Writing Worth Reading
Writing Worth Reading
Will it be Romney? Or Anyone-But-Romney? These are the Republicans hoping to be their party's choice to challenge President Obama
Politicians in discomfort make such irresistible viewing. Watch it all but the action starts at about 4:45
Prepare to cringe. It's "rabbit in the headlights" time
Americans are ideological conservatives but operational liberals. They oppose government in the abstract, but favor it in most of the particulars
I sat next to her once. Thought she was beautiful. She’s very happy in Alaska. And I hope she’ll stay there
"While there’s a lot to dislike about Perry, his tiny brain is probably not going to do him much harm"
Andy Borowitz channels Rick Perry
"I would eliminate all the parts of government I can't remember"
Michael Tomasky, on Herman Cain
"If one puts to the side his wildly extreme political views, his obvious and cringe-inducing knowledge gaps, and his alleged treatment of women, one can easily find things to admire in Herman Cain"
Timely feature on Republican contender, his family, career in business, and leadership in Mormon church. "Mitt is always the star. And everybody else is a bit player." Oh, and yes he really did strap his dog to the roof of his car
A succession of Not-Romneys have flared briefly during the Republican primary campaign. The final surge may belong to Ron Paul. Here's a punchy, enjoyable delineation of what he stands for
Republican voters find the idea of an outsider appealing. But what exactly does being an outsider mean? Sanneh joins the idiosyncratic Newt Gingrich on the campaign trail to find out if he could be that candidate. Good read
When Rick Santorum accuses Obama of treason, it hardly attracts notice. That's how far Republicans have poisoned the political debate. Mitt Romney started out with higher standards, but has been dragged into the same gutter
"Rick Santorum, a former senator from Pennsylvania, is a virtuous man: Intelligent, industrious and God-fearing. His misfortune as he strives to become president of the United States is that virtue is in the eye of the beholder"
Concise, compelling analysis of Republican libertarian's views on banking. He's right that the Fed is, in part, a mechanism through which big banks are rescued from their folly. But his remedy mistakes the nature of power in America
Enjoyable, informative, largely sympathetic profile of Republican presidential contender – "a thinking person’s candidate whose candour shines a light on the evasions of his rivals, even if it fails to change the outcome"
Bloom on magnificent form in this most elegant evisceration of Mormonism (old and new) and Mitt Romney. But why stop there? Bloom doesn't, sliding the knife into Southern Baptists and wider American religion and politics too
American business is more nimble and efficient than ever before; it's also less equal and more brutal. That's no accident. Handful of key players made it that way. Mitt Romney was one of them. (Thanks Daniel Lippman for alerting us)
As the headline suggests, no pretence at balance here – but, wow, if you like a hatchet job this is definitely for you. Hostile and profane from the start, substance in the middle, and a damning conclusion to round it off
Republican contender and former pizza firm boss survived stage IV cancer. That's great. But "it's disingenuous for Cain to pretend his luck comes from a lack of government meddling rather than his position of extreme privilege"
Ron Paul is that confusing beast: A conservative libertarian. It makes him an awkward fit for a two-party system. His constituency is not insignificant, but riven with internal contradictions. Media generally ignore him
Succinct analysis. Explains why progressives, Democratic base unenthusiastic about Obama; and why Republicans will end up with Romney, despite disliking him. Americans want inspiration; political passions will move elsewhere
Denunciation of Mitt Romney's foreign policy pronouncements. The Republican contender thinks there's ground to be gained here but his analysis of the Middle East, such as it is, is inconsistent, nonsensical, wrong
"The 9-9-9 plan is a mess. It’s poorly constructed and comically regressive. But to be fair to Herman Cain, it’s based on some genuine insights about the American tax system." Someone should make a policy out of them
Nicely crafted piece giving view from Massachusetts on former governor and would-be president. Mostly away, with his eyes on a bigger prize. No political principles he wouldn't be prepared to sacrifice. In a word, Nixonian
Fascinating, very well-researched investigation of Rick Perry. Texas record compared unfavourably with Bush. More interested in cultivating allies, career advancement than policy or reform. (Kindly ungated for Browser readers)
Texas Monthly editor on Republican opposition to Rick Perry in his home state. Texas has highest rate of uninsured in US, and ranks last in percentage of adults with high-school diploma. And he cut funds from education
