After Several Years Of Obama?

E.J. Dionne, Jr. — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON--There is a second transition under way over which President-elect Barack Obama has no control--the transition of conservatives to minority status. How they do this will have a powerful impact on the new presidency.

Bold And Green: Inside The Next Senate's Energy Priorities

Bradford Plumer — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

Next year, new Congress: Who will be the major players crafting energy policy? Well, there's Barack Obama—him you know. There's Barbara Boxer, who chairs the Senate Environment and Public Works committee and will likely get first crack at any climate bill.

Hillary Clinton For Secretary Of State? Please No!

Martin Peretz — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

I confess: Hillary Clinton has never appealed to me. There have been so many Hillary Clintons that I suspect that none was authentic. In any case, the young Hillary was a fashionable leftie. No, she wasn't Bill Ayers. But her Wellesley commencement address was especially trite when trite was the rule. She worked for a communist law firm. She was faddish when independent thinking was what the country needed.

No Drama No More: How President Obama Will Handle His People.

Noam Scheiber — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

The morning after the presidential election, a group of top Obama staffers and consultants gathered for brunch at a restaurant a few blocks from their Chicago headquarters. The mood was understandably emotional, and, before long, chief strategist David Axelrod rose to offer a valedictory. According to one person in the room, Axelrod lavished praise on his operatives for their discretion, for their collegiality, and for their resistance to all manner of Washington-think.

Let's Call John Kerry’s Loss In 2004 What It Is: The Luckiest Thing To Happen To Democrats In 40 Years

David W. Rohde — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

After the 2004 presidential election Democrats were crushed. Four more years of George W. Bush seemed unthinkable, disastrous. But now that the Obama era is beginning, Democrats should view John Kerry's defeat as something else entirely: the luckiest break the party has caught since at least the 1964 election, which yielded the presidency of Lyndon Johnson and two-thirds Democratic congressional majorities. (Those 1964 victories made possible the passage of a long list of legislation backed by northern Democrats, including federal aid to education, Medicare, and the Voting Rights Act.) Indeed, had Bush lost in 2004, the Democrats simply wouldn't be anywhere near as powerful as they are now.

Al Gore Just Updated His Prescription For Fighting Climate Change. Time For Other Greens To Follow His Lead.

Michael Shellenberger and Ted Nordhaus — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

In a New York Times op-ed published on the first Sunday after Barack Obama's presidential election, Nobel prize winner Al Gore shifted from his longstanding focus on regulating carbon pollution to advocating direct government investments in clean energy as the best way to deal with climate change. Gore is the country's most prominent spokesperson on climate change and a shift in his thinking in reaction to new economic and political circumstances is highly significant.

A Guide For Not Completely Blowing: What Obama Can Learn From Bill Clinton's Early Failures.

Jonathan Chait — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

Ever since Election Night, the specter of 1994 has loomed over the Democratic Party. Would the Democrats 'overreach'? Would this bright new dawn of liberalism come crashing down as rapidly as the last one had?

The Case For Letting Joe Lieberman Keep His Committee Chairmanship

James Kirchick — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

On Tuesday, Democratic Senators will decide the political fate of Joe Lieberman. For the past several years, Lieberman has been a persistent thorn in their side--a relentless critic of Democratic attempts to end the war in Iraq and a no-less-vocal advocate of President Bush's surge strategy. Relations have grown considerably worse since he endorsed John McCain for President last December and delivered a speech at the Republican National Convention this fall. Now that the Democrats have picked up at least six additional seats in the Senate, liberal activists are calling on Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid to strip Lieberman of his chairmanship over the Homeland Security & Government Affairs Committee, revoke his seniority, and possibly evict him from the Democratic caucus altogether. But to do so would send the wrong message to the country, needlessly divide the Democratic Party, and betray the principles Barack Obama stressed so eloquently in his campaign.

Seven Questions I Want Answered About The Hillary As Secretary Of State Rumor

Michael Crowley — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

Some questions about the speculation du jour: --Would Obama really welcome the drama having Clinton in his cabinet would inevitably entail?

Are Obama-Haters Racists? Or Just Anti-Democrat Partisans?

Michelle Cottle — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

An old friend of mine who lives in Knoxville, Tennessee, emailed the other day to say how disheartened she was, as an Obama supporter, by the wave of anti-Obama vitriol she had been hearing on radio call-in shows and in conversations around town since the election. She was particularly disturbed by the racist edge to the ranting--much of it prefaced by the classic phrase, "I'm not a racist, but..." (Along these same lines, I noticed that yesterday Politico had a link to "A depressing rundown of recent racist, anti-Obama vandalism across the country." Sorry. Link no longer operative.)

Greenland's Great Melt: Making The Best Out Of Global Warming

Alexander Zaitchik — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

It's become a cliché of Arctic reportage to begin stories by describing the calving of glaciers—that process by which enormous vertical slabs of ice, some as tall as skyscrapers, slice off the glacial shelf and collapse into the waiting sea. During a recent reporting trip to Greenland, I quickly understood the impulse to chronicle this phenomenon. Even more than a Cat-5 hurricane making landfall, watching the muffled collapse of the ice shelves is like staring into the cold black eyes of climate change itself. It's the world literally breaking up, falling apart—albeit with surprising grace.

Panic In Detroit: Why The Auto Industry Deserves To Be Rescued.

Jonathan Cohn — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

General Motors has come to Washington, begging for a $25 billion bailout to keep it and its ailing Detroit counterparts going next year. But nobody seems too thrilled about the prospect. Liberals dwell on the companies' gas-guzzling sport-utility vehicles. Conservatives obsess over all the well-paid union members with gold-plated benefits. And people of all ideological backgrounds remember how they used to buy domestic cars, years ago, but stopped because the cars were so damn lousy. "The downfall of the American auto industry is indeed a tragedy," the Washington Post editorial board sermonized recently, "but the automakers and the United Auto Workers have only themselves to blame for much of it." And, if they have only themselves to blame, the argument goes, why do they deserve taxpayer help? Let them fail and file for bankruptcy. In the long run, the economy will be stronger and the workers better off. It'd be worth?the short-term pain, which might not even be so severe.

Collapsed Bridges! Exploding Pipes! Flooded Levees! How Obama Can Reinvent The Way Our Government Invests In Vital Infrastructure.

Robert Puentes — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

The list of infrastructure crises over the last three years reads like an almost biblical catalog of calamity: The I-35W bridge falling into the Mississippi River during rush-hour traffic in Minneapolis; a steam pipe explosion in mid-town Manhattan; and, of course, the drowning of New Orleans. These disasters have inspired a national what I call "infrastructure epiphany" about the need to reinvest. The economic stimulus package being cobbled together on Capitol Hill, which includes a whopping $19 billion for highways and transit, provides the perfect opportunity to do so.

Why Syria Won't Stop Harboring Terrorists, No Matter How Hard We Try

Lee Smith — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

The Bush administration has quietly authorized U.S. forces to attack Al-Qaeda bases around the Middle East--an escalation in the war on terror that Eli Lake first revealedtwo weeks ago in The New Republic and that The New York Times reported on this week. One of the administration's most recent targets was Syria, where it struck Al-Qaeda leader Badran Turki Hishan al Mazidih last month.

