All Politics Voices

Many investigations of alleged corruption by public officials turned on ambiguous interpretations of federal law, political science teaches. That's why officials often assume guilt and prosecute accordingly 

The phrase 'Schrödinger’s cat' has had more than nine lives, not just in quantum physics but also in the language of political analysis, especially recently. 

Thus far in the 2016 cycle, candidates who made a strong showing – or at least had a boomlet – in previous cycles are doing horribly.

A president’s legacy often turns less on what he believes and what issues he pursues than it does on how well he chooses and manages the officials who work on his behalf.

When students of modest means do get into good schools, they are still not on a level playing field. Many think that grades alone are the key to success and spend less time on elite extracurricular activities than their more affluent peers. 

When he is on the stump, Donald Trump argues that he will protect the interests of the American people better than Jeb Bush or Barack Obama. 

'It's just politics' is popular because it allows campaigns to dismiss all criticism as mere point-scoring by a political opponent and – for a time – appear to be above the political fray themselves.

Trump’s speech before a big crowd in Mobile was a combination of a sermon and a sideshow without any structure. But I will give him some credit. At least he didn’t speak politician.

Outsiders have seldom been the real thing. Donald Trump has bragged about using government influence to get rich. Sanders’s policies would concentrate more power and resources in the nation’s capital.

In a field this large, Trump's 25 percent can still win primaries, and with a virtually unlimited personal fortune, Trump is largely immune from the pressures that would otherwise force a candidate from a race.

In our political system, the parties do not control party labels. Anyone can be a candidate for nomination under a given party and any candidate can, à la Trump, hold out the possibility of running as an independent.

Richard Nixon popularized the term 'probe with bayonets – If you encounter mush, proceed; if you encounter steel, withdraw.' But others are picking it up. 

The Paul campaign has a big problem: Its strategy hinges on rallying libertarian Republicans, a group that scarcely exists in the GOP primary electorate.

Clinton is probably leading Bernie in New Hampshire, and it's not even clear, despite Bernie’s well-attended campaign events, that he has gained all that much ground over the last month. 

Many of the 2016 presidential candidates could be said to have 'evolved.' Marco Rubio and Scott Walker once supported a limited path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, but now they don't.

Just about the last thing we should want in a president is constant, unfiltered expression of whatever is on her or his mind. On some level, Trump probably gets the point.

Of the current governors running, Kasich comes from the most important electoral state, has the highest approval ratings, and has done the most to turn his state around. His deep House experience actually produced results.

A Biden candidacy will generate quite a bit of media coverage, much of it initially positive, from a grateful media corps. But there’s no evidence now suggesting that he could beat Clinton.

The candidates at presidential debates come and go, but there are a handful of stock expressions and phrases that persist. These range from classic dodges to 'tried and true ways to help yourself get out of a hole.' Keep score.