2012 Elections

Budget Battles

  • The Great Debate

    Five Debate Moments that Changed Elections

    By Robert Speel, The Conversation

    Every presidential election year in my American Political Campaigns and Elections course, I get an opportunity to spend a full lecture discussing with students some of the famous moments from...

  • House panel says IRS official waived rights, contempt possible

    Lois Lerner Is Cleared, Sparking Conservative Fury

    By Rob Garver

    Concluding that “poor management is not a crime,” the Justice Department on Friday informed members of Congress that it would not be filing criminal charges against anyone in what has become known as...

  • GOP Leaders Take on Far Right Pressure Groups

    By Eric Pianin

    There have been plenty of theories about why Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) strode onstage at a conservative gathering late last week carrying a rifle. Ostensibly, McConnell, the 72-...

  • Romney: If Hillary Runs, She Won’t Need Bill

    By Thomas Ferraro, Reuters

    Failed 2012 U.S. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney said on Sunday he expects Hillary Clinton to win or lose the White House on her record, not that of her husband, former Democratic...

  • Joint Session of Congress

    Voters Give a Thumbs-Down to Their Own Lawmakers

    By Eric Pianin

    In another sign of public outrage over a dysfunctional and politically divided Congress, a record low percentage of registered voters now say their own House member deserves another chance while even...

  • Obama Calls for National Unity, An End to Absolutism

    By Matt Spetalnick and John Whitesides, Reuters

    President Barack Obama urged Americans on Monday to reject political "absolutism" and partisan rancor as he kicked off his second term with a call for national unity, setting a pragmatic tone for the...

  • The Real Story Behind Obama's Election Victory

    By Eric Siegel, The Fiscal Times

    President Obama won reelection with the help of the science of mass persuasion, an advanced use of predictive analytics that is changing the way political campaigns are conducted.

  • How You're Shaping the Future Through 'Big Data'

    By Maureen Mackey, The Fiscal Times

    Using detailed polling data and analysis, statistician Nate Silver of The New York Times correctly predicted state voting results in this year’s U.S. election. But many people, including Rick Smolan...

  • What Lawmakers Spent on Your Vote in 2012

    By Sean Sullivan, The Washington Post

    Some members of congress who were in hotly contested races shoveled out hundreds of dollars for each vote in order to retain their seat.

  • Boehner Blows It with a Plan Destined to Fail

    By Karen Tumulty, The Washington Post

    The main thing that has held Republicans together philosophically is the belief in holding down taxes. Not one of them in Congress has voted for a significant increase in more than two decades. Now...