
It is not unheard of for news organizations to make mistakes in their reporting. It is unusual, though, for a news organization to hire a PR flack whose specialty is beating back unflattering stories or pushing attacks on his opposition. Most news organizations don’t aspire to need a staffer permanently assigned to defend its reporting. Politico apparently thinks it does.
by Mike Flynn22 Nov 2015, 5:44 AM PST0

Officials with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau were in regular contact with progressive activists over proposed regulations targeting the payday lending industry, recently released emails reveal.
by Mike Flynn20 Nov 2015, 1:56 PM PST0

On Friday, a SuperPAC tied to Ohio Governor John Kasich announced a new multi-million dollar effort to torpedo Donald Trump’s campaign for the Republican nomination. Trump’s continued dominance of national and state-level polling has vexed the GOP establishment and pushed it to near-panic as voting nears.
by Mike Flynn20 Nov 2015, 10:52 AM PST0

Congress is preparing legislation to add new security requirements for Syrian refugees seeking entry into the United States. The proposed legislation wouldn’t suspend, eliminate or substantively alter the program, but would require certain federal officials to personally verify that an individual refugee has been properly screened. Rest assured, Republicans in Congress are absolutely committed to reforming the refugee resettlement program. Just as long, mind you, as they don’t actually have to do it.
by Mike Flynn19 Nov 2015, 5:50 AM PST0

Trump’s steps to qualify for the ballot in Virginia suggest he has a robust political operation on the ground. Many political insiders continue to dismiss Trump’s candidacy on the assumption that it is built on his larger-than-life personality alone. Being the first candidate to navigate Virginia’s strict requirements, though, seems to indicate that Trump is building just such an organization. It is a concrete sign that Trump’s candidacy isn’t going away anytime soon.
by Mike Flynn19 Nov 2015, 5:36 AM PST0

With just two months until the first votes are cast for the Republican nomination, though, that match-up is still just a fantasy. For four months, the Republican nomination battle has been dominated by Donald Trump and, to a lesser extent, Ben Carson. Together, these two command the support of a majority of Republican voters. Rubio and Cruz, while gaining support in the past two weeks, still only have around 10 percent of support each nationally.
by Mike Flynn18 Nov 2015, 9:21 AM PST0

The persistent strength of outsider candidates in the Republican nomination fight is due, in large part, to a feeling that the establishment party is out of touch with the public. The cavalier attitude of much of the Republican party to the problem of illegal immigration is no phantom menace. It rings hollow to large sections of the public who are living on the edge of economic anxiety.
by Mike Flynn17 Nov 2015, 11:55 AM PST0

New Hampshire GOP Sen. Kelly Ayotte is facing a tough reelection fight next year, as Republicans battle to retain control of the U.S. Senate. Her path to reelection could become impossible, however, if the state’s Republican legislature goes through with a plan to reauthorize ObamaCare’s Medicaid expansion in the state.
by Mike Flynn16 Nov 2015, 10:28 AM PST0

Millions of packages shipped into the country through national post offices aren’t being screened by U.S. Customs. Packages sent through private carriers, including FedEx and UPS, are screened, but the failure of the Postal Service and other international public-sector postal services to screen packages presents an unparalleled security risk at a time of heightened terrorist activity.
by Mike Flynn16 Nov 2015, 5:56 AM PST0

Jeb Bush’s latest campaign reboot, “Jeb Can Fix It,” seeks to highlight his record as Governor of the Sunshine State. Unfortunately for Jeb, however, whatever accomplishments he had as Governor seem like ancient history. He left the Governor’s mansion almost a decade ago and was last on the ballot in Florida 13 years ago. With just a fifth place showing in this latest poll of Florida, it seems Jeb will have to spend considerable energy reminding the state’s own voters about his record as Governor.
by Mike Flynn13 Nov 2015, 6:54 AM PST0

Whether the economy, health care, environment or a host of issues, more voters disapprove of how Obama is handling issues than approve. The breadth of issues where President Obama is upside down with voters is unprecedented. The issues where voters disapprove of President Obama’s job performance are: Abortion, the War in Afghanistan, the budget deficit, the economy, education, the environment, foreign policy, gun control, health care, immigration, Medicare, Social Security, taxes and terrorism.
by Mike Flynn12 Nov 2015, 11:09 AM PST0

