All Decoder
Obama loses 42 percent of Kentucky, Arkansas primary vote. Should he worry?No and yes. The key issue here may be whether the Kentucky and Arkansas primaries are a portent of trouble for President Obama in North Carolina, a crucial swing state.
Paul Ryan goes into Obama attack mode at the Reagan libraryRep. Paul Ryan on Tuesday was the third Republican with vice-presidential buzz to speak at the Reagan library this election season. But his speech had a different purpose.
Is Congress broken? Startup Act shows what can work.The Startup Act is a modest piece of pro-business legislation unveiled Tuesday. It won't change the world, but that's why it may pass. In a partisan Congress, 'good' may be better than 'perfect.'
Cory Booker comments: How badly have they hurt President Obama?Mayor Cory Booker was so far off-message about the Obama campaign that he couldn’t even see the Democratic Party message. With campaign surrogates like that, who needs election opponents?
Postcard from NATO summit: What are all these people doing in Chicago?A chance encounter with a young Chicagoan forces a Monitor reporter to sum up – in about three sentences – all the hoo-ha in the Windy City over the NATO summit.
Why Americans Elect failed to find a presidential candidateAfter raising millions of dollars to boost a centrist candidate for president, the nonprofit Americans Elect has given up. But there's more involved than just a nation unready for a third party.
Has the tea party sold out? House freshmen aren't who they seem.A report by the arch-conservative Club for Growth undercuts the notion that freshmen House Republicans are unified – and uniformly committed to the most stringent tea party ideals.
Facebook IPO: Is co-founder Saverin cheating US out of $100 million in taxes?By renouncing his US citizenship, Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin could save some $100 million in taxes from Friday's Facebook IPO. Senators call it 'tax avoidance,' and aim to block it.
Are some Ron Paul supporters going rogue?In Nevada's Clark County, Ron Paul supporters are still in the fight, even though their man has said he won't campaign in any more GOP primaries. They scolded the Republican National Committee chief this week.
Is Washington careening toward another debt limit crisis?Another showdown appears to be brewing over the national debt limit – and under what conditions Congress will raise it next time. But something big will happen between now and then that may prevent it.
Obama on 'The View': Were hosts too easy on him?The format of 'The View' may allow a skilled politician a lot of control over the message. President Obama skirted around some questions about gay marriage and financial-markets reform.
Democrats return fire after John Boehner's opening debt-ceiling salvoDemocrats charge that John Boehner's renewed call for spending cuts as a condition to raise the debt ceiling is 'dangerous,' recalling the standoff last summer that drove consumer confidence – and Congress's approval rating – sharply down.
Could Ron Paul really have an impact on the GOP convention?The Ron Paul campaign issued a memo outlining its strategy to secure 'the greatest possible impact' on the GOP convention. But its influence may be more symbolic than practical.
John Boehner fires opening shot in potential debt-ceiling showdownIn a speech Tuesday, Speaker John Boehner will lay out his expectations for how the debt ceiling will be handled in the next round. His plan harks back to the House Republicans' position last year.
How Romney is fighting harsh charge he's a heartless job-killerTwo new pro-Obama ads are hammering Romney's former firm, Bain Capital, for the demise of a Missouri steel company. The counter-ad from the Romney camp focuses on a firm that Bain bolstered.
Why Ron Paul's 2012 effort may not really be overThe Ron Paul campaign won't run ads in upcoming primaries, but Paul is still out to make his mark at the GOP's August convention. That means getting supporters elected as delegates and even picking up some 'stealth' delegates.
Obama ad depicts Mitt Romney as job-killing 'vampire.' Over the top?Obama's new 'Steel' ad picks up themes of vanquished Romney GOP rivals – that Mitt Romney is not a job creator but a job killer. But Romney was no longer with Bain Capital when the Kansas City steel mill went under.
Might Mitt Romney not remember if he bullied someone in high school?Mitt Romney says he doesn't recollect an incident from the mid-1960s in which, according to a Washington Post report, he led a 'posse' that forcibly cut the long hair of a nonconformist student.
How the sequester could save Democrats in DecemberCongress has an apocalyptic list of issues to deal with after the November elections, including the Bush tax cuts and the sequester. Any chance for compromise could rest on Democrats' willingness to be as ruthless as Republicans have been.
Does it matter if Mitt Romney was a bully in high school?When Mitt Romney was a senior at suburban Detroit’s Cranbrook school, he led a 'posse' that forcibly cut the long blond hair of a nonconformist junior, according to a Washington Post report.
