Ken Rudin

It's ScuttleButton Time!

Ken Rudin — Wed, 15 May 2013 15:43:00 +0000

We know how the president feels about it. "We don't have time to be playing these kinds of political games in Washington," Barack Obama said on Monday, in what many took to be a full attack on ScuttleButton, America's favorite political game.

I beg to differ. I say we DO have time to play these kind of political games, especially when a tee-shirt and Political Junkie button are at stake. With Talk of the Nation going off the air in ks a month-and a half and the future of ScuttleButton at risk, I say this is the BEST time to be playing.

It's ScuttleButton Time!

Ken Rudin — Wed, 08 May 2013 20:46:00 +0000

Disgraced but asking for redemption.

I'm describing me, of course, after a spate of uneven ScuttleButton puzzles. Though, I must admit, I liked last week's offering.

ScuttleButton, of course, is that once-a-week waste of time exercise in which each Monday or Tuesday — or, as they call today, "Wednesday" — I put up a vertical display of buttons on this site. Your job is to simply take one word (or concept) per button, add 'em up, and, hopefully, you will arrive at a famous name or a familiar expression.

Joe Biden Has History On His Side But Little Else If Hillary Clinton Runs

Ken Rudin — Tue, 07 May 2013 10:33:00 +0000

It's pretty much a truism in American political history: If the president is not running again and the vice president wants his party's nomination, it's his for the asking.

That was the case in 1960, with President Eisenhower term-limited and Vice President Richard Nixon's path to the GOP nomination unimpeded.

It was also true in 1968, when President Johnson decided not to run again and his vice president, Hubert Humphrey, won the Democratic nomination despite not having entered a single

Open Democratic Senate Seats Again Give Big Opportunity For GOP, Or Not

Ken Rudin — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 21:59:00 +0000

The headlines have not been especially kind to Senate Democrats lately as they, for the second consecutive cycle, head into an election with a numerical disadvantage and more open seats to defend.

But looking at an election by simply counting the number of seats up that year or where incumbents are retiring misses the point. In 2012, the mantra was the Republican Party was going to win a Senate majority because the numbers so clearly favored them; they needed a net gain of just four, and of the 33 seats up that year, 23 were held by the Democrats.

It's ScuttleButton Time!

Ken Rudin — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 18:58:00 +0000

An openly gay basketball player? Next thing you know, there will be openly clever ScuttleButton puzzles.

Only not this week.

ScuttleButton, of course, is that once-a-week waste of time exercise in which each Monday or Tuesday I put up a vertical display of buttons on this site. Your job is to simply take one word (or concept) per button, add 'em up, and, hopefully, you will arrive at a famous name or a familiar expression.

It's ScuttleButton Time!

Ken Rudin — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 10:43:00 +0000

Lots of people have been inquiring about the future of ScuttleButton. While I wish I had an answer — I don't, not yet — I'd like to suggest that you sign up for the Political Junkie/ScuttleButton mailing list. That way, I will be able to share the information once I have it (see info below).

And what exactly IS ScuttleButton, you may ask?

It is, of course, that once-a-week waste of time exercise in which each Monday or Tuesday I put up a vertical display of buttons on this site.

It's ScuttleButton Time!

Ken Rudin — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 10:18:00 +0000

Hopefully, the disappointment/frustration of that April Fool's ScuttleButton has subsided and now you're ready for the real stuff.

Sanford And Weiner: Different Humiliations, Same Remorseful Script

Ken Rudin — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 16:11:00 +0000

In the past three decades or so, when writing about political sex scandals became an art form, the tendency has always been to lump everyone together. There are many differences between, say, what Anthony Weiner did and what Mark Sanford did.

It's ScuttleButton Time!

Ken Rudin — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 10:08:00 +0000

I'm on vacation this week, and thus no Political Junkie column, Talk of the Nation appearance or podcast for me. But giving up ScuttleButton? No way.

It's ScuttleButton Time!

Ken Rudin — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 16:42:00 +0000

In the thousand-plus or so emails I get each time a ScuttleButton puzzle is posted, I invariably will get dozens and dozens of complaints that it was just too easy, that it insulted their intelligence, that I need to make them more challenging. That was clearly the case last week, as there were nearly 100 such emails.

Well, be careful what you wish for. This week's puzzle is one of the most difficult.

ScuttleButton, of course, is that once-a-week waste of time exercise in which each Monday or Tuesday I put up a vertical display of buttons on this site.