Honey, The Country's Late: Why Obama Needs To Address Abortion Early In His Presidency

E.J. Dionne, Jr. — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON--Of course, President-elect Barack Obama's most urgent task is to repair an ailing economy. But one of his most important promises was to end the cultural and religious wars that have disfigured politics for four decades.

Should the Obama Kids Go to Public School?

Jason Zengerle — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

Today's NYT has a thorough story about Michelle Rhee and her efforts to reform D.C.'s supremely screwed up public school system--efforts that, since they involve abolishing tenure, are being fought tooth and nail by the teacher's union.

Inevitable Obama Disappointment Watch: Guantanamo Bay Won't Close Any Time Soon

Joseph Landau — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

The Associated Press reported Monday that advisors to President-Elect Barack Obama 'are quietly crafting a proposal to ship dozens, if not hundreds, of imprisoned terrorism suspects to the United States to face criminal trials.' This likely signals a major (and welcome) policy shift in the detention and trial of 'enemy combatants' at Guantanamo Bay. But the AP’s conclusion that the proposal 'would make good on [Obama's] promise to close the Guantanamo Bay prison' is premature. Shutting down Guantanamo won't be so easy.

What Really Drew Russia And Georgia Into Conflict This Summer?

James P. Rubin — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

Why did Russia really invade Georgia? In late September, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov appeared before the Council on Foreign Relations in New York and offered a rather stunning explanation.

Don't Buy That Hummer Quite Yet: Low Gas Prices Are Not Here To Stay

Clay Risen — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

This week anyone with a car is telling the same story: Where were you when you saw regular unleaded at less than 2 dollars a gallon? (New Market, Virginia, in my case.) People are talking about it like they were Noah catching sight of Mt. Ararat--the flood of high prices is over. Except, well, it's not.

What Should Be In Obama's Stimulus Package? Renowned Economist Ben Friedman Has Some Suggestions.

Thu, 13 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

When Barack Obama is inaugurated, one of the first items on his legislative agenda will be an economic recovery package. By all accounts, the current economic crisis is one of the most complicated in American history, and fixing it will be no simple matter. We asked Benjamin Friedman, the William Joseph Maier of Political Economy at Harvard University, for his suggestions on what to include in an economic recovery package.

Our Advice To Democrats: Act Boldly. Act Swiftly. And Stop Worrying About Losing Seats In The Midterm Elections.

The Editors — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

Now that Barack Obama has won the presidency, a swath of the Washington establishment is pressing him to answer what it considers an urgent question: How will he scale back his plans--for tax cuts, for health care reform, for education--in response to the economic emergency? Actually, they were incessantly asking that before the election--in each of the three presidential debates, in fact. And even members of his own party have joined the David Gergens and Bob Schieffers in demanding that Obama retrench. This is, to say the least, a bizarre fixation, one that simultaneously misreads economics, politics, and history.

The South Is More Vibrant, Varied, And Relevant To American Politics Than 'The New York Times' Will Have You Believe

Clay Risen — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

Momentarily doffing my business-beat hat, I want to highlight a strange article in the New York Times this morning. “For South, a Waning Hold on National Politics,” reads the headline, and the gist of the piece is that Southern voters, by backing McCain this election, have proven that their backward ways are increasingly irrelevant to the American scene. There are lots of good quotes from the usual suspects—Merle Black, Tom Schaller—and lots of interesting anecdotes. But the accompanying graph, a county-level map showing left-right voting levels in 2008 relative to 2004 (hues of blue if the counties tilted more Democratic this time around, hues of red if they tilted further to the GOP), seems to belie most, if not all, of the article’s premise. Across the “Deep South”—South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and northern Louisiana, what the rest of the country talks about when it talks about the South—the map is almost entirely blue. Pretty much all of Texas is blue, too. That means that Obama, even if he didn’t win these states, still did better than Kerry. Instead, the red splotches center in eastern Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, and southern Louisiana; northern Alabama is pretty red as well. (Interestingly, these are places where Democrats tend to do well, historically, on the local and state level.)

From The Dept. Of Reckless Lies: How Beijing Is Cooking The Books On Its Pollution Numbers

Alex Pasternack — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

During the Beijing Olympic Games in August, fears of choking pollution were quickly forgotten thanks to a bevy of anti-smog measures and good (partially man-made) weather. According to the government, all but one of the days in August were "Blue Sky" days—Beijing's term for a day with only "moderate pollution," when the Air Pollution Index hits 100 or below. (The API is based on an average of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide and fine dust readings at 27 monitoring stations—ozone data is not released—and has nothing to do with the actual color of the sky that day.)

TNRtv: Why Is The Republican Party Incapable Of Learning From It's Own Mistakes?

Franklin Foer and Jonathan Chait — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

TNR editor Frank Foer and senior editor Jonathan Chait discuss the latest "TRB From Washington" column. Why is the Republican Party incapable of diagnosing its electoral flaws? Are members of the GOP too close to George W. Bush? How should the party adapt to regain influence?

What Being Hispanic Means In The Age Of Obama

Alvaro Vargas Llosa — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON -- Because of the debate over immigration reform, the word "Hispanic" became a stigma in the eyes of many Americans over the last two years. How ironic then that 10 million Hispanic voters played such a crucial role in last week's presidential election. They voted for Barack Obama by a 2-1 margin, giving him a decisive push in four states--Florida, Colorado, Nevada and New Mexico--that he wrested back from the GOP.

The Democrats' Secret Health Care Plan

Jonathan Cohn — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

If you believe what the pundits are saying, enacting universal health insurance in the next year won't be difficult: It will be impossible. As the argument goes, it would cost too much money, antagonize too many interest groups, and--given the difficulty of finding 60 votes in the Senate--require too much raw political muscle.

Time's Up For The Minutemen: Bidding Adios To The Anti-Immigrant Sensation

Zvika Krieger — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

Jim Gilchrist, the founder of the Minuteman Project, lives in a one-story home in a gated community in Orange County. On a late August afternoon, the 59- year-old former accountant invited me into his backyard, which is strewn with potted plants, blue-and-white pinwheels, and a ladybug wind chime. "There are some Pakistani immigrants that live over there," he says, pointing over his fence, "and a nice Japanese family, and a Taiwanese family that lives around the corner. It's a great neighborhood."

ROUND THREE Of The Gay Marriage Debate: When Should Judges Get Out Of The Way And Let The Political Process Take Over?

Richard Just and Jeffrey Rosen — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

Many thanks for your thoughtful response. But just to be clear: I'm not arguing that judges should crudely follow the polls, or that courts are supposed to do nothing more than predict and ratify public opinion. Instead, the argument--developed here--is that, when the constitutional arguments for judicial intervention are ambiguous, uncertain, and intensely contested, judges should defer to the political branches.

Dear Barack: Don't Send A Special Envoy To The Middle East. And Definitely Don't Send Bill Clinton.

Martin Peretz — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

It was Thursday, barely 36 hours since Barack Obama was recognized to have won the American presidency, that some editorialist at the London Financial Times sat down to do his Friday leader. It was the paper's first instructions to Obama. The previous day's commentary was a cliche: a reminder, as if neither he nor his party grasped the truism, that Obama needed to be president of the "whole" country."

