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    Jeremy Binckes

    Jeremy Binckes

    Jeremy Binckes is an intern for Huff Politics. He graduated from Boston University with a degree in international relations, double majoring in political science and a minor in journalism. He can be reached at jbinckes@huffingtonpost.com

  • What Else Was In 'Don't Ask Don't Tell' Bill?

    When Republicans successfully mustered their entire caucus to block an up-or-down vote on "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" on Tuesday, they were blocking a heck of a lot more. The National Defense Appropriations Act of 2011 wasn't just about DADT, or the immigrant-friendly DREAM Act, or even the DOD budget: Its more than 3,500 provisions set out an ambitious (largely progressive) agenda for the most powerful government agency in the world. As the party of "Hell no!"

  • Lisa Murkowski Skipping Senate Sessions To Focus On Write-In Bid

    Nobody said it wouldn't be semi-tough. Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, denied the Republican nomination in her bid for reelection, is staying away from the Lower 48 this week -- specifically Capitol Hill -- as she turns her full attention to a long-shot write-in campaign to save her seat.

  • Meg Whitman's $100 Million Campaign: How The Gubernatorial Candidate Spent The Cash

    Working for a billionaire candidate can be a lucrative gig -- and it's only going to get better as the free-spending Whitman campaign heads toward a general election showdown against Democratic nominee Jerry Brown.

  • American Crossroads, Rove Fundraising Group, Tapped Mostly Billionaires

    New FEC filings show that American Crossroads, the Karl Rove-backed group that is pouring money into attack ads targeting Democrats around the country, continues to be funded virtually entirely by billionaires.

  • Texas Democrat Tries To Reverse Tom Delay's Redistricting Power Grab

    Redistricting typically happens every 10 years, to capture the population changes recorded by the US Census. In most of the country, state lawmakers ultimately decide how congressional district boundaries in their state are drawn. Rep.

  • 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Showdown Looming In The Senate

    If both houses pass the law and it wins President Obama's signature as part of the 2011 defense authorization bill, all it would take to end the ban is a certification by Pentagon leaders that allowing gays to serve openly would not hurt military readiness. That decision would likely come around year's end following a Pentagon study, now underway, into the impact of lifting the ban.

  • Mike Huckabee Endorses Rand Paul For U.S. Senate... In Alaska?!

    Twitter is a great way to announce a high-profile political endorsement, but it usually helps to get the candidate's home state right.

  • Karl Rove Helps Steer Big Money To Conservative Groups Trying To Sway Midterm Races

    Since leaving the George W. Bush White House, Karl Rove has transitioned from political strategist to analyst. But he's still active in elections behind the scenes, helping to steer millions of dollars to conservative groups trying to influence congressional contests, according to an investigation published Thursday by The Center for Public Integrity.

  • 2010 Midterms: 8 Lessons Learned Before November

    Except for a little clean-up duty in Louisiana and Hawaii, the rowdy and random 2010 midterm primary season concluded this week, with more upstarts and upsets. Now, the remaining general election candidates, not to mention the leaders of both major political parties, are trying to discern what in the world the voters are trying to tell them - or whether there even are any coherent messages to be gleaned in this grueling election season.

  • GOP Groups Outpacing Democrats In Election Spending

    In recent days, Ohio voters have probably seen a TV spot ripping Democratic "stimulus and debt" policies, courtesy of a group calling itself Crossroads GPS. They may also have caught an ad by an outfit called the American Action Network praising Republican Congressmen Pat Tiberi and Dave Reichert for "standing up for fiscal responsibility." Meanwhile, Ohio Governor Ted Strickland, a Democrat, is under attack from the Republican Governors Association (RGA) for being a "bad governor," while the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has been touting the "pro-business" record of GOP Senate candidate Rob Portman.

  • Supreme Court Supports Disclosure Of Issue Ads

    A Supreme Court decision this year dramatically altered the regulation of money in politics, and a recent vote by the Federal Election Commission could change one area of the law that the court left intact: rules governing disclosure of the sources of campaign money.

  • Democrats, Republicans See Turmoil After Primaries

    The two major parties began the general election sprint Wednesday roiled by the fallout of a primary season marked by furiously anti-incumbent voters and major rifts over strategy.

  • Political Ads 2010: Reviewing The Best With The Maker Of 'Demon Sheep'

    Election Day is still a few weeks away, but the 2010 campaign season has already produced plenty of memorable--or at least unforgettable--political ads. We called a couple of veterans of the campaign advertising wars for their opinions of a few selected ads from earlier this year, plus their thoughts on what makes for a great political spot. Bill Hillsman is the head of North Woods Advertising and the creator of campaign ads for the late Sen. Paul Wellstone (D-Minn.

  • Tea Party's Senate Victories: Who Can Keep The Momentum Until November?

    To the surprise of many, the Tea Party has not been a bust. Instead, with the major upset in Tuesday's Delaware Republican primary -- the most surprising victory so far -- the Tea Party has established itself as a major player within the Party, stunning moderate candidates in the primary season. The biggest victories in the Tea Party movement have been in key Senate races around the country.

  • Tea Party Wins In Northeast Could Help Democrats

    In the era of the "tea party," is the moderate northeastern Republican in danger of going completely extinct? Tuesday's primaries could give a clue.

  • Will The GOP's Greatest 2010 Defeat Be Courtesy Of The Tea Party?

    Could the tea party's greatest triumph mark the biggest Republican loss this election cycle? Throughout the primary campaign season, the movement's tussles with the GOP have resulted in the rise of Sharron Angle, Rand Paul, and Joe Miller--all tea party-backed candidates who upset the establishment Republican favorites in their respective Senate GOP primaries. And despite this internal squabble, the GOP seemed to be increasing its chances of taking over the Senate, as all had a good shot at winning in the general election.

  • Health Care Reform: Labor Unions Set Sights On Those Who Voted No

    Despite the improved Republican chances for a takeover of the House, some unions are spending against Democratic incumbents who voted "no" on healthcare reform. Unions vowed to go after members who didn't support the plan -- and some are keeping that pledge.

  • SEIU Supports Marijuana Legalization

    A ballot measure to make California the first state to legalize the sale and use of marijuana has won the support of one of the state's most powerful union, officials said Monday, offering the proposition a shot of mainstream legitimacy as well as a potential financial and organizational lift.

  • Ted Koppel: 'Let's Stop Fulfilling Osama Bin Laden's Goals'

    The attacks of Sept. succeeded far beyond anything Osama bin Laden could possibly have envisioned. This is not just because they resulted in nearly 3,000 deaths, nor only because they struck at the heart of American financial and military power.

  • GOP 2010: Primaries' Divisiveness Helps Democrats Before Midterms

    In a year in which the polls are pointing to major gains in Congress and the states, one of the few sources of GOP anxiety is the lingering bad blood from a string of hard-fought party primaries. Crowded GOP fields -- and surprise wins by outsiders and "tea party"-backed insurgents in races from Alaska to Florida -- have opened some wounds that have yet to heal.