Is It 2016 Yet? Moves By Hillary Clinton & Rand Paul Suggest Yes

Ken Rudin — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 19:40:00 +0000

If you have any interest in politics at all, you pretty much know two things. One, that the next presidential election, on Nov. 8, 2016, is only 1,324 days away. And two, you won't be surprised if people are focusing on it in March of 2013.

Sometimes the speculation is silly, but sometimes it's not.

It's ScuttleButton Time!

Ken Rudin — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 18:32:00 +0000

An absolute pleasure running into so many old friends on Saturday at the meeting of the American Political Items Collectors in Tyson's Corner, Va.

Yes, such an organization exists. No, I was not the craziest person there. But the best part was learning that so many people there are diehard ScuttleButton fans!

ScuttleButton, of course, is that once-a-week waste of time exercise in which each Monday or Tuesday I put up a vertical display of buttons on this site.

Gay Marriage, DOMA And The Dramatic Shift In Public Opinion In One Year

Ken Rudin — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 10:18:00 +0000

It is remarkable how fast the issue of same-sex marriage has moved the American public. Of course, some long-time proponents will argue the opposite, that it has taken far too long for it to gain acceptance.

It's ScuttleButton Time!

Ken Rudin — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 15:02:00 +0000

If any of you happen to see the "white smoke" in the next day or so, you should immediately know what that means: I've been once again using hallucinogens to come up with the new ScuttleButton puzzle.

How Jeb Bush Did In His 2016 Tryout

Ken Rudin — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 16:53:00 +0000

Contrary to what you read, everything politicians say and do don't necessarily always have to be only about 2016. Sometimes, really and truly, presidential calculations are not part of the conversation.

But regarding the coverage of Jeb Bush in the past week, it's hard to think anything else. Bush, of course, is the son and brother of former presidents. He has been urged to run for president since 2008, and the drumbeat for 2016 is getting louder ... especially since he helped it along by saying he is not ruling it out.

It's ScuttleButton Time!

Ken Rudin — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 11:13:00 +0000

Apologies for those on my Political Junkie/ScuttleButton mailing list who didn't get a notification last week about the new column and new puzzle. NPR has adjusted its e-mail server and my mass mailing from last week didn't see the light of day. I'm hoping the problem will be addressed this week.

ScuttleButton, of course, is that once-a-week waste of time exercise in which each Monday or Tuesday I put up a vertical display of buttons on this site.

Who's 'Right' — CPAC Or Chris Christie?

Ken Rudin — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 11:18:00 +0000

For a city that thrives on huge controversies and breathtaking tremors, perhaps last week's mini-squabble over whether or not to invite Chris Christie to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) later this month is not what you would call a big deal. But the decision — not to invite him — says something about the conservative movement ...

It's ScuttleButton Time!

Ken Rudin — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 15:33:00 +0000

Has anyone figured out how the sequester would affect ScuttleButton?

I didn't think so.

ScuttleButton, of course, is that once-a-week waste of time exercise in which each Monday or Tuesday (or, as they call today, "Wednesday") I put up a vertical display of buttons on this site. Your job is to simply take one word (or concept) per button, add 'em up, and, hopefully, you will arrive at a famous name or a familiar expression.

Chicago's Robin Kelly On Track To Join List Of Black Women To Serve In Congress

Ken Rudin — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 11:18:00 +0000

Once, the special election to succeed the disgraced Jesse Jackson Jr. in Illinois' 2nd District seemed impossible to handicap, especially with some two dozen or so candidates on the ballot. Thus, it became not so much a horse race discussion as a conversation dominated by concerns about race and guns. Now, according to many observers, many of the questions have given way to the sense that Tuesday's winner will be Robin Kelly, a former state representative.

It's ScuttleButton Time!

Ken Rudin — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 20:52:00 +0000

One category that, regrettably, won't be discussed during next Sunday's Academy Awards ceremony: best on-line button puzzle.

I don't know about you, but in my book that would be ScuttleButton.

Nebraska Sen. Johanns Won't Run Again; Was Support For Hagel Nomination A Factor?

Ken Rudin — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 11:33:00 +0000

Nobody saw this one coming.

Sen. Mike Johanns, a reliably conservative Republican from Nebraska, announced yesterday (Feb. 18) he would retire rather than seek a second term in 2014 ... one where he was considered the overwhelming favorite. A former two-term governor and agriculture secretary under President George W.

It's ScuttleButton Time!