The Case Against Including The Auto Industry In Obama's Bailout Plan

Clay Risen — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

As Obama has made clear, bailing out the auto industry is a key priority in his economic recovery agenda. There's already $25 billion in low-cost loans approved for Detroit, but that money is tagged specifically to help the industry retool to meet higher fuel-efficiency standards. So Democrats have been pushing the White House to tap the $700 billion bailout package for more.

What Jihadists, Islamists, And Other America-Haters Are Saying About The Obama Victory

Eli Lake — Tue, 11 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

The election of Barack Obama has filled the cable networks with images of Kenyans dancing in the street and Australians breaking down into tears of joy. But there's one group of foreigners whose reactions haven't received much attention: the ones that seek our destruction.

The Shadow President: How John Podesta Invented The Obama Administration

Michael Crowley — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

The bright young think tank staffers at the progressive Center for American Progress (CAP) admire their boss, John Podesta. Podesta, who is also co-managing Barack Obama's presidential transition team, possesses energy (he is a workaholic and marathon runner), colorful quirks (a UFO buff, he has pressed for more government disclosure about reported alien sightings), and an unabashed willingness to dance himself into a sweaty frenzy at a party filled with people half his age (59). But the staffers also fear his darker side. They fear ... Skippy.

Barack Obama Should Model His Presidency After ... George W. Bush?

Jonathan Cohn — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

You hear lots of talk about which former president Barack Obama should use as a model. Bill Clinton comes up regularly. Franklin Roosevelt, too. But what about the guy in the White House now? I know, President Bush’s approval ratings are hovering around 30 percent. This election was in many ways a referendum on his tenure and the verdict could not have been more unambiguous. The voters didn't like it. “Saturday Night Live” got an entire skit (and a pretty funny one) out of John McCain trying to escape the stigma of he failure.

What Role Will Al Gore Play Under President Obama?

Bradford Plumer — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

In The New York Times today, Al Gore lays out his plan to have the United States get '100 percent of [its] electricity from carbon-free sources within 10 years'—a much more ambitious goal than anyone else has proposed to date.

TRB: Slow Learners: What part of "overwhelming electoral defeat" does the GOP not understand?

Jonathan Chait — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

A year and a half ago, around the time thoughtful conservatives started to realize that George W. Bush might not in fact be a combination of Abraham Lincoln and Winston Churchill, National Review editor Rich Lowry wrote a cover story pinpointing the source of the president's failings: He had a competence problem. Going forward, Lowry suggested, the party might want a new leader a bit less, well, meatheaded than the incumbent. Republicans would seek out someone who "doesn't run the government like George W. Bush," he predicted-- someone "detail-oriented" and "proven (in jobs more demanding than part owner of a baseball team or governor in a state where the office is weak)."

In Defense Of Summers: Don't Rule Out A Brilliant Policymaker Because Of Two Ham-Fisted Comments

Noam Scheiber — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

So, as promised, I wanted to make a few quick points in defense of Summers. First, with regard to his speculation that innate gender differences may partly explain why women are underrepresented in elite science and math positions, it was unquestionably a boneheaded thing for the president of Harvard to say, and not a particularly constructive hypothesis for him to muse about. (Even if true, then what?) It's worth mentioning, however, that Summers' comments were motivated by his interest in alleviating gender inequality in these fields, which is how he prefaced them at the time. The whole point was to initiate a conversation about why women might be underrepresented.

Is A 52-48 Vote Really Enough To Prove That The Courts Overstepped On Gay Marriage?

Richard Just and Jeffrey Rosen — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

Dear Jeff, you and I both believe in gay marriage; our disagreement is about means, not ends. Moreover, while I am devastated about what happened in California on Tuesday, I agree with you that, in the wake of a loss of this magnitude, any movement needs to at least be willing to ask whether its approach has been the right one. Legitimate anger at the ugliness of what has just taken place in California--and I do think ugliness is the right word to describe what 52 percent of California voters did on Tuesday, as well as the right word to describe the cynical campaign of disinformation and raw bigotry that backers of Proposition 8 conducted over the past few months--is no excuse to avoid the fundamental questions we are asking here: Has the gay rights movement screwed up by working through the courts? And have the courts screwed up by reading the right to gay marriage into various state constitutions?

On The Huge Expectations That The World Has For Barack Obama

Bernard-Henri Levy — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

It is clear that Barack Obama is neither an angel nor a man sent from heaven.

The O-List: Thirty People Who Will Rule Obama's Washington

TNR Staff — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

In the spring of 2007, long before Sarah Palin became a feminist icon, before Jeremiah Wright and Bill Ayers reared their unreconstructed heads, before Hillary Clinton ever questioned his readiness to be president, Barack Obama's greatest nemesis was a 29-year-old paralegal named Joe Anthony.

Washington Diarist: 'Americans Who Were Not Moved By What Happened The Other Night Were In Some Way Un-American'

Leon Wieseltier — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

The leaves were not all that was changing in Lafayette Park. I had never before seen a patriotic mosh-pit, but I was gladly trapped in one outside the White House in the hours after Barack Obama's inexorable but still unimaginable victory. I had also never seen young people march on the White House in the cause of joy.

Democrats Did Terribly With Religious Voters On Tuesday. But Does The Party Need Them?

Damon Linker — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

Election Day 2008 was a moment of unambiguous triumph for Barack Obama and the Democratic Party. But do Tuesday's results make it a 'pivot' election, as some of have suggested, marking the transition from 28 years of Republican ideological dominion to a new era of liberal supremacy?

Debating Prop. 8: Why Overeager Judges Don't Help The Cause Of Marriage Equality

Richard Just and Jeffrey Rosen — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

In a major setback for gay marriage advocates, California voters passed Proposition 8 on Tuesday. Over the next couple of days, TNR's managing editor Richard Just and TNR's legal affairs editor Jeffrey Rosen will be debating the appropriate lessons to draw from the defeat. Rosen kicks things off below.

Rahm Wasn't Just The Right Choice For Chief Of Staff; He Was The Only One

Noam Scheiber — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

Some time last week, as we were putting together our Obama power list, it occurred to me that Obama had a problem: He didn't have anybody around him who had the combination of policy chops, Hill knowledge, and the understanding of how to mobilize voters that he'll need to pass major initiatives like healthcare reform. Some people, like Obama's Senate chief of staff Pete Rouse, know the Hill backwards and forwards. Some, like policy advisers Jason Furman, Heather Higginbottom, and Austan Goolsbee, know their wonkery cold. And some, like campaign manager David Plouffe, know how to build a grassroots army. Heck, Obama even has people--like Tom Daschle--who can touch two of these three bases. (Daschle obviously knows the Hill and has made himself into a real healthcare expert.) But, after huddling with my colleagues, none of us could think of anyone who combined all three.

Five Ways In Which Barack Obama's Victory Has Changed The Political Landscape In America

Marty Peretz — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

Has anyone noticed that Arkansas fell to John McCain and is one of only three states that went Republican with a higher margin than when George Bush beat John Kerry. Bush's margin was 10 percent while McCain's was 20 percent. Can this have anything to do with Bill Clinton's widely publicized campaigning in what he, 'the man from Hope' now the man from Manhattan and Chappaqua, must now think of as Dog Patch. Do you still think Al Gore was wrong not to allow him to put his persona and face all over the 2000 campaign?

