Petraeus Affair: Democrats and Republicans Both Find Bipartisanship in Infidelity”
Published: PolicyMic (November 27, 2012) This may seem odd coming from the pen of a liberal Democrat (er, keyboard), but here it goes: Gerald Ford is my favorite president of the past forty years. There are plenty of good reasons for liberals to admire Ford. Foremost among them is the fact that he was the last genuinely moderate Republican to inhabit the White House, with his battle against...
Happy Birthday Joe Biden: Tribute to the Man Who Helped Obama Get Reelected
Published: The Morning Call (November 20, 2012), PolicyMic (November 20, 2012) In honor of Joe Biden's 70th birthday, I think it's time he received credit for the indispensable role he played in Barack Obama's re-election. Flash back to the week after the first presidential debate. Romney was widely believed to have triumphed over Obama in that forensic exhibition, due in large part to the...
Chris Christie Avoids Fat Jokes About Twinkies… And Real Talk About Unions
Published: PolicyMic (November 19, 2012) Say what you will about Governor Chris Christie, but the man has a great sense of humor about himself. The latest instance of his jocular self-deprecation took place on Monday, when he was asked how he felt about the increasing possibility that Twinkies will become a thing of the past. "I'm on ‘Saturday Night Live’ enough. You think you're getting me...
Obama Wins Reelection, But Democrats Should Show Grace in Aftermath of Victory
Published: PolicyMic (November 7, 2012) "When news of the surrender first reached our lines our men commenced firing a salute of a hundred guns in honor of the victory. I at once sent word, however, to have it stopped. The Confederates were now our prisoners, and we did not want to exult over their downfall." By now, most of you probably recognize this quote as the famous passage from Ulysses S....
Top 4 Reasons Why Exit Poll Results Are Completely Meaningless
Published: PolicyMic (November 6, 2012) While pundits and pollsters alike will start crowing about the exit poll results soon, the truth is they could not matter less. Here are the top four reasons why you shouldn't care about the exit polls: 1) Non-response bias In 2004, exit polls gave Senator John Kerry such a massive lead over President George W. Bush that Democrats began to prematurely...
Electoral College Map: Obama Will Win, See State By State Breakdown
Published: PolicyMic (November 6, 2012) Jesse Merkel, my "opponent" in offering a prediction for the 2012 election, wrote this piece about me after the fact. Editor's Note: In this special Election Day feature, PolicyMic is spotlighting the election predictions of two of our most prominent pundits, conservative Jesse Merkel and liberal Matthew Rozsa. As a twist, we also got them to agree a...
Pennsylvania Polls: Obama Holds On To Lead, Thanks To Republican Extremism”
Published: PolicyMic (November 4, 2012) There are two quotes that best sum up Pennsylvania's role in American democracy today. One comes from legendary political consultant James Carville: "Pennsylvania is Philadelphia in the east, Pittsburgh in the west, and Alabama in the middle." This adage will be useful when following Tuesday's election returns in the Keystone State, although it's a little...
Who Won the Debate: Obama and Romney Tie in an Uninspired Foreign Policy Debate”
Published: PolicyMic (October 22, 2012) Editor's Note: This represents instant analysis of the presidential debate on Monday night. For the author's thoughts in the hour immediately before the debate began, see here. Here are my first impressions about the third debate between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney on Monday evening: 1) The Big Points: - Both men came across as confident and well-informed...
Presidential Debate Prediction: Why the Foreign Policy Debate Will Be a Tie”
Published: PolicyMic (October 22, 2012) Here is my prediction for the third Obama-Romney debate at 9 p.m. EST at Lynn University in Florida: I think it’s going to be a draw, plain and simple. This isn't to say that I don't think one of the two candidates will walk away with a narrow edge of "victory" over his opponent by the end of tonight. It's just that it won't particularly matter this time...
Who Won the Debate Tonight: Obama Excels, Romney is Testy
Published: PolicyMic (October 16, 2012) Editor's Note: This represents instant analysis of the presidential debate on Wednesday night. For the author's thoughts in the hour immediately before the debate began, see here. Here are my first impressions about the second debate between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney on Tuesday evening: 1) The Big Points: - Obama's performance was much, much stronger...
Presidential Debate 2012 Prediction: Why Obama vs. Romney Debate Will Be a Tie
Published: PolicyMic (October 16, 2012) Here is my prediction for the second Obama-Romney debate: I think it’s going to be a draw, which will ultimately work slightly to President Barack Obama’s advantage. Because the president was widely viewed as having lost the first debate, the proverbial bar has been set so low for him this time that any kind of reasonably energized showing will likely be...
What Time is the Debate: Obama Needs to Unmask Flip Flopper Romney to Win Debate
Published: PolicyMic (October 15, 2012) As he prepares for the second presidential debate, President Barack Obama can learn a valuable political lesson from an unlikely source: George W. Bush. When Bush defeated John Kerry in 2004, it was due in no small part to the fact that the Massachusetts Senator was widely viewed as a "flip-flopper." Even after polls found that Bush was perceived as having...
Presidential Polls 2012: Obama Gaining Huge Momentum to Be Reelected in November
Published: PolicyMic (October 12, 2012) If you're supporting Barack Obama in this election, here are the hard political realities regarding how the final two presidential debates will impact his chances of victory: The Bad News: Because he is widely perceived as having lost the first debate, Barack Obama's political standing has taken a major hit. The lead he accumulated after Bill Clinton's...
VP Debate Winner: Joe Biden Won, But the Big Loser is President Obama
Published: PolicyMic (October 11, 2012) Editor's Note: This represents instant analysis of the vice presidential debate on Wednesday night. For the author's thoughts in the hour immediately before the debate began, see here. Here are my first impressions about the debate between Joe Biden and Paul Ryan on Thursday evening: 1) The Big Points - Biden's message in this debate can be summed up in...
VP Debate 2012 Predictions: Joe Biden Will Be Declared Winner of the Debate
Published: PolicyMic (October 11, 2012) Some opening thoughts on the upcoming vice presidential debate: - Just as Mitt Romney benefited from low expectations in the first presidential debate, so too will Joe Biden likely walk away as the declared "victor" in this contest by simple virtue of being the perceived underdog. His main obstacle will be his chronic case of foot-in-mouth disease - i.e.,...
Obama vs. Romney Debate Prediction: Romney Will Be Declared the Winner
Published: PolicyMic (October 3, 2012) Here is my last minute prediction on the first Obama-Romney debate: I think Mitt Romney is going to win it. This has nothing to do with the forensic skills of either Romney or Obama, and everything to do with the media. Historically speaking, they tend to try to make political stories as "exciting" as possible, and as such, usually tend to award "victory"...
Latest Presidential Polls 2012: Data Shows the Romney 47 Percent Comment Has Taken Serious Toll
Published: PolicyMic (September 26, 2012) Up until now, debate on the political impact of Mitt Romney's "47%" comments has been entirely speculative. That is no longer the case. According to recently released New York Times/CBS/Quinnipiac surveys — the first major polls to be conducted right after the emergence of the controversial video — Romney has suffered enormous setbacks in key swing...