Dylan Loewe writes weekly political commentary for The Huffington Post and is a regular op-ed contributor for The Guardian. He has worked on nearly two dozen campaigns at the local, state and federal level and is currently pursuing a law degree from Columbia Law School and a masters in public policy from Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. You can email him at dylanloewe@gmail.com.

Blog Entries by Dylan Loewe

The End of Palin

5 Comments | Posted July 6, 2009 | 09:09 AM (EST)


Well, she didn't quit to run for president.

Nobody would do that, could possibly do that, could at any point be told by any person that an idea that crazy might actually work out. It's not just that it's irrational; it's that it's insane. There is no political playbook...

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The Trouble With Terry

72 Comments | Posted June 5, 2009 | 08:41 AM (EST)


On Tuesday, Democratic primary voters in Virginia will have the chance to decide a neck-and-neck race for the gubernatorial nomination between former state Delegate Brian Moran, state Senator Creigh Deeds, and long-time Democratic fundraiser Terry McAuliffe.

A new PPP poll shows Deeds leading with 27% to McAuliffe's 24% and Moran's...

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The Politics of Sotomayor

230 Comments | Posted May 26, 2009 | 11:30 AM (EST)


This morning President Obama announced Second Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Sonia Sotomayor as his nominee to replace Justice David Souter on the United States Supreme Court. In his press conference unveiling the choice, Obama described Sotomayor as an inspiring woman with a distinguished career, holding a "depth of experience...

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A Political Masterstroke

178 Comments | Posted May 20, 2009 | 07:45 AM (EST)


Over the weekend, President Obama named Utah Governor Jon Huntsman as the next Ambassador to China, a masterstroke of political strategy.

Huntsman may be the most important person you've never heard of. He's a moderate Republican governor in one of the most conservative Republican states, where, until the time of...

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100 Days Report Card: Political Strategy

6 Comments | Posted April 29, 2009 | 08:36 AM (EST)


During the first 100 days of his presidency, Barack Obama's political team scored a number of big victories. With few exceptions, the political strategies they've employed have been effective, helping to lay the foundation for a broad domestic and foreign policy agenda. Here's how the administration stacked up:

Dealing with...

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The Specter of Arlen Specter

75 Comments | Posted April 28, 2009 | 01:00 PM (EST)


In what will certainly be the biggest political story to cap off the first 100 days of the Obama administration, Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) has announced he will be switching parties. Once Al Franken is seated in Minnesota, an inevitability expected to happen shortly, the Democratic party will have a...

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The Republican Point of No Return

311 Comments | Posted April 17, 2009 | 08:56 AM (EST)


There was a point not long after the 2006 midterm elections when observers began to note that Republicans were in truly terrible shape, that a staggering number of Senate and House Republicans were acutely vulnerable in their re-elections, and that in all likelihood, if the GOP failed to reconnect with...

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Why Immigration Reform Now Isn't Such a Bad Idea

Posted April 9, 2009 | 10:45 AM (EST)


The New York Times is reporting that the White House intends to jump-start a new debate on immigration reform this year, a move in line with promises made by the president during the campaign season. Not surprisingly, there is some trepidation among Democrats as to whether an issue as...

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What the NY-20 Special Election Means for the Midterms

Posted April 1, 2009 | 12:01 PM (EST)


The race to fill the Congressional seat left vacant by Hillary Clinton's Senate replacement is too close to call, with Democrat Scott Murphy ahead of Jim Tedisco by only 65 votes. Absentee ballots have yet to be added to the tally, suggesting the race will almost certainly hinge on which...

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How Democrats Might Actually Build a Permanent Majority

Posted March 19, 2009 | 01:59 AM (EST)


Roughly four years ago, the Republican Party was on top of the world. President Bush had just been re-elected. Both the House and the Senate were controlled by the GOP. The Democratic Party had a bumbling message, so nuanced that it was becoming increasingly difficult to explain. Republicans had an...

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Whigs: It's Time for a Comeback

Posted March 5, 2009 | 07:47 AM (EST)


With apologies to Tippecanoe...and Tyler too.

This is your chance. Come out from the shadows. I know you haven't been a political party in 150 years, I get that. But this might just be the chance of a century.

The leaders of the Republican Party have just finished convincing...

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Obama's Great Society

Posted February 25, 2009 | 12:01 AM (EST)


In 50 minutes last night, the president of the United States used his first speech to a joint session of Congress as a launching point, a chance to transform the bulk of his entire campaign platform into the core of a bold first year agenda. In one of his most...

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McCain's Viagra Problem

Posted February 19, 2009 | 11:38 AM (EST)


Losing the presidency must be pretty tough. It's worse than losing a Super Bowl -- at least then you're a worthy prospect for the following year. It's worse than losing the gold -- at least that gets referred to as "winning the silver." A presidential loss signals the beginning of...

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Moderates... in Moderation

Posted February 13, 2009 | 09:58 AM (EST)


Last Tuesday afternoon, President Obama met with forty three of the forty nine Blue Dogs, an increasingly influential group of fiscally conservative Democrats, to discuss changes to the stimulus package. The big topics of discussion: fiscal responsibility, balancing the budget, and reducing government spending, an agenda with uncanny resemblance to...

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Daschle's Premature Dash

Posted February 4, 2009 | 08:48 AM (EST)


Yesterday, in the face of a chorus of news organizations calling on him to step down, Tom Daschle withdrew his nomination for HHS Secretary. According to NBC's Andrea Mitchell, upon reading Tuesday morning's New York Times editorial about his confirmation, he concluded he would be a distraction to the cause...

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Selling Stimulus

Posted February 3, 2009 | 10:21 AM (EST)


Later this week, the Senate will vote on the economic stimulus legislation that arrived in their chamber without a single Republican vote. It is unlikely that the Republican opposition will be able to mount a successful filibuster, and it is unlikely, as a result, that the legislation will fail.

...
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A Hole Worth Digging?

Posted January 28, 2009 | 08:32 AM (EST)


After the 2006 midterm election, the Republican Party showed such a dramatic inability to engage in self-reflection - and self-correction - that in 2008, they ushered in a beating without precedent at all levels of government. Now, as the GOP prepares to oppose President Obama's economic stimulus plan, to oppose...

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McCain's Burden of Proof

Posted May 21, 2008 | 08:14 AM (EST)


John McCain and Barack Obama have sparred so aggressively over the past few days that those without a calendar in hand might mistake the month of May for the month of October. What began as President Bush accusing Obama of appeasement while in Israel quickly spiraled into a back and...

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Realizing the Revolution

Posted May 20, 2008 | 08:36 AM (EST)


Last week marked the third special election in which Republicans lost a House seat long held by their party. First, Dennis Hastert's seat in Illinois was wrested from the Republicans, an effort largely credited to the Obama organization outfitted to assist on the ground. The Louisiana 6th was next, followed...

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McCain's New Iraq Fantasy

Posted May 15, 2008 | 09:59 AM (EST)


After yet another crushing special election loss for the GOP, and with Obama's national numbers building strength against his rival, John McCain has realized the need to take a new direction, beginning today with a horrifyingly disingenuous speech.

McCain has consistently opposed even the slightest notion of setting a...

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