Ken Rudin

Joe Biden Has History On His Side But Little Else If Hillary Clinton Runs

Ken Rudin — Tue, 07 May 2013 14:15:27 +0000

It's pretty much a truism in American political history: If the president is not running again and the vice president wants his party's nomination, it's his for the asking.

That was the case in 1960, with President Eisenhower term-limited and Vice President Richard Nixon's path to the GOP nomination unimpeded.

It was also true in 1968, when President Johnson decided not to run again and his vice president, Hubert Humphrey, won the Democratic nomination despite not having entered a single

Open Democratic Senate Seats Again Give Big Opportunity For GOP, Or Not

Ken Rudin — Wed, 01 May 2013 01:41:13 +0000

The headlines have not been especially kind to Senate Democrats lately as they, for the second consecutive cycle, head into an election with a numerical disadvantage and more open seats to defend.

But looking at an election by simply counting the number of seats up that year or where incumbents are retiring misses the point. In 2012, the mantra was the Republican Party was going to win a Senate majority because the numbers so clearly favored them; they needed a net gain of just four, and of the 33 seats up that year, 23 were held by the Democrats.

Sanford And Weiner: Different Humiliations, Same Remorseful Script

Ken Rudin — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 16:26:16 +0000

In the past three decades or so, when writing about political sex scandals became an art form, the tendency has always been to lump everyone together. There are many differences between, say, what Anthony Weiner did and what Mark Sanford did.

Is It 2016 Yet? Moves By Hillary Clinton & Rand Paul Suggest Yes

Ken Rudin — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 19:50:53 +0000

If you have any interest in politics at all, you pretty much know two things. One, that the next presidential election, on Nov. 8, 2016, is only 1,324 days away. And two, you won't be surprised if people are focusing on it in March of 2013.

Sometimes the speculation is silly, but sometimes it's not.

How Jeb Bush Did In His 2016 Tryout

Ken Rudin — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 17:53:18 +0000

Contrary to what you read, everything politicians say and do don't necessarily always have to be only about 2016. Sometimes, really and truly, presidential calculations are not part of the conversation.

But regarding the coverage of Jeb Bush in the past week, it's hard to think anything else. Bush, of course, is the son and brother of former presidents. He has been urged to run for president since 2008, and the drumbeat for 2016 is getting louder ... especially since he helped it along by saying he is not ruling it out.

Who's 'Right' — CPAC Or Chris Christie?

Ken Rudin — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 13:04:13 +0000

For a city that thrives on huge controversies and breathtaking tremors, perhaps last week's mini-squabble over whether or not to invite Chris Christie to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) later this month is not what you would call a big deal. But the decision — not to invite him — says something about the conservative movement ...

Monday Was All About Obama. Now All He Needs Is A Cabinet.

Ken Rudin — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 13:08:29 +0000

The day had history and symbolism written all over it: the inauguration of President Barack Obama, coming on the very day the nation was honoring the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

The pomp, the ceremony, the speech, the festivities, the parade, the emotions, the hugs, the tears. It's all part of America's finest moment, and yesterday was no exception.

But that was yesterday. That "era of good feelings," all one day of it, is about to be replaced by the need to get things done. Improving a stuttering economy.

This Particular Nomination May Not Be About Obama; It's About Chuck Hagel

Ken Rudin — Mon, 14 Jan 2013 14:31:23 +0000

Democrats are fond of saying that Republicans are interested in only one thing, and that is to thwart President Obama at every opportunity. He proposes something, the GOP opposes it. He says it's day, they say it's night. In some cases, those complaints are justified; in others, it's just whining.

But it's a complex story about the opposition to Obama's choice of Chuck Hagel, the former two-term Republican senator from Nebraska, to become the next secretary of defense.

John Boehner Has Been Up And Down And Up Again. Where Is He Now?

Ken Rudin — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 11:18:00 +0000

As John Boehner finally got the votes to put him over the top, and his re-election as Speaker of the House became official, one had to wonder what was going on in his mind.

If Boehner has had a rough two years in trying to keep his fellow Republicans on the same page in their battles with President Obama, he endured a miserable couple of weeks in the lead up to the fiscal cliff agreement. His dealings with Obama went nowhere.

Remembering Those Who Left Us In 2012

Ken Rudin — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 11:08:00 +0000

In political terms, 2012 was not the greatest of years. We witnessed an ugly, personal, petty, and often childish presidential election. Living in a "battleground" or "swing" state often meant being bombarded 24/7 by an incessant barrage of negative campaign commercials. And just as we were finally emerging from the campaign, we ended the year with an unfathomable tragedy, the gunning down of 20 children at an elementary school in Connecticut.

But before we enter the new year with new dread, it's time to stop and remember those voices in the world of politics we lost.