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    Political Irony
    Iron Knee
    16 May 2012 | 1:36 am
    “The White House admitted that Vice President Biden’s endorsement of gay marriage forced him to come out in favor of it. So in a related story millions of Americans are trying to get Biden hooked on pot.” – Conan O’Brien “President Obama says he supports same-sex marriage. Not only that but he’s going to turn his birth certificate into a musical.” – David Letterman “President Obama came out in favor of gay marriage because his position has evolved. Then today he flew to George Clooney’s house. So things are evolving a lot faster than…

  • Marriage according to the Bible

    Political Irony
    Iron Knee
    15 May 2012 | 5:02 pm
    from Unicorn Booty Personally, I believe that Jesus wouldn’t care one way or another about same-sex marriage, and that some people are just using the Bible to support their own homophobia and sexism. Which is pretty darn unchristian-like. Please Share / SaveNo related posts.

  • What Does Mitt Romney Think of Unions?

    Crooks and Liars
    Kenneth Quinnell
    16 May 2012 | 9:00 am
    The International Union of Painters and Allied Trades released a video on Monday that gathers together all of Mitt Romney's anti-union statements during the 2012 campaign. He covers a lot of ground. If elected, he said he would: End preference for unionized companies in government contracting. End project labor agreements. Fight to repeal the Davis-Bacon Act. Make sure that workers have a "secret ballot" (Something they already have, of course, but this is coded language for opposing the Employee Free Choice Act). Fight for right-to-work (for less) laws. Oppose "card check." Undercut the…

  • We have met the enemy and he is us

    Political Irony
    Iron Knee
    15 May 2012 | 1:45 am
    © Tom Tomorrow Tom Tomorrow says that you “should imagine the Austerions speaking in full, booming voices, with the reverb cranked up high.” Oh, and it looks like Paul Krugman recognized himself in the 4th panel. What I don’t understand is why we listen to our own Austerions, when it should be a dead give-away that when they talk about austerity, they conveniently exempt themselves. After all, they need those huge bonuses, golden parachutes, and other financial incentives to motivate them to create jobs! How many times will we be fooled? Please Share / SaveNo related…

  • Quietly, the Republican Party is embracing gays

    -- Politics
    McClatchy Newspapers (Curtis Tate)
    15 May 2012 | 2:21 pm
    A quiet transformation is taking place in the Republican Party, which has begun to embrace openly gay candidates ? and among gay Republicans, who now feel more comfortable speaking out…Click to Continue »
 
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    Post Politics: Breaking Politics News, Political Analysis & More - The Washington Post

  • Mark Zuckerberg: A man of his time

    Bonnie Goldstein
    16 May 2012 | 1:24 pm
    Millennial young adults are the first generation to come of age when their personal self-portraits in some digital form were a matter of semi-public record.  Particularly public – even when he wished it weren’t – has been the life story (so far) of Facebook's high profile founder, Mark Zuckerberg. Through aptitude, chutzpah and, some allege, misappropriation in 2004, the clever child --born in 1986 — created a forum where potentially, every single person on the planet will have the ability to look at the baby pictures of someone they just met.  Read full article >>

  • Herman Cain formally endorses Mitt Romney

    Felicia Sonmez
    16 May 2012 | 1:19 pm
    Businessman Herman Cain formally endorsed Mitt Romney’s presidential bid in an event on Capitol Hill on Wednesday afternoon. The move marks Cain’s third endorsement since suspending his own White House run last December amid multiple allegations of sexual harassment and a 13-year affair. Read full article >>

  • Oliver North, video-game pitchman

    Emily Heil
    16 May 2012 | 1:12 pm
    One might presume that Oliver North, a former Marine who helped broker the sale of weapons to Iran (as in Iran-Contra), might know something about “black ops.” Which explains why he’s now a spokesman for Call of Duty: Black Ops II, the military-themed blow-em-up video game. Much like Wilfred Brimley doing oatmeal commercials, or O.J. Simpson touting rental cars, North has a certain amount of... cachet, and certainly some credibility with the product he’s selling. Read full article >>

  • Scott Walker leads in new Wisconsin recall poll

    Rachel Weiner
    16 May 2012 | 1:08 pm
    Gov. Scott Walker (R) is up six points over Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett (D) in a new Wisconsin gubernatorial recall poll from Marquette Law School. Walker leads Barrett 50 to 44 among 600 likely voters in the school’s first survey since the May 8 Democratic primary. Their last poll, released May 2, showed a dead heat. Read full article >>

  • How Deb Fischer pulled an upset in Nebraska

    Rachel Weiner
    16 May 2012 | 12:16 pm
    Attorney General Jon Bruning was supposed to win the Nebraska Republican Senate primary — unless he was upset by state Treasurer Don Stenberg, who had the support of national conservatives. Neither man won. Instead, Nebraska’s GOP nominee this fall will be state Rep. Deb Fischer, who surged in the past few weeks with little money or help. She’ll be the one to take on former senator Bob Kerrey (D). Read full article >>
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    Daily Kos

  • DNC supports Wisconsin recall, but not necessarily with money

    16 May 2012 | 11:00 am
    (Overpass Light Brigade) With Wisconsin Democrats putting pressure on the national Democratic party to step up in the effort to recall Scott Walker, the Democratic National Committee is reaffirming its support, but it's still not committing actual money. The Democratic Governors Association has already spent $2 million on the recall, but there's still no definite answer on the $500,000 the Democratic Party of Wisconsin has requested from the DNC: "The DNC will use both its substantial network of activists and supporters as well as extensive online resources to develop the ground game" in…

  • Mitt Romney campaign tries to prevent reporters from asking questions

    16 May 2012 | 10:54 am
    If Mitt Romney really thought talking about his record as CEO of Bain Capital was a pure positive, wouldn't he be eager to answer questions from reporters? Instead he's not only dodging their questions, his campaign is actually trying to prevent them from asking the questions in the first place: Press lead on the #Romney bus announces there will be no questions for the candidate today. "Isn't that our decision?" a reporter asks. — @SaraMurray via Echofon Romney campaign aide trying to block reporters from rope line now. Reporters refuse to leave. — @mikiebarb via Twitter for BlackBerry…

  • Mitt Romney says he is severely for and against spending one trillion dollars

    16 May 2012 | 10:26 am
    It's not exactly a flip-flop if you take both sides (Orig. photo: Pool/Reuters)   Yesterday, Mitt Romney gave a speech in Iowa in which he vowed to cut spending dramatically and slammed President Obama for spending too much: Today America faces a financial crisis of debt and spending that threatens what it means to be an American. [...] The people of Iowa and America have watched President Obama for nearly four years, much of that time with Congress controlled by his own party. And rather than put out the spending fire, he has fed the fire. He has spent more and borrowed more.

  • Scott Walker, dogged by Wisconsin jobs losses, finds new numbers he likes and releases them early

    16 May 2012 | 9:44 am
    (Overpass Light Brigade) What do you do if you're a governor just weeks away from a close election and widely reported government jobs numbers show that your state lost jobs last year, amounting to the worst jobs record in the country? If you're Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, you find some new numbers. Walker is releasing Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages numbers for December 2010 to December 2011 six weeks ahead of time because by this measure, Wisconsin gained 23,321 jobs rather than having lost 33,900 jobs as the Current Employment Survey showed. While the Quarterly Census is…

  • Mitt Romney's weird delusional streak

    16 May 2012 | 9:35 am
    No matter how you look at it, Mitt Romney is delusional (Darren Hauck/Reuters) First, check out this bizarre rant by Mitt Romney in which he claims that President Obama's policies reflect personal animosity towards President Clinton: “It’s enough to make you wonder if maybe it was a personal beef with the Clintons,” said Romney.  ”Probably, it runs much deeper than that.” Then compare President Clinton on his endorsement of President Obama... “When you become President, your job is to explain where we are, say where you think we should go, have a strategy to get there, and…
 
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    Drudge Retort

  • Zimmerman Medical Report Leaked

    ExpsRedemption
    16 May 2012 | 11:32 am
    A medical report compiled by the family physician of George Zimmerman, the man on trial for murder in the death of Trayvon Martin, has been leaked to ABC News. In the report, Zimmerman was diagnosed with a "closed fracture" of his nose, a pair of black eyes, two lacerations to the back of his head and a minor back injury the day after he fatally shot Martin. The report also shows that prior to the shooting, Zimmerman had been prescribed Adderall and Temazepam, medications that can cause side effects such as agitation and mood swings.

  • What Did Ron Paul Accomplish?

    Doc_Sarvis
    16 May 2012 | 10:30 am
    Not much, according to Jonathan Tobin, editor of the conservative magazine Commentary. "Though many on the left wrongly assume his extremist approach resonated with the party's base, the truth was, he had little to offer average Republican voters," Tobin writes. "Nor can it be credibly asserted that he moved the conservative discussion in his direction on any issue where it had not already moved. Every time he opened his mouth, he demonstrated the strong distinction between his own extremist approach and that of even most Tea Party hardliners."

  • Hawaii's Beaches Are in Retreat

    zatoichi
    16 May 2012 | 8:50 am
    Most beaches on Hawaii's three largest islands are eroding, and the erosion is likely to accelerate as sea levels rise, the United States Geological Survey warns. Over the last century, about 9 percent of the sandy coast on Hawaii, Oahu and Maui has vanished. Building seawalls just worsens the problem. "If we want beaches we have to retreat from the ocean," said USGS researcher Charles H. Fletcher. "It's easy to say retreat; it's much harder to implement it."

  • Pelosi Raises $43 Million for Dems

    BruceBanner
    16 May 2012 | 8:32 am
    Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), became the most powerful woman in American history when she was sworn in as Speaker of the House in 2007. She lost that power four years later and is now hell-bent on winning it back. "They have endless money, secret, undisclosed, special interest money that they pour into elections," Pelosi said of Republicans. "But I think we can offset it. We have out-raised them, out-redistricted them, out-recruited them." Pelosi has raised more than $43 million for Democrats in this election cycle and attended nearly 500 fundraisers. The Democratic leader said she is…

  • Feds Deny Elderly Pain Meds

    adammm
    16 May 2012 | 7:30 am
    Reason.Com reports that under Administrator Michele Leonhart, the Drug Enforcement Administration has been engaged in a three-year battle against longterm care facilities that allow nursing staff to submit pain prescriptions for patients. The reasoning for this practice that a doctor isn't always around when a patient needs more painkiller medicine. So, historically, when a doctor hasn't been able to call in a prescription personally, nursing home staff have done so on the doctor's behalf. On the grounds that prescriptions may be called in, collected, and resold by nurses, the DEA has been…
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    Talking Points Memo

  • John Boehner's Selective Accounting

    David Kurtz
    16 May 2012 | 12:55 pm
    Speaker Boehner's insistence that no increase in the debt limit is possible without corresponding dollar-for-dollar budget reductions does not apply to the House GOP's own Ryan budget.

  • Volcker Smokes Dimon

    David Kurtz
    16 May 2012 | 12:43 pm
    JP Morgan can do all the proprietary trading it wants, Paul Volcker tells Bill Moyers -- it just has to surrender its banking license.

  • What's Your Favorite Recent Book?

    Josh Marshall
    16 May 2012 | 11:02 am
    Besides non-stop coverage of politics, one of my biggest interests with TPM over the years has been books -- reviewing them, discussing them with readers and so forth. And we're planning a new section of the site to do that in a more compelling and on-going way. But for today, I have a more specific question.As I've told you many times before, my own free time reading is almost 100% popular history. No politics. No fiction. Just history -- what I'd call high-end popular history. And I'm constantly scrounging for the next book I can dig my teeth into. One I just finished was Roger Crowley's…

  • Big Vote Today

    David Kurtz
    16 May 2012 | 9:58 am
    The House votes today on the Violence Against Women Act, with Republicans introducing amendments to tone down their version and escape some of the heat they're getting and Democrats saying, not good enough.

  • Good Money

    Josh Marshall
    16 May 2012 | 9:38 am
    Bloomberg says Facebook Co-founder could save a cool $67 million by dumping his US citizenship.
 
 
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    Political Animal

  • Super-O-Rama

    16 May 2012 | 2:03 pm
    So today we learn from Politico's Ken Vogel that the people behind the three biggest pro-Democratic Super-PACs (the Senate-focused Majority PAC, the House Majority PAC, and the presidentially-oriented Priorities USA Action) are planning a gigantic, coordinated blowout fundraising effort at the Democratic National Convention. In a collective lapse of imagination, they are calling it "Super-O-Rama." Gotta say, folks, this news bears the aroma of desperation, or at least procrastination. Karl Rove's Crossroads GPS has just committed to buying $25 million in ads during the next month, matching…

  • Lunch Buffet

    16 May 2012 | 1:40 pm
    The food cupboard is nearly bare, but there are some news items in the pantry: * Hilarious: George W. Bush releasing book this summer providing his sage advice on economic policy. * Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback comes to rescue of "pharmacists of conscience," signing bill allowing them to refuse to fill prescriptions for drugs they "reasonably believe" will terminate pregnancy. Time to get lawyered up. * Interesting: Politico op-ed boosting Bobby Jindal for Veep co-authored by Grover Norquist. * Mitt Romney plays the idiotic Clinton Card again. Sue him, Big Dog! * TAP's Jaime Fuller profiles…

  • Big Wallets, Cheap Media Markets

    16 May 2012 | 12:57 pm
    At WaPo's Plum Line, Jonathan Bernstein makes a simple but important observation about Deb Fischer's upset win in Nebraska's GOP Senate primary: This outcome reveals a key fact about the post-Citizens United landscape. We are going to see a lot more outcomes like this one. Outside money matters more in Congressional races than presidential, and more in primaries than general elections. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but for better or worse it’s the world that we live in now. And as we’ve just discovered, a single donor can be responsible for the election of a general…

  • Wheels Within Wheels

    16 May 2012 | 11:30 am
    Yesterday Speaker John Boehner announced that House Republicans would again take hostage any measure to increase the public debt limit--which might be needed prior to the end of the year, though likely after the elections--unless their demands are met to (a) extend the Bush tax cuts, due to expire December 31, (b) enact spending cuts equal to or more than the increased debt authorized, and (c) cancel the planned "sequestration" of defense appropriations agreed to as a fall-back measure in last year's debt limit agreement. There's a lot of tricky timing involved in this scenario. Treasury…

  • 12% of Democrats Run Screaming For Cover

    16 May 2012 | 10:04 am
    I don't want to beat this to death, but I'm really struck this week by the premature excitement of Republicans based on a random poll or two, which is now extending into anticipatory schadenfreude, as they happily imagine Democrats agonizing over Obama's impending defeat. At the risk of spoiling their fun, I'd commend conservatives to a quick reading of the latest Gallup finding on who Americans think is going to win the presidential election. 81% of Democrats, 58% of independents, and even 24% of Republicans, think Obama's going to win. The percentage of Democrats who think Romney will…
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    The New Republic - Top Stories Feed

  • Deutschland Über Alles: Should We Fear Germany's New Role in Europe?

    14 May 2012 | 11:00 pm
    When Francois Hollande, the newly elected president of France, arrives today in Berlin for his first meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, it will kindle memories of the long history of Franco-German partnership in leading the European Union. In France, it may even trigger the traditional condescension Parisian politicians feel towards their neighbors: the lumbering German economic giant that relies on French diplomatic, military, and nuclear savoir faire to achieve political clout. Increasingly, however, such sentiments are mere nostalgia. Yes, when the financial crisis…

  • David Thomson on Films: How Johnny Depp and Tim Burton Became Shadows of Their Former Selves

    14 May 2012 | 11:00 pm
    The only reason to see Dark Shadows is to discover how dire and pointless—how flat-out dreadful—a movie can be even when it has Tim Burton, Johnny Depp, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Helena Bonham Carter attached to its flimsy pretext. This is one more vampiric concoction, the total budget for which (apparently $105 million) might have sustained 100 worthwhile, independent projects by new directors. Its reason for being is that Burton once made some sprightly, unexpected excursions into the Gothic grotesque, and often he made them with Johnny Depp, who for years now has traded on the…

  • All Opposed Say "Neigh": A Flawed Bill to Ban Horse Slaughter

    14 May 2012 | 12:00 am
    “We’re Americans,” Louisiana Senator Mary Landrieu told me two weeks ago in the Russell Senate building in Washington, D.C. “We don’t eat our dogs, and we don’t eat our horses.” She had just finished delivering a speech to a rapt audience of two-dozen bright-eyed teenage girls, a handful of congressmen, top members of the ASPCA and Humane Society, and Lorenzo Borghese, star of the ninth season of the reality television show The Bachelor. They had gathered for “Horses on the Hill,” an event organized by a coalition of animal rights groups…

  • It’s Official, Obama’s Trying to Win the West—Not Ohio

    10 May 2012 | 11:00 pm
    When Lyndon Johnson endorsed path-breaking civil rights legislation in the mid-1960s, he knew that he was irrevocably changing the Democratic Party. As he was affixing his signature to the Civil Rights Act of 1964, he reportedly remarked to an aide that he was “signing away the South for 50 years.” President Obama’s decision to endorse gay marriage may yield a similar outcome by weakening beyond repair his party’s links with less educated, socially conservative white voters. (For the record: what follows is a purely political analysis, not a critique of Obama’s…

  • Stop Worrying: There’s No Political Downside to Backing Gay Marriage

    10 May 2012 | 11:00 pm
    Will Obama’s Wednesday embrace of same-sex marriage equality hurt him in November? The short answer is: possible, but not likely. First, as a general proposition, it seems unlikely that there are large numbers of socially conservative voters who lean Obama today but will be transformed into opponents simply by his declared support for marriage equality. Obama’s backing for equality for gays has, after all, been apparent throughout his administration, most famously in ending the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy in the military. A voter who’s stuck with Obama through…
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    NRO Articles

  • Uncovering Early Islam

    Richard Pipes
    16 May 2012 | 2:00 pm
    The year 1880 saw the publication of a book that ranks as the single most important study of Islam ever. Written in German by a young Jewish Hungarian scholar, Ignaz Goldziher, and bearing the nondescript title Muslim Studies (Muhammedanische Studien), it argued that the hadith, the vast body of sayings and actions attributed to the Islamic prophet Mohammed, lacked historical validity. Rather than provide reliable details about Mohammed’s life, the hadith, Goldziher established, emerged from debates two or three centuries later about the nature of Islam. (This is like today’s…

  • Playing Politics with Protectionism

    Patrick Brennan
    16 May 2012 | 3:00 am
    As part of his recent “to-do list” presented to Congress, President Obama suggested that one useful form of economic stimulus would be to “stop rewarding companies who ship jobs overseas, and use that money to cover moving expenses for companies that are moving jobs back here to America.” It’s hard to disagree that this proposal sounds like good politics, but it’s also very bad policy. As he is wont to do, the president is offering a piece of legislation that he and his party have proposed multiple times before. Democrats in the House and Senate have…

  • What Happened in Greece?

    Napoleon Linardatos
    16 May 2012 | 3:00 am
    In Jonah Goldberg’s The Tyranny of Clichés, liberals in the United States try to conceal their ideological bias by pretending to be objective, pragmatic, and moderate. The Greek Left, on the other hand, operating in a center-left country, has no such preoccupations. In the May 6 parliamentary elections, for the first time in recent history, a party of the far Left came in second. It is composed of various subgroups such as the eco-socialists, the Anti-Capitalist Group, the Communist Organization of Greece, and the Trotskyist Communists of the group known as Red. Just in case you…

  • Obama’s Appalachian Problem

    Brian Bolduc
    16 May 2012 | 3:00 am
    In West Virginia, federal inmate Keith Judd recently swiped 42 percent of Democratic votes from the president, indicating the level of dissatisfaction among the rank and file. And according to a Talk Business–Hendrix College poll conducted on May 10, Obama leads John Wolfe, a virtually unknown candidate, in Arkansas’s 4th congressional district by only 7 points, 45–38. Three weeks earlier, the Talk Business–Hendrix College poll showed the president leading by 65–24 in the slightly less conservative 1st district, but that was before Obama declared his support for…

  • Romney’s Russian Reset

    Arthur Herman
    16 May 2012 | 3:00 am
    It was a bad week for Russian president Vladimir Putin. First, there was the crash of the Russian-made airliner in Indonesia that killed 45 people and wrecked whatever’s left of the reputation of Russia’s struggling aerospace industry. Second, there was the news about terrorists planning to bomb the 2014 Winter Olympics, which are supposed to be held in the Russian city of Sochi.Keep reading this post . . .
 
