Back in November 2010, I wrote a piece titled "The End of the Tea Party." A year later, a version of that essay ("Tea Party Activists Are Just Republicans by Another Name") appeared in The Tea Party Movement, an anthology published by multi-billion dollar education publisher, Cengage Learning, Inc. But in the intervening two years, […]

On January 24th, Netflix will air Mitt, a documentary about Governor Romney's quixotic quest for the presidency. But that hagiography, lovingly compiled by a close friend, covers only the campaign that led to Romney being immortalized as Mr. 47 Percent. But the years before--when Mitt became Mitt--seemed destined to remain a mystery. A mystery, that […]

For three years, "tax reform" has been the centerpiece of the Republican Party's program for the American economy. Ever since taking control of the House, GOP leaders have promised that "lowering rates" while "broadening the base" would produce "revenue-neutral" tax reform. In 2011, 2012 and again in 2013, 95 percent of Congressional Republicans voted for […]

On Monday, the Washington Post ("Paul Ryan, GOP's budget architect, sets his sights on fighting poverty and winning minds") published a glowing profile of failed 2012 Republican vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan. His extremist makeover, the Post suggests, can be summed up by Jesus Christ and Jack Kemp, the two names whose emphasis on charity […]

On April 7, 2009--less than three months after Barack Obama first took the oath of office--the Daily Show's Jon Stewart perfectly summed up the red-hot, right-wing rage that hasn't cooled since. "I think," Stewart explained to frothing at the mouth Tea Party supporters, "you might be confusing tyranny with losing." Nevertheless, just days later thousands […]

Fox News is having a field day with its new poll regarding the Affordable Care Act, gloating that majorities of respondents want Obamacare repealed and call its implementation "a joke." Predictably, Fox does not set the record straight about Americans' misperceptions of the ACA. Instead, the network further spins the cycle of conservative disinformation about […]

In recent weeks, pollsters and pundits have been wrestling with a seeming contradiction at the heart of the country's abortion debate. On the one hand, the United States is a pro-choice nation, with consistent majorities of Americans voicing the belief for two decades that abortion should be legal in some or all cases. On the […]

During the 2012 campaign, Republicans Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan proposed what might be called "tax cuts for cowards." That is, Romney/Ryan proposed slashing tax rates for the wealthy and corporations, partially offsetting the trillions in lost revenue by promising to close some of the hundreds of loopholes and tax breaks that cost Uncle Sam […]

In a campaign email to supporters Tuesday, Texas Governor Rick Perry announced he would reveal "exciting future plans" next Monday in San Antonio. But if Governor Perry is planning to pass up a fourth term in order to wage a second campaign for President, he will find he already has plenty of company from inside […]

Next month, veteran Washington Post reporter Dan Balz will release Collision 2012, his book on last year's presidential campaign. But in an account supposedly jam-packed with never-before heard details, Balz apparently reproduces one of the tallest tales manufactured by Team Romney. Despite the overwhelming evidence that he never stopped running for President of the United […]