blogging the beltway

The State of the Union address is framed as one that sets the year’s legislative agenda, but in an election year it serves double duty as a campaign speech that expresses a vision for a second term. At moments, with rousing applause from the Democratic caucus, President Obama’s assertive address on Tuesday evening resembled a…

After weeks of criticism over his reluctance to release his tax returns (and a bruising loss in the South Carolina primary), Mitt Romney caved in on Tuesday, making public his tax returns from 2010 and an estimated return for 2011. Despite his earlier hemming and hawing, Romney said he has nothing to hide. “Will there…

President Obama delivers his third State of the Union address on Tuesday night. The nation’s only constitutionally mandated speech, this version will have an added ingredient: It is Obama’s first major speech in the year in which he’s running for re-election. Here’s what to look out for. 1. A Focus on Economic Inequality In a…

Riding a wave of recent momentum, on Saturday Newt Gingrich won the South Carolina primary. Mitt Romney took second place, followed by Rick Santorum and Ron Paul. It’s an outcome that seemed unlikely just a week ago, when conventional wisdom said that Romney would handily take the state. Back then he was basking in the…

In their last chance to make an impression before the South Carolina primary, the final four Republican presidential candidates tangled again for another round of debating. Broadcast on CNN from the North Charleston Coliseum, here are the top moments. 1. Newt Gingrich Rages Against the Media Moderator John King opened the debate by asking Gingrich…

His slim chances of becoming the nominee having sunk in, Texas Gov. Rick Perry has dropped his presidential bid, two days before the South Carolina primary. “I’ve never believed that the cause of conservatism is embodied by one individual,” Perry said in a Thursday press conference announcing his departure from the race and his endorsement…

His slim chances of becoming the nominee having sunk in, Texas Gov. Rick Perry has dropped his presidential bid, two days before the South Carolina primary. “I’ve never believed that the cause of conservatism is embodied by one individual,” Perry said in a Thursday press conference announcing his departure from the race and his endorsement…

Last year the Obama re-election campaign launched Operation Vote — a program dedicated to reaching core constituency groups, including African Americans, Latinos, young people, women and gays and lesbians. On Wednesday the campaign announced the hiring of Stefanie Brown, national field director for the NAACP, as the black community’s point person. “Stefanie has dedicated her…

On Monday night, the five remaining Republican presidential candidates debated in South Carolina. The two-hour event, broadcast on Fox News and held at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center, covered a broad range of topics, but with its overlap on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the conversation repeatedly turned to invocations of Dr. King’s legacy and…

When I chatted with Tavis Smiley and Cornel West earlier this week about their approaches to combating poverty, in advance of a panel that Smiley hosted on the subject, they kept their specific solutions close to the vest. The panelists on Thursday evening’s “Reawakening America: From Poverty to Prosperity” discussion were a bit more forthcoming.…