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    Michelle Malkin

  • Soros Monkeys strike again: Prog mob targets Manny Pacquiao over gay marriage, spreads lies about what he said

    Michelle Malkin
    16 May 2012 | 1:01 pm
    They are ruthless. They are relentless. They have no shame. Read all about it here: Lefties call for Nike to drop Manny Pacquiao for ‘homophobic’ remarks he never made.

  • Palin-endorsed Deb Fischer wins Nebraska Senate primary; will face Bob Kerrey in November

    Doug Powers
    16 May 2012 | 10:02 am
    **Written by Doug Powers The race to fill the seat of outgoing Dem Ben Nelson was narrowed down to two last night: Nebraska state Senator Deb Fischer pulled off a surprise upset victory against Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning in the state’s Republican Senate primary Tuesday, marking the second contest in two weeks in which an establishment favorite was upended by a dark horse candidate in a Senate primary. Fischer, a rural rancher from the state’s 43rd legislative district, eked out a 5-point victory over Bruning, winning 41 percent to the Attorney General’s 36 percent…

  • Destroying private health insurance was always the goal

    Michelle Malkin
    16 May 2012 | 8:40 am
    Put on your shocked faces: The first Catholic college has announced it is dropping its student health insurance plan in the wake of the White House refusal to repeal the religious liberty-sabotaging Obamacare birth control/abortion mandate. Life News has the scoop: Franciscan University appears to be the first casualty of the new Obama HHS mandate that requires Catholic colleges, groups and businesses to pay for drugs that may cause abortions and birth control for their employees. Although President Barack Obama declared “If you like your health care coverage you can keep it,” when it…

  • Obamacare cronyism: The First Lady’s patient-dumping, privacy-meddling scheme

    Michelle Malkin
    16 May 2012 | 7:56 am
    Obamacare’s Patient-Dumping, Privacy-Meddling Scheme by Michelle Malkin Creators Syndicate Copyright 2012 The stench of Chicago cronyism over the White House just got fouler. Inhale this: A shadowy $10 billion Obamacare agency with zero oversight just awarded first lady Michelle Obama’s pet patient-dumping scheme at the University of Chicago Medical Center a $5.9 million taxpayer-funded grant. It will enable Mrs. Obama’s cronies to build a government-sponsored electronic medical record-sharing system. The Chicago program, known as the Urban Health Initiative, is run by one…

  • 1997 Fordham Law Review article: Elizabeth Warren was Harvard’s ‘first woman of color’

    Doug Powers
    15 May 2012 | 10:38 pm
    **Written by Doug Powers It’s been a confusing week. First we found out that Barack Obama is the first gay president. Next came the news that Sarah Palin somehow managed to hijack Chris Matthews’ cerebral cortex in order to make an ass out of him during his appearance on Jeopardy. And next came word that Elizabeth Warren was once described this way: …a 1997 Fordham Law Review piece described her as Harvard Law School’s “first woman of color,” based, according to the notes at the bottom of the story, on a “telephone interview with Michael Chmura, News…
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    Swampland

  • Why Romney Is Dodging the Press

    Michael Crowley
    16 May 2012 | 12:45 pm
    Joe, the Romney campaign’s control-freakery makes for bad democracy, but I suspect it’s a smart strategy. Consider the way Mitt’s personal approval rating has bounced back over the past several weeks. As the GOP primaries wrapped up, Romney was roughly as unpopular as late-era George W. Bush. Now he’s about even with Barack Obama. Since [...]

  • Crossroads, Super PACs and the Incumbent Advertising Gap

    Adam Sorensen
    16 May 2012 | 12:20 pm
    In a recent piece about the Obama-Romney ad wars, Michael Scherer made the smart point that this election is different from past ones in that the incumbent no longer gets a free hit on his rival during the period immediately following the primary. The reason: super PACs have the cash to cover that gap while the [...]

  • Recalcitrant Romney

    Joe Klein
    16 May 2012 | 10:41 am
    Mitt Romney is clearly a candidate terrified by his own mouth. What other explanation for his campaign’s extreme efforts to prevent reporters from asking him questions? I know that there isn’t much public sympathy for journalistic whining–including my own occasional, stupid laments–about the lack of access. But Romney’s staff has clearly taken this to a [...]

  • 16 May 2012 | 9:36 am

    Tara Godvin
    16 May 2012 | 9:36 am
    Enter your caption in the comments below.

  • Morning Must Reads: Fundamentals

    Adam Sorensen
    16 May 2012 | 7:36 am
    Fundamentals of the presidential race: It’s close, but saying too much more than that is playoff prediction in preseason. Deb Fischer wins Nebraska’s GOP Senate primary after the Tea Party and Establishment guys massacre each other. Greece just keeps getting scarier. Tom Coburn on the fiscal cliff. John McCain is talking with Democrats about campaign [...]
 
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    CNN.com - Politics

  • Gov. Christie channels Seinfeld in video

    16 May 2012 | 12:08 pm
    New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie's office produces web video poking fun at Newark Mayor Cory Booker's 'hands on' approach.

  • Defense rests in Edwards trial

    16 May 2012 | 12:08 pm
    The defense team for John Edwards rested its case Wednesday without calling the former Democratic presidential candidate's ex-mistress to testify at his corruption trial.

  • 2012 bellwether emerges in central VA

    16 May 2012 | 11:14 am
    Strategists for Barack Obama and Mitt Romney don't see eye to eye on much, but they do agree on this: It's tough to envision a path to the White House that doesn't include Virginia.

  • Obama to go over his to-do list

    16 May 2012 | 11:08 am
    President Barack Obama will urge congressional leaders Wednesday to agree to his economic agenda, one day after House Speaker John Boehner drew a line in the sand over what could be another bitter showdown between the White House and Congress later this year.

  • Biden's trail goes where Obama's won't

    16 May 2012 | 11:06 am
    Vice President Joe Biden kicks off a two-day swing Wednesday through the eastern edge of the must-win battleground state of Ohio, an area that President Barack Obama is unlikely to visit this election year.
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    Politics News Headlines - Yahoo! News

  • Judge grants class action status to NY frisk challenge

    16 May 2012 | 1:32 pm
    (Reuters) - A judge on Wednesday granted class-action status to a lawsuit challenging the New York Police Department's controversial crime-fighting tactic known as "stop and frisk." District Judge Shira Scheindlin in Manhattan said that the lawsuit, filed in 2008 by four black men claiming they were improperly targeted by police because of their race, had established their cases were emblematic of a city-wide problem. The NYPD has strongly defended the tactic, arguing it has been critical in taking guns off the streets and achieving an historic drop in crime rates. ...

  • Bahrain seeks arrest of 20 over homemade bombs

    16 May 2012 | 1:30 pm
    MANAMA (Reuters) - Bahrain issued arrest warrants on Wednesday for 20 people accused of injuring policemen and civilians with homemade bombs during months of pro-democracy unrest in the island kingdom. In another sign of a crackdown on dissent, well known activist Nabeel Rajab appeared in court charged with using the online messaging service Twitter to insult authorities, his lawyer said. Bahrain has been in turmoil since protesters, mainly from the Gulf Arab state's Shi'ite Muslim majority, took to the streets calling for democratic reform in early 2011. ...

  • Greece slides on bailout targets in political paralysis

    16 May 2012 | 1:27 pm
    ATHENS (Reuters) - Prolonged electoral uncertainty has put Greece into a state of deep freeze, meaning whoever finally emerges as the new leader will take over a country already falling behind on its promises to lenders. The European Union and International Monetary Fund demanded extensive cuts and reforms as part of a 130 billion euro bailout package agreed in March. But Greece has had no elected government since an inconclusive election on May 6, and paralysis will continue for at least another month, even as funds dry up in the treasury. ...

  • Hollande names new French cabinet, Aubry out

    16 May 2012 | 1:23 pm
    PARIS (Reuters) - French President Francois Hollande named a government dominated by moderate left-wingers on Wednesday after Socialist Party boss Martine Aubry, overlooked for the post of prime minister, said she no longer wanted to be part of the new cabinet. Hollande, sworn in a day earlier as France's first Socialist president in 17 years, named Pierre Moscovici as finance minister and Laurent Fabius as foreign minister, key posts under prime minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, a social democrat like them. ...

  • Pro-Republican group plans $25 million anti-Obama ad blitz

    16 May 2012 | 1:20 pm
    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Crossroads GPS, a pro-Republican political group, is planning to spend $25 million in the next month on its largest ad assault against President Barack Obama yet this campaign season. The new advertising wave by the group, which supports presumptive Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney, is expected to begin on Thursday with an $8 million TV ad blitz in 10 states expected to be hotly contested in the November 6 election. The formidable non-profit Crossroads GPS and its sister Super PAC American Crossroads have pledged to spend some $200 million to help defeat ...
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    Political Irony

  • Don’t Worry, I Got This

    Iron Knee
    16 May 2012 | 7:59 am
    At least bipartisanship humor isn’t dead. New Jersey Gov Chris Christie (R) and Newark Mayor Cory Booker (D) did a very funny video for last night’s state Press Association Legislative Correspondents Club dinner. Please Share / SaveNo related posts.

  • Late Night Political Humor

    Iron Knee
    16 May 2012 | 1:36 am
    “The White House admitted that Vice President Biden’s endorsement of gay marriage forced him to come out in favor of it. So in a related story millions of Americans are trying to get Biden hooked on pot.” – Conan O’Brien “President Obama says he supports same-sex marriage. Not only that but he’s going to turn his birth certificate into a musical.” – David Letterman “President Obama came out in favor of gay marriage because his position has evolved. Then today he flew to George Clooney’s house. So things are evolving a lot faster than…

  • Marriage according to the Bible

    Iron Knee
    15 May 2012 | 5:02 pm
    from Unicorn Booty Personally, I believe that Jesus wouldn’t care one way or another about same-sex marriage, and that some people are just using the Bible to support their own homophobia and sexism. Which is pretty darn unchristian-like. Please Share / SaveNo related posts.

  • Traditional Marriage

    Iron Knee
    15 May 2012 | 1:46 am
    via bartcop I can’t think of anything to add to this that I haven’t already said. UPDATE: I guess I do have something to add. While the Newsweek cover (sensationally) calls Obama “the first gay president”, an excellent article in Salon points out that James Buchanan, who was president just before Abraham Lincoln, was our first gay president. I also want to say that the issue here is not that Romney’s ancestors were polygamists. After all, Obama’s ancestors in Kenya also practiced polygamy. The issue here is the hypocrisy of Romney declaring that marriage…

  • We have met the enemy and he is us

    Iron Knee
    15 May 2012 | 1:45 am
    © Tom Tomorrow Tom Tomorrow says that you “should imagine the Austerions speaking in full, booming voices, with the reverb cranked up high.” Oh, and it looks like Paul Krugman recognized himself in the 4th panel. What I don’t understand is why we listen to our own Austerions, when it should be a dead give-away that when they talk about austerity, they conveniently exempt themselves. After all, they need those huge bonuses, golden parachutes, and other financial incentives to motivate them to create jobs! How many times will we be fooled? Please Share / SaveNo related…
 
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    Politics on HuffingtonPost.com

  • US-2012 Congress: 50% Republicans, 44% Democrats (USA Today/Gallup 5/10-13)

    Adam Carlson
    16 May 2012 | 1:29 pm
    USA Today/Gallup 5/10-13; 1012 adults Mode: Live telephone interviews USA Today Release National 2012 Congress 50% Republicans, 44% Democrats, 6% Undecided (chart)

  • Richard Klass: Vampires and Mattresses

    Richard Klass
    16 May 2012 | 1:26 pm
    There it was, that thing that could not be killed. A vampire was staring directly at me. In the full glory of a New York Times headline it glared at me through my computer screen: "Republicans Pledge New Standoff on Debt Limit." Speaker John Boehner is promising a rematch of last summer's debt ceiling fight. You remember. The brawl that shook the financial markets and caused a downgrade in the debt rating of the United States of America is up for a rematch. Once again, the hapless Speaker is playing the mouthpiece to his Tea Party irredentists. His stand? Unless the amount of the debt ceiling…

  • Romney Forced To Distance Himself From Family's Gay Rights Views In 2002

    Sam Stein
    16 May 2012 | 1:25 pm
    WASHINGTON -- As complicated as the politics of gay marriage have been for President Barack Obama to navigate, they have proven problematic for Mitt Romney as well. Immediately after the president announced his support for marriage equality, his re-election campaign went on the offensive, charging Romney, the presumptive Republican nominee, with being more regressive on LGBT rights than former President George W. Bush. "If the Republican Party thinks this is a great issue they sure are looking reticent about it," one top Obama strategist told The Huffington Post. "I think Romney, like [with]…

  • Christopher Arterton: Hoosier Heresy or Wisdom, 2012 Style?

    Christopher Arterton
    16 May 2012 | 1:24 pm
    The recent primary victory by Indiana State Treasurer Richard Mourdock over Senator Dick Lugar should send greater shock waves through Washington than merely the one Senate seat now potentially up for grabs. As Mourdock told Jennifer Steinhauer of the New York Times, "This is a historic time, and the most powerful people in both parties are so opposed to one another that one side simply has to win out over the other." Evidently, Tea Party-backed candidates will be continuing their war against the politics of compromise. A year ago, the Pew Research Center asked adults when it came to raising…

  • Robert Reich: The Dog That Didn't Bark: Obama on JPMorgan

    Robert Reich
    16 May 2012 | 1:22 pm
    The dog that didn't bark this week, let alone bite, was the president's response to JP Morgan Chase's bombshell admission of losing more than $2 billion in risky derivative trades that should never have been made. "JP Morgan is one of the best-managed banks there is. Jamie Dimon, the head of it, is one of the smartest bankers we got and they still lost $2 billion," the President said on the television show The View, which aired Tuesday, suggesting that a weaker bank might not have survived. That was it. Not a word about Jamie Dimon's tireless campaign to eviscerate the Dodd-Frank financial…
 
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    FiveThirtyEight

  • A 30,000-Foot View on the Presidential Race

    By NATE SILVER
    15 May 2012 | 7:55 am
    Nothing fundamental has changed in the race in the past month or two, although there are a couple of factors that may be working in Mitt Romney's favor at the margin.

  • Gay Marriage and the Democratic Base

    By NATE SILVER
    11 May 2012 | 7:21 am
    One clear rationale for President Obama's new position? It's very unusual for a president to oppose the majority of voters in his party on a major issue, and 60 percent of Democrats support gay marriage.

  • Support for Gay Marriage Outweighs Opposition in Polls

    By NATE SILVER
    9 May 2012 | 3:52 pm
    President Obama's decision to endorse same-sex marriage undoubtedly entails some political risk, but recent polls suggest that public opinion is increasingly on his side.

  • Moderate Republicans Fall Away in the Senate

    By NATE SILVER
    8 May 2012 | 8:57 pm
    Most moderate Republicans who served in the Senate just a few years ago will no longer be in the Congress when it meets again 2013.

  • Is Obama More Popular Than He Should Be, Revisited

    By JOHN SIDES
    8 May 2012 | 4:08 pm
    After discussion from FiveThirtyEight readers, looking back and extending an analysis that noted President Obama's approval rating exceeded a theoretical approval rating predicted by history, the economy and other factors.
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    Media Matters for America - Latest Items

  • Fox Revives Deceptive Editing Of Anita Dunn Clip

    16 May 2012 | 12:27 am
    More than two years after Glenn Beck used his Fox News show to deceptively edit then-Obama administration official Anita Dunn's comments referencing Mao Zedong, Fox News host Greg Gutfeld echoed Beck's false portrayal of what Dunn said by airing a similarly edited clip.Fox' Gutfeld Plays Deceptively Edited Dunn Clip Gutfeld: "At Least She's Open In Her Admiration For Mass Murderers." From Fox News' The Five: GUTFELD: See what I did there? I pulled a Goldberg on a Goldberg, which is why I love Anita Dunn, Obama's former communications director. At least she's open in her admiration for mass…

  • Fox's Flawed Attempt To Deflect Attention From Romney's Leveraged Buyout Record

    14 May 2012 | 5:51 pm
    Fox News is pushing fatally flawed analogies to defend Mitt Romney from criticism over his jobs record at Bain Capital, pointing to the Obama administration's green energy loans and the successful rescue of the U.S. auto industry. These comparisons crumble under scrutiny, as leveraged buyouts are different from providing bankruptcy financing or loans.Obama Campaign Ad Hits Romney On Jobs New Obama Campaign Ad Highlights Bain's Takeover Of Steel Mill Under Romney's Leadership. In a new ad, the Obama campaign tells the story of how venture capital firm Bain Capital, which Romney led at the…

  • Fox Finds The Villain Of JPMorgan Chase's $2 Billion Loss: Regulation

    14 May 2012 | 4:15 pm
    In the wake of a $2 billion trading loss sustained by the bank JPMorgan Chase, many economists have advocated for the strengthening of financial reform to prevent against reckless behavior. Not Fox, however, which has argued that the problem is too much regulation of Wall Street banks.JPMorgan Chase Reveals $2 Billion In Trading Losses NY Times: "JPMorgan Discloses $2 Billion In Trading Losses." From a May 10 New York Times article: JPMorgan Chase, which emerged from the financial crisis as the nation's biggest bank, disclosed on Thursday that it had lost more than $2 billion in trading, a…

  • Conservative Media Fail In Their Attempt To Dismiss Report About Romney Bullying Incident

    11 May 2012 | 11:34 pm
    Right-wing media have rushed to dismiss the Washington Post's report that Mitt Romney held down a high school classmate and cut his hair, claiming that "the source" for the story "wasn't actually there." In fact, the Post story relied on accounts from five separate sources, four of whom were named, and as the Post's ombudsman noted, their "accounts remain unchallenged." Romney himself said that he's "seen the reports" about the incident and that he's "not going to argue with that."Wash. Post Article Describes Romney Forcibly Cutting High School Classmate's Hair Wash. Post: "Mitt Romney's Prep…

  • Right-Wing Media Minimize Romney's Reported Bullying As "Foolish Games"

    11 May 2012 | 3:12 pm
    Right-wing media have responded to a Washington Post story detailing Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney's alleged bullying of a high school classmate by dismissing Romney's reported bullying as "foolish games" and possibly just an attempt to enforce his school's dress code. However, bullying has destructive consequences for victims, including heightened risks of depression and suicide.Wash. Post Reports Romney Led High School Bullying Incident  Wash. Post: In High School, Romney Ambushed And Forcibly Clipped The Hair Of A Younger Student. The Washington Post…
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    The WIP: Byline portal + WIP Contibutors

  • Mourning and Anger on Dobrovoljacka Street

    16 May 2012 | 11:07 am
    by Marija Arnautovic and Tina Jelin Dizdar, RFE, Czech Republic - Bosnia this month marked the 20th anniversary of one of the milestones of the country's 1992-95 war: the fighting on Sarajevo's Dobrovoljacka Street, in which an unknown number of Serb soldiers died. As officials and civilians commemorated the event, some Bosnians came to protest against honoring the forces that besieged the city.

  • For Many Indians, the Land of Opportunity Is the Land They’re Going back To

    16 May 2012 | 11:01 am
    by Stephanie Nolen, Globe & Mail, Canada - Canada has traditionally competed for India’s skilled migrants with Australia, Britain and the United States. But now there’s a new country in the mix, a destination with increasing appeal for young, educated and ambitious Indians: India.

  • Vietnam Floats between China and US

    15 May 2012 | 4:42 am
    by Lien Hoang, Asia Times, Hong Kong - China's fast political, economic and military ascent has Southeast Asian countries scrambling for alternative alliances. In the case of Vietnam, that has meant shoring up support from Russia, Japan, India, Australia and notably the US, a former war adversary.

  • Undocumented Mothers Have Dreams, Too

    15 May 2012 | 4:37 am
    by Angy Rivera, Mónica Novoa, Colorlines, USA - My mother and I landed in New York on August 29, 1993, a week before my third birthday. She didn’t know that starting this day, we would become undocumented. For years I translated the world to my mother, from paperwork to meetings with the landlord.

