The Gingrich Style

Joe Conason / Truthdig May 20, 2011 It is hard to see why anyone was surprised by Newt Gingrich's self-ignited implosion in the earliest hours of his presidential candidacy. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Meltdown on the Launch Pad

Eugene Robinson / Truthdig May 20, 2011 A grateful nation thanks you, Newt Gingrich. The presidential campaign is just starting, and already you've given us a passage that will live in infamy -- forever -- in the annals of American political speech. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Michele Bachmann and the GOP’s Anti-Medicare Bluff

Staff / Truthdig May 1, 2011 On Friday, ultraconservative free-market booster Michele Bachmann suddenly came out as a supporter of government-run Medicare But this potential presidential candidate's break with the official Republican Party line was not surprising The GOP has been under attack by its own base for the past few weeks (more). Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

A Generation of Termites?

Joe Conason / Truthdig Apr 29, 2011 Indeed, in the guise of saving future generations from excessive federal debt, themes of national decay, egotistical greed and irresponsibility pervade the Ryan plan. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Watch Out for Ryan, Not Trump

Bill Boyarsky / Truthdig Apr 28, 2011 Contrary to conventional wisdom, the media fascination with the potential presidential campaign of the great American phony, Donald Trump, has been helpful to the Republican Party. The real player to watch is the boring chairman of the House Budget Committee, Paul Ryan. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Demanding the Impossible

Eugene Robinson / Truthdig Apr 12, 2011 Far-right Republicans are winning the budget wars because they understand something that nobody else in Washington seems to grasp: The old truism about politics being the art of the possible is no longer true. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Ryan’s Plan Neither Serious nor Courageous

Joe Conason / Truthdig Apr 8, 2011 What the meteoric career of Paul Ryan demonstrates is how easily impressed we are whenever a politician purports to restore solvency by punishing the poor and the elderly (while coddling the rich). Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

The Right’s War on Moderation

E.J. Dionne Jr. / Truthdig Apr 7, 2011 However the shutdown saga ends, the negotiating styles of the two sides ought to tell moderates that they can no longer pretend that the two ends of our politics are equally "extreme." Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

The End of Progressive Government?

E.J. Dionne Jr. / Truthdig Apr 4, 2011 Put the two parts of Rep. Paul Ryan's budget together -- tax cuts for the rich, program cuts for the poor -- and its radically redistributionist purposes become clear. Timid Democrats would never dare embark on class warfare on this scale the other way around. Dig deeper ( 3 Min. Read )

Without Obama, We Lose So Much More Than an Election

Bill Boyarsky / Truthdig Jan 24, 2011 The selfish negativity expressed by Republicans in the House health care debate last week showed why we should fight hard for President Barack Obama’s re-election in 2012. Dig deeper ( 4 Min. Read )

Ryan to Respond to State of the Union

Staff / Truthdig Jan 22, 2011 Responding to the State of the Union is an odd honor. You become the face of the opposition for 10 minutes but you have to immediately follow extraordinary rhetoricians at their chosen sport. House Budget Committee Chairperson Paul Ryan gets the job this year. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )