archive

July 18, 2012 More people still oppose the Affordable Care Act, but a narrow majority favor amending it rather than repealing it. The poll also shows President Obama with a 2-percentage-point lead over Mitt Romney, although they're even among voters from 12 battleground states.

Summary

June 29, 2012 Time and again, the court has shaken up American politics with pronouncements no one quite expected, from the rejection of "separate but equal" schools to the striking down of bans on gay sex. And the effects of a landmark decision may only be revealed over time.

Summary

June 6, 2012 Gov. Scott Walker's recall election victory might not seem like it would have much relevance outside the Badger State. But the outcome may embolden other governors to follow Walker's lead and move against public employee unions. It also could boost conservatives and disrupt President Obama's re-election strategy.

Summary

June 6, 2012 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.

Summary

June 5, 2012 Wisconsin votes on recalling its governor Tuesday, and much has been made of potential implications beyond the state. But while most registered Wisconsin voters are expected to turn out, they'll be thinking about the stakes for their state, not necessarily the mega issues of the presidential race.

Summary

May 30, 2012 What Mitt Romney is looking for in Donald Trump is something he can't get from other billionaires. It is populist appeal. Trump has star power the way Sarah Palin had star power, except you won't catch him retreating to Alaska and renouncing it.

Summary

May 9, 2012 A political civil war has raged in Wisconsin for nearly 18 months — presaging the fierce national politics of this presidential year.

Summary

April 24, 2012 National polls show a close race for the popular vote between President Obama and Mitt Romney, but you may find it more enlightening to look at the larger, more complex puzzle that is the Electoral College map. The state-by-state landscape is distinctly more uphill for the challenger.

Summary

April 4, 2012 Rick Santorum came surprisingly close to an upset in Tuesday's Wisconsin primary, losing to Mitt Romney by less than 5 percentage points. It was not as heartbreakingly close as his previous losses in Michigan and Ohio, but it was one more reminder of what might have been.

Summary

March 29, 2012 The law known as "Obamacare," now in the hands of the Supreme Court, might have become anathema to all Republicans, but the ideas at its heart were meant to be a moderate, practical answer to the pressure for more government involvement.

Summary

March 21, 2012 Were he around today, one wonders if Ronald Reagan would have the chance to grow into the figure he became.

Summary

March 14, 2012 Rick Santorum, who won the Alabama and Mississippi primaries on Tuesday, has proven himself the conservatives' favored alternative to front-runner Mitt Romney.

Summary

March 7, 2012 Usually by this time in the nominating contests, the GOP has given its heart to its hero, and it's lights out for the rest. But once again, the GOP of 2012 refused to read the usual script.

Summary

February 23, 2012 Televised debates are always about expectations, and by this measure the night belonged to Mitt Romney. Flashing once again the combative style he showed last month in Florida, Romney took the fight to Rick Santorum and made the former senator look like, well, a former senator.

Summary