  • The Face of Islam, According to Foreign Policy

    15 May 2012 | 4:27 am
    by Hilal Elver, Al Jazeera, Qatar - The issue focused on women in the Middle East, Russia and China - but completely ignored gender problems in the West.
 
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    Jack & Jill Politics

  • Jay-Z and Will Smith have Barack Obama’s Back on Same-Sex Marriage & the Economy

    Cheryl Contee (Jill Tubman)
    16 May 2012 | 11:11 am
    Jay-Z is just a rapper, right? So who cares what he thinks?Jay-Z is not just a rapper. He’s an icon of a generation. Maybe a couple of generations. He’s an entrepreneur, artist and producer of music, movie and Broadway play. He’s also married to one of the most beautiful and talented women in the world who recently gave him a daughter. He’s an unabashed family man. Mr. Carter has tweeted over at @S_C_:“I got nothing but love for you”and“Black people unite and let’s all get down” – ED OGShawn’s politically active & aware.

  • The Debate Over Gay Marriage in the Black Community Reaches JJP

    Cheryl Contee (Jill Tubman)
    16 May 2012 | 10:24 am
    So…after the President stated publicly that he supports same sex marriage, I wrote a post entitled: How to Talk to Your Christian Black Relatives About Obama & Same-Sex Marriagein which I anticipated the highly mixed reaction among black folks about Obama’s pronouncement. I encouraged those who are more enlightened and interested in equality to conduct a little outreach among their brethren to soothe irritated nerves and calm ye bible-thumping. Those of us who are straight must be allies of those in the LGBT community.Anson Asaka has written a post called Why I Don’t…

  • Wednesday Open Thread

    rikyrah
    16 May 2012 | 1:24 am
    Sharing some videos with you this morning.Rachel Maddow describes how Mitt Romney’s opponents are using his time at Bain Capital against him, to paint him as heartless and greedy at the expense of American taxpayers drawing parallels with bailout of the collapsed financial industry.Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economyElizabeth Warren on the fiasco at JPMorgan.Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economyMartin Bashir – Grading Obama’s and Romney’s dueling commencement speechesGood Morning.As you make it…

  • Obama’s Vision for Nuclear Good for Consumers

    Politic365
    15 May 2012 | 4:01 pm
    By Elesha BarnetteWhile some continue to exert tireless effort and spend millions of tax payer dollars researching and improving upon alternative clean energy sources like wind and solar, others are wasting no time re-educating the public on the benefits of our existing clean energy source: nuclear.As far back as his 2010 State of the Union address President Obama begin setting the record straight on what he felt nuclear energy brings to the table and why it’s a necessary part of this country’s energy portfolio:  “To create more clean energy jobs, we need more production, more…

  • Afternoon Open Thread

    rikyrah
    15 May 2012 | 12:44 pm
    hat tip-The Obama Diary:President Obama delivered the Commencement Address at Barnard College. President Barack Obama hugs Britney Wilson, class of 2012, after he delivered the commencement address at Barnard College’s graduation ceremony on May 14, 2012. —-TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/GettyImagesGood Afternoon.As you go through the rest of your day, don’t forget JJP.Drop those links. Engage in debate. Give us trivia and gossip too.And continue to have a peaceful day. US President Barack Obama laughs with Barnard College Board of Trustees chair Jolyne Caruso-FitzGerald before delivering…
 
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    Wonkette

  • Feds Cutting Back On Nuclear Power Plant Safety Because Honestly, Why Bother

    Josh Fruhlinger
    16 May 2012 | 1:34 pm
    The last few years has been pretty much a nonstop ride of positive safety PR for the nuclear power industry, right? I mean, this is an technology that absorbed an enormous earthquake and tsunami and barely even killed anyone/left whole towns uninhabitable/terrified the world. Nuclear power couldn’t even bring harm to erstwhile Wonkette scribe Jack Stuef! So really, why should Americans be spending our precious tax dollars on making our own nuclear power plants safer, when that money could be diverted to more pressing needs (tax cuts for billionaires, hott new missile defense systems,…

  • Apparently All Kennedys, Including Ethel, Just Flip Tables Over Constantly Like They Are Cool Real Housewives

    Rebecca Schoenkopf
    16 May 2012 | 1:05 pm
    We have not been keeping up on the day to day dribs and drabs oozing forth from this Mr. Edward Klein fellow’s excellent new Barack Obama biography, “Michelle Obama Is A Jealous Twat She Even Hates Oprah Burn Her.” But one excerpt featured on Glenn Beck’s The Blaze did catch our eye! And that is that Barack Obama is such a terrible snooty liar that even America’s reigning kings of snooty liars, the Kennedy Klan, think he is a snooty liar! Then? They throw some shit. Even Ethel Kennedy is just constantly flipping tables like that chick from Real Housewives of New…

  • Stop The Presses: There May Be Factual Inaccuracy In Latest James O’Keefe Masterpiece

    Rebecca Schoenkopf
    16 May 2012 | 12:19 pm
    Oh dear, it seems James O’Keefe’s latest masterpiece on vote fraud, in which he totally caught University of North Carolina not finking on “Democrat-friendly election fraud” when faced with GOP kids bragging about how they double-voted GOP, may have just the teensiest inaccuracy in it: dude O’Keefe said was dead, and whose ballot his henchman was given anyway, is not in fact dead, because zombie voodoo. How do the fine folks at MediaMatters know this? Oh, it was in the unedited version of the video is all. O’KEEFE: We found ballots being offered out in the…

  • Heroic Colorado Ladies Lysol Students At Prom For Pretending To Do Butt-Sechs

    Rebecca Schoenkopf
    16 May 2012 | 11:43 am
    Hey teens! Are you ready for the most magical night of your lives, when you will go to Manitou Springs City Hall and dance like you are pretending to do butt-sechs, and then later you will finally lose your stupid virginity in a haze of Bartles & Jaymes? That’s right, PROM NIGHT! Well, two chaperones did not think much of your “slutty, whorish, trashy” ways, and so they ran around the dance calling you sluts and whores, calling the cops on you, and then spraying you with Lysol. “It cleans the air,” but can it clean your chlamydia? As detailed by police,…

  • Ta-Da! Genius Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker Invents New Kind Of Math To Solve State’s Jobs Woes

    Rebecca Schoenkopf
    16 May 2012 | 11:02 am
    Why is hero Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, recently seen bitching that the governor’s three-times-median-household-income salary just isn’t enough cheddar, being blamed just because his awesome economic policies of “fire everyone” have made his state plumb last in job growth? (Koch economic policies are obviously THE GREATEST economic policies, and every state should have more of them.) Does not everyone understand that if this is not Barack Obama’s fault, then it is the fault of the Union Thugz he fired, for protesting him? (That is a true thing Scott Walker…
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    Hot Air

  • Bankers deserting Obama for Romney

    Ed Morrissey
    16 May 2012 | 1:01 pm
    But Obama loves JP Morgan. Why did fundraising for Team Obama drop so precipitously in April?  The Boston Globe provides one possible answer.  In 2008, Barack Obama attracted a lot of support from the banking industry.  This time around, they have deserted Obama in favor of Mitt Romney (via News Alert): When the head of JPMorgan Chase met with shareholders [...] Read this post »

  • The Ed Morrissey Show: Guy Benson, For Greater Glory producer Dennis Rice

    Ed Morrissey
    16 May 2012 | 12:30 pm
    3 pm ET! Today on The Ed Morrissey Show (3 pm ET), Guy Benson returns to talk about the latest in politics.  We’ll talk about the interview I conducted with Mitt Romney shortly before the show started as well, so don’t miss the recap of that before the interview itself goes live.  In the second half, we welcome [...] Read this post »

  • Van Jones: Yeah, we enviros took a dive for Obama during the Gulf oil spill

    Ed Morrissey
    16 May 2012 | 12:21 pm
    "I guarantee you, if John McCain had been President ..." Not exactly a stunner, you say?  Well, you’d be right, but it’s probably worse than what Jones admits here, too.  Not only did they pull their punches towards the President in 2010, they tried to shift the blame for the Deepwater Horizon spill to the Bush administration, even though Barack Obama and his Interior Secretary [...] Read this post »

  • Walker points to new survey showing net gain of 33K jobs in first year

    Ed Morrissey
    16 May 2012 | 11:41 am
    Dueling statistics. As people often say, there are lies, damned lies, and … statistics.  We deal with jobs-related data on a regular basis, but the collation and promulgation of the final numbers are sometimes a mystery to people.  The Current Employment Survey, for instance, is basically a poll with a fairly large sample, and from that we [...] Read this post »

  • Video: New SBA spot skewers Obama’s “war on women” meme

    Ed Morrissey
    16 May 2012 | 11:01 am
    Conformity is freedom, Winstonia! The pro-life group Susan B. Anthony List has a new video pushing back against the Democrat’s “war on women” talking point — and it’s pretty effective.  Done in the style of war propaganda, with a dollop of 1984 dropped into the mix, the first full minute of the spot takes the form of a government [...] View the video »
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    NPR

  • Latino Voters: Seen, But Will They Be Heard, In 2012?

    16 May 2012 | 12:57 pm
    Now the fastest growing voting group, Latinos have never been so heavily courted in a presidential race. They could play a key role in battleground states in the 2012 elections.» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

  • Hickenlooper And List On Pre-Election Atmosphere

    16 May 2012 | 12:00 pm
    The push for civil unions recently failed in Colorado, and Governor John Hickenlooper has some ideas about why. Also, former Nevada Governor Bob List talks about the influence of Ron Paul on the Republican Party. And NPR's Political Junkie columnist Ken Rudin rounds up the news.» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

  • Democrat 'Appalled' By Wisconsin Recall

    16 May 2012 | 12:00 pm
    Wisconsin Democrats hope to unseat Republican Governor Scott Walker in a recall election. In the Los Angeles Times, Jonathan Zimmerman, a lifelong Democrat, says he is "appalled." The recall, he writes, "epitomizes the petty, loser-take-all vindictiveness of contemporary American politics."» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

  • Minority Rules: Who Gets To Claim Status As A Person Of Color?

    16 May 2012 | 11:41 am
    U.S. Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren's claims of Native American heritage seem uneasy to swallow. But why? What does it take to be considered an ethnic minority, and what does the controversy say about the way we judge ethnic backgrounds?» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us

  • Candidates Gird For A 'Scorched Earth' Campaign

    16 May 2012 | 11:26 am
    With both the economy and his own poll numbers weaker than he'd want them to be, President Obama has launched attack ads against Mitt Romney that are unusually blunt for this early stage of a campaign. And Romney has responded with a few roundhouse rights of his own.» E-Mail This     » Add to Del.icio.us
 
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    FamousDC

  • Famous Brithday Wishes: Mike Long

    Redneck Genius
    16 May 2012 | 10:05 am
    Go tell him happy birthday on Twitter. Related posts:Famous Birthday Wishes: Mike Steel Famous Birthday Wishes: Sarah Pompei and Rep. Kevin McCarthy Famous Birthday Wishes: Gindy Related posts:Famous Birthday Wishes: Mike Steel Famous Birthday Wishes: Sarah Pompei and Rep. Kevin McCarthy Famous Birthday Wishes: Gindy

  • Hyper Hill: MTV v. DNC

    almostfamous
    16 May 2012 | 8:02 am
    MTV awards conflict with Obama [speech] 71 days till the Olympics [athletes] Bandolero opens May 24 [Mike Isabella] Mike Allen took his first day off [vacation]   Photo credit: Jack Smith Related posts:Hyper Hill: Better Than Monday Hyper Hill: Drop Your Pants Hyper Hill: Softies Related posts:Hyper Hill: Better Than Monday Hyper Hill: Drop Your Pants Hyper Hill: Softies

  • Party on the Patio and Help Kids at Children’s National

    almostfamous
    15 May 2012 | 8:56 am
    On Thursday, the Children’s National Junior Council will host its 2nd Annual Hill House After Dark at the Strategic Health Care Townhouse located at 230 2nd Street, SE (right around the corner from Cap Lounge!). It will be 80 degrees and sunny on Thursday — perfect for a patio party!  You can buy tickets here. [...] Related posts:5 Signs the Tea Party Crashed Your Oscar Party Ain’t No Party Like a Recess Party Tenfold Party’s Black & White Affair

  • Hyper Hill: Obama Declines the Moonwalk

    nolongerfamous
    15 May 2012 | 5:57 am
    John’s daughter may testify [trial] Michelle O has a great play list [Beyonce] No moonwalking for the Prez [do it!] Dude, still raining [enough already] Funny story about mom [Mijita] Related posts:Hyper Hill: Obama Walks Out Hyper Hill: Obama is looking for dinner guests Hyper Hill: President Obama’s teleprompter stolen Related posts:Hyper Hill: Obama Walks Out Hyper Hill: Obama is looking for dinner guests Hyper Hill: President Obama’s teleprompter stolen

  • Joe Biden Playing with Trains

    Redneck Genius
    14 May 2012 | 11:34 am
    Related posts:Famous 5: Playing Hooky in DC Obama Playing the Trombone PoliPop: Joe Biden & Bad Lip Reading Related posts:Famous 5: Playing Hooky in DC Obama Playing the Trombone PoliPop: Joe Biden & Bad Lip Reading
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    -- Politics

  • Rick Santorum's Texas GOP convention speech won't be public

    The Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Anna M. Tinsley)
    16 May 2012 | 6:24 am
    Perhaps the biggest name featured at the Texas Republican Party's convention next month -- former GOP presidential candidate Rick Santorum -- will give a speech that is off-limits to the…Click to Continue »

  • Boehner vows another showdown over debt and taxes

    McClatchy Newspapers (David Lightman)
    15 May 2012 | 4:49 pm
    House Speaker John Boehner set the stage Tuesday for another tense, partisan showdown over tax and spending policy later this year, as he vowed to insist on big spending cuts…Click to Continue »

  • Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng’s visa is ready, U.S. says

    McClatchy Newspapers (Curtis Tate)
    15 May 2012 | 4:47 pm
    The State Department said Tuesday that documents to allow Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng to come to the U.S. had been completed, and Chen himself talked to lawmakers on Capitol Hill…Click to Continue »

  • Quietly, the Republican Party is embracing gays

    McClatchy Newspapers (Curtis Tate)
    15 May 2012 | 2:21 pm
    A quiet transformation is taking place in the Republican Party, which has begun to embrace openly gay candidates ? and among gay Republicans, who now feel more comfortable speaking out…Click to Continue »

  • Kansas Gov. Brownback signs act allowing pharmacists to refuse to dispense abortion drugs

    The Kansas City Star (Brad Cooper)
    15 May 2012 | 6:11 am
    Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback has signed into law a bill that will allow pharmacists to refuse to provide drugs they believe might cause an abortion.Click to Continue »
 
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    MyDD

  • When Politics Becomes the Game

    3 May 2012 | 1:49 pm
    The NRDC Action Fund just released a book called Reckless about the House Republican majority that cast more than 200 votes against environmental safeguards last year. We aren’t the only ones dismayed by the rise in GOP extremism. Republican leaders are too. This week, two esteemed conservative thinkers published a must-read op-ed in the Washington Post entitled, “Let’s Just Say It: The Republicans Are the Problem.” Thomas Mann, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, and Norman Ornstein, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, wrote: “The GOP has…

  • Friendly Advice to CNN -- Change Everything

    2 May 2012 | 11:39 am
    CNN just had their lowest ratings in a decade. They are in disastrous shape. When I was on MSNBC, we would beat them with a stick. Even after "pro-CNN" stories like revolutions in Egypt and Libya, Japanese nuclear meltdowns and the killing of Osama bin Laden (CNN does much better when major news or international stories break out), we still beat them. Now they're doing so poorly I might even catch them on Current. We started at almost nothing on Current, but we have been steadily improving our numbers. Why are we getting traction? Because people want an alternative -- the real news. So,…

  • WHCD: A Salute to the Centurions

    29 Apr 2012 | 10:09 am
    I was at the White House Correspondents' Dinner tonight. And I loved 85% of it. This makes me somewhat of a hypocrite because I often criticize a lot of the people in that room, and I especially single out the chuminess of the press with the government. Now, I justify my participation in this bacchanal event by saying two things. I am a spy for our audience -- it's important to know how these things work at a minimum. And it's important to have conversations with folks in DC because you never know what you might get out of it and what you might learn. I promise you that these are 100%…

  • Opportunity Impact Statement: Ensuring an Economy that Works

    26 Apr 2012 | 2:37 pm
    Americans prioritize finding solutions for our economy and job creation, and it is clear that we need an economy that works for all of us. This means building the jobs and the infrastructure that will create equal opportunities for success for all Americans. In order to make smart and necessary decisions about how and where we spend our money, we need to evaluate the impact of spending, while also honoring our commitment to avoid engaging in discrimination. Using a tool that evaluates public spending—what we call an Opportunity Impact Statement (OIS)—at all levels of government can…

  • Falling in Love... with Dirt

    17 Apr 2012 | 3:23 am
    Paul Quinn College has found a way to score big on the football field—without playing a single down. The Dallas, Texas college, which was founded in 1872, recently abandoned its football program and converted the field into a working organic farm maintained by the students themselves. The metamorphosis was the idea of Quinn president Michael Sorrell, whose goal was to teach agriculture to students in an urban community that, due to the dearth of supermarkets in the area, has difficulty obtaining quality food. The 'We Over Me Farm' is, as Sorrell describes it, the fundamental…
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    Democracy Now!

  • FBI Crackdown on Antiwar Groups Targets Chicano, Brown Beret Activist Carlos Montes

    16 May 2012 | 7:48 am
    Supporters of a longtime California activist, Carlos Montes, rallied outside a courthouse in Los Angeles Tuesday calling on authorities to drop his prosecution. Montes faces four charges, including one for firearms possession that dates back to the 1960s. A longtime leader in the Chicano, immigrant rights and antiwar movements, Montes’ arrest in a May 2011 raid followed similar FBI raids on activists in Minnesota, Michigan and Illinois targeting fellow members of a political group called the Anti-War Committee. "They’re attacking me for my activism against the wars in…

  • "What Have We Been Doing?": Decorated Veteran Aaron Hughes to Return War Medals at Anti-NATO Protest

    16 May 2012 | 7:37 am
    Veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will join thousands of protesters this Sunday at the NATO summit in Chicago. We speak to Iraq Veterans Against the War’s Aaron Hughes, who’s among a number of Afghanistan and Iraq war vets planning to return their medals of honor to visiting NATO generals. "[Veterans] have to live with [the] failed policy [of the global war on terror] on a daily basis," Hughes says. "A decade-long war, what have we been doing? ... There’s a real moral disconnect between the idea that our military can build a democracy and the idea…

  • As NATO Meets in Chicago, Bill Ayers & Bernardine Dohrn Condemn "Militarized Arm of the 1 Percent"

    16 May 2012 | 7:12 am
    Legendary Chicago activists Bernardine Dohrn and Bill Ayers talk about this week’s protests in Chicago, where NATO will hold its largest summit to date. Thousands of protesters from a diverse coalition of organizations including unions, antiwar groups, immigrant rights organizations and Occupy are expected to march in the streets. Chicago is preparing a massive security operation, with the Department of Homeland Security declaring the summit a "National Special Security Event." Civil liberties advocates have warned it could provide the first public test of a new law that…

  • Headlines for May 16, 2012

    16 May 2012 | 7:00 am
    DOJ Probes JPMorgan Chase for $2 Billion LossBoehner Revives Debt Limit ThreatDEA Accused of Role in Killing of 4 Civilians in HondurasSyrian Troops Kill 21 Civilians; Rebels Get Weapons BoostIsraeli Troops Wound Palestinian "Nakba" ProtestersFrance Inaugurates Hollande as New PresidentGreece to Hold New Elections After Unity Talks FailCharges Unveiled in Rebekah Brooks Phone-Hacking CaseVirginia House Denies Judgeship to Openly Gay ProsecutorInvestigation: Texas Executed Innocent Man in 1989Medical Report Claims Zimmerman Had Injuries After Martin KillingMexican Novelist Carlos Fuentes Dies…

  • "Magic Soap" Maker David Bronner on Labeling Genetically Modified Food, Fair Trade, the War on Hemp

    15 May 2012 | 7:48 am
    Critics of genetically modified foods have won a victory in California by securing enough signatures to place a referendum on the November ballot that could force food manufacturers to label food products containing genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. Numerous items are already sold in grocery stores containing genetically modified corn and soy, but companies do not currently have to inform consumers. We speak to David Bronner, president of Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soaps, about GMOs, fair trade, the U.S. war on hemp, and the company’s support of Palestinian olive oil producers.
 
