Ron Elving

Goodbye, Again, To Obama's Most Audacious Hope

Ron Elving — Tue, 14 May 2013 23:33:00 +0000

The sudden eruption of second-term scandals in his administration will have many costs for President Obama, but surely the most grievous will be the lost opportunity to transcend the partisan wars of Washington. That aspiration was his fondest dream for his second term, much as it was for his first. Now it seems destined to be dashed once again.

Of course, there are those who believe Barack Obama never intended to be anything but a conquering hero of the left.

Logic Behind Obama News Conference Hard To Fathom

Ron Elving — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:46:00 +0000

On Tuesday afternoon, President Obama declared May as Older Americans Month, National Foster Care Month, National Building Safety Month, Jewish American Heritage Month and National Physical Fitness and Sports Month.

The president also issued a statement on the investiture of the new king of the Netherlands.

While small and routine, these moves were all easy to understand, as were the accompanying proclamations from the White House press shop.

What was not clear was the executive thinking behind the latest and last NPR Battleground Poll for 2012 shows former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney holding the narrowest of leads in the national sample, but trailing President Obama in the dozen states that will decide the election.

The poll adds evidence that the Oct. 3 debate between the two men redefined the race.

Analysis: Romney Debate Strategy Shows He Thinks He's In the Driver's Seat

Ron Elving — Tue, 23 Oct 2012 17:01:00 +0000

In his third debate with President Obama, Mitt Romney dialed up "cool and cautious" on his mood meter. And that tells you a great deal about where this presidential race stands with two weeks to go.

Romney had to know the president would be coming after him in Boca Raton, Fla., but he decided to avoid the aggressive and even angry notes he had struck in the first two debates. He had achieved what he could with this approach in the initial clash in Denver on Oct. 3, when he seemed the more decisive and strong-willed candidate on stage.

George McGovern, An Improbable Icon Of Anti-War Movement

Ron Elving — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 10:36:00 +0000

If George McGovern often seemed miscast as a presidential candidate, he was at least as improbable as an icon of the anti-war movement.

The Vietnam War gave birth to an opposition movement unlike any America had seen in its previous wars. It was young, unconventional and countercultural, defiant of authority and deeply suspicious of government.

McGovern himself was none of these things.

He was, at the time of his presidential nomination, a 50-year-old two-term senator from South Dakota, a family man and the son of a small-town Methodist minister.

A Stronger Showing At Hofstra, But Ghost Of Denver Still Haunts Obama

Ron Elving — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 11:49:00 +0000

President Obama beat at least one of his adversaries on the stage at Hofstra University last night. He easily outperformed that guy — whoever he was — who debated against former Gov. Mitt Romney two weeks ago in Denver.

That much was obvious — and necessary for the president. The question now is whether it will be sufficient to restore his momentum in the race itself.

Some "instant polls" and other quickie measures were heartening to the Obama camp. But no matter how much Obama's showing at Hofstra surpassed his Denver no-show, it will not eradicate the damage or make up for lost time.

A Fighter To The End, Arlen Specter Seemed To Thrive On Controversy

Ron Elving — Mon, 15 Oct 2012 11:56:00 +0000

Imagine a lawyer's lawyer, a fighter's fighter and a pol's pol. Now imagine one person as all three. That was Arlen Specter of Pennsylvania, who died Sunday at age 82.

Over the course of three decades in the U.S. Senate (1981-2011), Specter came to personify the pragmatic, independent operator who sized up the substance and politics of every issue for himself.

7 Signals Stolen From The Running Mates' One-Game Playoff

Ron Elving — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 17:57:00 +0000

You may have noticed that the vice presidential debate took place on the same day as four crucial games in this year's baseball playoffs. In case you were distracted at all by the latter, here's some of what you may have missed:

1) Joe Biden still has his fastball.

That's Why Incumbents Used To Say No

Ron Elving — Thu, 04 Oct 2012 17:50:00 +0000

In case anyone was wondering, this week's presidential debate demonstrated why incumbent presidents and others leading in the polls used to refuse to debate their challengers.

After John F. Kennedy used the first TV debates to boost his campaign against incumbent Vice President Richard Nixon in 1960, there simply were no debates until 1976. Running again with a big lead in 1968 and 1972, Nixon declined to debate and won both times. Lyndon B.

Republicans Or Democrats: The Choice Comes Down To Competing Myths

Ron Elving — Fri, 07 Sep 2012 12:20:00 +0000

Early in his acceptance speech last night, President Obama laid out the voters' task in these words:

"On every issue, the choice you face won't be just between two candidates or two parties. It will be a choice ... between two fundamentally different visions for the future."

It's a thought that emerges often in the Obama campaign, the idea of 2012 as a watershed election — "a hinge of history," as Vice President Biden called it at the convention in Charlotte, N.C. Some might see this as a device to drive Democratic turnout in the midst of a tepid economic recovery.

What The Democrats' Do-Over Really Says About Party Platforms

Ron Elving — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 14:28:00 +0000

Party platforms are like contracts: No one bothers to read them until something bad happens.

We all know that parties to any agreement should study the fine print in advance, and surely that applies to the national political parties. The delegates really ought to spend some of their time in the host city studying the document they are voting to adopt.

But hey, it's a convention. It's a party. Who wants to sit in their hotel room and read?

Platforms can lead to awkward moments, and worse.

Bill Clinton, Politics' Comeback Kid, Rides Again At The DNC

Ron Elving — Wed, 05 Sep 2012 11:53:00 +0000

Bill Clinton will add yet another chapter to his storied career tonight when the former president places in nomination the name of the current president, Barack Obama.

