Gender Gap in GOP Is Striking, Problematic

Kentucky senator's freeze on employment measure draws bipartisan ire

(NEWSER) - Senate Republicans are breaking ranks as Jim Bunning continues to stall a $10 billion employment and health measure, with Susan Collins of Maine taking to the floor of the chamber this morning to express her "hope that we can act together for the American people." She urged Bunning to drop his objection to the measure; the lame duck replied, "I object." More»

But trend and dismal 21% approval of Congress could spell Dem's demise

(NEWSER) - The sizable lead among registered voters Democrats have maintained since the 2006 midterm elections has eroded to almost nothing. In the latest Gallup poll, Dems have just a 2-point advantage over Republicans going into the 2010 midterms, 46% to 44%, well within the sampling error. That’s down from a 6-point lead in July, due mostly to a decrease in support from independents. More»

(NEWSER) - Charles Boustany, who was upstaged last night by the impromptu opposition from his colleague, Joe Wilson, delivered the official response to Obama's speech, opening with his "disappointment" that Obama hadn't announced a do-over in the effort to reform health insurance. “Most Americans, the Louisiana congressman said, wanted to hear the president say "it’s time to start over on a common-sense, bipartisan plan focused on lowering the cost of health care while improving quality.” More»

(NEWSER) - Newt Gingrich is back, and he’s here to stay. “It’s Gingrich time,” Paul Waldman writes for the American Prospect. That’s not a good thing, for the Republicans or the country. “This is Newt's time again not only because there's a leadership vacuum in the GOP but because the Republicans are back in opposition, and nobody opposes quite like Newt,” Waldman writes. “He is a master of the contemptuous sneer.” More»

January will be a milestone for American politics

(NEWSER) - For the first time in history, a political party will soon be represented in Congress by a majority of female and minority lawmakers. The Cook Political Report predicts that white males will make up 46% to 48% of House Democrats when the new Congress is sworn in next January, reports USA Today . That's down from 53% in 2010—and 98% in 1950. By contrast, white males will comprise 86% of House Republicans. More»