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    NYT: The Caucus

  • Romney Campaign Tries to Block Reporters

    By MICHAEL BARBARO and ASHLEY PARKER
    16 May 2012 | 1:07 pm
    The rope line, where Mitt Romney greets voters, becomes part of a tug-of-war between reporters and the campaign.

  • Presidential Ad Wars Kick Into Full Swing

    By JEREMY W. PETERS
    16 May 2012 | 11:59 am
    The presidential advertising wars have begun in earnest, with the latest salvo -  a $25 million attack on President Obama by a Karl Rove-backed political group -  set to begin on Thursday.

  • Obama Campaign Announces Raising $43.6 Million in April

    By MICHAEL D. SHEAR
    16 May 2012 | 6:19 am
    President Obama and the Democrats raised $43.6 million in April, adding to the president's edge over his rival, Mitt Romney, even as money continues to pour in to outside groups ahead of the fall campaign.

  • Bush and Clinton Team Up for 9/11 Memorial Fund-Raiser

    By PETER BAKER
    16 May 2012 | 5:43 am
    The odd-bedfellows tandem of George W. Bush and Bill Clinton got together again Tuesday night to promote their latest shared post-presidential cause, a memorial to the heroes of United Flight 93.

  • The Early Word: Debt, Again

    By JADA F. SMITH
    16 May 2012 | 5:00 am
    Political news from today's Times and a look at what's happening in Washington.
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    Outside the Beltway

  • Braves, Barves, And Intellectual Property Law

    Doug Mataconis
    16 May 2012 | 12:35 pm
    Matthew Yglesias passes along this story about a baseball fan who tried to turn an online joke meme into a business idea, only to run up against the ever-protective Intellectual Property lawyers that work for Major League Baseball: Everett Steele is an Atlanta Braves fan. He goes to games, he wears Braves apparel, he tweets about the team to his 16,000-plus Twitter followers. He’s a big enough fan that when he started noticing people misspelling the team’s name as “Barves” online, he spent time and money making it a meme. Steele started making Barves jokes on Twitter,…

  • James Lipton’s Advice for Mitt Romney

    James Joyner
    16 May 2012 | 12:24 pm
    “Inside the Actors Studio” host James Lipton tells Mitt Romney to stop trying so hard to act like a regular guy. New York Magazine (“How to Act Human: Advice for Mitt Romney From Inside the Actors Studio“) A few months ago, Brian McFadden’s weekly comic strip in the Sunday Timesoffered ways for Mitt Romney to improve his image. One panel showed him with me on the set of Inside the Actors Studio, under the heading “Take Acting Lessons to Appear More Relatable.” Initially amused by this unsolicited enlistment, I’ve found myself…

  • Common Cause Files Ridiculous Lawsuit Against The Filibuster

    Doug Mataconis
    16 May 2012 | 11:59 am
    Common Cause, along with a group of Democratic Members of Congress, has filed a lawsuit in Federal Court in Washington, D.C. seeking to have the Senate filibuster declared unconstitutional: For years, critics of the filibuster have failed to convince senators to change the procedural delaying tactic. Now they’re taking their case to the courts. The nonpartisan nonprofit Common Cause sued the U.S. Senate on Monday, challenging the constitutionality of the filibuster rules that require routine 60-vote thresholds for bills and nominations that often have majority support. Several House…

  • Final Volume Of William Manchester’s Churchill Biography Coming In November

    Doug Mataconis
    16 May 2012 | 10:37 am
    It’s been nearly twenty years now since I read The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill: Visions of Glory, 1874-1932 and The Last Lion: Winston Spencer Churchill: Alone, 1932-1940, the first two volumes of what was supposed to have been historian William Manchester’s planned three-volume biography of England’s iconic war time Prime Minister. They remain among the best historical biographies I’ve ever read, but they also left me wanting more. Volume Two ends in 1940, at the height of the Blitz and at England’s greatest hour of need when Churchill was finally…

  • George Zimmerman Medical Records Reveal Broken Nose, Lacerations

    Doug Mataconis
    16 May 2012 | 10:13 am
    James Joyner has made note of the fact that the records of the autopsy of Trayvon Martin have been made public, so it seems relevant to note the other story in the news today, which is the release of the medical records of George Zimmerman: A medical report compiled by the family physician of Trayvon Martin shooter George Zimmerman and obtained exclusively by ABC News found that Zimmerman was diagnosed with a “closed fracture” of his nose, a pair of black eyes, two lacerations to the back of his head and a minor back injury the day after he fatally shot Martin during an alleged…
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    Truthdig: Drilling Beneath the Headlines

  • Mladic Bent on Genocide in Bosnia, Court Told

    editor@truthdig.com
    16 May 2012 | 11:26 am
    At the start of his war crimes trial Wednesday, former Bosnian Serb Gen. Ratko Mladic was accused of setting out to “ethnically cleanse” Bosnia during the 1992-1995 Bosnian war and of presiding over the deaths of tens of thousands of people.  —ARK BBC: Gen Mladic faces 11 counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity, including genocide, in connection with the brutal 1992-95 Bosnian war. Prosecutors in The Hague said they would show his hand in the crimes. He has called the accusations “monstrous” and the court has entered a not guilty plea on his behalf. Read…

  • California’s Day of Reckoning

    editor@truthdig.com
    16 May 2012 | 10:22 am
    California Gov. Jerry Brown has embraced austerity as the solution to the state’s economic problems, and his updated budget plan contains plenty of pain for most everyone as it cuts deeply into social programs. —ARK The Independent: Welfare payments, healthcare for the poor, and benefits for elderly and disabled Californians will be immediately slashed by around $8.3bn (£5.2bn), which equates to roughly 17 per cent of Mr Brown’s entire discretionary budget. And state offices, which employ roughly 200,000 people, will switch to a four-day, 38-hour work week. The radical…

  • Needy States Use Housing Aid to Prop Up Budgets

    editor@truthdig.com
    16 May 2012 | 9:34 am
    More than a dozen states are plugging gaps in their budgets with hundreds of millions of dollars won from banks in mortgage and foreclosure settlements and intended to provide help to struggling homeowners.  —ARK The New York Times: The money was part of a national settlement valued at $25 billion and negotiated with five big banks over abuses in their mortgage and foreclosure processes. The settlement, reached in February after a year of talks and intervention by the Obama administration, was the second-largest in history involving the states, trailing the tobacco industry…

  • Blue Man Coup: How Gadhafi’s Mercenaries Broke Mali

    editor@truthdig.com
    16 May 2012 | 5:19 am
    By Susan Zakin Everything that rises must converge, and in 2012, an uprising at the ancient crossroads of Timbuktu kicked up a decades-in-the-making sandstorm of global capitalism, U.S. counterterrorism, cocaine smuggling and the long-denied rights of the most romantic nomads on earth.

  • Paul Volcker and His Rule

    editor@truthdig.com
    16 May 2012 | 4:24 am
    JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon may be less concerned with the actual $2 billion his bank lost than the credence it lends to calls for tougher regulation.
 
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    PunditMom

  • Women and Social Media: The Key to Electoral Success

    PunditMom
    14 May 2012 | 2:00 pm
    I’m looking forward to this year’s Netroots Nation conference where I’ll be on a a great panel with three amazing women I know – Veronica Arreola of Viva la Feminista, Kristen Rowe-Finkbeiner of MomsRising and Carol Jenkins, the former president of the Women’s Media Center. I always enjoy being on panels where we talk about this topic (hm, maybe because it was the topic of my book Mothers of Intention?) But this year, to promote the conference many of us were asked to participate in podcasts to give people a little taste about the panels and where attendees could…

  • Happy Mother’s Day, President “Mom!”

    PunditMom
    13 May 2012 | 2:01 pm
      The first woman elected to the White House will answer to many names — Madam President, ma’am, and, most likely, Mom. That’s something I like to think about on Mother’s Day. Given the demographics and family status of many of the women in politics today, there’s a pretty good chance that the first female who gets to sit behind the historic Resolute Desk in the Oval Office will be a mother of young children. Think that’s crazy? Read the rest of my most recent op-ed piece at CNN entitled, “Coming soon: A young mother in the Oval Office?”…

  • Mother’s Day: Just Another Political Opportunity for Mitt Romney

    PunditMom
    11 May 2012 | 10:29 am
    Artwork by a very young PunditGirl     After all the hub-bub and faux hand-wringing by many Republicans and the Mitt Romney team about Romney’s wife Ann supposedly being the target of political “mommy wars,” the Romney campaign has apparently decided they can’t let this Mother’s Day go by without making some more hay. It’s easy in the fast-paced world of politics and attack ads to harp on a topic that seems to have struck such a primal chord. But Romney’s people may have a rude awakening with their new ad: Wishing America’s women a…

  • President Obama Cries “Uncle” on Gay Marriage

    PunditMom
    10 May 2012 | 2:00 pm
    My short response is, “It’s about freakin’ time!” My longer, more thoughtful take on the President’s “evolution” on same sex marriage is over at iVillage iVote, where I’m trying to keep up with my duties as 2012 Election Editor!

  • I Like Hillary Clinton “au Naturale!”

    PunditMom
    9 May 2012 | 1:11 pm
    Image via Wikimedia Commons/U.S. State Dept.   I’m glad the Republicans have nothing better to do than trying to make fun of Hillary Clinton’s appearance — AGAIN!! She’s the Secretary of State for goodness sake and she’s traveling more often than she’s in Washington to try to keep the world from falling apart. If this is the GOP strategy to keep her from running for President in 2016, they’d better come up with something else. Because there are plenty of “women of a certain age” (like me!) who think lip gloss and Tina Fey glasses…
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    PunditGuy

  • 2012

    PunditGuy
    21 Apr 2012 | 2:41 pm

  • Good Morning America Beats TODAY Show, and…

    PunditGuy
    19 Apr 2012 | 10:41 pm
    They had to take a picture. Why didn’t they put Stephanopoulos on a box or something? I mean really. Look at him next to Robin Roberts for goodness sake! She’s like a foot and a half taller than him. Where’s a phone book when you need it? Awkward.

  • My REAL iPad 3 WiFi Problem

    PunditGuy
    19 Apr 2012 | 9:40 pm
    First of all, it’s legit. Whenever new gadgets come out, there is always a group of people who are first to complain about some software bug, some hardware foul up, some blemish that results in the purchase being the biggest waste of time in their life (up to that moment). I usually look at these things as the normal 2% allocation of complainers. And low and behold, the manufacturer usually comes out with a “it’s not our problem, you’re doing it wrong” answer. I’m not doing my iPad 3 wrong. It first started when I was in my living room. I’ve had an iPad 1, iPad2, and now I have…

  • A Chart Paints a Thousand Words

    PunditGuy
    18 Apr 2012 | 9:20 pm
    Stunning. Just look at this for awhile, then go to ReadWriteWeb for the story.

  • Dick Clark is Dead

    PunditGuy
    18 Apr 2012 | 3:11 pm
    He’s a teenager no more. Dick Clark, the creator of "American Bandstand" and "Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve," died Wednesday morning, his rep tells FoxNews.com. He was 82. Clark suffered a massive heart attack after entering  St. John’s Hospital in Santa Monica Tuesday night for an outpatient procedure, according to his family. Attempts to resuscitate were unsuccessful. I guess I’ve expected this for some time. The guy really seemed to have a tough time coming back from that terrible stroke he had in 2004. At the time it was reported as…
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    ThinkProgress

  • What ‘Parks and Rec’ Gains and Loses with Director’s Cuts

    smeslow
    16 May 2012 | 1:38 pm
    After I watched “Win, Lose or Draw,” the season-four finale of Parks & Recreation that aired last Thursday night, I knew I’d end up watching it again on Hulu the following day. And that’s not just because I loved the episode – it’s because I knew there were at least five minutes of the episode that I hadn’t seen yet. Of all the TV shows on the air, Parks & Recreation has most fully embraced the idea of the Hulu-friendly extended director’s cut. The “Win, Lose, or Draw” director’s cut, which adds over six minutes to the episode that originally aired on NBC, has…

  • Senate Committee Advances Domestic Partner Benefits

    Zack Ford
    16 May 2012 | 1:10 pm
    Today, the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee advanced the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act. The bill would ensure that the same-sex partners of federal workers have access to the same benefits straight employees currently receive, including health insurance, long-term care, family and medical leave, and retirement benefits. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), the only Republican sponsor of the bill, explained that “it’s just a matter of making the federal government’s benefits structure comparable of those of large employers.”

  • Gov. Walker Disregards Official Jobs Data Now That It Shows Wisconsin Losing Most Jobs In The Nation

    Travis Waldron
    16 May 2012 | 1:00 pm
    Disappointed that official government data showed his state was the worst in the nation for job creation over the last 12 months, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) decided to release his own numbers today. But even if Walker’s new calculations have merit, he’s nowhere close to the pace necessary to create the 250,000 new jobs he promised in his first four years in office. Walker had no problem touting the official Bureau of Labor Statistics’ job report last year when it showed that Wisconsin was adding jobs. Now, he has decided to cite a different report that still shows…

  • The Real Fraud: Second ‘Non-Citizen’ In James O’Keefe Voter Fraud Video Naturalized In 2011

    Scott Keyes
    16 May 2012 | 1:00 pm
    Conservative filmmaker James O'KeefeIn conservative filmmaker James O’Keefe’s latest video, he features two “non-citizens” who have supposedly committed voter fraud in North Carolina. As ThinkProgress reported yesterday, one of the men, Zbigniew Gorzkowski, has actually been an American citizens for decades. Now, it turns out that the second “non-citizen,” William Romero, is actually a citizen as well, according to his family. The video opens with O’Keefe’s cameraman walking up Romero’s driveway and confronting a member of his family…

  • The Wettest Drought On Record: Torrential Rain Can’t Bring Much Of England Out Of ‘Exceptional’ Dry Conditions

    Stephen Lacey
    16 May 2012 | 12:54 pm
    Even with the wettest April on record, some areas of England are still facing “exceptional” drought conditions. After two years of dry winters — including the fifth-driest March — the ground hasn’t been able to soak up the heavy rainfall that hit in April. The situation in the country illustrates the cruel reality of “rollercoaster” extreme weather — a problem that will only be exacerbated by accumulating heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere. Recent research also finds that the loss of Arctic ice favors extreme, prolonged weather events…
 
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    Slate Articles

  • Unleash the Hounds

    Richard L. Hasen
    16 May 2012 | 1:29 pm
    The New Yorker’s Jeffrey Toobin this week revealed  juicy bits from the Supreme Court’s deliberations as it considered Citizens United, the thunderous case in which the court allowed corporations and unions to spend unlimited sums on candidate elections, paving the way for big-spending super PACs.  Toobin told of a secret draft Citizens United dissent by Justice David Souter that has never been released—a draft that Souter, who has since retired, should now make public.

  • Parent Traps

    Katie Roiphe
    16 May 2012 | 12:54 pm
    Here’s a scene in my house: My almost 9-year-old is on the Internet doing something or other, and I am not standing over her shoulder or otherwise monitoring her.

  • And the Greatest Ad of the Year Is …

    Seth Stevenson
    16 May 2012 | 12:36 pm
    At last night’s Clio Awards—the ad world’s annual fete—host Joan Rivers immediately won my affection when she opened with a grisly joke about an ad campaign I’ve come to despise. “I want to welcome most of you here tonight,” Rivers croaked to the assembled crowd of advertising executives. “But not the people responsible for the E*Trade Baby. You can go fuck yourselves. Where is Casey Anthony when you need her?”

  • The Mystery of the Vanishing IPO

    Matthew Yglesias
    16 May 2012 | 12:26 pm
    Facebook’s initial public offering on Friday is notable in part because Facebook is a gigantic, fascinating, and famous company. But it’s also notable because IPOs have become incredibly rare. Between 1980 and 2000, an average of 311 companies went public per year, more than one every day the markets were open, according to a recent paper by Xiaohui Gao, Jay Ritter, and Zhongyan Zhu.

  • Mad Men Style: The Drapers and the Francises

    Tom Fitzgerald & Lorenzo Marquez
    16 May 2012 | 11:39 am
    Each week, Tom and Lorenzo analyze the costumes on Mad Men with inimitable wit and charm—showing how the work of the show’s costume designer Janie Bryant reveals character, supplements the plot, and just plain looks great. This article is a short excerpt from this week’s Mad Style post. For much, much more on the costumes of “Dark Shadows”—from Megan’s leather trim to Dark Betty herself—visit tomandlorenzo.com
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    Political Mojo | Mother Jones

  • Hot Scoop: "Obama Didn't Write His Own Love Letters"

    Tim Murphy
    16 May 2012 | 10:53 am
    On the vast list of right-wing conspiracy theories about President Obama—he's Malcolm X's illegitimate son; he was photoshopped into the iconic Situation Room photo; his memoir was ghost-written by Bill Ayers; he's people!—this new bit of muckraking from conspiracy cauldron WorldNetDaily deserves a place of honor on the mantle. According to Jack Cashill, "an Emmy-award winning independent writer and producer with a Ph.D. in American Studies from Purdue," President Obama didn't simply have Bill Ayers ghost-write his memoir—he had someone ghost-write love…

  • Report: MEK To Be Taken Off US Terror List

    Adam Serwer
    16 May 2012 | 10:39 am
    Months of lobbying by prominent Democrats and Republicans and an assist from a high-powered lobbying firm that specializes in sanitizing the records of dictators seem to have paid off for Mujahideen-e-Khalq. The Obama administration is preparing to remove the Iranian exile group from the State Department's official list of terrorist organizations, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday: The Obama administration is moving to remove an Iranian opposition group from the State Department's terrorism list, say officials briefed on the talks, in an action that could further poison…

  • Dark Money Deluge: Crossroads GPS Unveils $25 Million Ad Campaign

    Andy Kroll
    16 May 2012 | 9:55 am
    Crossroads GPS, the deep-pocketed nonprofit created by Karl Rove and Ed Gillespie, announced Wednesday that it plans to pump $25 million into a new ad campaign running in ten battleground states including Colorado, Florida, Virginia, and Pennsylvania. The group's announcement is a direct response to the Obama campaign's pledge earlier this month to spend $25 million on ads this month.  The first phase of Crossroads' blitz will be a two-week run of the ad "Obama's Promise," which slams the president for supposedly failing to fulfill promises to help struggling homeowners, cut the…

  • The Chamber of Commerce's Dark Money Days May Be Over

    Andy Kroll
    16 May 2012 | 7:24 am
    In the annals of loopholes, one that the Federal Election Commission, the nation's election watchdog, created in 2008 could rank as one of the most absurd. The FEC's Republican commissioners decided that shadowy nonprofits running political ads (think: the US Chamber of Commerce) could hide the identities of people who donate more than $1,000, as long as those donors didn't earmark their money for a specific ad. So, for instance, a donor couldn't say, "I want you to run an ad attacking Nancy Pelosi next Monday at 7 p.m. on NBC." Donors and political operatives are not idiots, of…

  • Will One of These Cases Be the Next Citizens United?