He doesn't have the media attention, money or political experience of Perry or Romney, but he beat them both in a Florida straw poll. May be his experience as, and talk about being, a successful businessman that appeals
Everything you need to know about Michele Bachmann, Tea Party insurgent and 2012 Republican contender. A woman who offers "a set of beliefs more extreme than those of any American politician of her stature, including Sarah Palin"
Interesting read on rivalry, similarities, antipathy between Huntsman and Romney, the "Cain and Abel" of American politics. But, as one commenter notes, little discussion of how their Mormonism will play come campaign time
Attack on presidential aspirant, arguing his Texas jobs "miracle" is bogus, criticism of big government hypocritical. "When this taxpayer-supported lifer says he will make government inconsequential he means in your life, not his"
Brief corrective to some assumptions about Texas governor hoping to break onto the (inter)national stage. Myth number one: He's a Bush clone. Not even close. History and record suggests he's no ideological purist either
Diplomatic, yes. Moderate, no. "Moderate" Republicans tend to disagree with their party on taxes, guns and abortion. "Huntsman’s record on those isn’t just to the right of other moderates, it is to the right of most conservatives"
"There is method to the congresswoman's madness. Her rise was not a fluke. Bachmann's candidacy represents the crest of a movement, four decades in the making, to restore faith as the foundation of public life in America"
"All hat and no cattle." That's what some Texan conservative activists think of Perry's record as state governor. By which they mean, he speaks critically of Washington but then governs in a similar way himself
Sympathetic, short profile of former US envoy to China. "He contributes a thoughtful competence to the Republican field. While some seem to be running for a host position on Fox News, Huntsman appears to be running for president"
What would American foreign policy look like if Michele Bachmann reached the White House? "Worryingly she seems not to understand or value the principle of civilian control over the military." And then there's Israel...
Useful backgrounder on Texas governor. What supporters say, what critics say, stories you will hear more about, in his own words, foreign policy views, strengths, weaknesses
Recently ungated piece in which writer describes his time on an evangelical cruise headed for Alaska. Star attraction: Mike Huckabee. Subject under consideration: Can the Republicans find someone to unseat a vulnerable Obama?
Pundits "Palin-ise" her, but Michele Bachmann knows how to organise, has a long conservative resumé, isn't anti-intellectual, and has strong ties in Iowa. Great, but she's also a gaffe-prone lone wolf who is not taken seriously
Early, not unsympathetic assessment. "He looks like a candidate who can get traction. He knows a good photo op when he sees one, and how to work a room." Identified with Tea Party. "We're not angry, we're indignant," he says
In the first Republican presidential debate, the candidates distanced themselves from the neoconservative foreign policy positions of the Bush era. Afghanistan is too expensive, Libya is a distraction, and so on. Is realism back?
"To much of the Christian right, Israel isn’t a real nation-state facing painful choices. It is, instead, a biblical fantasyland, and an instrument of Christian salvation." There are dangers in this, both for US policy and Israel
The demonisation of Mitt Romney's healthcare record by conservatives is silly. Just a few years ago his plan was a model for the right. "His case for state experimentation in healthcare policy sounds both sensible and conservative"
Rick Perry stirs up debate more or less as soon as he declares his presidential intentions. Gets even Karl Rove running for cover, suggesting Texas governor is coming across as an unpresidential cowboy
Aspiring Republican gets the Taibbi treatment. "Bachmann is exactly the right kind of completely batshit crazy. Not medically crazy, not talking-to-herself-on-the-subway crazy, but grandiose crazy, late-stage Kim Jong-Il crazy"
Counter-punch to Matt Taibbi's hatchet job on Michele Bachmann. He never went to Minnesota, quoted old stories without attribution, was lazy in likening Stillwater to Wasilla. Worst of all, maybe he's playing into her hands
Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman both want to be Republican presidential candidate. Both are Mormon. In the end, however, it could be their pragmatism rather than their religion that proves the biggest bar to winning the nomination
Profile of US Ambassador to China who may be Obama's opponent come November '12. Huntsman is a skilled diplomat but may suffer due to election's focus on domestic issues and the head start for his main challenger, Mitt Romney
