In a 2012 interview with CBS, President Obama said that the biggest mistake of his first term was that he didn’t translate his policies into a story that would give the American people a sense of unity and purpose. He was right. The tragedy at Sandy Hook has handed him the perfect narrative for his…
Politician of the Year: The first Democrat elected mayor in 20 years. The first Democrat elected to the County Board of Supervisors in almost as long. A challenger who knocks off an incumbent Congressman. In most years, any of the three could have walked away with this award. 2012 was not most years. It was…
When Washington politicians give something a catchy name, it usually means one of two things: they want to confuse you, or they want to distract you. The now ubiquitous “Fiscal Cliff” does some of both. Cliffs are extant geographic features, left by God or erosion, beyond which is a fall to near certain death. Neither…
While the 2012 election was surprisingly kind to Democrats, they still control only 53 seats with two independents who will caucus with them. That means that they will need five Republican votes to get things done, on a good day. Below are 10 Republican senators that might help break a filibuster, and the issues on…
In the June primary, challenger Ray Ellis bested incumbent District 1 City Councilmember Sherri Lightner 45.6 percent to 41.5 percent. As the top two candidates, both made the recent general election, where Lightner not only added significantly to her total (54.9 percent), but drove down Ellis’ (45.1 percent). How did Lightner change the minds of…
Picture yourself in a room full of people you don’t know. It’s too awkward to stand there alone, so you survey the scene, looking for a group to join. The progression is always the same. Anyone I know? Nope. Anyone who’s like me? Nope. Anyone who looks like they might like people like me? The…
After Americans re-elected President George W. Bush and gave Republicans majorities in both houses of Congress in 2004, Karl Rove spoke of a durable Republican majority. It endured until 2006. The election of President Obama, which was touted as the first triumph of the changing demographics that would keep Democrats in power. That lasted until…
You own a widget factory, you’re hiring a new CEO, and you have two applicants. One has worked with widgets for decades, believes in them, and wants to make them better. The other doesn’t like widgets and wants to shrink the company to produce fewer of them. Who do you hire? I’m taking the applicant…
When last week’s Return on Investment Analysis put Scott Peters at No. 1, there was a close second: Councilwoman Sherri Lightner. Lightner, the Democratic incumbent councilmember from District 1, has been a solid advocate of LGBT issues on the City Council, and has the endorsements of elected LGBT officials including Councilman Todd Gloria and Assemblywoman…
One of the newer data points available to punditocracy is New York Times columnist Nate Silver’s Return on Investment Index. By looking at polls, population and electoral votes (among other things), Silver determines the likelihood that one voter in a given state would decide a razor-thin election, and thus where campaigns might wisely spend their…
