Amy Sullivan

DOUBLE-DIPPING CONSULTANTS WATCH #1….Remember our buddy Joe Hansen, the direct mail consultant who also helps out the DSCC by recruiting and preparing candidates (“you’re going to want to set aside a large chunk of your campaign budget for direct mail…”)? We hear he’s headed to Minnesota to meet with potential candidates for that state’s soon-to-be-open […]

IF A TREE FALLS IN A FOREST…If the Democrats held a hearing and nobody came, did it really take place? Dana Milbank writes about the first investigative hearing held by the Senate Democratic Policy Committee (DPC) this year and notes that while they picked a good topic (Iraq contracting abuses) and received good press coverage, […]

UNDERPRIVILEGED….Word came down yesterday from a U.S. Appeals Court that Judith Miller and our own (contributing editor) Matt Cooper must testify before a grand jury in the Plame case or face up to 18 months in jail. The court determined that the two reporters cannot claim a First Amendment privilege for the evidence being sought […]

THE FAITH-BASED CON…. This terrific piece by David Kuo, former deputy director of the White House’s faith-based office, is worth five minutes of your time. It’s not necessarily new–we said much the same thing last October in a piece outlining how Bush’s faith-based policies have amounted to nothing not despite the White House’s best efforts […]

COMMON GROUND….This is a good start. Pro-lifers? The ball is in your court. (I hardly need say, of course, that pro-lifers will come out against this, claiming that the proposed legislation is “deceptive” and “full of loopholes”. But it puts them in a tough position. What? You’re not for reducing unwanted pregnancies? Really? Who’s not […]

OH, THOSE LOVABLE SOUTH DAKOTANS….A former Daschle colleague just alerted me to this ongoing controversy in her home state. Just the name of the group of outraged South Dakotans–Citizens Against Nude Juicebars and Pornography–makes the story worth reading.

RETURN OF BIBLE GIRL…Those of you interested in news from the world of religion and politics might want to stop by Beliefnet.com (headed by Washington Monthly contributing editor Steve Waldman), where I’m the liberal blogger for the week. Today you can read about the revelatory New York Times article reporting that conservatives don’t believe Hillary […]

LOVE THY NEIGHBOR. AND SPONGEBOB….Focus on the Family’s head honcho James Dobson may disapprove of SpongeBob Squarepants for the cartoon character’s alleged promotion of homosexuality/tolerance of gays/possible homosexual orientation (the exact charge is a bit unclear). But the United Church of Christ has stepped out solidly in support of SpongeBob. You can read all about […]