TIME.com Top Politics Stories

Will Congress Pass Radical Bank Reform by Year-End?

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 03:50:00 EST

What reform could dramatically remake America and become law by Christmas? Not health care

Democrats Forced to Go It Alone on Health Care Reform

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:15:00 EST

Democrats on Capitol Hill spent some of the aftermath congratulating themselves on their historic achievement, but they knew as well as anyone that it was far too early to really celebrate

Obama Signs Homebuyer, Jobless Aid Bill

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:15:00 EST

President Barack Obama signed into law a $24 billion economic stimulus bill providing tax incentives to prospective homebuyers and extending unemployment benefits to the longtime jobless

Hillary Clinton After Mideast Trip: Diplomacy Success?

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:15:00 EST

She is the star of the Obama Cabinet and an international celebrity -- and after nine months of staying out of the limelight, Hillary Clinton has arrived on the global stage. An intimate portrait of the diplomat and her world

Republican Revival: Moderates on Rise After Election

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:15:00 EST

Conservatives get the most attention as the GOP revives. But moderates in the Republican Party are rising too

Christie, GOP Wins Separate Dems from Obama Popularity

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:15:00 EST

The GOP gubernatorial victories in New Jersey and Virginia may not have been a referendum on Obama, but they did show that the President's popularity cannot so easily be transferred

After Maine Gay-Marriage Defeat, Activists Look Ahead

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 03:50:00 EST

Maine's vote against gay marriage, much like all of the states before it, including California's Prop 8 a year ago, will do little to slow the fight over it

House Dems in Final Push on Health Care

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:15:00 EST

The House is steaming toward a historic vote on President Barack Obama's remake of the U.S. health care system, with Democratic leaders increasingly confident and the powerful seniors' lobby AARP about to get on board

Reid Signals Delay in Passing Health Bill This Year

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:15:00 EST

Senate majority leader Harry Reid says he "won't be bound by timelines" on health care reform despite pressure to complete a bill this year

Bloomberg Wins Third Term as NYC Mayor

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:15:00 EST

Billionaire Michael Bloomberg has narrowly won a third term as New York mayor in a race that was startlingly close

2-Min. Bio: Virginia Governor-Elect Bob McDonnell

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:15:00 EST

House GOP Pens 230-Page Health Bill Draft

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:15:00 EST

After months spent criticizing Democrats' health overhaul plans, House Republicans have produced a draft proposal of their own. It's much shorter and focuses on bringing down costs rather than extending coverage

Health Reform: Can Schumer Push a Public Option Through?

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:15:00 EST

A week after the Senate Finance Committee rejected two versions of a public plan -- including one authored by Chuck Schumer -- the New York Democrat was still "very optimistic" about the chances of one ending up in the final legislation

Can Openly Gay Politician Charles Pugh Save Detroit?

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:15:00 EST

Charles Pugh has a great personal story and lots of charm, but some wonder whether the former TV news reporter has enough substance to match his style

'Audacity to Win': Excerpt by Plouffe on Obama Campaign

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:15:00 EST

In a new memoir, The Audacity to Win, David Plouffe, who managed Barack Obama's 2008 race for the White House, provides a behind-the-scenes glimpse inside the campaign

Mike Huckabee on 'A Simple Christmas' Book Tour, Politics

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:15:00 EST

Former Arkansas governor and 2008 presidential contender Mike Huckabee is stumping again, this time for his new book, A Simple Christmas

Why Taxes Are Necessary to Pay for Heatlh Care Reform

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:15:00 EST

To pay for health-care reform, both parties need to get serious about a topic neither one mentions: taxes

Treasury Chief Geithner Leads Financial-Reform Charge

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 03:45:00 EST

In meetings with top bankers, key Capitol Hill players and others, the Treasury Secretary is upping the intensity to push through reform

House Republicans Look to Reverse 'Party of No' Label

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:15:00 EST

To overcome criticism that the Republican Party doesn't stand for anything, Eric Cantor has a plan

Republican Bob McDonnell Wins Va. Gov Race

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:15:00 EST

Republican Bob McDonnell tapped Virginia's independent voters Tuesday to win a landslide election for governor just a year after the state bucked tradition and voted for Barack Obama

Election Races to Watch: New Jersey, Virginia, New York

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:15:00 EST

Welcome to America's 2009 off-off year elections, in which partisans and analysts hope to turn the usual dictum on its head: today, they'll try to convince you, all politics is national

Maine Voters Reject Gay-Marriage Law

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:15:00 EST

Maine voters repealed a state law Tuesday that would have allowed same-sex couples to wed, dealing the gay rights movement a heartbreaking defeat in New England, the corner of the country most supportive of gay marriage

Virginia: Bob McDonnell Campaign a GOP Model for Success

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:15:00 EST

For all the talk of Republican chaos and infighting in this off-year election, the GOP in Virginia seems to have found the formula for unifying its party and delivering a winning message

Bill Would Ban Laptops in Airline Cockpits

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:15:00 EST

Lawmakers want to ban the use of computer laptops and other personal electronic devices in airline cockpits to prevent another incident like the Northwest Airlines plane that overshot Minneapolis

Handful of U.S. Elections Shed Light on Politics

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:15:00 EST

A handful of elections in a few states will give hints about this country's state of mind, provide lessons for both Republicans and Democrats, and shed light on answers to a few important questions a year before pivotal 2010 midterm contests

Cheney Unsure of 72 Answers in FBI Probe

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:15:00 EST

On 72 occasions, according to the 28-page FBI summary, Cheney told the agency in 2004 he could not be certain in his answers to questions about matters large and small in the Valerie Plame controversy

GOP Civil War in Campaign for New York's 23rd District

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:15:00 EST

The race in New York's 23rd District is no longer about local issues. It's about a Republican Party with little power in the Beltway searching for a way out of the wilderness

A Brief History of Filibusters

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:15:00 EST

The Public Option: Let's Not Opt Out and Say We Did

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:15:00 EST

States can opt out of Harry Reid's public option. But how many of them really will?

Obama's Many Czars: Senate to Examine Oversight Issues

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:15:00 EST

Presidentially appointed "czars" have been around since FDR. Now they're getting committee scrutiny

Health Reform: Will Reid's Public-Option Gamble Pay Off?

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:15:00 EST

Senate majority leader Harry Reid has decided he has the votes to get a health-care-reform bill with a public option to the Senate floor. Does he have the votes it will take to get it out of the chamber?

Long-Term Care Program Gains in House

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:15:00 EST

House health care legislation expected within days is likely to include a new long-term care insurance program to help seniors and disabled people stay out of nursing homes, senior Democrats say

How Drug-Industry Lobbyists Got Their Way on Health Care

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:15:00 EST

You don't know him (he's a lobbyist), but he may be the biggest winner in health-care reform. So who loses?

Florida's Red-Meat Primary

Mon, 09 Nov 2009 01:15:00 EST

Florida's Senate contest will test whether Republicans prize pragmatism over ideology