David Atkins

All corners of the Republican Party have made themselves very clear: they intend to, in Donald Trump’s words, “delay, delay, delay” the confirmation of Antonin Scalia’s replacement on the Supreme Court until after the 2016 election. Ted Cruz has signaled his intention to lead a blockade, and Mitch McConnell intends to run a blockade. All […]

Anyone seeking evidence that the Republican Party is a rotten institution on the verge collapse and disarray needs only watch the last GOP debate in South Carolina. It was less of a debate than a nasty professional wrestling brawl, an ugly spectacle reminiscent of a violent online video one is ashamed to watch but from […]

Thoughts and updates ahead as we watch the debate. Feel free to discuss in comments! Update #1: On Scalia’s replacement, it looks like intransigence and obstruction are the name of the game for the GOP. Dangerous stakes for them, but they’ve been playing it to the hilt for the last many years. So why not […]

Policy watchers are in a bit of shock today wiith the news of Justice Antonin Scalia’s sudden passing in Texas. There will be those who say that it is far too early to begin analyzing and speculating about the implications of the Supreme Court vacancy, but this is simply untrue. The man himself lived a […]

News (rumor?) is spreading rapidly that Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has reportedly passed away. Consider this rumor until further confirmation–but if it is true, the appointment of a new justice now becomes by far the most consequential issue of the final year of the Obama presidency. It would also carry huge risks for Republicans, […]

The South Carolina Republican primary is famous for being among the nastiest elections in all of American politics. It was in South Carolina that George W. Bush’s campaign successfully smeared John McCain with a lie about an illegitimate (non-white) child. It was in South Carolina that Lee Atwater cut his teeth with nasty innuendos about […]

One of the most satisfying storylines of the 2016 election is the befuddlement of establishment intelligentsia at the powerlessness of the traditional tools used to win elections. Under the normal laws of politics, candidates must do obeisance before the gatekeepers of the press–be they from Fox News or the New York Times–or be mercilessly pilloried […]

Yesterday I wrote about Ted Cruz’ insulting mailer to his own supporters in Iowa. The mailer accused recipients of a “voting violation” and gave them and their neighbors report cards with “F” grades, complete with a percentage score supposedly showing the voters’ poor past caucus attendance history. As I noted, the reason for sending a […]

Sometimes you just have to admire the chutzpah of a political party that runs for years on ideological opposition to a beneficial policy, without ever creating a credible alternative that solves the problem. Even on the eve of the Iowa caucuses, Ted Cruz still couldn’t clarify his position on a replacement for the Affordable Care […]

Of all the jokes and failures of this election cycle, the biggest has to be the Jeb Bush SuperPAC Right to Rise, which boasted a $100 million budget that was supposed to sweep away the entire competition before the race even started, but managed only to push Jeb Bush to 2% of the polling on […]