The New Republic

Political science is not a perfect field. But there are a few things the field has a pretty good grasp on, and one of them is that there is a strong relationship between economic conditions and presidential approval rating. Political scientist Brendan Nyhan posted a chart showing this the other day: READ MORE >>

Washington—A weird malaise is haunting the Democratic Party. That's a risky word to use, I know. It's freighted with bad history and carries unfortunate implications. So let's be clear: President Obama is not Jimmy Carter, not even close. And Obama's speech on Tuesday was nothing like Carter's 1979 "malaise speech" in which Carter never actually used that word. Obama gave a good and sensible speech that was not a home run. READ MORE >>

        WASHINGTON—A weird malaise is haunting the Democratic Party.  That's a risky word to use, I know. It's freighted with bad history and carries unfortunate implications. So let's be clear: President Obama is not Jimmy Carter, not even close. And Obama's speech on Wednesday was nothing like Carter's 1979 "malaise speech" in which Carter never actually used that word. Obama gave a good and sensible speech that was not a home run.  What's odd is that Obama was seen as needing a home run. This is where the Democratic malaise comes in.  READ MORE >>

Jonathan Bernstein fisks New York Times political analyst Matt Bai. First, Bai: READ MORE >>

Over the past few weeks I’ve noticed that a new conservative narrative, that of Obama as a “bully” (which I wrote about in my latest TRB). Earlier today I also highlighted Fred Barnes’ column that attacks the President for refusing to compromise. READ MORE >>

Hope in a Scattering Time: A Life of Christopher Lasch By Eric Miller (Eerdmans, 394 pp., $32) READ MORE >>

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Pollsters Doug Schoen and Pat Caddell have a Washington Post op-ed urging the Democrats to abandon health care reform out of their own self-interest: READ MORE >>

A year ago, I wrote an article for TNR on the dysfunctionality of Congressional Democrats: READ MORE >>