    Gavin Aronsen
    16 May 2012 | 5:25 am
    In the latest issue of The New Yorker, Jeffrey Toobin explores how Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, a seemingly narrow case about political attack ads, ended up fundamentally changing campaign finance law and becoming the signature decision of the Roberts court. So what could be the next Citizens United? Here's a look at some of the biggest campaign finance cases working their way through the federal court system, and what they could mean for those who'd like to reform the current system (and roll back Citizens United):   Van Hollen v. FECOutlook for reformers: Promising…
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    Crooks and Liars

  • How to Act Human: James Lipton's Advice for Mitt Romney

    Heather
    16 May 2012 | 1:00 pm
    Click here to view this media From New York Magazine, James Lipton has some advice for Mitt Romney. How to Act Human: Advice for Mitt Romney From Inside the Actors Studio: A few months ago, Brian McFadden’s weekly comic strip in the Sunday Times offered ways for Mitt Romney to improve his image. One panel showed him with me on the set of Inside the Actors Studio, under the heading “Take Acting Lessons to Appear More Relatable.” Initially amused by this unsolicited enlistment, I’ve found myself returning spontaneously and with increasing frequency to the task, sometimes starting awake…

  • Gov. Jan Brewer Signs New Law That Takes Debt Collectors' Word For How Much You Owe

    Susie Madrak
    16 May 2012 | 12:00 pm
    What could possibly go wrong? After all, it's not as if creditors ever make mistakes, or claim you owe them a lot more than you actually do. So it would never be abused by the legal system, right? Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has approved legislation making it easier for debt collectors to go after defaulting consumers and small businesses. Brewer signed House Bill 2664 into law today. The measure allows collection agencies to use final billing statements as a basis to show amounts owed and interest rates as they seek court judgments and wage garnishments. The bill was favored by debt collectors,…

  • Common Cause Sues US Senate Over Constitutionality Of Filibuster Rules

    Susie Madrak
    16 May 2012 | 11:00 am
    Now this is one of the most interesting strategies I've seen in a long time, and it makes perfect sense. After all, the filibuster is nothing but an informal arrangement, not something codified into law. This would make for a more representative body - and no, I don't care that it would still apply if the Republicans take control of the Senate: The nonpartisan nonprofit Common Cause sued the U.S. Senate on Monday, challenging the constitutionality of the filibuster rules that require routine 60-vote thresholds for bills and nominations that often have majority support. Several House Democrats…

  • Gay Marriage: The Republican Love Affair With the Past

    Tina Dupuy
    16 May 2012 | 10:00 am
    The future is always a dystopia and the past is always better than this mess we live in right now. That’s if literature has any ability to tell us about ourselves. Stories about the future: Forewarning. Stories about the good ol’ days: Heartening. Somewhere in our collective unconscious we believe there was a golden era of innocence and irresistible quaintness. The present is far from that—so the future has to be worse. Most likely involving robots … emoting and plotting their revenge. The future scares us and we wish it could be more like it used to be. Therefore we freak out about…

  • What Does Mitt Romney Think of Unions?

    Kenneth Quinnell
    16 May 2012 | 9:00 am
    The International Union of Painters and Allied Trades released a video on Monday that gathers together all of Mitt Romney's anti-union statements during the 2012 campaign. He covers a lot of ground. If elected, he said he would: End preference for unionized companies in government contracting. End project labor agreements. Fight to repeal the Davis-Bacon Act. Make sure that workers have a "secret ballot" (Something they already have, of course, but this is coded language for opposing the Employee Free Choice Act). Fight for right-to-work (for less) laws. Oppose "card check." Undercut the…
 
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    Scholars and Rogues

  • S&R Fiction: “So This is Love” by Mark Sumioka

    Fiction
    16 May 2012 | 1:31 pm
    I took a moment to peer out the hotel window, opening it an inch so that we could hear the turbulent rain. There were no people. The area was like an evacuation. They were all firmly inside their dwellings, waiting and watching nature for what it had in store. There was a long line of black-grey clouds like a herd of buffalo touching nose to tail with no separation between them. It went on for miles and I knew the rain wasn’t about to let up. It came straight down with the occasional diagonal burst. And then the same worry; my apartment would become flooded and I would have to use my short…

  • Filibuster reform and the zombie apocalypse

    Bonesparkle
    16 May 2012 | 1:30 pm
    Once I was a believer in the time-honored Senate filibuster tradition, although by “believer” I don’t necessarily mean that I loved it or revered it, exactly. I was more like a guy worried about a zombie apocalypse stocking up on 12-gauge shells. In case things go to hell, at least the good guys have the filibuster to slow the lumbering herd of dead meat down a little, right? So, I believed in the filibuster the way a B-grade horror flick protagonist might believe in ammunition. The main difference between the Senate and a zombie apocalypse, of course, is that zombies…

  • Romney, unzipped and exposed as Babbitt clone

    Robert Becker
    16 May 2012 | 1:00 pm
    What if it turns out Romney is little more than Sinclair Lewis' Babbitt on steroids, with more money, clout, and ability to do harm? A classic satire has much to teach about today's politics.

  • Heartland’s president distorts polls, surveys, and studies in support of the Unabomber billboard

    Brian Angliss
    16 May 2012 | 8:32 am
    Heartland Institute president Joe Bast distorts polls, surveys, petitions, and studies in an essay supporting Heartland's failed Unabomber/climate disruption billboard.

  • U.S. sides with Israel’s nukes over Iran’s lack thereof

    Russ Wellen
    16 May 2012 | 7:34 am
    The United States sides with a state with an illegal nuclear weapons program over one without one.
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    Power Line

  • Boehner seeks action on debt reduction

    Paul Mirengoff
    16 May 2012 | 11:49 am
    (Paul Mirengoff) Speaker John Boehner is calling on Congress to deal with the issues of budget reductions and the Bush tax cuts before the election. And he is threatening to block an increase in the federal debt ceiling unless significant new cuts occur.The case for tackling these issues now is straightforward. If they are put off until the lame duck session, there will be little time to avoid the train wreck scheduled for January, when the first round of harsh, across-the-board spending cuts are to kick in, absent agreed upon cuts.As Joe Lieberman put it, “this whole idea of waiting until…

  • An upset in Nebraska

    Paul Mirengoff
    16 May 2012 | 11:14 am
    (Paul Mirengoff) In Nebraska, State Senator Deb Fischer has upset Jon Bruning, the state’s attorney general, to win the Republican nomination for the Senate seat held by Democrat Ben Nelson, who is retiring. Late returns had Fischer leading Bruning by 40-36. She will face former Senator Bob Kerrey.Until recently, Bruning had been leading in the polls. Fischer had been running third, behind Don Stenberg, the state’s treasurer, who was endorsed by Sen. Jim DeMint and the Club for Growth. However, Fishcer, who has never run for statewide office before, received a late endorsement from Sarah…

  • George Zimmerman’s Defense

    John Hinderaker
    16 May 2012 | 10:30 am
    (John Hinderaker) ABC News has obtained a copy of a doctor’s report on a visit by George Zimmerman the day after the Trayvon Martin shooting. The report discloses that Zimmerman had a broken nose, two black eyes, two cuts on the back of his head, bruising on the upper lip and cheek and lower back pain. This revelation obviously bolsters Zimmerman’s claim of self-defense and sheds light on why local authorities initially declined to charge him. The injuries described in the doctor’s report appear to corroborate strongly the version of events that Zimmerman gave to police…

  • The Last Lion at Long Last

    Steven Hayward
    16 May 2012 | 9:08 am
    (Steven Hayward) Lots of good books out right now deserving comment and reflection, including Jonathan Haidt’s The Righteous Mind (spent the day with him last Friday), Jonah Goldberg’s The Tyranny of Clichés: How Liberals Cheat in the War of Ideas, and Jim Manzi’s Uncontrolled: The Surprising Payoff of Trial and Error for Business, Politics, and Society (Jim is another pal, and maybe one of the two or three most incandescently brilliant people I’ve ever met).  In due course I’ll try to post some comments on all three of these fine books.But right now I want to be the first to…

  • In Larson’s Garden: Ten notes

    Scott Johnson
    16 May 2012 | 7:45 am
    (Scott Johnson) Erik Larson’s In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler’s Berlin, just out in paperback, is the best book I’ve read since Laura Hillenbrand’s Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption. In truth, I’m afraid it may be the first book I’ve read front to back since Unbroken, but still…When I finished Unbroken I offered 10 notes on Unbroken in “The improbable lives of Louis Zamperini.” I want to do the same for Larson’s Garden. More than anything I want to urge you…
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    Salon.com

  • SPIN METER: Rivals airbrush anti-Romney words

    16 May 2012 | 12:30 pm
    WASHINGTON (AP) — Remember Newt Gingrich calling Mitt Romney a liar? Michele Bachmann saying Romney's unelectable? Rick Santorum calling Romney "the worst Republican in the country" to run against President Barack Obama?They're hoping you don't. And acting like it never happened (even though most of their words are just clicks away online.)One by one — with the exception of holdout Ron Paul — the GOP also-rans have coughed up endorsements of their onetime rival. And as they do, they're pulling rhetorical backflips to distance themselves from their former harsh assessments of…

  • Ron Paul sets up Rand for 2016

    16 May 2012 | 11:50 am
    So Ron Paul says he is going to stop actively campaigning, but his supporters will continue to rack up delegates by storming state conventions. What will he do with these delegates? That is still unclear. (Barter them for gold?) What is the point of this strategy, exactly? Also unclear, but the Daily Beast's Ben Jacobs today says it's part of a "sneaky maneuver" to help his son Rand out. Ron will continue to consolidate power but will not appear to be actively sabotaging the party's nominee. Dave Weigel says the maneuver is less sneaky and barely a maneuver: He doesn't want it to be a huge…

  • Next Tea Party targets

    16 May 2012 | 11:36 am
    What may be most notable about the surprise triumph yesterday of a Sarah Palin-backed insurgent in Nebraska’s Republican Senate primary is how routine these sorts of things are becoming.Deb Fischer’s late charge to victory wasn’t really rooted in ideology. As Hotline’s Reid Wilson points out, she’s actually racked up a (somewhat) moderate record in the Nebraska legislature, and has some personal connections to the state’s leading GOP establishment figures.But most GOP primary voters probably didn’t know this. Fischer came to the race with little money or name recognition and…

  • Susana Martinez’s veep suicide

    16 May 2012 | 11:04 am
    While Newsweek touted New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez as a possible running mate for Mitt Romney, the erstwhile beneficiary of the hype all but killed her chances of getting the job by opening her mouth.“I absolutely advocate for comprehensive immigration reform,” Martinez  told reporter Andrew Romano. “Republicans want to be tough and say, ‘Illegals, you’re gone.’ But the answer is a lot more complex than that.”With those words, Martinez inflicted multiple wounds on whatever slender chance she had to join the national ticket. First, she indicated support for the immigration…

  • Romney’s human shield

    16 May 2012 | 11:00 am
    The only honest line in "Inside the Circus," the recent Politico e-book in which millions of nauseating Republican operatives lacerate each other anonymously during primary season, should be mounted on the computers of all "political news readers": "It is sometimes unclear whether political campaigns are run for the benefit of the voters and office seekers or for the professional consultants who earn their living from politics." Every other line in the book mostly goes like, and then the RNC flack whispered that the campaign flack didn't know what he was doing, but that one sentence about…
 
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    The Daily Dish: Andrew Sullivan

  • The View From Your Window

    Andrew Sullivan
    16 May 2012 | 1:21 pm
    Newbridge, Ireland, 7.38 am

  • Quote For The Day II

    Andrew Sullivan
    16 May 2012 | 1:05 pm
    "When evangelicals turn their anti-gay sentiments into a political campaign, all it does is confirm to my gay friends that they will never be welcome in the church. It makes them bitter, and it makes me mad too. This is why I never refer to myself as an evangelical. Ugh. I’m embarrassed to be part of that group,” - an evangelical college senior, in a blog post by Rachel Held Evans. Money quote from the post written the day after Amendment One passed in North Carolina: As I watched my Facebook and Twitter feeds last night, the reaction among my friends fell into an imperfect but…

  • Pressuring The President

    Andrew Sullivan
    16 May 2012 | 12:40 pm
    Conor Friedersdorf claims that I'm not doing it very much: In the aftermath of a huge step like embracing gay equality, gushing is understandable. But the prior months of comments about how lucky we are to have him, the invocations of "12 dimensional chess," constantly comparing him to the Road Runner, the celebrations of his strategic acumen as if it's as laudable as doing what's right, and enthusing about how cool he is? It's increasingly hard to take at the end of a first term littered with broken promises. And it obscures the fact that Obama ought to be pressured…

  • The End Of A Third-Party Pipe Dream

    Andrew Sullivan
    16 May 2012 | 12:30 pm
    Avlon is sad that Americans Elect has failed to find a candidate. Chait is unsurprised: I do think there is a general desire out there for a third-party candidate. It’s just that the desire isn’t ideological. Lots of Americans think the parties both stink and have little understanding of what the parties actually believe. The idea that there’s a third-party movement rooted in any set of policy goals is silly, and the notion that the there’s a third-party movement rooted in Tom Friedman’s particular policy goals is completely insane. Larison nods: Americans Elect failed because it…

  • What Is Romney Worth?

    Andrew Sullivan
    16 May 2012 | 12:19 pm
    A comprehensive analysis:  Supplemented by a dozen interviews – from local real estate experts to private equity partners – we get a detailed look at the current state of Mitt’s money, pinpointing his net worth at $230 million, split between 9 different asset classes. Highlights include the sale of nearly all of his individual equities – he sold 71 stocks since his last disclosure – and a big move into cash. He now holds $16 million, up from $1 million in August.  Still, he's no George Washington.
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    WSJ.COM

  • Nebraska's Fischer Pulls Primary Upset

    16 May 2012 | 9:55 am
    Nebraska State Sen. Deb Fischer won the GOP nomination for a U.S. Senate seat, continuing a pattern of challengers successfully taking on prominent Republicans in party primaries.

  • Third-Party Bind: Cash but No Cachet

    16 May 2012 | 9:54 am
    A $35 million effort to launch a third-party presidential campaign has hit an impediment: the lack of a high-stature candidate eager to make a run.

  • Obama Raised $43.6 Million in April

    16 May 2012 | 7:13 am
    The Obama campaign said it raised $43.6 million in April for itself and Democratic committees, down from its $53 million take in March.

  • Law Review Called Senate Candidate 'Woman of Color'

    15 May 2012 | 9:55 pm
    The presumed Democratic nominee to challenge Massachusetts Sen. Scott Brown , has faced almost daily questions for two weeks on her claims of distant Native American ancestry, with the Brown campaign putting out a steady stream of statements questioning her credibility.

  • Nine Vie for Ron Paul's Seat

    15 May 2012 | 8:49 pm
    Ron Paul is retiring from the Texas Gulf Coast seat he has held since 1997. That has a gaggle of candidates—nine in all—vying for the GOP nod in the May 29 primary.
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    Lew Rockwell: The LRC Blog

  • The Great Amazon

    Lew Rockwell
    16 May 2012 | 10:54 am
    Where else could one locate all these hard-to-find, neat items except Amazon? LRCers have done exactly that: Dr. Pye's - 7 Million Live Beneficial Nematodes - Kills Over 230 Bugs; ESEE Knives Gear: Wallet Survival Kit; Zombie Ammo Can - Limited Edition; Zimbabwe 100 Trillion Dollar Bank Note 2008 Uncirculated; Kayak, Canoe, Ladder Lift Hoist for Garage; Big Daddy Flying Model Rocket Kit. Best-Selling Books: Classified Woman - The Sibel Edmonds Story: A Memoir, by Sibel D. Edmonds; Mary's Mosaic: The CIA Conspiracy to Murder John F. Kennedy, Mary Pinchot Meyer, and Their Vision of World Peace,…

  • A Proud Marxist vs. a Welfare/Warfare Statist

    Thomas DiLorenzo
    16 May 2012 | 10:25 am
    That's America's choice if "Willard" Romney is the Republican nominee. My old friend Yuri Maltsev, who was an economic advisor to Gorbachev and defected from the Soviet Union in the 1980s, calls Obama "the proud Marxist in the White House." Yuri knows a proud Marxist when he sees one. As for Willard, he has said that he wants to explode the growth of the warfare state even more than it has already been exploding under the past several regimes. On the subject of the welfare state, he has said that it is just fine and dandy except for the need for some "improvement." In D.C. speak, this means…

  • Americanisation of International Law

    Michael S. Rozeff
    16 May 2012 | 7:04 am
    Apoorva Anubhuti has a paper on the "Americanisation of International Law." Her thesis is that "International law has become the principal language in which domination is being expressed in the era of globalisation." She examines three different ways in which this is accomplished by the American empire: militarily (think Iraq and Afghanistan); bargaining/blackmail (think World Bank, EU, IMF, WTO, and bilateral investment treaties using the Hull doctrine); and consensually/hegemonically (think adopting American legal conventions as in Article 51 in the Law of Sea Convention).

  • Bottom-Up International Law

    Michael S. Rozeff
    16 May 2012 | 6:53 am
    Janet Levit has a paper on three examples of international law that grew up privately and/or in the free market way and not top-down, in the state way (like World Bank, IMF, WTO, EU, NAFTA). I can't vouch for their total purity, however. But they are examples of the spontaneous order that flowers in this world when given the opportunity. You've never heard of them because the press is directly linked to states and constantly publishes anything that state actors do, but doesn't cover in the same way the myriad free market developments. She discusses the Uniform Customs and Practice for…

  • Panarchy and the Free Lakota Bank

    Michael S. Rozeff
    16 May 2012 | 5:53 am
    Yesterday I posted on separation of banks (and their reform) from non-banking, leaving unsaid whether this would be done by the state or free markets, and I made a point of saying that the ideas were one of many possibilities and not the most far-reaching. Today I have an example of a bank that shows what is possible to evolve in a more free market and also in a panarchic direction (competing non-territorial governments and states). It is the Free Lakota Bank. For the record, I'm not recommending investment in anything. I don't make investment recommendations. I haven't examined the pros and…
 
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    ABC NEWS

  • Obama tries ‘hoagie diplomacy' with Congressional leaders

    16 May 2012 | 1:27 pm
    President Barack Obama on Wednesday took a novel approach to courting Congressional leaders due at the White House for lunch — he got take out. Obama made the brief trek from the White House to a nearby  Taylor Gourmet sandwich shop where he held a roundtable with small business owners, which included Taylor Gourmet co-owners Casey Patten and David Mazza. He then headed back to the presidential mansion with an armload of sandwiches. "My message to Congress -- and I'm going to have a chance to see the congressional leadership when I get back to the White House; I'm going to offer them some…

  • Seamus The Immortal: Romney's Dog On The Roof Story Is Getting A Book Tour

    16 May 2012 | 1:19 pm
    That infamous and seemingly immortal tale of Mitt Romney crating his dog on the roof of his car during a 14-hour road trip has already weaseled its way into the narrative of the 2012 campaign and is now splashing its way onto America’s bookshelves. The...

  • Bill Bradley on Knicks' 'Linsanity': 'Draft Character, Not Statistics'

    16 May 2012 | 1:07 pm
    Long before there was Jeremy Lin, another Ivy League basketball star was the talk of the NBA – Bill Bradley, who helped lead the New York Knicks to two championships during a Hall of Fame basketball career that predated his time in the Senate. For...

  • Mitt Romney endorses Connie Mack in Florida Senate race

    16 May 2012 | 12:17 pm
    Mitt Romney waded into the contentious Republican Senate primary in Florida Wednesday and endorsed Rep. Connie Mack as his party's nominee. "Connie Mack is a friend, a strong conservative and the type of principled leader we need in Washington to restore fiscal responsibility," Romney said in a statement. "By electing Connie Mack, the people of Florida will be sending a clear message to Senator Nelson and President Obama that their failed policies have not worked to change the borrow and spend ways of Washington." Mack-- whose father Connie Mack III served as a Florida senator in the '90s--…

  • Romney Backers Criticize Obama on Debt, Compare US Economy to Greece

    16 May 2012 | 12:15 pm
    As part of its weeklong push to criticize President Barack Obama on the economy and the deficit, the Republican National Committee and the Romney campaign today hit the president on the national debt. On an RNC conference call Wednesday, New Hampshire lawmakers never mentioned the...
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    National Review: The Campaign Spot

  • MoveOn.org Rallies the Wisconsin Troops!

    Jim Geraghty
    16 May 2012 | 11:42 am
    MoveOn.org just sent the following inspiring message to their followers: From: Daniel Mintz, MoveOn.org Political Action <moveon-help@list.moveon.org>Keep reading this post . . .

  • Politico's Sudden interest in Individuals in Romney Web Videos

    Jim Geraghty
    16 May 2012 | 11:05 am
    Politico finds it important that a man who appeared in Mitt Romney’s video was convicted of “assault on a peace officer” in 2005. Their research indicates the man served his sentence. He appears to be a carpenter, working on staircase repair at a hotel; he refers to an anecdote of writing his daughter’s name underneath a stair that appeared in the Des Moines Register.Keep reading this post . . .

  • The Crossroads GPS Ad That Swing States Will See a Lot

    Jim Geraghty
    16 May 2012 | 10:03 am
    If you live in a swing state, expect to see a lot of this ad in the coming month, as Crossroads GPS is going to spend $25 million to air it in  Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Michigan, North Carolina, New Hampshire, Nevada, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Virginia. That’s a lot of broken glass.Keep reading this post . . .