Should The Secretary Of Treasury Be Larry Summers Or … Tim Geitner, Who's The Next Larry Summers

Noam Scheiber — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

In early 2003, Bill McDonough, the longtime president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, announced he was stepping down after ten years at the helm. The New York Fed presidency is one of the most powerful positions in government, rating behind only the Treasury secretary and Fed chairman in influence over the economy. This made the departure of the widely respected McDonough, who had led a rescue of the financial markets in 1998, a mournful event in itself. But, when the two leading candidates to replace him abruptly withdrew, the anxiety in some quarters became palpable.

Why It Took A Black Presidential Candidate To End Our Four-Decade Culture War

Alan Wolfe — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

There can be no beginning without an ending. Everyone seems to agree that Barack Obama's victory marks a new chapter in American political history. What is not so obvious is that it ends not just one era, but two.

A Wonderful Political Season, Yes, But Also A Deeply Disappointing One For Women

Katherine Marsh — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

For anyone who has ever felt--because of race, gender, sexual orientation, or class--like an 'other,' last night was a triumphant night. But as I watched the jubilant crowds in Grant Park, the impromptu celebrations in front of the White House, and the tearful embraces in churches and bars across America, I couldn't help but feel a little sad that this political season has been so disappointing for women.

America The Polarized: Why Obama's Resounding Victory Does Not Indicate A Broader Political Realignment

Scott Winship — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

To say my heart isn't fully in the wet-blanket role at this historic moment is an understatement. I spent last night with throngs of people celebrating in the streets where, 40 years ago, storefronts burned in the wake of the King assassination. And I am filled with hope for the possibilities of the next several years.

Unsolved Electoral Mysteries: Why Did Democrats Have More Down-Ballot Trouble Than Expected?

Eve Fairbanks — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

Why did the Democrats -- whose House gain currently stands at 18 seats, with some still uncalled -- somewhat underperform Congress-watchers' expectations of a 25 to 35 seat pickup last night?

Why Does 'No-Drama' Obama Want Rahm As Chief Of Staff? And Why Would Rahm Want To Pass Up The Speakership?

Jason Zengerle and Michelle Cottle — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

Despite their very, uh, different personalities, Obama and Emanuel have one big thing in common: David Axelrod. Emanuel is one of Axelrod's closest friends; Axelrod even signed the ketubah at Emanuel's wedding.

Does Obama's Victory Prove That America Has Become A Liberal County?

John B. Judis — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

Even before the final results, showing a Democratic sweep, were in, Washington's pundits were declaring that nothing had really changed politically in the country.

Some Ideas On How We Should Start To Process This Monumental Victory

John McWhorter — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

The Bradley Effect. “God damn America!” “Kill him!” “Why can’t he close the deal?” “Isn’t he a Muslim?” The “terrorist fist jab.” The New Yorker cover. Michelle’s chimerical “whitey” speech. After all of the aggrieved musings and smug insistences, the deal is done.

Gala-hopping With Los Angeles Republicans. (Reflecting On The State Of The Party Strongly Discouraged.)

T.A. Frank — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

Insight on party decoration, gleaned at 6:30 p.m., 11/4/2008: Abundant balloons, in the absence of abundant human beings, is a real downer.

The Foreign TV Watch: Mindless Chatter, Leftie Politics, Odes To The 'Primordial Importance of Women' … And Chris Matthews Wasn't Even Around

Brendan Bernhard — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

Election Day found me across the Atlantic in France, but like any good American, I was glued to the television. The only difference was the time (six hours in advance of New York) and the faces, voices, and languages on the screen. CNN International, BBC World, Al Jazeera English, and dozens of French stations were at my disposal.

Yesterday, America Chose To Practice What It Has Long Preached To The Rest Of The World

E.J. Dionne, Jr. — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON -- Yes, it is time to hope again.

What Obama Owes A Populace That's Scared About Its Future

Alvaro Vargas Llosa — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON -- The social coalition put together by Barack Obama signifies a political realignment that may well have replaced the one that started with Richard Nixon, reached its zenith with Ronald Reagan and appears to have expired with George W. Bush. Whether Obama's coalition is long-lasting or ephemeral will depend on how he himself interprets it. The consensus seems to be that Obama's diverse supporters, as Harold Meyerson recently put it in The Washington Post, expect their leader to "implement a 21st-century version of Franklin Roosevelt's reforms." I am not so sure.

A TNR Classic: The Emerging Democratic Majority

John B. Judis and Ruy Teixeira — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

Long before George W. Bush won the 2000 presidential election, his chief political adviser, Karl Rove, was predicting to reporters that a Bush victory would produce a historic political realignment. This new Republican majority would resemble the one William McKinley built roughly one century ago. "I look at this time as 1896, the time where we saw the rise of William McKinley and his vice president, Teddy Roosevelt," Rove declared. "That was the last time we had a shift in political paradigm." Just as McKinley exploited America's shift from an agrarian to an industrial economy to build his majority, Bush would exploit America's "transformational" shift from an industrial to a postindustrial economy to build his. Bush would be the candidate and the president of the "new economy."

Dreams From My Father

Stephen Rodrick — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 05:00:00 GMT

I entered my Brooklyn voting booth this morning uncertain who would get my vote.

The Barack I Know: How Obama Schooled Me On Race, And Other Stories From My Year On The Campaign Trail

Noam Scheiber — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 06:10:00 GMT

A little over four-and-a-half years ago, I traveled to Illinois to interview Barack Obama for a profile I was working on. It was not long after he’d captured over 50 percent of the vote in his U.S. Senate primary against a multicandidate field. A lot of people in Washington had begun to cluck over this promising black state senator.

Ten Reasons Why You Should Ignore Exit Polls At All Costs

Nate Silver — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 06:10:00 GMT

Oh, let me count the ways. Almost all of this, by the way, is lifted from Mark Bluemthnal's outstanding Exit Poll FAQ. For the long version, see over there.

Big Trouble's A-Brewing At Polling Stations In Virginia

Dave Jamieson — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 06:10:00 GMT

The vigilant folks here at Election Protection headquarters are telling us that large numbers of Virginia voters have been turned away from the polls this morning. Several precincts opened late and quickly had ballot shortages. At some, not all the machines were working; at others, none of them were working. The group's legal volunteers are learning more by the minute as calls come in from voters--so take this all with a grain of salt for now--but word here is that more than a dozen precincts have been experiencing serious problems in the Commonwealth. The number of voters affected, according to a group spokesman, is "significant."

Robert Gates, Mitt Romney, And A List Of The Other People I’d Put In Obama's Cabinet

John B. Judis — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 06:10:00 GMT

If Barack Obama wins the presidency, I don't know who he is going to put in his cabinet, but I have some recommendations for how he should go about choosing people. My assumption is that he will face unprecedented challenges (a downturn, a financial crisis, two wars) and opportunities (a large Democratic majority, discredited opposition in Congress and on K Street). At the same time, he can expect this opposition to do whatever it thinks is necessary to block his initiatives. Republicans in Congress and conservative activists in Washington know that if Obama has a successful presidency, he has a chance to establish a lasting Democratic majority that would keep them on the sidelines well into the next decade.

In Defense Of Caution: Why President Obama Shouldn't Push For Too Much Too Fast

William Galston — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

If history is any guide, the decisions that a President-Elect Obama makes over the next few months will shape his administration. By the end of February, he will have to define his top domestic priorities, submit a budget, and begin the difficult process of unwinding America’s combat presence in Iraq. The good news is that the terms of his victory likely will have left him some room to maneuver. The not-so-good news is that expectations are sky-high and that some of his supporters will press him to throw caution to the wind and emulate FDR’s first 100 days, or LBJ’s feverish legislative pace in 1965 and 1966. This is a temptation Obama would do well to resist. Despite today’s crisis environment, there are economic and political limits to government activism that the president-elect will ignore at his peril.

Special Triumphalist Edition! We Haven't Even Seen The Exit Polls, But John B. Judis Has Already Picked Out Obama's Cabinet.

Tue, 04 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

The Final Polls Are In, And McCain's Chances Of Victory Settle At ... 1.9 Percent

Nate Silver — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

With fewer than six hours until voting begins in Dixville Notch, New Hampshire, the national polling picture has cleared up considerably. Barack Obama is on the verge of a victory, perhaps a decisive victory, in the race for the White House.

The Democratic Party's Sly New Congressional Strategy. PLUS: Meet The New Jim Webb.

Eve Fairbanks — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

Electoral guru Stu Rothenberg has offered up his final House prediction: Democrats could capture Republican seats numbering 'quite possibly well into the 30s.' The drama here has been overshadowed by the presidential race, but that's just as big a Democratic congressional wave as we saw in 2006, when 31 seats switched.

Why Palin's Policies Won't Help Special-Needs Children

Harold Pollack — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

Today's New York Times contains a poignant article, 'In Palin, Families of Disabled Children See a Potential White House Friend." With her infant son's diagnosis of Down Syndrome, Governor Palin has joined a community of caregivers that crosses every social boundary.

TNRtv: Isn't It Strange That Both McCain And Obama Want You To Think McCain Is Going To Win?

Jonathan Chait — Tue, 04 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

TNR senior editor Jonathan Chait breaks down how the resounding victory forecast for Obama has transformed various takes on the contest: an unexpected convergence among GOP and Democratic Party lines, and some reticence from the press.

Don't Worry, Obama's Got This

Noam Scheiber — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

If you're the kind of person who obsesses over minor poll movements (and, if you're reading this, you almost certainly are), there's a good chance you noticed the slight tightening yesterday in Pennsylvania and Virginia, as well as the national tracking polls, which Nate covered in his daily write-up. Herewith, a couple reasons I'm not worried:

Why McCain's Last Stand Indulges White Voters' Worst Instincts

Jonathan Chait — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

Ross Douthat scratches his head wondering why the McCain campaign is 'pinning their hopes on a working-class backlash against the progressive income tax' in Pennsylvania. Ross thinks the answer is incompetence. Maybe he's right, and the McCain campaign is unaware of, say, polls showing that Americans favor Obama's tax hike on the rigch or years of evidence showing that Americans by overwhelming margins believe that wealth should be distributed more evenly.

Hanging Out With Ohio Secretary Of State Jennifer Brunner Before Everything Goes To Hell On Tuesday

Seyward Darby — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

COLUMBUS, OHIO--Less than a week before Election Day, the buzz in Ohio Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner's office is about a Halloween mask. On Thursday morning, The Other Paper, a local news and entertainment weekly, had published a cover plastered with a picture of Brunner's face, complete with dotted lines where readers could cut it out to wear for the holiday. The headline read, "Be A Future Movie Star For Halloween," and an article inside suggested that Meryl Streep should play Brunner, an elected Democrat, in the movie that's sure to be produced if Ohio is a nail-biter.

What Can We Expect From Fox News Over The Next Four Years? I Watched An Insane Amount Of It To Find Out.

Isaac Chotiner — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

With precious little time remaining until the election, last week I sat down to watch as much Fox News as I reasonably could over a 24-hour period. As one might expect with Barack Obama so close to the presidency, the channel is in full nuclear meltdown mode; I was afraid the stench of desperation would waft out of the television set and into my studio apartment. Fox is going ballistic for good reason: These days, absolutely nothing is going right--in both declensions of the word. The paroxysms I witnessed hinted at an answer to a critical question: What will the opposition media look like during an Obama administration?

McCain Finally Refines His Tax Argument, And It's Reaching More Voters. Too Bad It's Still Wrong.

Jonathan Cohn — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

Sometime in the last ten days or so, John McCain distilled his argument about taxes to this line: 'Senator Obama is running to punish the successful. I'm running to make everyone successful.'

How Obama, The First Truly 21st Century Figure In American Politics, Has Transformed The Nature Of Campaigns

E.J. Dionne, Jr. — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 06:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON--A good politician triumphs by adapting to the times and taking advantage of opportunities as they come. A great politician anticipates openings others don't see and creates possibilities that were not there before.

Should McCain Have Been Expelled From The Senate? The Keating Five Story You've Never Heard.

Sahil Mahtani — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 05:00:00 GMT

One day in early March 1986, John McCain, an Arizona congressman, sat down to write a letter. McCain had heard that a long-time friend and donor, Charles Keating, was upset for being listed as a member of McCain's campaign finance committee when a more prominent position would seem more appropriate. So McCain apologized. Needlessly it turned out, for "Charlie," as he signed his letter, would reply a few days later:

Obama's Playing Spooky Mind Games In Arizona

Nate Silver — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 05:00:00 GMT

In contrast to what most candidates do in the closing days of a race, Barack Obama is expanding his list of targets, making an ad buy in Arizona as well as Georgia and North Dakota...

"We're Doing The Work McCain's People Can't Or Won't Do": Meet The Man Behind The New Reverend Wright Ad

Zvika Krieger — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Jeremiah Wright is back in the headlines thanks to a new ad by the recently formed National Republican Trust PAC. I spoke over the phone today with the ad’s creator, Rick Wilson, a GOP media consultant who is most infamous for a 2002 campaign ad tying then-Senator Max Cleland to Osama bin Laden.

Lawsuits! Shady Associates! Dirty Money! Your Guide To The Never-Ending Scandals Of Norm Coleman.

Eve Fairbanks — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Lawsuits! Shady associates! Dirty money! It's very hard to keep track of what the hell's been going on in these final days of the Norm Coleman-Al Franken showdown in Minnesota, so here's a little cheat sheet for you to keep track.

The Real Reason Red-Staters Are So Angry. (Hint: Have You Ever Tried To Buy A Vibrator In Texas?)

Michelle Cottle — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 05:00:00 GMT

A colleague (I won't reveal his name) was up late last night watching 'Thelma and Louise' on Lifetime. During a commerical break, an ad for Trojan's Vibrating Touch fingertip massager for women came on. Naturally, my colleague's journalistic curiosity was piqued and he rushed to the website mentioned for more info. (Hey, in these final stressful days of the campaign, a man's gotta do what he's gotta do to stay distracted.)

John McCain's Bizarre Fantasy U.N. Replacement

Nina Hachigian — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 05:00:00 GMT

There is a line of thought in international affairs, the democratic peace theory, which suggests democracies never go to war with one another.If you consider only those democracies that are well-established and grant individual rights to their citizens (that is, if you ignore cases like Weimar Germany), the hypothesis stands up pretty well to historical scrutiny.

