Steve Benen

Mitt Romney’s campaign critics — Democrats and Republicans, alike — have had quite a bit of fun today with his “I like being able to fire people” quote. By any fair analysis, the comment has obviously been taken completely out of context, and isn’t a reflection of what Romney was actually saying, though by his […]

I don’t find much to like about New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R). Political reporters tend to adore the guy — I guess for some, the “loveable loudmouth” is an archetype with appeal — but I find his policy agenda misguided, his incessant whining about President Obama misguided, and his approach to governing deeply irresponsible. […]

Bill Daley’s tenure as White House chief of staff has proven to be more difficult than administration insiders had expected. When he was brought in, Daley, a former Commerce Secretary and banking executive, was supposed to help improve relations with Congress, set the stage for constructive negotiations with Republicans, and strengthen White House ties with […]

Mitt Romney tends to run into trouble when he tries to relate to Americans who are struggling. There was that time over the summer, for example, that he joked about being “unemployed.” The multi-millionaire stumbled into a similar situation in New Hampshire yesterday, reflecting on the times he feared losing his job. “I know what […]

Gallup has a new report out this morning on how Americans identify themselves when it comes to political party. The results are generating a fair amount of interest, but I’d add a note of caution about the nature of “independents.” Gallup finds 40% of American self-identify as independents, the highest percentage Gallup has ever measured […]

Mitt Romney’s detractors in both parties are eager to point out one of the more glaring problems with the former governor’s background: he’s put thousands of Americans out of work. And with that push in mind, Romney’s critics could hardly believe their good fortune this morning when he spoke to the Nashua Chamber of Commerce […]

Today’s installment of campaign-related news items that won’t necessarily generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers: * There have been all kinds of New Hampshire polls released over the last few days, and all show the same thing: Mitt Romney with significant, double-digit leads. There’s a competitive race […]

I suspect a whole lot of American voters have grown cynical and are no longer inclined to take campaign promises seriously. There’s very likely an assumption that politicians will say one thing to get elected, and then do something very different once in office. It’s worth appreciating how mistaken these assumptions really are. We talked […]

It took a while, but Bain Capital and its victims are finally starting to become a central issue of the presidential campaign. Newt Gingrich’s Super PAC, an outfit called Winning Our Future, is investing in a 30-minute short film about Mitt Romney’s private-equity firm and the extent to which Romney got rich laying off American […]

Ordinarily, I wouldn’t much care who Gary Bauer endorses for president, but there’s a relevant backstory to this. Bauer, for those unfamiliar with the name, is a prominent religious right leader, a veteran of the Reagan White House, and a former GOP presidential candidate (he finished fourth in Iowa in 2000, a few points ahead […]