Ken Rudin — Tue, 12 Feb 2013 11:03:00 +0000
Knowing you the way I do, I figured it would make no sense putting up ScuttleButton later in the day today. Not while you're getting ready for President Obama's State of the Union address to Congress.
So I decided to have it ready early this morning, giving you more time to solve this week's puzzle. And, I daresay, it's a bit harder than usual.
ScuttleButton, of course, is that once-a-week waste of time exercise in which each Monday or Tuesday I put up a vertical display of buttons on this site.

As With The Losses In '64 And '76, More Self-Examination In The GOP

Ken Rudin — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 16:12:00 +0000
Another defeat in the race for president has led to the inevitable round of soul-searching for the Republican Party. This time — unlike, say, in the aftermaths of the defeats of 1964 and 1976 — it is less clear how to get the GOP out of its rut.
In the past 60 years, the great Republican battles were about ideology — Dwight Eisenhower vs. Robert Taft in 1952, Barry Goldwater vs. Nelson Rockefeller in 1964, Gerald Ford vs.

It's ScuttleButton Time!

Ken Rudin — Tue, 05 Feb 2013 16:40:00 +0000
So what did you do during the blackout on Super Bowl Sunday? Other than, say, apply some deer antler spray?
For most Americans, it was trying to figure out the ScuttleButton puzzle on Super Bowl Sunday. Actually, it's always difficult trying to solve ScuttleButton while watching the game on Super Bowl Sunday. But now it's time to focus on the new puzzle.
ScuttleButton, of course, is that once-a-week waste of time exercise in which each Monday or Tuesday I put up a vertical display of buttons on this site.

Ed Koch, New York City And The Politics Of Resentment And Race

Ken Rudin — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 17:18:00 +0000
For anyone who lived in New York during his tenure — and even if you didn't — Ed Koch was a larger-than-life figure, a feisty, combative and mostly-successful mayor who, for better or worse, dramatically changed the city and left his mark in the history books.
But how will history judge him?
When he was first elected, in 1977, Koch — who died early Friday morning at the age of 88 — came off as honest, independent, competent, optimistic and fearless. He talked about sacrifice, not more programs. He promised to stand up to the unions. He refused to pander.

It's ScuttleButton Time!

Ken Rudin — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 15:00:00 +0000
What if everyone who was in this country illegally decided to try their hand at solving ScuttleButton each week? Would they be able to stay? Would that be considered "amnesty?"
Those questions gnawed at me as I put together the latest puzzle. ScuttleButton, of course, is that once-a-week waste of time exercise in which each Monday or Tuesday (or, as some like to call today, "Thursday") I put up a vertical display of buttons on this site.

It's Splitsville Between GOP & Hillary Clinton; Fox Breaks Up With Sarah Palin

Ken Rudin — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 11:48:00 +0000
Washington, D.C., has never been a "love thy neighbor" kind of place, certainly not in the past four years when Republicans worked to stymie President Barack Obama at all costs, or the eight preceding years when Democrats had similar feelings about President George W. Bush.
So how do you explain the love affair of the past few years between Republicans and Hillary Clinton?
It's not difficult to figure out.

It's ScuttleButton Time!

Ken Rudin — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 19:07:00 +0000
I have a confession to make.
Yes, sometimes it's true, I do bend the rules to suit ScuttleButton. Sometimes I completely violate the precepts that ScuttleButton was founded on. So yes, many of you who write in to complain do have valid points.
But this week I may have gone too far. You'll see what I mean once you figure out the puzzle. I just want you to know that there was a serious rule violation this week and that I'm aware of it.
Not that anything will change.
Of course, we're getting away from the real point.

Monday Was All About Obama. Now All He Needs Is A Cabinet.

Ken Rudin — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 11:33:00 +0000
The day had history and symbolism written all over it: the inauguration of President Barack Obama, coming on the very day the nation was honoring the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
The pomp, the ceremony, the speech, the festivities, the parade, the emotions, the hugs, the tears. It's all part of America's finest moment, and yesterday was no exception.
But that was yesterday. That "era of good feelings," all one day of it, is about to be replaced by the need to get things done. Improving a stuttering economy.

It's ScuttleButton Time!

Ken Rudin — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 11:43:00 +0000
While you're gearing up for the Political Junkie D.C. Live Road Show on Wednesday evening — see below for details — why not try and solve this week's ScuttleButton puzzle first?
ScuttleButton, of course, is that once-a-week waste of time exercise in which each Monday or Tuesday I put up a vertical display of buttons on this site. Your job is to simply take one word (or concept) per button, add 'em up, and, hopefully, you will arrive at a famous name or a familiar expression.