If someone had woken you from a dead sleep 20 years ago and asked what the Republican Party stood for, you would've had no trouble answering: Fiscal restraint, a strong national defense and lower taxes. Those were the three pillars of the GOP. The party's brand was clear. Voters understood it, and many approved. In the days before Obama, Republicans won seven out of ten presidential elections.
Everyone in Washington fears the fiscal cliff. The White House has no interest in going over. Democrats understand they'll never have more power than they do now. Delaying a budget deal until after January means getting less of what they want.
Mitt Romney ran about as impressive a campaign as he could have under the circumstances. Romney turned out to be a terrific debater, a champion fundraiser and a man of impressive self-restraint. Toward the end, when it became clear he could win but was still in fact losing, he resisted the natural temptation to go vicious and low. He ought to get credit for that. Plus he gave a dignified concession speech.
By tomorrow night we'll likely know the name of the next president. But we already know the loser in this election cycle: political reporters. They’ve disgraced themselves. Conservatives have long complained about liberal bias in the media, and with some justification. But it has finally reached the tipping point. Not in our lifetimes have so many in the press dropped the pretense of objectivity in order to help a political candidate. The media are rooting for Barack Obama. They're not hiding it.
Martha Raddatz is the moderator of tonight's vice presidential debate. In 1991, Barack Obama attended her wedding. A year later, her then-husband, now a high level administration appointee and a personal friend of the president, attended the Obamas' wedding.
The media have declared the presidential race over. That's not surprising. What's striking is how many Republicans agree. They think the Romney campaign is done. It's true that recent momentum has favored the president, especially in battleground states. A five-point deficit in Ohio looks ominous for any Republican. But President Obama hasn't won yet. In fact he could very well lose. Here's why:
