The Fix: Master Archives
Gun control vs. gun rights, in one interactive graphic
A central question in the debate over guns is whether the public prioritizes protecting gun ownership rights or controlling them. The answer? Americans are pretty evenly split over the question.
Thanks to a handy chart from the Pew Research Center, we can look at the gun-rights vs. gun-control question going back nearly 20 years. According to the most recent Pew polling, 50 percent say gun control is more important, while 48 percent say protecting gun rights is a higher priority.
Generic ballot tilts toward Democrats
Even as the White House battles scandals that have empowered Republicans on Capitol Hill, there's some of good news for Democrats in today's Washington Post-ABC News poll.
Minority Leader of the House Nancy Pelosiat an inaugural luncheon on Capitol Hill Monday, January 21, 2013. (Photo by Melina Mara/The Washington Post)
Asked if they would support the Republican candidate or the Democratic candidate in their congressional district were the election held today, 48 percent of registered voters chose the Democrat. Forty percent chose the Republican.
Democrats almost always have a generic ballot advantage over Democrats; even in October of 2010 Post polling gave the party a five-point edge. (Among likely voters, it was Republicans who led by four points.) Extrapolating from a national survey to individual House seats that will be competitive in 2014 is impossible.
So this isn't huge news for Democrats or evidence that it will be any easier for them to win the 17 seats needed to win back the House. That's still a long shot. But it is a sign that so far, the administration's troubles are not causing problems for the president's party.
Why hasn't Lois Lerner been fired?
Update: Lois Lerner has been put on administrative leave. It's easier to put a federal worker on leave than to fire him or her outright.
One thing Republicans and Democrats probably agree on: Lois Lerner should lose her job.
The director of exempt organizations at the Internal Revenue Service was inaccurate, at best, in her explanations of how targeting of conservative groups began and when she found out about it. She went on to plead the Fifth rather than testify before Congress, a decision that is bad for both the Obama administration and the Internal Revenue Service.
Ask her anything: Gwen Ifill
From time to time, The Fix will piggyback on Q&A chats with political insiders and commentators. Today, ask questions of Gwen Ifill of PBS NewsHour, host of Washington Week in Review. We're sitting in on her monthly chat.
How the IRS scandal is like 'The Simpsons'
Congress has so far held three hearings on the Internal Revenue Service's targeting of conservative groups. And, all of those hours can be summed up in just four words: "I didn't do it."
Those words were, of course, made famous by one Bart Simpson, the mischievous little boy on the greatest show ever.
The IRS hearings: Winners and losers
Everyone wants a piece of the Internal Revenue Service these days, which is why agency officials have been subjected to three congressional hearings over the past week.
So now that the dust has settled, who came out on top? Who didn't?
Below, we look at some of the winners and losers. If we missed any, be sure to let us know in the comments section below.
Are background checks a wedge issue for 2014?
The Senate's rejection of a popular expansion of background checks for firearms last month marked an abrupt end to the campaign for gun restrictions after the Newtown shootings. But the "no" votes of 46 senators also represented a political gamble: that voters would not punish them for going against public will.
Blog Contributors
Chris Cillizza
Chris Cillizza is founder and editor of The Fix, a leading blog on state and national politics. He is the author of The Gospel According to the Fix: An Insider’s Guide to a Less than Holy World of Politics and an MSNBC contributor and political analyst. He also regularly appears on NBC and NPR’s The Diane Rehm Show. He joined The Post in 2005 and was named one of the top 50 journalists by Washingtonian in 2009.
Juliet Eilperin
Juliet Eilperin covers the White House for the Washington Post. She served as the Post's House of Representatives reporter from 1998-2004, covering the impeachment of Bill Clinton, lobbying, legislation, and five national congressional campaigns. Since 2004 she has been one of the country’s leading reporters covering the environment, reporting on science, policy and politics in areas including climate change, oceans, and air quality. She is the author of two books, "Fight Club Politics: How Partisanship is Poisoning the House of Representatives," and "Demon Fish: Travels Through the Hidden World of Sharks." Follow her on Twitter.
Ed O’Keefe
Ed O’Keefe covers Congress and politics for the Washington Post. He previously covered the 2008 and 2012 campaigns and reported on federal agencies and federal employees as author of The Federal Eye blog. Follow Ed on Twitter.
Aaron Blake
Aaron Blake covers national politics at the Washington Post, where he writes regularly for “The Fix,” the Post’s top political blog. A Minnesota native and summa cum laude graduate of the University of Minnesota, Aaron has also written about politics for the Minneapolis Star-Tribune and The Hill newspaper. Aaron and his wife, Danielle, live in Annandale, Va. Follow him on Twitter.
Sean Sullivan
Sean Sullivan covers national politics for “The Fix.” Prior to joining the Washington Post in the summer of 2012, Sean was the editor of Hotline On Call, National Journal Hotline’s politics blog. He has also worked for NHK Japan Public Broadcasting and ABC News. Sean is a graduate of Hamilton College, where he received a degree in Philosophy. He lives in Washington, D.C. Follow Sean on Twitter.
Scott Clement
Scott Clement is a survey research analyst for Capital Insight, the independent polling group of Washington Post Media. Scott specializes in public opinion about politics, election campaigns and public policy. He helps design and analyze all Washington Post polls, including the Washington Post-ABC News poll. Follow Scott on Twitter.
Rachel Weiner
Rachel Weiner covers national politics for Post Politics and The Fix. She came to the Washington Post in 2010 as a political web editor and anchored the Post's 2012 election blog. She was previously a web editor at The Huffington Post. Follow her on Twitter.
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2-0-1-6. MT @JenniferJJacobs: Scott Walker tells caucus-focused Iowa Rs his vision for the nation. http://t.co/V7FHTuWzuS
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