Frank James

Massachusetts Senate Race May Be Feeling DC Scandal Fallout

Frank James — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 22:42:00 +0000

With two weeks until the Massachusetts special Senate election, the obvious question is: Can Republicans pull off another stunning upset like they did three years ago?

Back then, in the very blue Bay State, Republican Scott Brown won the seat left vacant by Ted Kennedy's death by riding a Tea Party and anti-Obamacare wave amplified by voter distress over a sour economy.

An improved economy has changed some of the dynamics since Brown's 2010 win.

United States Of Outrage: NSA, IRS Overreach Sparks Bipartisan Ire

Frank James — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 20:36:00 +0000

Even in an era of stark political polarization, there are still some issues that can draw Americans together and scramble the normal ideological fault lines.

Recent revelations about the Internal Revenue Service and the National Security Agency are among them.

Unlike the debates over Obamacare or President Obama himself, which tend to be more litmus tests for party affiliation than anything else, the reactions to reports about overreach by the Internal Revenue Service and the National Security Agency have brought normally warring partisans together.

When you get Sens.

5 Takeaways From Obama's Susan Rice Appointment

Frank James — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 18:56:00 +0000

It wasn't exactly a surprise to hear that President Obama named U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice as his next national security adviser.

Almost as soon as it became clear that her role in the administration's Benghazi talking-points snafu meant Senate Republicans would never let her be confirmed as secretary of state if Obama nominated her, the possibility of her taking over from Tom Donilon as Obama's top national security aide was frequently mentioned.

Still, speculation is one thing; an actual appointment, another.

Christie Finesses Challenge Created By Senate Vacancy

Frank James — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 22:46:00 +0000

Only time will tell how well New Jersey Republican Gov. Chris Christie finessed a decision that seemed to pit his personal interests against those of the broader public.

But by calling an Oct. 16 special election to replace the late Democratic Sen. Frank Lautenberg, it appears the governor took the most politically advantageous option available to him.

Christie insisted Tuesday that the only concern in his decision-making was the importance of elected representation for New Jersey in the U.S.

Why the IRS Scandal Is Built To Last

Frank James — Fri, 17 May 2013 23:31:00 +0000

Of all the controversies swirling around the Obama White House, the Internal Revenue Service scandal seems likeliest to have the longest shelf life.

While the Benghazi affair has long been in the news, it's never really taken off as an issue beyond the Republican base.

Meanwhile, the Obama administration's position that national security considerations justified the Justice Department's gathering of journalists' phone records in a leak investigation may be enough to remove fuel from the outrage.

Ten Things We Learned From the IRS-Inspector General Report

Frank James — Wed, 15 May 2013 21:19:00 +0000

Scintillating isn't how you'd describe the report issued by the Treasury inspector general's report on the Internal Revenue Service's targeting of conservative groups.

It was written, after all, by government bureaucrats for government bureaucrats.

IRS's Tea Party Scrutiny Adds To Conservatives' Case Against Obama

Frank James — Fri, 10 May 2013 23:09:00 +0000

Benghazi move over, make room for IRS-gate.

As if the Obama administration's conservative critics didn't have enough fodder with last year's attacks on a U.S.

Both Sides In Sanford, Colbert Busch Race Hopeful In Last Hours

Frank James — Tue, 07 May 2013 21:08:00 +0000

Updated at 9:29 pm ET --- Former South Carolina Republican governor Mark Sanford easily beat Democrat Elizabeth Colbert Busch to regain the House seat he once held.

For Sanford, the victory in the strongly Republican 1st Congressional District was sure to be widely viewed as a personal redemption.

Ayotte Becoming Gun Control Lightning Rod

Frank James — Thu, 02 May 2013 21:41:00 +0000

Of the senators who have become lightning rods for voting against expanded criminal background checks for gun buyers, New Hampshire Republican Kelly Ayotte is drawing the most bolts.

Video of Ayotte being questioned by the daughter of the principal killed during the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in Newtown, Conn., has gone viral.

And Ayotte has become an early target of an election-season-style media campaign by a gun control superPAC created by former Arizona Rep.

Obama's Bush Library Speech Leaves Iraq And More Unspoken

Frank James — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 22:13:00 +0000

Imagine having to deliver a tribute for someone you've openly excoriated for years.

That was essentially the task President Obama had before him Thursday in his speech at the dedication ceremony for former President George W.

Giffords Group's Radio Ads Hit McConnell, Ayotte On Gun Vote

Frank James — Wed, 24 Apr 2013 21:58:00 +0000

After the Senate failed to pass bipartisan legislation to expand background checks for gun purchases, the superPAC created by shooting victim and former Rep.

Plenty Of Finger-Pointing As Budget Cuts Delay First Flights

Frank James — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 22:45:00 +0000

Blame shifting was in high gear Tuesday on Capitol Hill and at the White House as the first air traffic delays tied to the furloughs of Federal Aviation Administration controllers began to get attention.

The Republicans' message: Delays at some airports this week — a result of automatic spending cuts known as the sequester that took effect in March, but whose resulting furloughs are just kicking in — was a "manufactured crisis," and that the administration wants voters angry enough to force Congress to give President Obama the higher taxes he seeks.

Senate Republicans pointed to congressio

Obama Uses And Loses Political Capital On Gun Control

Frank James — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 22:31:00 +0000

The Senate's rejection of more robust gun purchase background checks was a stinging blow to President Obama that raised questions about his second-term agenda.

Expanding background checks had become a key part of Obama's post-Newtown push for tougher federal gun control laws.

Tiny Group Allegedly Behind McConnell Recording Causes Big Stir

Frank James — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 22:11:00 +0000

So who exactly comprises Progress Kentucky, the superPAC linked to the surreptitious recording of a meeting at Sen. Mitch McConnell's campaign headquarters?

Blacks' Election-Day Waits Nearly Double Those Of Whites, But Why?

Frank James — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 18:44:00 +0000

On Election Day 2012, black voters waited on average nearly twice as long to vote as did white voters, while the wait time for Hispanic voters fell in between those two groups.

So say the available data, according to Massachusetts Institute of Technology political scientist Charles Stewart III.