[Amy Walter, who tracks House elections for Cook, said,] Republicans have done a good job building these levees, but we haven't seen them tested in a Category 5 storm. ... The annals of redistricting are replete with stories of parties that thought they drew themselves into safety but got blown away. |
[In short, it's the good economy, stupid.] There is widespread perception that other forces have contributed to the economic recovery, whether it's the New Economy or [Federal Reserve Chairman Alan] Greenspan, ... The challenge for Gore is to make sure his administration gets credit. |
Arnold, or someone, has to sit through all this advice and sort out a coherent plan. One thing we haven't seen in the Schwarzenegger administration is coherence. |
Basically. The rich and famous only need apply. |
But on the margins it does recreate the dynamic that made Schwarzenegger's election in the recall possible in the first place. |
First is the price tag - it's huge, and the financing details are fairly complex. People are going to want to know how realistic is it that you are going to get this money. |
I don't give Cindy Sheehan any chance of defeating Dianne Feinstein in the primary. ... There is nobody who comes close second [to Feinstein]. |
I don't think he has any other choice, ... He can't afford to divide Republican support and count on independents and Democrats to bail him out. That's just not going to happen. |
I don't think of him as a member of the social right. He's ... a more secular, business-oriented Chamber of Commerce kind of Republican. |
I think they may be playing it for all it's worth. If he's trying to get back on a bipartisan track, what better way than to pick a fight with the president? |
I've always perceived his relationship with Jerry to be more a marriage of convenience. Jerry's New Age, and Ignacio comes from a background of working-class politics. Historically, you just see them as completely different individuals. |
In public esteem, the judges are the most highly rated of the three branches of government. |
In Sacramento, the sense of urgency is what often compels them to do anything and the sense of urgency is now gone. |
In the Democratic Party, except for certain elements, there's lukewarm support for immigration reform and a lot of potential strife. I don't think anyone wants to touch that one. |
It all portends a very rocky start to 2006 for the administration because the concerns are increasingly bipartisan. |