  • Perfect: $8.5 Billion Tax Hike on the Ballot in California in November

    Jim Geraghty
    16 May 2012 | 7:28 am
    The chances of California being in play in the presidential election are close to nil – but if I wanted to ensure GOP turnout was as high as possible in all of the down-ticket races, I would want something like a referendum on a giant, giant tax hike. Thank you, Governor Jerry Brown:Keep reading this post . . .

  • Obama, Up to Speed on Latest Kardashian Crises

    Jim Geraghty
    16 May 2012 | 7:04 am
    President Obama deserves all of the credit he gets, as he’s always focused on the big questions before him: Obama nails Kardashian quiz, tongue-tied by ‘50 Shades…’ question Keep reading this post . . .
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    Taegan Goddard's Political Wire

  • The Joke Jimmy Kimmel Didn't Tell

    16 May 2012 | 2:37 pm
    Jimmy Kimmel told Howard Stern a joke he decided not to tell at the White House Correspondents' Dinner: Said Kimmel: "I had some jokes about -- like Rick Santorum. I said something like -- well, I didn't say it, but: Newt Gingrich's campaign is so dead Mitt Romney wants to baptize it and Rick Santorum wants to put it in a jar and show it to his kids."

  • Bonus Quote of the Day

    16 May 2012 | 2:18 pm
    "Mr. Speaker, I like it when you cry. You give new meaning to compassionate conservative."-- Bill Clinton, quoted by Washingtonian magazine, to House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH).

  • Another Poll Shows Walker Ahead in Wisconsin

    16 May 2012 | 2:08 pm
    A new Marquette Law School Poll in Wisconsin shows that with three weeks to go until the recall election Gov. Scott Walker (R) has taken a six point lead over Tom Barrett (D), 50% to 44%, among likely voters.Three weeks ago, Walker's lead was just one point. Said pollster Charles Franklin: "While both parties show unusual levels of involvement in the campaign, Republicans appear to hold an advantage in likely turnout, although Democrats are more likely to have been contacted by a campaign. In a close election with so few undecided voters, enthusiasm, turnout and campaign contact with voters…

  • Obama Barely Ahead in North Carolina

    16 May 2012 | 11:56 am
    A new Public Policy Polling survey in North Carolina finds President Obama just edging Mitt Romney, 48% to 47%."There's been a lot of debate over the last month about whether North Carolina is really a swing state. Our polls over the last year and a half certainly suggest that it is, and I doubt either Obama or Romney will end up taking it by more than 3 pointss... Barring a huge shift in the national political climate over the next six months it's going to be close."

  • How Much is Romney Really Worth?

    16 May 2012 | 10:26 am
    Forbes does an extensive analysis of Mitt Romney's wealth and estimates he's worth approximately $230 million.Asked earlier this year for his own estimate, Romney told Univision that "It's between $150 and about $200-and-some-odd million dollars."
 
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    BBC News: Politics UK Edition

  • Assembly censures hotel row AM

    16 May 2012 | 10:40 am
    Labour AM Keith Davies is censured by fellow Welsh assembly members and reprimanded by his party.

  • Heckled May defends police change

    16 May 2012 | 10:00 am
    Home Secretary Theresa May denies her relationship with the police is beyond repair after she was heckled at the Police Federation conference.

  • Hague 'to fight for UK business'

    16 May 2012 | 9:50 am
    Foreign Secretary William Hague will promise to "argue relentlessly" for free trade around the world in an effort to boost the UK economy.

  • Voting starts for 1922 committee

    16 May 2012 | 9:50 am
    Conservative MPs are voting to elect a new executive of influential backbench group the 1922 committee

  • Be 'grown up' over FOI - Maude

    16 May 2012 | 9:32 am
    Policymakers should stop worrying about causing "embarrassment" over FOI requests, says Francis Maude, amid calls for act to be watered down.
 
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    town hall

  • twenty with a race thrown in there

    Stephanie
    14 May 2012 | 3:30 pm
    Saturday:My alarm clock went off at 5:30 am and I sat up wondering why I was getting up that early?  It took me 3-4 seconds to remember it was Saturday and I had my final long run to do.  I felt deflated for a second because I wanted to crawl back under the covers and ignore the 3+ hour endurance feat I was supposed to start in mere minutes.I threw on my robe and scurried downstairs to have a cup of hot chocolate and two pieces of toast with peanut butter.  After everything was prepared I took it up to the bathroom with me so I could eat while I changed into my running…

  • Lets talk swimwear

    Stephanie
    10 May 2012 | 12:21 am
    I've talked about it before, and I'm sure I'll talk about it again, but I just gotta lay it out there this time of year because we Oregonians are heading into the warmest weekend of the year (so far) and I know many women have swimsuit shopping on the mind.  So, lets review what looks good and appropriate and what doesn't.  Okay, here we go...If you are over 35 yrs. of age do not wear a bikini.  Harsh?  Maybe, but the truth is, seeing someone in a bikini when they shouldn't be is painful for the rest of us.  We don't enjoy seeing what should not be seen.Let me tell…

  • you win some, you lose some

    Stephanie
    8 May 2012 | 1:22 pm
    But, what matters most is that you tried.Wes and I work very hard to drill this concept into our kids heads.  In the past couple of weeks Emma and Alice have put themselves out there, doing things that are hard (and scary, IMO) and I’m so proud of them.They both tried out for things (plays/teams).  Performing in front of judges to be evaluated is such a gut-wrenching experience, and no matter the outcome I am super impressed with their willingness to try.We are all born with different talents. That is just reality.  Some of those talents are easier to categorize than…

  • Tired

    Stephanie
    5 May 2012 | 11:45 pm
    {image courtesy of Pinterest}I'm fatigued.  The marathon training is finally catching up with me physically, and I'm pooped.  I found myself asleep with my mouth open the other afternoon, curled up on a chair listening to the sounds of my kids swirling around me, and Say Yes to the Dress coming from the t.v..Today was a down day (my Saturday long runs alternate with shorter runs at this point).  It was "just" a 12 miler.  And, it was hard.  I didn't feel well.  How can I have an awesome 19 miler just a week ago, and struggle putting one foot in front of the other…

  • feed me

    Stephanie
    2 May 2012 | 11:29 pm
     Halfway through my freshman year in college I made a call to my mother to thank her.  I was sitting in the student lounge with the over sized receiver in my hand when I told her how much I appreciated all the meals she made for me during my whole life.  I'm fairly certain she didn't see this call coming.  I mean, who randomly gets a call thanking them for making dinner for them day in and day out for almost 18 years?  But, on my side of the line I was really feeling deep gratitude for her and her gift of feeding me.When I had kids, I was quite aware of the demands…
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    Mother Jones

  • Occupiers Take to the Farm

    Azeen Ghorayshi
    16 May 2012 | 5:00 am
    Early Monday morning, around 100 University of California police raided a five-acre patch of land owned by UC Berkeley and used occasionally for agricultural research. The raid came three weeks after roughly 200 activists, community members, and students took over a small patch of the land, known as the "Gill Tract," located in the small city of Albany, just north of Berkeley. The group cleared out piles of wild mustard, tilled the soil, planted 15,000 donated seedlings, and set up camp. When the university ordered them to leave, they kept farming. The university responded by cutting off…

  • "The Dictator": A Qaddafi-Inspired Rom-Com Filled With Pubic-Hair Jokes

    Asawin Suebsaeng
    16 May 2012 | 2:01 am
    The DictatorParamount Pictures 83 minutes If The Dictator were a dictator, it would probably be Chiang Kai-shek: good in spurts, but excessive and, in the end, unpardonably flawed. The film (directed by Larry Charles) chronicles the politically incorrect misadventures of Adm. General Haffaz Aladeen, the jolly autocrat of the fictional North African republic of Wadiya. The character—actor/satirist Sacha Baron Cohen's latest creation—is a comic pastiche of democracy-killing icons: Aladeen enjoys a flamboyant, sybaritic, rape-abundant lifestyle à la Uday Hussein. He possesses…

  • WATCH: Romney Plays the VP Vetting Game [Saunders Cartoon]

    Zina Saunders
    14 May 2012 | 3:10 pm
    Editors' note Mother Jones illustrator Zina Saunders creates editorial animations riffing on the political news and current events of the week. In this week's animation, GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney plays the Vice President vetting game. Who will his VP pick be? Paul Ryan, the darling of the let-them-eat-cake crowd? Chris Christie, who doesn't take orders from anyone who makes less than a million dollars? Or maybe it will be Marco Rubio, the Latino Tea Party favorite? The animation, as always, was written, animated, and acted by Zina Saunders.

  • Why America's Killer Drones Give Our Government Too Much Power

    Tom Engelhardt
    14 May 2012 | 1:50 pm
    This story first appeared on the TomDispatch website. Here's the essence of it: you can trust America's crème de la crème, the most elevated, responsible people, no matter what weapons, what powers, you put in their hands. No need to constantly look over their shoulders. Placed in the hands of evildoers, those weapons and powers could create a living nightmare; controlled by the best of people, they lead to measured, thoughtful, precise decisions in which bad things are (with rare and understandable exceptions) done only to truly terrible types. In the process, you simply…

  • If You Thought Michele Bachmann Was Out There...

    Tim Murphy
    14 May 2012 | 2:01 am
    Rep. Tim Walz should be in big trouble this November. The Minnesota Democrat's district gave just 51 percent of its vote to Barack Obama in 2008 and the National Republican Congressional Committee is spending big bucks attacking Walz as an out-of-touch lefty. But Walz has two things going for him. The GOP's April nominating convention ended in a stalemate after 23 ballots, meaning the two top candidates have to spend the next three months preparing for the August primary. That, in turn, means Walz stands a decent chance of facing Allen Quist, a 67-year-old soybean farmer and onetime…
 
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    The Raw Story

  • Will Smith: My son asked Obama about ‘the aliens’

    David Edwards
    16 May 2012 | 1:18 pm
    Actor Will Smith says he recently found himself in a “not cool” situation when his 13-year-old son, Jaden, asked President Barack Obama about the existence of extraterrestrial aliens. “I was at the White House with my family and we were getting a tour and, you know, Barack and Michelle and Sasha and Malia,” Smith recalled to BBC Radio 1 host Chris Moyles on Wednesday. “And it’s me, Jada and the kids and we’re walking through the White House. And the night before Jaden had said to me, ‘Dad, I got to ask the president about the aliens.’ I…

  • New home construction in U.S. increased in April

    Agence France-Presse
    16 May 2012 | 12:59 pm
    New construction of homes in the United States jumped in April, official data showed Wednesday in a fresh sign of improvement in the distressed housing market. Housing starts increased 2.6 percent from March, to 717,000 units, the Commerce Department said. That was well above the average analyst forecast of 680,000 starts. The April surge in starts marked a rebound from March, when new construction dropped a revised 2.6 percent. According to the latest numbers, housing starts are almost back to the average 719,000 pace of January and February, when unseasonably warm winter weather encouraged…

  • Kidnapped journalist found dead in Honduras

    Agence France-Presse
    16 May 2012 | 12:54 pm
    A journalist who was kidnapped a week ago has been found shot to death, making him the 20th to be killed in Honduras in the past three years amid rising gang violence, police said Wednesday. Alfredo Villatoro Rivera, 47, who worked for HRN radio, was found late Tuesday wearing an old police uniform, blindfolded with a red scarf and with gunshot wounds to the head, police spokesman Hector Ivan Mejia said. “We have the body of a male and unfortunately it matches the characteristics of journalist Alfredo Villatoro,” Mejia told a news conference. “We have no hypothesis” as…

  • Greece schedules new elections in June

    Agence France-Presse
    16 May 2012 | 12:46 pm
    Debt-laden Greece is headed for new elections next month following an indecisive vote and on Wednesday named a judge as caretaker premier amid growing fears over the country’s eurozone future. Panagiotis Pikrammenos, the head of Greece’s top administrative court, was tasked with organising the next general election, which the semi-state Athens News Agency said would be held on June 17. “This is clearly a caretaker administration whose sole purpose is to lead the country to elections,” Pikrammenos said after accepting the mandate from President Carolos Papoulias.

  • WHO warns one in three worldwide has high blood pressure

    Agence France-Presse
    16 May 2012 | 12:37 pm
    One in three adults suffers from high blood pressure, a key trigger of heart disease, health experts said on Wednesday while underlining the growing number of cases in developing countries. Canada and the United States have the fewest patients, at less than 20 percent of adults, but in some African countries the estimated figure is closer to 50 percent, the World Health Organization said. Increased life expectancy and changes in lifestyle mean that chronic conditions once associated with wealthier nations are now affecting lower income countries. “We are being successful in reducing the…
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    TPM Election Central

  • National Coalition For Men Endorses GOP Version Of VAWA Bill

    Brian Beutler
    16 May 2012 | 1:30 pm
    House GOP legislation to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act got an unexpected endorsement Tuesday -- one that Democrats couldn't be happier with. In a letter to all members, provided to TPM by Democratic aides, the president of the National Coalition for Men, wrote to endorse the House GOP's VAWA bill over a Senate-passed counterpart that extends the laws protections to same-sex couples, immigrants, and native American women (you can read the full letter here): "The House has the opportunity to pass H.R. 4970, a victim-centered VAWA reauthorization bill, endorsed by women andmen.

  • Volcker To Dimon: Just Give Up Your Banking License And We're Cool (VIDEO)

    Brian Beutler
    16 May 2012 | 12:22 pm
    How's this for serendipity? Just a couple weeks before Jamie Dimon announced publicly that his banking firm JPMorgan had lost a stunning $2 billion betting with depositor funds, he took to Fox News to criticize the Volcker Rule, meant to ban federally backstopped banks from engaging in proprietary trading. Bill Moyers invited former Fed chairman Paul Volcker -- the architect of the rule -- to respond: "You've got great advantages if you're a government regulated bank," Volcker explained. "Take the two big remaining investment banks -- used to call them investment banks -- Goldman Sachs and…

  • Presented By:

    Pheedo
    16 May 2012 | 12:22 pm

  • GOP Budget Violates Boehner's Debt Ceiling Demand

    Sahil Kapur
    16 May 2012 | 12:15 pm
    House Speaker John Boehner's demand Tuesday that the next increase in the debt limit be accompanied by dollar-for-dollar "cuts and reforms" apparently comes with a caveat: It doesn't apply to the GOP budget drafted by Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI). Ryan's House-passed blueprint would increase the nation's debt by $5 trillion over a decade, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office. The plan has the strong support of congressional Republicans and conservatives."I will again insist on my simple principle of cuts and reforms greater than the debt limit increase," Boehner said during a…

  • Crunch Time: House To Vote On Violence Against Women Act

    Sahil Kapur
    16 May 2012 | 9:45 am
    With a vote in the House scheduled Wednesday on the Violence Against Women Act, House Republicans are taking steps to ease the political blowback they have been getting on the issue, but Democrats and advocacy groups fret that the new proposals from the House GOP would still be a step backward. The weeks-long skirmish over the VAWA, which has already passed the Senate, is a high-stakes battle for women voters in an election, as Democrats seek to hold their sizable polling advantage with women and Republicans try to blunt that edge. Late Tuesday, the White House threatened to veto the House…
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    Guardian: UK Politics

  • Passport row sapped Home Office staff morale, survey finds

    Amelia Hill
    16 May 2012 | 1:30 pm
    Department responsible for law and order, immigration and security is most demoralised in governmentThe Home Office is Whitehall's most demoralised and discontented department, the first independent survey of civil servants' views of reforms has found.More employees in the department responsible for Britain's law and order, immigration and security said their organisation was poorly equipped to cope with the uncertainties and challenges of the future compared with elsewhere in government.They were also highly critical of colleagues they said were "incompetent". Two-thirds of the civil…

  • Miliband sets the goad standard

    Simon Hoggart
    16 May 2012 | 1:11 pm
    Labour has decided that Cameron's weak spot is his temper, and tried everything to make him lose it at PMQs"Calm down, calm down!" said Ed Balls to David Cameron as he was banging on about police budgets at prime minister's questions. Labour has decided it has found Cameron's weak spot – his temper. I assume they hope to goad him into losing it again. With any luck, they might get a real spittle-filled, face-purpling outburst, which would get a million hits on YouTube."I am extremely calm," the PM replied, but he said it like Herbert Lom as Inspector Clouseau's boss. You may recall the…

  • Labour reshuffles top jobs in House of Lords

    Juliette Jowit
    16 May 2012 | 12:28 pm
    Baroness Thornton will move from health to equalities, with her role on the health portfolio being taken over by Lord HuntThe Labour party's reshuffle of top jobs has been extended to the House of Lords.Baroness Thornton, who played a high profile role in the Lords' strong opposition to the controversial NHS reform bill in the last session of parliament, will move from health to equalities.Her lead role on the health portfolio will be taken over by Lord Hunt, a former minister in several departments under the previous Labour government, now shadow deputy leader of the upper house and Labour's…

  • If Sumption has his way, courts will hold the foreign secretary to account | Joshua Rozenberg

    Joshua Rozenberg
    16 May 2012 | 11:40 am
    Supreme court justice's speech heralds the growing self-confidence of judges when addressing foreign policy issuesCourts will continue to scrutinise the government's foreign policy decisions in ways that would have been unthinkable not long ago, Lord Sumption said this week. The recently-appointed supreme court justice predicted that the state would escape from the "spider's web" of the law less often than before.His assessment - in a lecture at the London School of Economics - is important because judges sitting at the highest level have every opportunity to influence the way the law…

  • David Cameron briefed on concerns over green deal for homeowners

    Damian Carrington
    16 May 2012 | 10:43 am
    Impact assessment shows loft insulations and cavity wall insulations are set to fall dramatically under current plansDeep concerns over the government's flagship policy to make 14m homes warmer and cheaper to heat have reached the top of government, with prime minister David Cameron and deputy prime minister Nick Clegg receiving a personal briefing on its troubles.The green deal aims to provide "pay as you save" loans to homeowners to improve their energy efficiency and cut bills. It is due to launch in October but has faced widespread criticism from energy companies, the building industry,…
 
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    The Plum Line

  • Greg Sargent: How Mitt Romney gets away with his lying

    Greg Sargent
    16 May 2012 | 11:59 am
    Yesterday, Mitt Romney gave a big speech in which he accused Obama of lighting a “prairie fire of debt.” It’s a good line, and it has received widespread media coverage. Romney’s speech has already been dissected by Jonathan Chait and Steve Benen. They note that it’s entirely at odds with conventional understanding of how deficits work, and utterly disconnected from context, rendering it almost unquantifiably misleading. Read full article >>

  • Jonathan Bernstein: The four reasons the Nebraska Senate race matters — a lot

    Jonathan Bernstein
    16 May 2012 | 10:39 am
    You wouldn’t know it from watching the cable networks, but what happened yesterday in Nebraska’s Republican Senate primary, where no-name State Senator Deb Fischer defeated state Attorney General Jon Bruning, is a major story, with several nationally important implications. Here are four of the most critical. Read full article >>

  • Greg Sargent: The Morning Plum: Obama’s high risk strategy

    Greg Sargent
    16 May 2012 | 7:49 am
    If there is one word that sums up the Obama campaign’s strategy in attacking Mitt Romney’s economic credentials, it’s this: “risk.” Risk is the theme that runs through the two key interwoven themes that the Obama team is trying to establish with its storytelling about Romney, Bain, and the middle class. Read full article >>

  • Greg Sargent: Happy Hour Roundup

    Greg Sargent
    15 May 2012 | 6:05 pm
    DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz confirms it: She’ll raise money for Tom Barrett and the battle to recall Scott Walker. Wisconsin Dems confirm to Buzzfeed that they are now confident the DNC will be there for them, though Buzzfeed notes it’s still not clear the DNC will do more than a fundraiser. Read full article >>

  • Greg Sargent: Gay marriage may not cost Obama in swing states, new polling suggests

    Greg Sargent
    15 May 2012 | 4:39 pm
    Yes, national polling shows increased support for gay marriage, but what about in the swing states? Couldn’t culturally conservative swing voters make Obama’s support for gay marriage risky, since tiny shifts can loom large? Read full article >>
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    Watchblog: Democrats

  • Mitt Romney: Bold Lies From a Coward

    9 May 2012 | 11:17 am
    The Mainstream Media, despite it's tendency to seek artificial balance to keep sensitive Republican pundits and politicians happy, sometimes just has to come down on the side of a difficult to deny truth. Romney, unfortunately, makes this too easy.He could honestly say he made a mistake, but admitting to mistakes is always politically difficult. He could let it drop, and not bring it up again, but apparently he waited too long before he decided that. He did in fact reject the notion of public help for a GM restructure, and that was the center of his Editorial, which got wide play. Does he…

  • "War on Women" Great for Obama

    7 May 2012 | 2:24 pm
    The Republicans are really doing a number on their reputation, and now it's trickling down to the state level of politics. We continue to see state legislatures nationwide, attacking women on a variety of policies. Republican candidate Mitt Romney has openly stated that he would like to see Roe vs. Wade overturned if he becomes president. The topic of abortion really isn't the only problem the Republican Party faces because Mitt Romney will be labeled for all Republican legislatures even at the state level. Romney has been asked to offer his position in regards to the Paycheck Fairness Act,…

  • April Job Numbers Put Private Sector Job Growth In The Black For President Obama

    4 May 2012 | 3:39 am
    The April job numbers came in below consensus again this month but upward revisions of the previous two months combined with the 115,000 new jobs keeps the six month average to a decent 197,000 jobs per month. Private sector job growth hit positive for the first time under President Obama.In the first 13 months of Obama's presidency the private sector lost 4.212 million jobs. Since then in 27 months the private sector has added back 4.247 million jobs. That +35,000 jobs represents a milestone in this recovery. Due to having lost 607,000 jobs in the government sector over that same span,…

  • The Kind of Encouragement I Fear.

