WASHINGTON, DC – Like it or not, the will-she-or-won't-she whispers about whether Sarah Palin will throw her hat in the ring for a 2012 presidential bid won't end until she states verbatim, "I'm not running." Until then, even the slightest suspicions of her political ambitions will set off speculation. One of the larger such hints is her recent decision to be the keynote speaker at the Iowa Republican Party's Ronald Reagan Dinner. Not only because Iowa plays a unique role in kick-starting the presidentia... (more)

Heading into the final two months of the mid-term election campaign, most voters believe that Democrats in Congress want to raise taxes and spending while Republicans in Congress want to cut taxes and spending. At the same time, most voters believe that reducing taxes and spending would be good for the economy. (more)

WASHINGTON, DC – It's safe to say, things don't look good for Democrats this November. With a new Gallup poll giving Republicans a "whopping" 10-point lead on the generic ballot, the question pundits are asking now is: how did Democrats become so unpopular? For the last month or so, conventional wisdom held that the dismal economy explained the Democrats' misfortunes. However, with a new Kaiser Family Foundation poll finding opposition to the Democrats' health care bill up to 45 percent from 35 percent, ... (more)

MILWAUKEE – Congressional leaders who opposed the troop surge in Iraq are now taking credit for it, and President Barack Obama is more worried about ending the war than winning it, House Republican leader John Boehner said Tuesday. Boehner made his remarks at the American Legion's national convention in Milwaukee hours before Obama was scheduled to deliver an Oval Office speech marking the end of U.S. combat operations in Iraq. About 50,000 U.S. troops remain in Iraq in a training and backup role, ... (more)

Key White House allies are dramatically shifting their attempts to defend health care legislation, abandoning claims that it will reduce costs and the deficit and instead stressing a promise to "improve it." The messaging shift was circulated this afternoon on a conference call and PowerPoint presentation organized by FamiliesUSA — one of the central groups in the push for the initial legislation. The call was led by a staffer for the Herndon Alliance, which includes leading labor groups and other he... (more)

WASHINGTON – Former Republican Party Chairman Ken Mehlman says in a magazine interview that he is gay. Mehlman, who was campaign manager for President George W. Bush in 2004 and then RNC chairman after Bush's re-election, told The Atlantic in an interview published online Wednesday that he came to the conclusion he is gay recently and wanted to talk about it publicly because he wants to become an advocate for gay marriage. He also thought questions would arise when he participates in an upcoming fundr... (more)

With just one of 15 counties reporting, Maverick already has twice as many votes as J.D. The AP throws in the towel: McCain spent more than $20 million to beat back an aggressive challenge from Hayworth, who relentlessly attacked the senator for his shifting stance on immigration and sought to tap into the anti-incumbent rage that has taken down other lawmakers in 2010… Will he work with Democrats again? Will he play a role in immigration legislation? Will he be Obama’s chief nemesis? (more)

In news that is not likely to help embattled chairman Michael Steele, the Republican National Committee disclosed late Friday that it raised just $4.6 million in July—less than half what the Democratic National Committee brought in. According to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission, the DNC raised $11.6 million in July, ending the month with $10.8 million in the bank and $3.5 million in debts. Meanwhile, the RNC's less-than-stellar fund-raising was boosted by a mysterious $900,000 insura... (more)

WASHINGTON – The Senate's top Democrat on Monday came out against plans to build a mosque near the site of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, moving away from President Barack Obama on the controversial election-year issue. Locked in a tight race, Nevada Sen. Harry Reid became the highest profile Democrat to respond to Obama, who last week backed the right for the developers to build a mosque near ground zero. Since his comments Friday, the Democratic president and his aides have worked to (more)

I don't understand how everyone just seems accepting that we have to choose between these two parties. It seems to me like we have reached a peak in the anger toward the two party system that SOME 3rd party has to emerge. And yet, it still hasn't. And yes, I know that the 2 parties in control have an incentive to stop a 3rd party from being viable, but come on. We've still got a democracy. We can still choose who we want to vote for, all we need is SOME party to emerge. (more)