Bill Clinton
Tonight, Bill Clinton, whom I used to work for as chief White House speechwriter, will give a major address to the Democratic convention. Startlingly, that same sentence could have been written in 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004 and 2008. Think of Springsteen at the Meadowlands. Even if you don't really like the music, you must admire the longevity. READ MORE >>
Bill Clinton’s Solipsism Remains Intact
The Things Romney Failed to Accomplish
For months, Mitt Romney’s general-election plan was to pick off voters who rather liked Barack Obama but considered him in over his head. As of the convention, that strategy had come up short. Whatever people’s ambivalence toward Obama, they found him so much more likable it was hard to see Romney winning. That put enormous pressure on Romney’s convention speech to change perceptions of him personally. But, after watching him deliver it, I don’t get the sense he succeeded. READ MORE >>
Today Is The Most Important Day of The Campaign
Nothing has characterized the first phase of the general election more than stability. Despite an array of supposed game-changers, the president’s approval rating remains mired beneath 50 percent, two candidates remain locked in a close race, and Obama consistently holds a narrow lead. In part, Obama’s advantage is attributable to one of the other defining features of the summer: Romney’s weakness. Tonight is Romney's chance to fix it. READ MORE >>
Hey, GOP: Watch Your Back With Matthew Scully
Tampa Strategy
Mitt Romney is an imperfect candidate who has been badly served by a strategy that has failed to contest President Obama’s predictable attacks, leaving the former governor poorly positioned heading into the conventions. What he must do now is follow in the footsteps of another governor who challenged a sitting president and used his convention to revive his chances: Bill Clinton. READ MORE >>
Romney’s Lost August
The Definitive Guide to the Medicare Debate
Chief Justice John Roberts’ decision to uphold the Affordable Care Act “individual mandate” stirred fury on the Right and leery relief on the Left. But the stunning outcome produced bipartisan agreement on one basic point: Roberts’ Solomonic solution—endorsing conservatives’ claim that the mandate breached Congress’ power to regulate interstate commerce, but saving the provision itself as a tax—was a politically driven improvisation. READ MORE >>
“Tough on Kids; Weak on Work.” That was Bill Clinton’s regular and emphatic judgment on the Republican attitude on welfare reform as he vetoed two congressional GOP bills before cutting the deal that became the landmark 1996 law. READ MORE >>
