St. Louis University
Professor of Political Science at St. Louis University and president of the Warren Poll, which conducts polling for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, among others; author of In Defense of Public Opinion Polling and editor of Encyclopedia of US Campaigns, Elections, and Electoral Behavior; former pollster for Richard Gephardt
The Southern Primaries and the GOP Rick Santorum won both Alabama and Mississippi yesterday. Newt Gingrich took second place in states even he said he needed. Santorum is claiming he's now the real, conservative alternative to Mitt Romney , who came in third. If Romney can't capture the Southern conservative base of the party, why is he still the likely GOP nominee?
The 'Solid South' Isn't So Solid After All Mitt Romney is lucky there were two other candidates in Mississippi and Alabama, even though he lost to them both. One alone would have swamped him. But, including Hawaii and American Samoa, he got more delegates yesterday than either Newt Gingrich or Rick Santorum , who won both primaries and is claiming to be the real, conservative alternative to Romney. Even though Romney's a loser with the conservative base of his party, he's still the favorite to win the GOP nomination. Does that mean the South doesn't matter? Will Santorum's double win push Gingrich out of the running? Does Romney still have a chance to prevail before the convention in Tampa?
Chaos Continues on Capitol Hill The lame-duck session of Congress is hard to keep track of. Today's sure thing is old news by tomorrow, and nobody knows how long it's going to go on. The tax bill and the omnibus spending package were dealt with last night, but what about " Don't Ask, Don't Tell ," the DREAM Act and the START Treaty ? Is Barack Obama "triangulating" with Democrats and Republicans, just like Bill Clinton? Is he abandoning principles or finally getting real? What are the prospects for next year when Republicans will take over the House? Will it be time to get down to business or the start of the next campaign?
Election Preview around the Country The Gallup Poll says the Republicans' 15-point lead among likely voters nationwide is "unprecedented." But the GOP lead among registered voters is only four points, so the big question across the country is how many of those likely voters will turn out and where. We hear reports on important races in regions across the country.
Prop 8 and Prop C: States Rights and Political Consequences Two years ago, 52% of California voters banned same-sex marriage , a ruling upheld by the State Supreme Court. But yesterday, a federal judge in San Francisco ruled that Proposition 8 is unconstitutional . It could be a political landmark, too, if some voters see it as another federal intrusion like the overturning of Arizona’s immigration law and the requirements of healthcare reform .
Same-sex Marriage, Healthcare Reform and Immigration A federal judge has overturned California's ban on same sex marriage, passed by 52% of the state's voters two years ago. Supporters have already appealed. The case will be in the courts for years and could be overturned, but it's still a landmark ruling, since homosexuality was illegal in some states just 10 years ago. It could be a political landmark, too, if some voters see it as another federal intrusion like the overturning of Arizona's immigration law and the requirements of healthcare reform . We look at the legal implications of yesterday's decision and the politics.
National Issues and Local Elections Absentee ballots already are being cast, but most voting won't happen until Tuesday. With less than a week before the mid-term elections, the war in Iraq means big trouble for Republicans, according to nationwide polls. But control of the next Congress will depend on local voting for Senate seats in 33 states and for House seats in 435 different districts. Many races are so close that control of the Congress and Senate could depend on some last-minute development nobody's thought of before. Despite dwindling support nationwide, can President Bush still make a difference? Are the candidates addressing the issues their constituents want to hear about most? What are prospective voters seeing on TV? We take a look at some cliff-hangers around the country to see how local issues and circumstances might impact the outcome.
Who's to blame for the opioid crisis? Some of the lawyers who took on Big Tobacco are now going after Big Pharma. It’s all about the deadly epidemic of opioid use. Are the drug companies to blame? What about the users? Later, on today’s Talking Point: making sense of Britain’s upset election.
How was the trip? President Trump's travels got less fun as he went from the Middle East to Europe.
Human Rights in the era of Donald Trump President Trump’s UN Ambassador, Nikki Haley, said today the US might pull out of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council. Serious violators of human rights are members of the Council itself–and a US resignation could make things worse. Later on today’s show, now that he’s into his second term, comedian turned US Senator Al Franken is telling jokes again.
Ex-FBI Director Comey tells his side of the story Today, former FBI Director James Comey came close to calling the President who fired him a liar. The White House denied the claim and called it insulting, but Republican Senators did not challenge Comey’s truthfulness. Many questions remain: did the President try to obstruct a federal investigation? Later, we’ll go behind the “velvet rope” for a look at 5-Star health care for the richest Americans.