TNRtv: What Would Rahm Emanuel As Chief Of Staff Say About An Obama Administration?

Eve Fairbanks — Sat, 01 Nov 2008 05:00:00 GMT

TNR associate editor Eve Fairbanks takes issue with today's report that Obama will select House bruiser Rahm Emanuel as Chief of Staff: why Obama doesn't want a 'yes man,' where GOP charges of Emanuel partisanship fall short, and how the 'Tony Soprano' of congress would run things in the White House.

Did The Swift Boaters Finally Beat John Murtha?

Joshua Hersh — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

In just a few short weeks, eighteen-term Democratic congressman John Murtha has gone from shoo-in incumbent to a man on the brink.

Why It's So Hard For The Media To Call McCain Out On His Policy Lies

Jonathan Cohn — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Ten days ago, the campaign's unofficial referees came down pretty hard on Barack Obama and his campaign. The issue was Medicare--specifically, Obama’s accusation that John McCain intends to slash the program.

McCain Believes Good Always Defeats Evil, And, Well, That's Scary In A President

J. Peter Scoblic — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

This morning on NPR, Newsweek editor Jon Meacham provided a bizarre analysis of John McCain's worldview, and then dove headfirst down the rabbit hole in arguing that it's quite similar to Barack Obama's.

Finally, The Campaign Turns To A Truly Substantive Argument

E.J. Dionne, Jr. — Fri, 31 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

SHIPPENSBURG, Pa.--Emily Daywalt decided to go to the first political rally of her life because she wanted to cheer Sarah Palin, who was here a few days ago to inspire the faithful. Daywalt said she likes it that Palin "hunts and that she believes in God and that she is a strong, independent woman."

The Scariest Part About The Economic Collapse Is That, Even Still, Nobody Knows What's Going On

Steven R. Weisman — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

As investors all around the world ran scared this past month, their panic was about the only thing easy to understand.

Correspondence: Rodger Foreman on 'Barracuda'

Rodger Foreman and Noam Scheiber — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Dear Editor: Some weeks ago, I was contacted by … Noam Scheiber, who wrote the article 'Barracuda,' appearing in your current issue...

What Does Covering A Two-Year Campaign Do To The Soul Of A Journalist?

Julia Ioffe — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

CNN political correspondent Candy Crowley has taken to running through a checklist before bed. Every night she travels with the Obama campaign, she orders a wake-up call and sets one regular alarm and one back-up on her cell phone, which she places strategically out of slapping distance across the room. Then she writes down her vitals: What city is she in? What time zone? What time does she have to be out of the hotel room the next morning? What day is it? With that, she can drift off before the next day's campaign coverage. Most of the time, though, Crowley is so scared to oversleep that she's awake and waiting, long before the alarm--any one of them--ever rings.

Should Obama Fans Be Popping Corks Or Xanax? Our Senior Editors Debate Obama Inevitability.

Noam Scheiber and John B. Judis — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

If the extensive Pew Center poll proves prescient, the Obama people will be popping the corks by 8 PM next Tuesday, and the Republican party will be in for a very long winter.

Seeing The Financial Crisis As An Opportunity

Michael E. Lewitt — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

We are now on our second multibillion-dollar plan to bail out Wall Street. The Bush administration has abandoned the free-market ideology that laid the groundwork for the crisis, acknowledging that nothing less than wholesale intervention can prevent a complete collapse of the global financial system. Yet the question remains: Have we finally regained control of the economy?

TNR EXCLUSIVE: The Bush Administration Has Dramatically Escalated The Fight Against Al Qaeda--With Serious Implications For An Obama Administration.

Eli Lake — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

On Sunday, U.S. helicopters accompanied by a special forces team struck in Sukkariyeh, Syria, just over the border from Iraq. It was a raid with enormous implications for the war in Iraq and the broader war on terror.

Is Bobby Jindal Really 'The Republican Obama'? And Would The GOP Ever Nominate Him For President?

Suzy Khimm and Christopher Orr — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

With the Republicans' presidential hopes for 2008 now all but dashed, a few upstarts in the party are—surprise—positioning themselves for future runs.

Why McCain's Economic Plan Will Screw New York (And Most Other States Too!)

Jonathan Cohn — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

OK, McCain hasn't actually said 'Drop Dead' to New York. But he's sending the same message with his economic agenda.

How America's Financial Meltdown Allowed Argentina's President To Plunder People's Savings

Alvaro Vargas Llosa — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

WASHINGTON--I recently suggested that the U.S. government's bailout of the financial system, which includes the de facto nationalization of several banks, would arouse populists around the world and give them the perfect alibi to confiscate private property. President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner of Argentina has been the first to confirm my prediction.

Divided Government Doesn't Work

John B. Judis — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

I am a great fan of the Financial Times, and I was interested to see that they endorsed Barack Obama for president. But they couldn’t do so without perpetuating one of the great fallacies of American politics -- a fallacy that is currently echoed by the McCain campaign and the Republican party.

RIP Northeastern Republicans. Cause Of Death: Barracuda Attack.

Suzy Khimm — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

It's a beautiful Saturday afternoon in October, and, as Republican Representative Chris Shays drives between churches in his affluent Connecticut district, he is talking about the possibility of being knifed.

Throwing A Cold Dose Of Reality On The Claim That Obama Endorsed Redistribution Of Wealth

Cass R. Sunstein — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

In the last few days, the McCain campaign has portrayed Barack Obama as a 'socialist,' and apparently the campaign and others are combing through Obama's past statements to see if he has ever favored 'redistribution.'

The Hot New Trend: Republicans Pretending To Be Democrats. Is This Good Or Bad For Liberals?

Jonathan Cohn — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

If Democrats end up winning big next week, not only at the presidential but the congressional level, to what extent will it represent an endorsement of the party's ideas? That would be the major question going forward. And those who oppose the Democratic agenda will, almost certainly, argue that Democratic themes and policy proposals had nothing to do with it.

Should The Government Bail Out Detroit? (Would It Even Be Able To?)

Bradford Plumer — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

It's been clear for quite some time that GM badly miscalculated by assuming gas prices would stay low forever and SUV sales could keep the automaker afloat for years and years to come. Even so, the big New York Times blow-by-blow of that story is well worth reading, including a report that its execs nixed a $2 billion overhaul of its SUV line 'without a single dissenting vote' last May.

Good Riddance, John Murtha

Eve Fairbanks — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

It takes terrible luck or astonishing talent for a congressional Democrat to be endangered this year. Still, there are a half-dozen Democrats who really could lose their seats a week from tomorrow.

If You Only Watch One Video In Which The McCain-Palin War Is Acted Out With Hand Puppets, Make It This One

Jonathan Chait — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

As Sarah Palin starts distancing herself from a losing candidate, TNR senior editor Jonathan Chait performs his own reenactment of the civil war brewing inside the McCain campaign.

Staking Out McCain's Right

Jonathan Chait — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

In 1960, John F. Kennedy attacked the incumbent Republican administration for allowing the Soviet Union to open up a 'missile gap' over the United States. The gap turned out not to exist. But it put the young, inexperienced Massachusetts senator on the political offensive and positioned him to the right of his more experienced Republican foe on the central foreign policy question of the day.

McCain Is Dragging Down GOP Races Across The Country--And Party Leaders Are Pissed!

Eric Zimmermann — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Mark Feest is doing all he can to get John McCain elected. Unfortunately, the McCain campaign hasn't always made that easy. Feest is the chairman of the GOP committee in Churchill County, a rural region of some 20,000 people in northwestern Nevada.

Slashed Tires! Confederate Flags! Animal Carcasses! And More Of The Increasingly Ugly Stories From The Campaign Trail.

Michael Crowley — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

The presidential has gotten increasingly ugly over the past few months. But things have devolved to such new lows in the last few days that we've decided to compile our blog coverage of the campaign's inglorious events. Wince at will.

How Soldiers Really Vote--The Surprisingly Liberal Tendencies Of U.S. Soldiers

Jason Dempsey — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Last Thursday, the 'Military Times' released the results of a survey showing that members of the armed services planned to vote for John McCain over Barack Obama by a factor of nearly three to one--this at a time when the Democratic nominee was handily beating his Republican rival in almost all national polls. The survey apparently reaffirmed the long-held conventional wisdom that the U.S. military overwhelmingly backs the GOP.

Senior Editor Cagematch! Scheiber Vs. Chait On Whether Sarah Palin Will Be The GOP Nominee In 2012.

Noam Scheiber and Jonathan Chait — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

On Wednesday, Jon Chait predicted that Palin would be the GOP nominee for president in 2012. That's a bet I'll gladly take, since I happen to think there’s zero chance of it happening.

TNRtv: Behind Limbaugh And Co.'s Farcical Attempt To Challenge Obama's Citizenship

Eve Fairbanks — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

TNR associate editor Eve Fairbanks rips apart Limbaugh and his conservative cohorts for their accusations that Obama is not an American citizen, and explains why such ugly slander may be depressing Democrats.

Correspondence: Michael G. Oxley on 'The Gilded Age'

Michael G. Oxley — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Dear Editor: The content of Dave Jamieson's article referring to the time of my chairmanship, "The Gilded Age," was filled with errors and misrepresentations.

McJustice: Consider The Judicial Apocalypse That McCain Would Usher In.

Jeffrey Rosen — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

During every presidential campaign for the last two decades, liberals have predicted an apocalypse in the Supreme Court. In their dire visions, as many as four justices are always about to retire, meaning that a Republican victory would turn the court radically to the right and lead to the certain overturning of Roe v. Wade.

The GOP's Latest Plan To Defeat Blue Dog Democrats? Nominate Wingnuts Too Conservative Even For Their Own Party!

Eve Fairbanks — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

In many ways, it was your standard Democratic fund-raiser in a Republican stronghold. On a recent Friday, a largely bleeding-heart contingent from Maryland's first congressional district--professors from the nearby liberal arts college, a left-wing lobbyist, a Sears scion turned Obama donor, the president of an environmental foundation--holed up in a Patton Boggs lawyer's Eastern Shore home to give their earnest young congressional candidate, state prosecutor Frank Kratovil, a sympathetic pat on the back.

Although Obama and McCain Have Both Been Called Socialists, The Socialist Party USA's Presidential Nominee Really Is One, And His Feelings Are Hurt

Katherine Marsh — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

With all the accusations of socialism flying around, it seemed like a good time to check in with Brian Moore, the Socialist Party USA presidential nominee. As Moore himself observed, socialism has been in the news more in the past few weeks 'than anytime since 1932.'

TNRtv: Can Obama Stop 'Socialist' From Being A Dirty Word?

John B. Judis — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

TNR senior editor John B. Judis sets the record straight about socialism: why Obama's plan is the theory's antithesis, why the bailout also doesn't qualify, and why before long, the word "socialism" may be more pious than profane.

Why I'm Voting Obama: Among Other Reasons: When McCain Picked Sarah Palin, He Told The United States Of America To Go F*ck Itself.

Leon Wieseltier — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

I have never voted happily in a general election. In the 1980s I envied my conservative friends who drew the curtain of the voting booth over an epiphany, whereas I groaned beneath my philosophical complexity when I voted for Reagan; and when I voted for Clinton a decade later, it was not without an exertion of casuistry about the distinction between supportable and admirable. I have not yet been asked for my vote by a candidate who represents the entirety of my convictions. I am not dismayed by this. Politics should not provide the most complete or the most profound of life's satisfactions. Voting is not an expression of the soul. Anyway, my convictions do not add up. I like taxes and I like the military. (The only thing Obama said in any of those dreary debates that delighted me was his muffled admission the other night that "I don't mind paying a little more" taxes. Taxation is a strong sign of membership in a polity; and the many calamities of recent years have confirmed to me that the government needs my money, because there are emergencies, within and beyond our borders, with which only it can deal.) I want universal health care and I want an interventionist foreign policy. I believe that the American president should help people in distress, at home and abroad--not all of them, but a lot of them. I like capitalism, but not religiously, and I feel the same way about diplomacy. I do not trust bankers to understand American values and poets to understand American interests. Taken together, these are political inconsistencies, but they are not intellectual inconsistencies. It is not my problem that the political culture of this country has made the liberalism that I inherited, and of which I was honored to become an heir, seem incoherent. Or maybe it is my problem: after all, I have to vote.

How The West Was Lost: Why McCain Is So Unpopular In His Own Backyard

Nate Silver — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Two regions in this election contain a disproportionate number of battleground states: the Rust Belt (including Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, and Wisconsin) and the Interior West (Colorado, New Mexico, Nevada). On that score, each candidate would seem to have a home-region advantage, with Barack Obama representing Illinois in the heart of the Rust Belt region, and John McCain Arizona in the Interior West.

Making Sense Of The Confusing, Contentious 'Problem' Of Voter Fraud

Dayo Olopade — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

We were supposed to be beyond this. In 2000, George W. Bush's freakishly thin margin of victory over Al Gore once more thrust the twin problems of voter access and voter legitimacy into the national spotlight. The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002 was meant to establish uniform, upgraded standards for registration and voting--but, this year, a new wave of conflicts over residency requirements, citizenship requirements, and legal cases invoking the Republican chestnut of "voter fraud" suggest that the issues that brought us the long national nightmare of the Florida recount won't die easily.

Yes, Sarah Palin Will Be The Republican Nominee In 2012

Jonathan Chait — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

With a long campaign finally nearing its (apparently foregone) conclusion, people are tiring of speculation about the presidential race. I think what they want now is... speculation about the next presidential race. Never too early for this sort of thing. I'm predicting that Sarah Palin will be the next Republican nominee.

The Polling Gold Rush, And Why The Numbers You're Obsessing Over May Be Totally Useless

Michael Crowley — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

At three o'clock on the afternoon of Wednesday, September 24, John McCain announced a bold move. He was suspending his campaign and rushing back to Washington to deal with the escalating financial crisis, even if it meant skipping a scheduled debate with Barack Obama that Friday night. The McCain campaign heralded the ploy as evidence that its man was a decisive leader who would put duty to his country above partisan politics.

Who's The More Shameful Recession-Era President: George W. Bush Or Herbert Hoover?

William E. Leuchtenburg — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

At various points throughout his administration, George W. Bush has been likened to Abraham Lincoln and Harry Truman, to Teddy Roosevelt and William McKinley. But during his second term, a consensus has been forming on the president he most brings to mind.

Why Obama May Be Able To Implement Big, Ambitious Government Programs In A 'Conservative' Nation

Dayo Olopade — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Not for the first time--and, I'm sure, not for the last--Paul Krugman wrote what I was thinking this morning...

DISPUTATIONS: When It Is And Isn't Proper For Courts To Overturn Legislation (Or: Why Overturning The D.C. Gun Ban Was A Good Idea)

Robert A. Levy and William Mellor — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Federal appellate judge Richard A. Posner, from the Seventh Circuit, recently wrote in The New Republic ("In Defense of Looseness,” August 27, 2008) that the Heller decision striking down the D.C. gun ban constituted inappropriate judicial activism. Another conservative-leaning appellate judge, the Fourth Circuit’s J. Harvie Wilkinson, takes the same position in an article scheduled for publication in the Virginia Law Review. They join Justice John Paul Stevens and the other liberal dissenters in Heller, who argued that Justice Antonin Scalia’s majority opinion abandoned true judicial conservatism by dragging the Court into the "political thicket" of gun control. "Judicial restraint would be far wiser," wrote Stevens, than mediating a political process that is "working exactly as it should."

The Axelrod Method: How Barack Obama's Message Man Has Learned To Conquer Race

Jason Zengerle — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

In 1992, a Chicago woman named Bettylu Saltzman met Barack Obama, who had graduated from Harvard Law School one year earlier and was now in her city leading a voter-registration drive called Project Vote. Saltzman, an heiress to a shopping-mall fortune who's long been active in Democratic politics, was volunteering for Bill Clinton's presidential bid when, one day, Obama dropped by the campaign's Chicago office to discuss Project Vote.

Could The Recession Be Good News For The Environment? Maybe? Just A Little?

Bradford Plumer — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

A few days ago, Nobel-winning chemist Paul Crutzen told Reuters, 'It's a cruel thing to say, but if we are looking at a slowdown in the economy, there will be less fossil fuels burning, so for the climate it could be an advantage.'

TNRtv: Is There Something Unethical About Obama's Enormous Campaign Spending?

Jonathan Chait — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

TNR editor Jonathan Chait dishes on the Obama fundraising frenzy: why there's nothing unethical about Obama's spending habits, whether Obama's lead in the polls is all about the benjamins, and whether fundraising skills should translate to a victory on Election Day.

Obama For President: Check Out The Big Brain On Barack

The Editors — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

The past eight years have been like watching a TV makeover show in reverse. We entered the Bush era a ravishing beauty attracting envious stares. We leave it a gum-smacking sad sack with split ends and an empty social calendar.

Meet Kay Hagan, The Woman Who's About To End Elizabeth Dole's Senatorial Career

Seyward Darby — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

GREENSBORO, N.C.--It's 9 a.m., and Kay Hagan, her morning jog already a distant memory, breezes into a breakfast at the Democratic Women of North Carolina's annual convention. Dressed in a sharp brown suit and pumps, the Democratic Senate candidate glad-hands quickly, finds her way to the stage, and, after a few introductory remarks from her fans, launches into her stump speech...

Does Colin Powell's Endorsement Of Obama Matter?

Jonathan Cohn, Michael Crowley, Noam Scheiber, and Nate Silver — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Colin Powell has announced he's supporting Barack Obama. He did it during an appearance on NBC's 'Meet the Press'; he then discussed the subject further afterwards, in a session with reporters outside of the studios.

Forget The Stock Market: Should We Be Worried About Supervolcanoes?!

Bradford Plumer — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

I've never worried much about a gigantic asteroid hitting the earth, probably because I've always been more interested in another low-probability, Earth-shattering cataclysm: namely, the active supervolcano sitting beneath Yellowstone National Park. Supervolcanoes, mind you, aren't just 'big' volcanoes like Krakatoa or Vesuvius; they're utterly monstrous—the last time one erupted was 74,000 years ago, when Toba in Sumatra slathered the atmosphere in ash and may have wiped out all but 10,000 or so human beings on the planet. Needless to say, having the behemoth under Yellowstone erupt—with it's 1,500-square-mile caldera (right)—would make us all forget about all that stock-market turmoil pretty quickly. Oh yeah, and having exploded 642,000 years ago, some scientists have calculated Yellowstone's due for another burp… sometime around now.

The Jihad Against Joe? Michelle Malkin And The Right's Hypocritical Defense Of America's Most Famous Plumber.

Jonathan Cohn — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

I try really hard not to dignify Michelle Malkin by responding to her rants. But I can't let this one pass. It seems that Malkin is angry over the recent treatment of Joe Wurzelbacher--a.k.a., 'Joe the Plumber.' As you may recall, John McCain invoked Wurzelbacher a few times during Wednesday's debate, using Joe's situation to suggest that Barack Obama would raise taxes on the middle class. Since that time, reporters and Democratic partisans have been digging into Joe's story, to see whether McCain's claims are right. And Malkin doesn't like it:

TNRtv: Obama Says Don't Get Cocky About Winning Virginia. I Say Break Out The Champagne!

Eve Fairbanks — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

TNR associate editor Eve Fairbanks breaks down the battle for red states: why McCain has no shot at Virginia and why most of the eastern seaboard may be blue before you know it.

The Nation That Cried Race: Let's Not Blame The Color Of Obama's Skin For Whatever Electoral Problems He Might Face.

John McWhorter — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

In the increasingly unlikely event that Barack Obama does not become president, Martin Luther King's dream would reveal itself as tragically unrealized 40 years after his death. Not, however,because whites were standing in that dream's way, but because of the black people standing alongside them.

Will The Weak Economy Doom Future Climate Legislation?

Bradford Plumer — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

I'm late getting to the Canadian elections, but the conventional wisdom is that the Liberal Party lost big yesterday because of leader Stéphane Dion's "Green Shift" plan, an ambitious environmental plan that included a relatively modest tax on carbon—it would start at $10/ton and rise to $40/ton, still less than what's in Sweden or Norway—which would've been offset by reductions in the income tax. Now, because it would've replaced existing excise taxes, the new carbon tax wouldn't even have raised the price of gasoline. Still, Conservatives ripped the Liberals to shreds on this issue, and it seems to have worked.

Turning Japanese: Are We Reliving Japan's Economic Nightmare?

Joshua Kurlantzick — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 05:00:00 GMT

Whatever their squabbling in Washington this week, one thing Democrats and Republicans were able to agree on was the apparent novelty of the country's current financial woes. "We have an unprecedented crisis," said House Minority Leader John Boehner, in a phrase frequently invoked by other congressional leaders. But, in truth, the dire situation in the United States does have a precedent: It looks remarkably like the crisis that struck Japan 20 years ago, when a stock market meltdown exposed years of speculative lending, mostly dependent on real estate, and led to an economic collapse. In response, Japan's government launched a strategy that actually made the problem worse, leading to ten years of stagnation, which became known as Japan's "lost decade. " The bad news is that, today, the United States may be making some of the same mistakes; the good news is that, just as Japan ultimately righted its economy, so can we.