    16 Apr 2012 | 2:54 am
    Let me preface this by saying I think this man was obviously disturbed, and that most men and women here in America are of good conscience. But I can't help but recall that only several decades before, an entire continent went nuts, with the pretext of another political disagreement as its starting point.I would like to think that such incidents are isolated, that a mass murder like the one in Norway, and the mass murderer himself are rare, but with what I hear from some Republicans and conservatives these days, I'm truly concerned that they aren't. The problem, I would submit is that in…

  • I like Mitt Romney

    13 Apr 2012 | 2:46 am
    I won't vote for him in November because I don't like his politics, but I like him as a person. The most qualified guy in his pack is moving on to win the GOP primary. Ron Paul will never lead anything outside of his district in Congress. He's too fringe. His supporters live in a delusional bubble where they force feed straw polls on every website on the Internet and convince themselves their guy's support is much larger than it is. Sorry folks. It's just not that big. Newt Gingrich is a cry baby who blames everyone but himself for his shortcomings and his moral failings. Just look at how he…
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    Watchblog: Third Party & Independents

  • RE: Mitt Romney: Bold Lies From a Coward

    11 May 2012 | 12:09 am
    What does that mean, Stephen Daugherty? I have a semicolen and you have a semicolen. Did I spell that right, Stephen Daugherty? "Semicolen" The answer, Stephen Daugherty, is either, "Yes", or, "NO".You link to: (semicolen) Romney supports bankruptsy and then you link to: (semicolen) Jon Stewart's parity to support your arguement! http://www.watchblog.com/democrats/archives/007953.html#343923 You're loosing it, Stephen Daugherty. Arrogance is your demise. You're no longer making a valid arguement. but we won't adopt successful "experiments" at the state level to the national level. Really!

  • Werk Harder, not Smarder!

    6 May 2012 | 7:24 pm
    I think I started hearing that montra when German people introduced Quality Assurance to replace Quality Control. QA replaces QC. The Japaneeze came over at the same time saying we need to be a work cell instead of an assembly line. Didn't someone of some importance say they "would bury us from within"? I once said I know when things are going to happen and one of you said "Prove it". Our politicians are just facilitators. The world is exhaling. It's going to caugh up the USA like a hairball, just to get another breath of fresh air.

  • WatchBlog: Rules For Comment Participation

    24 Apr 2012 | 12:09 am
    WatchBlog: Rules For Comment Participation http://www.watchblog.com/democrats/rules.html One handle or name to be used for comments. Using multiple names is not permitted. If you wish to permanently change the name you use on WatchBlog, please email the manager with the request to do so. Comments are permitted only on the topic of the article. Off topic comments will be removed at the management's discretion. If visitors have suggestions or complaints about the operation of WatchBlog, such suggestions or complaints are to be emailed to the managing editor at the email addresses at the bottom…

  • Long Live Corpocracy and the 545

    17 Apr 2012 | 5:27 pm
    A lot of hoopla about a few mil spent frivolously by the GSA quickly led to acknowledging the some $60B lost to war profiteering in Iraq/Afghan. Been known for years but the cover up is large. Any questions put to congresspersons begets a lot of finger pointing and little else. The public seems not to give a whit unless drugs or prostitution are involved. Rotten, and the 545 has worked hard to make it so. We really need a 3rd party with a different political attitude but alas, pull the dip stick from the third party column and it's dry to the touch. Otherwise, rock on Corpocracy!

  • Vermont Senate Passes Resolution To Abolish Corporate Personhood

    11 Apr 2012 | 11:05 am
    Noteworthy that the Vermont Senate has passed a resolution, 26-31, that may lead to this state becoming the first state to vote on abolishing corporate personhood. Senator Bernie Sanders played a major role on pushing the resolution. MoveToAmend.org and ReclaimDemocracy.org are waging an all out effort this year to get the issue of corporate personhood before local and state governing bodies. The Republic Sentry Party fully supports this drive to amend the constitution to abolish CP. Abolishing CP will be the first step for any REAL reform, campaign finance reform, tax reform, healthcare,…
 
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    TIME: The Page

  • No Replay

    Mark Halperin
    16 May 2012 | 12:39 pm
    In WH daily briefing, PressSec says POTUS told Congressional leaders he "refuses to allow a replay" of 2011's debt-ceiling "debacle." Carney: "It's not acceptable to hold the global economy hostage to one party's agenda."

  • Mitt for Mack

    Mark Halperin
    16 May 2012 | 12:08 pm
    Romney endorses FL Sen. candidate in emailed Wednesday statement: "Connie Mack is a friend, a strong conservative and the type of principled leader we need in Washington to restore fiscal responsibility."

  • Cain Backs Romney

    Mark Halperin
    16 May 2012 | 11:55 am
    9-9-9er to endorse presumptive nominee at Capitol Hill Club Wednesday.

  • Mitt Policy Planks Fall Short of Majority Support

    Mark Halperin
    16 May 2012 | 8:34 am
    ABC News/Washington Post poll finds Romney's plans to repeal ObamaCare and reduce tax rates by 20% fail to crack the half-century mark. Repealing ACA 40 in favor — 40 against Tax cut 48 in favor — 39 against

  • Crossroads GPS Goes Up Big on TV

    Mark Halperin
    16 May 2012 | 7:32 am
    In new 60-second spot, GOP-aligned group runs through litany of Obama's "broken promises" on taxes, healthcare, and the deficit. $8 million ad flight spread over 10 states: CO, FL, IA, MI, NC, NH, NV, OH, PA and VA. Watch it above.
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    Foreign Policy: Passport

  • BRICs lead the world in software piracy

    Joshua Keating
    16 May 2012 | 10:59 am
    The industry group Business Software Alliance is out with its annual report on global software piracy and it appears that the BRIC countries are still pretty dominant. Yes, Zimbabwe has the world's highest rate of software piracy at 92 percent, overtaking Georgia for the top spot this year. And the United States has the largest illegal software sector in terms of dollar value. But as the chart on the right shows, China, Russia, India, and Brazil combined for more than $17.9 billion worth of pirated software in 2011 -- 28 percent of the global total -- at an average piracy rate of 64 percent.

  • Map of the day: 1,000 years of Europe

    Joshua Keating
    16 May 2012 | 9:40 am
    In case you need a little perspective on all the apocalyptic eurozone speculation, take the next 10 minutes to witness a millennium of war, conquest and genocide! If you're impatient, here's the three-minute version. Hat tip: Kottke 

  • Morning Brief: Ratko Mladic's war crimes trial begins

    Uri Friedman
    16 May 2012 | 7:11 am
    Ratko Mladic's war crimes trial begins Top news: Ratko Mladic, the former Bosnian Serb leader who was captured last May after more than 15 years on the run, appeared in a courtroom in The Hague on Wednesday to begin his trial for war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity in connection with the Bosnian war in the 1990s. In outlining its case against Mladic, the prosecution accused the former military commander of "realizing through military might the criminal goals of ethnically cleansing much of Bosnia" by orchestrating the slaughter of 8,000 unarmed Muslim men and boys in…

  • Department of Omens

    Joshua Keating
    15 May 2012 | 4:24 pm
    This is probably not what Francois Hollande wanted on the first day of his presidency: After a succession of rain-drenched and pomp-filled ceremonial inauguration events, Hollande took off in a Falcon 7X aircraft for Berlin. The plane was hit by lightning shortly afterward, and returned to the Villacoublay air base outside Paris as a precaution for inspection, Defense Ministry spokesman Gerard Gachet said. Defense officials say the president and his entourage were transferred to another aircraft, a Falcon 900, and left shortly thereafter. That made Hollande about an hour and a half late for…

  • Who is responsible for 'grexit'?

    Joshua Keating
    15 May 2012 | 3:44 pm
    One of the most unfortunate neologisms of the European financial crisis has to be "Grexit," the now-ubiquitous term referring to a possible Greek exit from the eurozone. (I'm pretty fond of PIIGS, on other hand.) I was curious about who had first used the term. This FT Alphavillle post from Feb. 7 would seem to have the answer:   Grexit being, of course, a Greek exit from the eurozone. (Also, an app for archiving and sharing Gmail threads. Bummer for them.) The term comes from Willem Buiter and Ebrahim Rahbari at Citi, who are now leaning towards the “let them leave”…
 
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    Salon.com

  • SPIN METER: Rivals airbrush anti-Romney words

    16 May 2012 | 12:30 pm
    WASHINGTON (AP) — Remember Newt Gingrich calling Mitt Romney a liar? Michele Bachmann saying Romney's unelectable? Rick Santorum calling Romney "the worst Republican in the country" to run against President Barack Obama?They're hoping you don't. And acting like it never happened (even though most of their words are just clicks away online.)One by one — with the exception of holdout Ron Paul — the GOP also-rans have coughed up endorsements of their onetime rival. And as they do, they're pulling rhetorical backflips to distance themselves from their former harsh assessments of…

  • Ron Paul sets up Rand for 2016

    16 May 2012 | 11:50 am
    So Ron Paul says he is going to stop actively campaigning, but his supporters will continue to rack up delegates by storming state conventions. What will he do with these delegates? That is still unclear. (Barter them for gold?) What is the point of this strategy, exactly? Also unclear, but the Daily Beast's Ben Jacobs today says it's part of a "sneaky maneuver" to help his son Rand out. Ron will continue to consolidate power but will not appear to be actively sabotaging the party's nominee. Dave Weigel says the maneuver is less sneaky and barely a maneuver: He doesn't want it to be a huge…

  • Next Tea Party targets

    16 May 2012 | 11:36 am
    What may be most notable about the surprise triumph yesterday of a Sarah Palin-backed insurgent in Nebraska’s Republican Senate primary is how routine these sorts of things are becoming.Deb Fischer’s late charge to victory wasn’t really rooted in ideology. As Hotline’s Reid Wilson points out, she’s actually racked up a (somewhat) moderate record in the Nebraska legislature, and has some personal connections to the state’s leading GOP establishment figures.But most GOP primary voters probably didn’t know this. Fischer came to the race with little money or name recognition and…

  • Susana Martinez’s veep suicide

    16 May 2012 | 11:04 am
    While Newsweek touted New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez as a possible running mate for Mitt Romney, the erstwhile beneficiary of the hype all but killed her chances of getting the job by opening her mouth.“I absolutely advocate for comprehensive immigration reform,” Martinez  told reporter Andrew Romano. “Republicans want to be tough and say, ‘Illegals, you’re gone.’ But the answer is a lot more complex than that.”With those words, Martinez inflicted multiple wounds on whatever slender chance she had to join the national ticket. First, she indicated support for the immigration…

  • Romney’s human shield

    16 May 2012 | 11:00 am
    The only honest line in "Inside the Circus," the recent Politico e-book in which millions of nauseating Republican operatives lacerate each other anonymously during primary season, should be mounted on the computers of all "political news readers": "It is sometimes unclear whether political campaigns are run for the benefit of the voters and office seekers or for the professional consultants who earn their living from politics." Every other line in the book mostly goes like, and then the RNC flack whispered that the campaign flack didn't know what he was doing, but that one sentence about…
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    Patrick Ruffini

  • Want to Win in 2012? Hire Engineers and Data Scientists, Not Social Media Experts

    16 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    Folks are abuzz about how the candidates are rollin’ and Tumbloggin’ around the Internet, trying to become more Pinteresting. Most of the discussion this year seems to center around what folks in the Web world call the front-end — turning GIFs, (now old-fashioned) web videos, and CSS and HTML5 effects into weapons of mass political destruction. Beyond its head-turning message, an underappreciated fact about the Obama campaign’s “Life of Julia” is that it was the first parallax slider-based campaign attack in American history. But while the media and the…

  • Stunning Branding Gives Voice to the Crossroads Generation

    15 May 2012 | 12:15 pm
    At Engage, we pride ourselves on raising the bar. And this is what we mean by that: CrossroadsGeneration.com. Crossroads Generation, a new GOP Super PAC, is a joint venture of the College Republican National Committee, Young Republican National Federation, Republican State Leadership Committee and American Crossroads to win back young voters. Engage’s design studio created the beautiful branding and voice behind this new group. We even developed a custom media upload solution for the site. Check out the new CrossroadsGeneration.com and tell us what you think! And be sure to follow XG…

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    14 May 2012 | 6:08 pm
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  • #XG http://instagr.am/p/KnzTM6Ld0A/

    14 May 2012 | 4:32 pm
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  • All comes down to this http://instagr.am/p/KkfFAcLd5O/

    13 May 2012 | 9:38 am
    All comes down to this http://instagr.am/p/KkfFAcLd5O/
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    Roll Call: Politics

  • Florida: Connie Mack IV Gets Mitt Romney Endorsement

    16 May 2012 | 1:41 pm
    Florida Rep. Connie Mack IV (R) today got the endorsement of presumptive GOP White House nominee Mitt Romney, boosting his effort to win the GOP nomination to take on two-term Sen. Bill Nelson (D).

  • Mike Johanns: Club for Growth Sank Don Stenberg

    16 May 2012 | 1:24 pm
    As Republicans sought to interpret Deb Fischer’s upset victory in Tuesday’s Nebraska Senate primary and what it portends for the 2012 elections, Sen. Mike Johanns (R) told Roll Call that the third-party groups who spent heavily to boost Don Stenberg are responsible for his last-place finish.

  • Hawaii: VoteVets on Air for Tulsi Gabbard

    16 May 2012 | 12:55 pm
    A liberal veterans group is going on the air in Hawaii to support Honolulu City Councilwoman Tulsi Gabbard in the open 2nd district.

  • FreedomWorks Backs Three Upstarts for Open House Seats

    16 May 2012 | 12:52 pm
    FreedomWorksannounced its support for three upstart Republican House candidates today, pitting the conservative grass-roots group against local elected officials in each state.

  • Crossroads GPS Kicks Off $25 Million Ad Buy Across 10 States

    16 May 2012 | 10:00 am
    Crossroads GPS will launch a massive $25 million issue ad campaign on Thursday to run for the next four weeks, kicking off its largest buy this year in these 10 targeted states.
 
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    Comment is free | guardian.co.uk

  • Facebook IPO: commentary and analysis from around the web

    Amanda Michel
    16 May 2012 | 1:40 pm
    An ongoing collection of commentary and analysis on Facebook's upcoming IPOThe nearly $100bn valuation of Facebook in the lead up to the company's much-anticipated public offering Friday has many people talking and some investors reeling. The eight-year old company has an unprecedented 900 million users worldwide, and its COO is none other than Sheryl Sandberg, the former Google executive whose management of Google's ad sales department generated billions in revenue. The questions is, is Facebook worth almost $100bn? Is it here to stay? Will it follow the path of MySpace or Google? Nearly 80%…

  • Dropping Rio Ferdinand for Euro 2012 sends out the wrong message | Rodney Hinds

    Rodney Hinds
    16 May 2012 | 1:05 pm
    It's hard to believe this happened for footballing reasons. It's John Terry who should be dropped until he's cleared his nameRio Ferdinand has surely played his last game for England. After 81 games for the national side, the central defender has been axed from the Euro 2012 squad by new England manager Roy Hodgson. Ferdinand's omission has had many in and outside of the game scratching their heads. Is it a football decision, or a political decision?One of Hodgson's first tasks as the England chief was to address the impasse between Ferdinand and fellow central defender John Terry, whose seat…

  • Why Upfront needs to make drama out of a crisis | Caryn Mandabach

    Caryn Mandabach
    16 May 2012 | 11:47 am
    Upfront season sees frantic wooing between TV networks and advertisers. But without quality airtime, the relationship is brokenAfter the hectic and wasteful piloting process is over, it is once again Upfront season in NYC, which means it's time to trot out the goods in front of the television advertisers. As ever, they are meant to be impressed by the razzle-dazzle of the program presentation reels, and thus offer to pay more for the time and the privilege to have their clients be adjacent to the new magic. Alas, this moribund institution hasn't had any real purpose, apart from building up…

  • Flexible UK workers are staying in work – but we must invest in job creation | Jonathan Portes

    Jonathan Portes
    16 May 2012 | 10:42 am
    British workers' resilience in the labour market has meant that employment statistics are not as bad as they could have beenOverall, today's employment statistics are good news. They confirm the resilience of the UK labour market in the face of a very weak economy. If, three years ago, you had told me – or almost any other labour market economist – that output would still be more than 4% below its peak level, we'd have predicted unemployment of well over 3 million. Thankfully, we were wrong. So what's going on?At a headline level, the most important factor is that British workers have…

  • Q&A with Ana Marie Cox: Ron Paul's libertarian adventure

    Ana Marie Cox
    16 May 2012 | 10:31 am
    Ron Paul has suspended his campaign but plans to make a splash at the convention. Join us to discuss what he's achievedRon Paul announced this week that he was suspending active campaigning in the states yet to vote in this year's Republican presidential nomination contest. Despite this scaling-back of effort, Paul has remained a remarkably constant presence in the race, while other candidates have come and gone.Paul was never a serious challenger to Mitt Romney's frontrunner status, but he has earned praise from some for using the primaries to build a movement – and looks likely to…
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    Wired: Danger Room

  • Step 1 in U.S. Plan to Rule Sea and Sky: Actually Share Data

    Spencer Ackerman
    16 May 2012 | 12:24 pm
    Until the Navy and the Air Force develop better data-integration systems, their plan to dominate the seas and skies could be hung up by an inability to communicate by more than semaphore, shown by this sailor aboard the U.S.S. Kitty Hawk. Photo: U.S. Navy No one really understands the Navy and the Air Force’s new blueprint for dominating Earth’s seas and skies. But what’s increasingly clear, even to the heads of both the Navy and the Air Force, is that there’s a big challenge ahead for it, one that doesn’t have anything to do with an adversary like China: getting…

  • Why the World Isn’t Freaking Out About Iran’s Plasma-Powered Spy Sat

    Noah Shachtman
    16 May 2012 | 5:30 am
    Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visits an exhibition of Iran's laser science. Photo: AP/Mehr News Agency Next Wednesday, Iran will try to launch an experimental reconnaissance satellite into orbit — just as international negotiators gather in Baghdad for talks about Tehran’s nuclear program. The timing couldn’t be more inflammatory, and rogue state satellite launches are usually considered to be missile tests in drag. So why isn’t the world throwing itself into a tizzy about the mission? After all, when North Korea last month tried (and utterly failed) to…

  • Majority of Mexicans Want More U.S. Help in Drug War

    Robert Beckhusen
    15 May 2012 | 4:00 pm
    A U.S. Army National Guardsman at his post along the U.S.-Mexico border near Nogales, Arizona, on Jan. 17, 2007. Photo: Department of Defense. This summer, Mexicans will go to the polls to choose their country’s next commander-in-chief. But the new president will also have to deal with ominous developments in the drug war and the fact that few Mexicans believe the government’s strategy is working. He or she will also have to negotiate with the U.S. on the scope — and responsibilities — of America’s role in fighting the cartels. The reason is stunning. More than…

  • Defense Chief Restricts Stealth Jet Till It Stops Choking Pilots

    Spencer Ackerman
    15 May 2012 | 2:07 pm
    An F-22 Raptor. Photo: USAF For five years, America’s most expensive fighter jets have been poisoning their pilots and crew. On Tuesday, the Defense Secretary finally stepped in — restricting the flights of the F-22 Raptor, and ordering the Air Force to begin an “expedited installation” of an automatic backup oxygen system for the entire fleet of Raptors, Pentagon spokesman George Little tells reporters. But Panetta is allowing the stealthy dogfighter to keep flying — for now. The new oxygen systems will undergo flight tests through November, with installation…

  • Blogger Shines Light on U.S. Shadow War in East Africa

    David Axe
    15 May 2012 | 12:00 pm
    An F-15E at an air show last year. Photo: Air Force An innocuous-seeming U.S. Air Force press release. A serendipitous satellite image in Google Earth. Snapshots from a photographer on assignment at a Spanish air base. The crash of an Air Force F-15E Strike Eagle fighter-bomber in the United Arab Emirates. These are some of the fragments of information that Italian aviation blogger David Cenciotti has assembled to reveal the best picture yet of the Pentagon’s secretive war in the Arabian Peninsula and East Africa. In a series of blog posts over the past two weeks, Cenciotti has…
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    Why Tuesday?

