NATIONAL:

The CQPolitics Forum: Will the Economy Help or Hurt the GOP?

Congressional Quarterly

By Bob Benenson

Apr. 24, 2006

CQPolitics.com recently asked its Board of Advisers the following:
Why is there an apparent disconnect between how the Bush administration and its Republican allies say the economy is going, and how many American voters think it is going? What are the odds that the economy will nonetheless become a plus at the polls for the Republicans in November? Or is the situation today parallel to the one in 1992, when the economy had started an upturn but most voters — who turned against the first President Bush — thought it was still mired in recession?.... more

Juliet Eilperin: Fight Club Politics

Huffington Post Mon Apr 24

Hey there, this week I'll be writing about my new book, "Fight Club Politics: How Partisanship is Poisoning the House of Representatives." In some ways I face a daunting task: I'm trying to get Americans to care about redistricting, a wonky topic that's not about to make it onto the front pages of People or US Weekly. But it's important, so I'll explain why I think gerrymandering by both parties has both silenced voters and contributed to the political polarization we've been seeing in Washington recently. ... more