It will be the focal point of the evening and for some, perhaps, the most newsworthy moment of the entire convention. The old Clinton-Obama feud remains an endless source of political gossip, and the convention planners are happy to have the former president's supposedly unedited and unvetted remarks as a rare source of suspense.

GOP's 'We Built It' Refrain Is Both Puzzling and Telling

Ron Elving — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 11:48:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3DkINRPpXf8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBOqLxzGTx8

Ryan's Speech Revives The Spirit Of Jack Kemp, War Over Reaganomics

Ron Elving — Thu, 30 Aug 2012 11:33:00 +0000

The second night of the Republican convention was an orchestrated buildup for Mitt Romney's running mate, Paul Ryan.

Ryan emerged at the evening's end to deliver the payoff speech and introduce himself to a national audience.

Republicans Reach Out To Women More In Convention Programming Than Platform Writing

Ron Elving — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 09:03:00 +0000

In case you missed it, the theme here in Tampa at the Republican National Convention on Tuesday was: "We Built It." Intended as a reference to building a business, the three words also suggested another construction project under way — a bridge to female voters.

Ann Romney, the wife of presidential nominee Mitt Romney, was obviously the focal point for the strategy.

Romney's Forces Are In Control For Now, But Maybe Not For Long

Ron Elving — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 11:30:00 +0000

When the Republican National Convention finally gets underway today here in Tampa, it will renew a civil war that's been raging — off and on — for more than a century.

Once again, the party's establishment will be pitted against its more aggressively ideological elements. This time, the clash will be brief. The establishment will prevail. But it would be a mistake to read this an omen for the future.

Tempest in Tampa: Isaac Tests Mitt Romney's Mettle

Ron Elving — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 10:49:00 +0000

Political conventions are famed for focusing the nation's attention on one name, but at this year's Republican National Convention here in Tampa, that name is not the nominee's.

The party hopes that by Tuesday, Isaac the soon-to-be-hurricane will have moved far enough away to let Mitt Romney the soon-to-be presidential nominee resume center st

Roberts' Ruling Recalls Other Moments When High Court Shocked the Nation

Ron Elving — Fri, 29 Jun 2012 13:04:00 +0000

You may already have made a mental note as to where you were when you heard the Supreme Court had upheld the health care law known as Obamacare. It's one of those moments that become touchstones of our memory, personal connections to the history we have witnessed in our lifetimes.

The Supreme Court may not be the source of such moments very often, but when its rulings reach this level of our awareness, they alter the course of our lives.

Of course, no one knows yet just how history will deal with this particular law.

Seven Ways Wisconsin's Recall Vote May Matter To You

Ron Elving — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 12:11:00 +0000

For weeks now, we in the news business have been telling you how much the Scott Walker recall election in Wisconsin matters to the country as a whole.

My colleague Ken Rudin, the Political Junkie with whom I share the weekly podcast version of It's All Politics, and I have both compared

How Walker Held On To His Job In Wisconsin

Ron Elving — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 06:32:00 +0000

Gov. Scott Walker beat back a recall attempt in Wisconsin on Tuesday by doing what he had to do: turning out huge majorities in the Republican enclaves of the state — especially in its eastern half near Lake Michigan.

In the end, Walker wound up with about 53 percent of the vote, about 1 percentage point better than he had in winning the governorship the first time in November 2010.

Turnout was nothing short of phenomenal for a special election.

County-By-County Battle In Wisconsin

Ron Elving — Tue, 05 Jun 2012 14:42:00 +0000

Wisconsin votes on recalling its governor Tuesday, and much has already been made of that vote's potential implications beyond the state.

But for now, this historic moment belongs to the 3 million-plus Wisconsinites registered to vote.

For Romney, The People May Trump The Money In Associating With The Donald

Ron Elving — Wed, 30 May 2012 14:33:00 +0000

The latest variant of the presidential election parlor game we call "What Were They Thinking?" asks why Mitt Romney chose this moment in his quest for the White House to become involved with Donald Trump.

Here's a contrarian guess by way of an answer: populism. Bear with me for a moment of explanation.

Romney has accepted Trump's support before, but the renewal of their alliance seemed curiously timed.

America's Dairyland Doubles As Test Site For Political Civil War

Ron Elving — Wed, 09 May 2012 06:20:00 +0000

Back before the conflagration that was World War II, some of Europe's great powers engaged in a surrogate struggle by arming the warring factions in the Spanish Civil War.

Once Again, Santorum Keeps It Close But Falls Further Behind

Ron Elving — Wed, 04 Apr 2012 06:58:00 +0000

Rick Santorum came surprisingly close to an upset in Wisconsin this week, losing to Mitt Romney by less than 5 percentage points.

How A Collapse Of The Health Care Law Could Help Democrats Down The Road

Ron Elving — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 11:14:00 +0000

We probably won't know until June what the Supreme Court justices will decide regarding the health overhaul law known as Obamacare. The questions this week from the conservative majority seemed skeptical of the "individual mandate" at the center of the law, yet dubious of the law's survival without it.

(A line of questioning may not be a perfect guide to a justice's thinking, but right now it appears to be the way to bet.)

So let's say it's June and the high court has laid low the whole law. That's terrible news for President Obama and the Democrats, right?

Well, yes and no.

Are Primary Republicans Chasing Romney Or The Reagan Rainbow?

Ron Elving — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 10:43:00 +0000

Rick Santorum's underdog campaign limped out of Illinois to fight another day, but his campaign for the GOP presidential nomination goes forward under a long shadow.

It's not really the shadow of Mount Mitt, even though front-runner Romney's big win in Illinois heightened his pile of delegates. Romney creeps ever closer to inevitability, yet he too is caught in the same shadow of a man who left the stage two decades ago but dominates it to this day.

The man, of course, was Ronald Reagan, whose presidency made the conservative movement a governing and transformative force.