political spin news stories on Newser

Assessing John Edwards' Comeback Chances

Will McCahill — Sun, 07 Feb 2010 09:59:07 CST

John Edwards’ public image hit new lows the past week, but the likes Richard Nixon, Eliot Spitzer, and Michael Milken have made successful comebacks, the Atlantic notes, in polling political spin doctors about Edwards’ comeback chances: Bob Shrum: "The reality is so contrary to the image that he projected,” says...

Dems' Coded Message: McCain Is Old

Kevin Spak — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 12:07:24 CDT

To a chorus of Republican indignation, Democrats are taking subtle swipes at John McCain's, er, septuagenarian status. From Joe Scarborough saying the "doddering" 71-year-old "needs to go to Miami Beach and play checkers” to John Kerry calling him “confused” or Barack Obama, 46, noting McCain's “half-century of service,” conservatives see...

Pa. Primary Changed the Spin, not the Race

Kevin Spak — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 13:13:26 CDT

The Pennsylvania primary didn't change the basic parameters of the race for the Democratic nomination in any significant way, Andrew Romano writes in Newsweek. But it had a huge effect on the narrative, handing Hillary Clinton Exhibit A for her claim that Barack Obama can't win over white men. She...

'100 Years' Flap Clearly a Sore Spot for GOP

Jonas Oransky — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 21:40:53 CDT

Republicans are complaining loudly that Democrats keep distorting John McCain's comments about staying in Iraq for 100 years. So loudly, in fact, that it's a dead giveaway the GOP is seriously worried about the consequences of McCain's statement, writes Steve Benen in Salon. The continuing fallout is the "single biggest...

Journo Picks Up Clinton's Spin

Matt Cantor — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 18:05:00 CDT

The AP described superdelegates as "automatic delegates" in a story last night, just as the Clinton camp asked—and turned the news service into a spin "messenger," Josh Marshall writes on the Talking Points Memo blog. The campaign wants superdelegates to sound less privileged in case they nominate Clinton this...

Dem Debate Oddly Like 'SNL' Parody

Jonas Oransky — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 11:28:00 CST

Hillary Clinton was so taken by last week's "Saturday Night Live" sketch that had moderators fawning over Barack Obama in a debate between the two candidates that she brought it up in the real debate last night. And the debate lived up to the SNL spoof, Alessandra Stanley writes in...

What Will They Say After the Caucuses?

Jonas Oransky — Thu, 03 Jan 2008 16:13:48 CST

No matter what result the Iowa caucuses bring tonight, the campaigns will have plenty of spin up their sleeves. NBC’s Chuck Todd previews the politico talk: John Edwards: No one needs this one more. A victory will be a vindication of populism and domestic issues. A loss may well be...