Some of the most conservative and combative Republicans running for Congress are convinced that the media have it in for them.

I've been scratching my head over this for the past year: Does President Obama get credit for the things he does right?

The essential zinger that President Obama is using against the Republicans is that they ran the car into the ditch and voters shouldn't give them the keys back.

The Democrats are in trouble this year. You know it, I know it, your Uncle Al knows it, your local bartender knows it. This is not the kind of state secret you need to hire a Russian spy to uncover.

It is a clash of ideas about the nature of journalism itself.

NEW YORK -- Bill Hemmer, a middle-of-the-road guy from the middle of the country, sees himself as the straightest of straight arrows when it comes to news.

NEW YORK

Everything is supposed to be "transparent" these days, but is every word you utter -- or e-mail, or text, or tweet, or mutter within earshot of a reporter -- now fair game?

Everything is supposed to be "transparent" these days, but is every word you utter -- or e-mail, or text, or tweet, or mutter within earshot of a reporter -- now fair game?

The tea party has no shortage of critics, especially among left-leaning folks who regard it with a mixture of anxiety and suspicion.