An Economist/YouGov survey finds Republican voters overwhelmingly prefer Donald Trump’s position on immigration to that of his rivals. Some 49 percent of Republicans and Republican-leaning Independents say Trump is the candidate best able to handle the issue of immigration. Republicans’ preference for Trump on the issue is so overwhelming one pauses to remember that he is running against a crowded field of competitors.
by Mike Flynn12 Nov 2015, 6:27 AM PST0

One of the clear distinctions in the debate was on the issue of illegal immigration, where businessman Donald Trump and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz argued for strict border controls while establishment-backed candidates Jeb Bush and Ohio Gov. John Kasich appealed to emotion and politic. Perhaps the most interesting exchanges on illegal immigration were those that didn’t occur. Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, whose Presidential campaign has been shadowed by his support of the Gang of Eight Senate amnesty bill, demurred from mentioning the issue.
by Mike Flynn11 Nov 2015, 9:01 AM PST0

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham will not be part of the Republican debate on Milwaukee on Tuesday. Polling less than 1 percent nationally, Graham didn’t make the cut for even the undercard of the Fox Business/Wall Street Journal GOP debate.
by Mike Flynn9 Nov 2015, 3:19 PM PST0

The House-passed version of a $325 billion Highway Bill, legislation to fund the nation’s infrastructure, is pending in the Senate. It includes a rebirth of the Ex-Im Bank.
by Mike Flynn9 Nov 2015, 6:54 AM PST0

The GOP-led House has attached the almost-dead Export-Import to the must-pass, six-year extension of the Highway Bill, likely resurrecting the bank from extinction
by Mike Flynn5 Nov 2015, 8:38 PM PST0

Houston voters overwhelmingly rejected a ballot initiative aimed at instituting sweeping new “anti-discrimination” laws, primarily aimed at sexual orientation and gender identity. Setting aside whether or not the proposed new law had any merit, the reaction of supporters to the loss tells us a lot about the state of the left today.
by Mike Flynn5 Nov 2015, 7:44 AM PST0

With less than 90 days to go until the Iowa caucuses, retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson has edged past Donald Trump in an well-regarded index of national polls.
by Mike Flynn4 Nov 2015, 2:33 PM PST0

The ballot measure, Issue 3, would have legalized recreational use of marijuana in the state and allowed the use of pot for medicinal reasons. The initiative had a unique, and ultimately fatal, feature, though. It awarded a monopoly on growing pot to just 10 farms in the state.
by Mike Flynn4 Nov 2015, 8:51 AM PST0

Virginia Republicans look set to hold onto their Senate majority despite aggressive campaigning by Democrat Gov. Terry McAuliffe.
by Mike Flynn3 Nov 2015, 6:46 PM PST0

Businessman Matt Bevin won the Governor’s race in Kentucky Tuesday, becoming just the second Republican Governor in the Commonwealth in the last 40 years.
by Mike Flynn3 Nov 2015, 5:51 PM PST0

Virginia voters are deciding which party will control the state Senate, the upper chamber of the commonwealth’s legislature. Republicans currently have a two-seat majority in the Senate.
by Mike Flynn3 Nov 2015, 11:41 AM PST0

Despite spending more on TV than all other candidates combined, Jeb has dropped to sixth place in nation’s first primary state, a must-win for his Presidential ambitions. In July, Jeb Bush was second in New Hampshire.
by Mike Flynn2 Nov 2015, 2:14 PM PST0

The poll, conducted by Viewpoint Florida interviewed 2,047 likely Republican voters and has a margin of error of 2.2 percent. The poll was taken after last week’s CNBC debate, where Bush challenged Rubio about his Senate attendance, a preview of Bush’s more aggressive stance against his one-time protege. According to this poll, Rubio came out of that exchange stronger than Bush.
by Mike Flynn2 Nov 2015, 8:36 AM PST0

With 26 percent support each in the poll, the two first-time candidates command support from more than half of Republican voters nationwide. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz enjoyed a big bounce from his performance, rising to third, with 10 percent. No other candidates earn double-digit support in the poll, from NBC News/Survey Monkey.
by Mike Flynn31 Oct 2015, 7:48 AM PST0