In the Loop - Afflicting official Washington since 1993

Recent polls and criticism of Romney’s attack on Obama as kowtowing to anti-American Muslims can be overcome. The race is open and so is the Loop Contest to pick the winner.

By Al Kamen | 12:02 PM ET, 09/13/2012 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Tags: Obama, Romney, polls, election, Muslims, Reagan, Bush, John McCain, Ed Rogers, Jimmy Carter, Iranian hostages, contest, Al Kamen, Emily Heil, In the Loop

Posted at 04:25 PM ET, 09/11/2012

Latino voter enthusiasm lagging?

By Al Kamen

A recent poll finds that, despite both parties’ convention efforts, Latino voters don’t appear as enthusiastic as they were in 20008.

By Al Kamen | 04:25 PM ET, 09/11/2012 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Tags: Latino vote, latinos, Romney, Obama, Republican Convention, Democratic Convention, polls, turnout, President Bush, Sen. McCain, Latino Decisions, Al Kamen, Emily Heil, In the Loop

Posted at 11:49 AM ET, 09/11/2012

Obama or Romney? Predict the winner! (A Loop contest.)

By Al Kamen

It’s time for the traditional Loop contest to guess who’ll win the electoral and popular vote in November.

By Al Kamen | 11:49 AM ET, 09/11/2012 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Tags: Obama, Romney, convention bounce, Dick Morris, Bill Clinton, David Axelrod, presidential race, Al Kamen, Emily Heil, In the Loop, contest

Posted at 03:24 PM ET, 09/05/2012

Seamus is not alone

By Al Kamen

A black kitten recently found herself wedged in the bumper of a Plattsburgh, N.Y. woman’s Jeep.

By Al Kamen | 03:24 PM ET, 09/05/2012 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Tags: Seamus, Romney dog, dog on the roof, Mitt Romney, Pumpkin, Al Kamen, Emily Heil, In the Loop

Posted at 01:19 PM ET, 08/15/2012

Devo pens song for Seamus Romney

By Al Kamen

IN THE LOOP | New wave group has song and mobile game about the famous Romney dog’s adventure on the roof of the family car.

By Al Kamen | 01:19 PM ET, 08/15/2012 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Tags: Devo, Whip It, Seamus, Romney, Gerald Casale, Gail Collins, Republican National Convention, National Dog Day, Al Kamen, Emily Heil, In the Loop

Posted at 07:00 AM ET, 08/13/2012

Romney’s Ryan pick surprises pundits — and that’s no surprise

By Al Kamen

The media cognoscenti don’t have particularly sparkling track records when it comes to predicting vice presidential selections, especially GOP candidates.

By Al Kamen | 07:00 AM ET, 08/13/2012 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Tags: Mitt Romney, Rob Portman, Tim Pawlenty, vice president, Walter Mondale, Lloyd Bentsen, Al Gore, John Edwards, Geraldine Ferraro, Joe Biden, Joe Lieberman, Dianne Feinstein, Sarah Palin, Dick Cheney, Jack Kemp, Dan Quayle, George H.W. Bush, Gerald Ford, Bob Dole, John Kerry, Al Kamen, Emily Heil, In the Loop

Posted at 03:57 PM ET, 08/09/2012

Loop Quote of The Week

By Al Kamen

This week goes to Mitt Romney, lamenting that campaigns keep repeating claims long after they’ve been debunked by fact-checkers.

By Al Kamen | 03:57 PM ET, 08/09/2012 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Tags: Mitt Romney, Barack Obama, campaign ads, welfare ad, Glenn Kessler, Pinocchio, Al Kamen, Emily Heil, In the Loop

Posted at 01:44 PM ET, 07/19/2012

Romney and Obama thinking about transition

By Al Kamen

A new federal law kicks in right after the conventions to allow the government to provide earlier support for both candidates to work up a plan before settling, or resettling, into the Oval Office.

By Al Kamen | 01:44 PM ET, 07/19/2012 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Tags: Romney, Obama, Bush, Clinton, transitions, planning, Clay Johnson, John Podesta, Ted Kaufman, 9/11, Presidential Transition Act, Al Kamen, Emily Heil, In the Loop

Posted at 04:25 PM ET, 05/17/2012

Super Pac ad idea: easy as pie

By Al Kamen

Now we find out how the political admen always find the perfect people who happen to say the perfect things in those ads.

By Al Kamen | 04:25 PM ET, 05/17/2012 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Tags: Fred Davis, ad campaign, Jeremiah Wright, Joe Ricketts, Mitt Romney, Obama, Al Kamen, Emily Heil, Inthe Loop

Posted at 05:26 PM ET, 05/01/2012

Obama, Romney spar over Osama

By Al Kamen

The political bickering ratchets up over the significance of Obama’s approval of the raid that killed Osama bin-Laden.

By Al Kamen | 05:26 PM ET, 05/01/2012 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Tags: Osama bin Laden, Osama, Mitt Romney, Obama, Jimmy Carter, Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Bob Gates, Al Kamen, Im the Loop, Emily Heil

Posted at 01:27 PM ET, 04/25/2012

Condi Rice and the Loop veep contest

By Al Kamen

Former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, leading in a recent poll of who GOP voters would like to see as Romney’s pick for his running-mate, raised some eyebrows recently when she spoke to a prominent Brigham Young University business group.

By Al Kamen | 01:27 PM ET, 04/25/2012 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Tags: Condoleezza Rice, Mitt Romney, vice president, BYU, Brigham Young University, BYU Management Society, Marriott, Loop Veep contest, Loop Contest, Al Kamen, In the Loop, Emily Heil

Posted at 12:29 PM ET, 04/23/2012

Romney’s pick for veep? A Loop Contest

By Al Kamen

Some are secretly hoping GOP candidate Mitt Romney will pick them as his running-mate. Readers can weigh in with their guess and maybe win an In the Loop T-shirt.

By Al Kamen | 12:29 PM ET, 04/23/2012 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Tags: Condoleezza Rice, vice president, CNN/ORC, poll, Romney vice president, Rick Santorum, Rick Rubio, Chris Christie, Paul Ryan, Bobby Jindal, Bob McDonnell, Rob Portman, Mitch Danies, Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann, Allen West, John Thune, In the Loop Contest, Veep contest, Al Kamen, In the Loop, Emily Heil

Posted at 12:06 PM ET, 04/16/2012

Clinton to ambassadors: Don’t move!

By Al Kamen

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, citing a difficult political climate on the Hill, has told the 60 or so ambassadors to stay in their posts until a successor is confirmed. Could be a long time.

By Al Kamen | 12:06 PM ET, 04/16/2012 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Tags: Hillary Clinton, ambassadors, confirmations, political ambassadors, foreign policy, Mitt Romney, Barack Obama, Al Kamen, Emily Heil, In the Loop

Posted at 02:36 PM ET, 04/10/2012

Rick Santorum faces reality

By Al Kamen

The GOP presidential nomination race is over and, as we told you in mid-January, former governor Mitt Romney will face President Obama in the fall.

By Al Kamen | 02:36 PM ET, 04/10/2012 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Tags: Rick Santorum, suspending, GOP, GOP race, President Obama, Mitt, Mitt Romney, Al Kamen, In the Loop, Emily Heil

Posted at 02:41 PM ET, 04/05/2012

Obama approval’s up — among liberals

By Al Kamen

Maybe some of what’s happening is that liberal Democrats are drifting back to the Democratic base

By Al Kamen | 02:41 PM ET, 04/05/2012 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Tags: Mitt Romney, Barack Obama, presidential polls, CNN/ORC, CNN poll, Obama approval, Obama improved, Etch A Sketch, Ralph Nader, Al Kamen, In the Loop, Emily Heil

Posted at 02:36 PM ET, 03/28/2012

Mitt Romney? Etch-a-what?

By Al Kamen

A new poll finds that, despite all the media hoopla, most people have never heard about the Romney Etch a Sketch flap and even fewer say it will effect their votes.

By Al Kamen | 02:36 PM ET, 03/28/2012 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Tags: Etch A Sketch, Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, Pew Research Center, Pew, President Obama, Hillary Clinton, Al Kamen, Emily Heil, In the Loop

Posted at 09:14 AM ET, 03/23/2012

All Etch, all the time; eyes on Illinois; and Specter’s everywhere (read-this roundup)

By Emily Heil

In the Loop’s roundup, the Toy Story continues; all roads lead to Illinois; and Arlen Specter speaks...again.

By Emily Heil | 09:14 AM ET, 03/23/2012 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Tags: In the Loop, Mitt Romney

Posted at 12:06 PM ET, 03/21/2012

Mitt Romney aide’s ‘Etch A Sketch’ moment

By Al Kamen

Democrats quickly pounced on Romney campaign aide’s explanation of how the candidate would tack to the center after the primaries to appeal to moderates.

By Al Kamen | 12:06 PM ET, 03/21/2012 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Tags: Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Newt Gingrich, Republican primaries, GOP primary, Eric Fehrnstrom, Etch A Sketch, Al Kamen, In the Loop, Emily Heil

Posted at 12:03 PM ET, 03/13/2012

Has Mitt Romney put Arizona in play for 2012?

By Al Kamen

GOP candidate Mitt Romney’s anti-immigrant rhetoric may put Arizona’s 11 electoral votes in play in a state where Latinos are about 20 percent of eligible voters.

By Al Kamen | 12:03 PM ET, 03/13/2012 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Tags: Mitt Romney, Rush Limbaugh, Newt Gingrich, Rick Santorum, John McCain, President Bush, Latinos, Arizona, Latino voters, Fox News, Pete Wilson, Kris Kobach, Richard Carmona, Al Kamen, Emily Heil, In the Loop, Dream Act, Arizona battleground, Obama campaign

Posted at 12:38 PM ET, 03/01/2012

Ohio primary ‘semi-open’ to Democratic mischief

By Al Kamen

Turns out that, while the Republican National Committee listed Ohio’s Tuesday GOP primary as closed, it is only slightly more closed than the Michigan primary was.

By Al Kamen | 12:38 PM ET, 03/01/2012 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Tags: Santorum, Romney, Obama, Michigan primary, Ohio primary, Daily Kos, Operation Hilarity, Democratic crossover vote, crossovers, Buckeye state, delegates, Democratic crossover, Ohio Republican Party, Chuck Todd

Posted at 02:53 PM ET, 02/27/2012

Mitt Romney in Michigan: Loving the trees

By Al Kamen

Midwesterners know what the GOP candidate may have meant when he said “the trees are the right height.”

By Al Kamen | 02:53 PM ET, 02/27/2012 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Tags: Mitt Romney, trees, Michigan primary, Rick Santorum, Fox News, Al Kamen, Emily Heil, In the Loop, tree-huggers, car on the roof, Romney dog

Posted at 03:50 PM ET, 02/23/2012

Rick Santorum: The devil was in the details

By Al Kamen

Seems Rick Santorum heeded former GOP presidential candidate Steve Forbes’s advice that he stop talking about Satan.

By Al Kamen | 03:50 PM ET, 02/23/2012 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Tags: Rick Santorum, Steve Forbes, the devil, Lucifer, Arlen Spector, Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, CNN, Michigan, Michigan primary, crossover voting

Posted at 12:01 PM ET, 02/16/2012

Michigan primary: Democratic mischief?

By Al Kamen

The critical Michigan GOP primary may be affected by Democrats voting against Romney.

By Al Kamen | 12:01 PM ET, 02/16/2012 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Tags: Michigan Republican, Michigan primary, Santorum, Romney, John McCain, George W. Bush, Rick Snyder, Democrats, crossover voting, GOP, Daily Kos, Operation Hilarity

Posted at 02:30 PM ET, 02/13/2012

George W. Bush: Auto bailout was mine!

By Al Kamen

President George W. Bush again claims credit for auto industry bailout

By Al Kamen | 02:30 PM ET, 02/13/2012 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Tags: Mitt Romney, Rick Santorum, Michigan Primary, Auto bailouts

Posted at 09:46 AM ET, 01/30/2012

Mitt Romney’s candidate jeans, the delegate dance, and Jeb Bush is funny (read-this roundup)

By Emily Heil

In this morning’s Loop roundup, we learn the calculation behind Mitt Romney’s jeans, explore the race for delegates, and discover Jeb Bush’s funnybone.

By Emily Heil | 09:46 AM ET, 01/30/2012 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Tags: Mitt Romney, GOP campaign, presidential election

Posted at 03:54 PM ET, 01/26/2012

Romney more popular than Reagan (at least in the first-name sweepstakes)

By Emily Heil

“Willard” isn’t as uncommon a name as you’d think.

By Emily Heil | 03:54 PM ET, 01/26/2012 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Tags: mitt romney

Posted at 12:59 PM ET, 01/26/2012

Mitt Romney’s tax returns: What’s in them?

By Al Kamen

Pressure will surely build for more records.

By Al Kamen | 12:59 PM ET, 01/26/2012 | Permalink | Comments ( 0)
Tags: Mitt Romney

In the Loop: Romney