  • French Turnout Has Tweeps Talking

    Jacob Soboroff
    6 May 2012 | 7:58 pm
    As we were saying… France today voted for president with an 80% turnout. Today, as in a Sunday. And why do we vote on Tuesday again in the United States, where our turnout averages 50%? Oh, that’s right. No good reason. One of our major disappointments with the recent U.S. Government Accountability Office study about implementing nationwide weekend voting was that it didn’t look at voter turnout in other countries with weekend voting. The good news is, people are starting to take notice. Today a few of Twitter’s boldface names — and many more — pointed out…

  • Weekend Voting on ABC’s This Week

    Jacob Soboroff
    22 Apr 2012 | 2:59 pm
    Welcome to those of you who are viewers of This Week With George Stephanopoulos who made your way here after hearing him talk about us this morning on ABC. The idea of moving Election Day to the weekend may be new to you, but it’s not to Stephanopoulos. In 2008, he endorsed the idea in an ABC News op-ed. [Rep. Steve Israel, D-NY, and Norm Ornstein, resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute] argue Tuesday voting has depressed voter turnout rates in the US, and unfairly penalizes low-income voters who often choose between having to work and voting… I think Israel and…

  • Weekend Voting, Made Pretty

    Jacob Soboroff
    17 Apr 2012 | 3:40 pm
    We’ve again partnered with Participant Media’s TakePart to produce this awesome infographic about why voting on Tuesday (instead of the weekend) is just plain silly, and how Tuesday voting contributes to America’s terrible voter turnout. Our big question: Are Americans Doing It Wrong? Obviously, yes! We sorted through all of the data we have collected over the years to make the best case, in the most visually pleasing way possible, for moving Election Day to the weekend. International elections, voter turnout stats, census data and even a little history thrown in. It’s all…

  • Today’s Lesson: Tuesday Voting

    Jacob Soboroff
    10 Apr 2012 | 2:46 pm
    We’re excited to announce that my February 2012 talk at TED Active about our work has been chosen to be a part of the curriculum of TED-Ed, the education initiative from the TED conference. Now students around the country — and the world — will all have a chance to learn the absurd answer to why Americans vote on Tuesday. Here’s the video description from the team at TED-Ed: Since 1845, Americans have been voting on Tuesdays — but why? In this humorous talk, Jacob Soboroff shares the history of Election Day and shows how voting on a Tuesday affects voter turnout.

  • Record GOP Turnout, On Saturdays

    Jacob Soboroff
    26 Mar 2012 | 9:47 am
    Two of the most hotly-contested primary states this year, South Carolina and Louisiana, produced their highest-ever voter turnout for a Republican presidential primary election while voting on Saturdays. Newt Gingrich won the South Carolina primary with the majority of the record-setting 21% of GOP primary voters who showed up on a Saturday in January. And over the weekend Rick Santorum took home the W in Louisiana when a record-breaking 917,046 people showed up to vote, according to this tweet from Trip Gabriel at the New York Times. Though turnout at first seemed low in LA primary, it…
 
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    The Anchoress

  • Quick Reminder:

    Elizabeth Scalia
    16 May 2012 | 11:42 am
    I am essentially offline and working on another project (or trying to… ). Although I am occasionally posting, comments will remain closed until June, as I have no time to moderate.I would appreciate any spare prayers you having going unused…

  • War on Women Propaganda

    Elizabeth Scalia
    16 May 2012 | 11:31 am
    All wars have their propaganda I must say, I like this salvo — a clever video put out by the Susan B. Anthony List:Click here to view the embedded video.I especially like the closing line: “Tell President Obama to respect a woman’s choice to practice her beliefs…not his.”And you can do that here.In other news, DC Bishop Donald Wuerl is trying some pastoral instruction on Georgetown. My bet is Georgetown won’t be listening.I am more than ever convinced that schism within the American church is around the corner

  • “Putting Love where there is no love”

    Elizabeth Scalia
    15 May 2012 | 9:39 am
    Tony Rossi has today’s must read.

  • Pity the President – UPDATE

    Elizabeth Scalia
    15 May 2012 | 9:22 am
    He is such a small and insecure man: The Heritage Foundation’s Rory Cooper tweeted that Obama had casually dropped his own name into Ronald Reagan’s official biography on www.whitehouse.gov, claiming credit for taking up the mantle of Reagan’s tax reform advocacy with his “Buffett Rule” gimmick. My first thought was, he must be joking. But he wasn’t—it turns out Obama has added bullet points bragging about his own accomplishments to the biographical sketches of every single U.S. president since Calvin Coolidge . . .*On Feb. 22, 1924 Calvin Coolidge became the first president to…

  • When Marriage is an “Office” Not a “Right”

    Elizabeth Scalia
    15 May 2012 | 4:39 am
    Over at First Things, I’m wondering if perhaps we have been thinking about marriage, and about all of our roles as human beings, in the wrong way. What if we thought about life in terms of Office; can we comprehend equality — all quite natural and unforced — then?While all offices are equal, the Office of Marriage is one of especial humility and sacrifice. The essentials of procreation residing within us are so powerful that unless one ardently works to prevent it, new life will come (a recent study found that 54% of abortions stem from contraception “failure”). The…
 
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    Betsy's Page

  • Obama's contempt for voters

    Betsy Newmark
    16 May 2012 | 9:03 am
    Not only does Obama think voters are so stupid and uninformed that they'll swallow his garbage about how the government and the internet are responsible for the success of Microsoft or how Mitt Romney is responsible for the failure of a company that closed in the midst of a national decline in steel production two years after Romney left the company, now Obama is back to calling Americans bigots. He went on The View and said that his reelection will be tough this year because his name is Barack Hussein Obama. Hello?! Did he happen to forget that Americans were able to get over his name four…

  • Cruising the Web

    Betsy Newmark
    16 May 2012 | 6:20 am
    George Lucas gets some Jedi revenge on Marin County.Mickey Kaus and Ted Frank wonder how an Obama pal offering Jeremiah Wright $150,000 to stay quiet during the 2008 campaign is all that different from John Edwards' moneybag friends offering Rielle Hunter money to stay out of sight during his presidential run.The Taxman Cometh for children's books.Gosh, there are a lot of lies in Obama's claims about the bailout of GM. And the Obama administration knows that these are lies, but they keep repeating them.Having just $34 billion to show after a $100 billion-plus investment would get a chief…

  • The insufferable egotism of The One

    Betsy Newmark
    15 May 2012 | 9:30 am
    Seth Mandel uncovers a perfect example of the hubris of Obama and his acolytes in his administration. They have rewritten the official biographies of past presidents back to Calvin Coolidge, excluding Gerald Ford, to insert references to The One. Here are some examples from whitehouse.gov * On Feb. 22, 1924 Calvin Coolidge became the first president to make a public radio address to the American people. President Coolidge later helped create the Federal Radio Commission, which has now evolved to become the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). President Obama became the first president to…

  • Cruising the web

    Betsy Newmark
    15 May 2012 | 6:57 am
    Hmmm, could it be true that the leak about that underwear bomber revealed last week was really a British-Saudi operation that the CIA hadn't even known about until recently? And what about those allegations that the leak came frohttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifmhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif the Obama administration and that the Brits are furious about how the leak endangered the asset and the investigation? http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifHere is more evidence of how worthless the United Nations is. Instead of investigating truly devastating conditions of hunger around the…

  • Cruising the Web

    Betsy Newmark
    14 May 2012 | 5:43 am
    Why should barbers have to be licensed? So many occupational license regulations are just methods for those who are in the profession to keep newcomers out. And those who are already employed have their pet politicians to keep their protection. Their defense is ludicrous.Take the response of the director of a barbering school in Michigan to a different proposal by a state legislator (not included in Mr. Snyder's proposal) to repeal barber licenses: "I'm not saying we are as important as doctors, but we are the closest you can get. We are turning this into the Wild, Wild West. . . . I'd like…
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    Riehl World View

  • FBI Thinking Hate Crime For George Zimmerman, Whose Grandmother Was Black?

    Dan
    15 May 2012 | 9:58 pm
    It was a day of puzzling contrasts in the case of George Zimmerman, whose attorney is just beginning to receive the evidence prosecutors intend to use against his client for shooting and killing Trayvon Martin. It's said the FBI may be looking at charging Zimmerman with a hate crime. Additionally, Zimmerman appears to have mentored a black child, at some point in his life. SANFORD, Fla. — WFTV has learned charges against George Zimmerman could be getting more serious. State prosecutors said Zimmerman, a neighborhood watchman, profiled and stalked 17-year-old Trayvon Martin before killing…

  • Obama Loving, New Orleans College Student: Off Palin, Bristol Has Downs, Too

    Dan
    14 May 2012 | 6:29 pm
    Do they hate because they're liberal, or are they liberal because they hate? Ugly stuff. This Tweet, reproduced from the major website "Addictomatic" quotes a person apparently calling for the murder of Sarah Palin. Some of her additional Tweets via Favstar. New Orleanian. College Student. Twenty. Professional lurker. i fucking agree, Obama. college shouldn't be a luxury. Because someone else should pay for it, I suppose. A real smart, class act, mariah_reloaded, if still there.

  • Obama Tried To Bribe Rev. Wright And A School Lenin Would Have Loved

    Dan
    13 May 2012 | 1:33 pm
    Some interesting dots to connect in a breaking story suggesting a close friend of Obama attempted to bribe Jeremiah Wright to keep quiet. Just off the top, what's notable is that the Post didn't put a timeline to the alleged bribe offer to Wright and a meeting Wright had with Obama, in which Barry asked Wright to stand down. Hmm. Edward Klein interviewed Wright, who told him Obama’s team tried to buy his silence. ‘Man, the media ate me alive,” Wright told me when we met in his office at Chicago’s Kwame Nkrumah Academy. “After the media went ballistic on me, I received an e-mail…

  • Poor Mitt, Or My Tragic Tale Of High School Slavery

    Dan
    11 May 2012 | 4:43 pm
    Forget that it looks like a trumped up political hit piece by the Post. I've pushed back on this ridiculous story so hard, even some friends have privately suggested I may have been a bully at some point. Not if you aren't on the left, today, frankly. heh! Actually, I tend to instinctively side with the genuinely weak, not the strong, if it's not through someone's own doing, or desire. Still, based upon his age, Romney would have gone to high school over a decade before me.  Sister of Alleged Romney Target Has ‘No Knowledge’ of Any Bullying Incident So, Romney went to Prep school in the…

  • Yes, Virginia, There Can Be A Santa Claus - Will Va. Vote Romney?

    Dan
    11 May 2012 | 11:43 am
    The conventional wisdom is, a small handful of states will decide the presidency come November and Virginia is one of them. Is it "the" one? We'll see. Here's some good analysis in that regard.  When Mitt Romney stopped in Virginia last week he said, “This may well be the state [that] decides who the next president is.” At least he understands the stakes. Barring a collapse by either Romney or President Obama, the popular vote will be close. Major polls are all within the margin of error and likely to stay that way. Romney supporters know they face an uphill battle to unseat an incumbent…
 
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    The Gateway Pundit

  • Obama Continues His Assault on Christians: Will Force Military Chaplains to Marry Gays

    Jim Hoft
    16 May 2012 | 12:26 pm
    The first gay president will force military chaplains to perform same sex marriages or face repercussions. This follows the administration’s very public assault on the Catholic Church earlier this year with their mandate that forces religious organizations to pay for employees’ birth control. Barack Obama will force military chaplains to marry gays. CNS News reported: The Obama administration “strongly objects” to provisions in a House defense authorization bill that would prohibit the use of military property for same-sex “marriage or marriage-like” ceremonies, and…

  • David Letterman to Tom Brokaw: “What More Do We Want Obama to Do? Honest to God!” (Barf Alert)

    Jim Hoft
    16 May 2012 | 11:13 am
    Oh, good grief! David Letterman and crank Brian Williams held their own whine-fest last night on late night television. Letterman asked Williams, “What more do we want Obama to do for us? Honest to God!” Poor guys. Expect to see a lot more of this in the coming months as failed President Obama continues to sink in the polls. Watch, listen, and prepare to barf.  Skip more than four minutes of nauseating, mutual gushing over Obama, and at 7:10 hear the late night Obama sycophant’s outburst. Via Mediaite and Lucianne: NBC News anchor Brian Williams appeared on CBS’ The Late…

  • Bobby Jindal on Obama’s Experience: “He Never Ran a Lemonade Stand” (Video)

    Jim Hoft
    16 May 2012 | 5:25 am
    Governor Bobby Jindal (R-LA) blasted President Obama yesterday in an interview. The popular Louisiana conservative told reporters, “He never ran a lemonade stand.” But if he did… Ragbrai Real Clear Politics has video. ABC reported, via Free Republic: Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal criticized President Obama‘s experience before he became president in an interview Tuesday, and defended Mitt Romney, who has recently come under attack by Obama’s campaign for his record at Bain Capital. “President Obama hasn’t run anything before he was elected President of the United…

  • Catholic University Drops Student Insurance – Says Costs Will Double Under Obamacare

    Jim Hoft
    16 May 2012 | 4:48 am
    Back in 2009 and 2010 Barack Obama repeatedly promised Americans, “If you like your plan, you will be able to keep your plan.” But after the bill was rammed through Congress and signed into law Barack Obama immediately started to backtrack. Yesterday, Franciscan University of Steubenville announced it would discontinue its student plan. The university said Obamacare would double the costs for students. Todd Starnes reported: The Franciscan University of Steubenville has announced it will drop health insurance coverage for students because the cost of the plan is expected to double…

  • Grassroots Candidate Deb Fischer Wins Nebraska GOP Primary for Senator – After Palin Endorsement

    Jim Hoft
    16 May 2012 | 4:37 am
    Score another win for Sarah Palin. Grassroot’s candidate Deb Fischer won the GOP primary for senator last night in Nebraska. AG Bruning, the establishment pick, was expected to walk away with this race as little as two weeks ago. KETV reported: The Associated Press has projected Deb Fischer as the winner of the GOP nomination for U.S. Senate. Most of the evening, Jon Bruning maintained a lead over Fischer; however, during the 9 p.m. hour, the lead switched in favor of Fischer. Just under 6,000 votes separated the top two candidates when the Associated Press called the race. “We…
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    Hullabaloo

  • Norman Solomon vs the empire

    16 May 2012 | 1:30 pm
    Norman Solomon vs the empireby digbyThe Problem:Now that Mitt Romney is the presumptive nominee of the Republican Party, the media is already handicapping the presidential election big time, and the neck-and-neck opinion polls are pouring in. But whether President Obama gets his second term or Romney enters the Oval Office, there’s a third candidate no one’s paying much attention to, and that candidate is guaranteed to be the one clear winner of election 2012: the U.S. military and our ever-surging national security state.The reasons are easy enough to explain. Despite his record as a…

  • Sickening factoid 'o the day

    16 May 2012 | 11:56 am
    Sickening factoid 'o the dayby digbyA very brief primer on why we live in a backward country:The United States is the only developed nation that does not require employers to give their employees paid sick leave. For many Americans, that means choosing between their pay and their health — a devil’s choice if there ever was one.[...]In 2009, Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) introduced a bill called the Healthy Families Act that would require businesses that have at least 15 employees to offer some paid sick time to their employees. Although it gained an impressive 125 co-sponsors, it never made…

  • A brilliant racket, by @DavidOAtkins

    16 May 2012 | 8:30 am
    A brilliant racketby David AtkinsThis is darkly comic:Hundreds of millions of dollars meant to provide a little relief to the nation’s struggling homeowners is being diverted to plug state budget gaps. In a budget proposed this week, California joined more than a dozen states that want to help close gaping shortfalls using money paid by the nation’s biggest banks and earmarked for foreclosure prevention, investigations of financial fraud and blunting the ill effects of the housing crisis. California was awarded more than $400 million from the banks, and Gov. Jerry Brown has proposed using…

  • Pete Peterson's crusade of a lifetime

    15 May 2012 | 7:01 pm
    Crusade of a lifetimeby digbyI mentioned the annual Pete Peterson Poor People Ritual Sacrifice confab earlier, but this piece about the man's material devotion to his cause by Ryan Grim is a must-read:According to a review of tax documents from 2007 through 2011, Peterson has personally contributed at least $458 million to the Peter G. Peterson Foundation to cast Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and government spending as in a state of crisis, in desperate need of dramatic cuts. Peterson's millions have done next to nothing to change public opinion: In survey after survey, Americans reject…

  • The alternative, by @DavidOAtkins

    15 May 2012 | 5:30 pm
    The alternativeby David AtkinsThe Obama campaign has come out with a devastating six-minute web ad slamming Mitt Romney's record as a job destroyer. Most people won't watch a lengthy web video, of course, but the themes in it will be difficult for the Romney campaign to dispel as they're diced into 30-second commercials over the summer and fall.The big question, though, is what exactly the President will offer as his own counternarrative. The stimulus and salvaging the American auto industry are helpful, of course. But given that the President has been cutting government jobs and preaching…
 
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    Eschaton

  • Wanker of the Day

    16 May 2012 | 12:24 pm
    Fred Hiatt.

  • Lunch Thread

    16 May 2012 | 11:00 am
    enjoy.

  • Everybody's Fault But Mine

    16 May 2012 | 9:07 am
    One of the joys of the world economy is that Our Galtian Overlords get to blame everybody else for things going wrong. Sir Mervyn King is warning now that the eurozone crisis is the single biggest threat to Britain's recovery from recession. Indeed, a disorderly break-up of the eurozone would be so catastrophic that the Bank of England continues to exclude it from its forecasts. But even without it, the Bank now believes that the UK will only grow by around 0.8% this year (down from 1.2% previously). By his own estimates the recovery really isn't even absent a total crisis. Still he's right…

  • Car Sharing

    16 May 2012 | 7:59 am
    It probably won't do much to reduce driving - and might even increase it a bit - but it's certainly a cost saver for people who can use it (flip the decision between owning and not owning a car for those who don't need one for their commute) and definitely reduce the amount of required parking in areas where it is popular. Personally, if convenient affordable car sharing didn't exist, I'm not sure if I would own a car now. But with it I have zero desire to have one.

  • They'll Never Stop

    16 May 2012 | 6:57 am
    One of the weirder beliefs out there is once we get a "deal" which puts the middle estimate of Social Security solvency projected out 75 years or infinity+1 or whenever, the entitlement-killers will declare victory, go home, and we'll never talk about this stuff again. They'll never stop. They don't care about the health of entitlement programs, they care about their death.
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    Democratic Underground Latest Breaking News

  • The Real Fraud: Second ‘Non-Citizen’ In James O’Keefe Voter Fraud Video Naturalized In 2011

    16 May 2012 | 2:40 pm
    Source: [b]Think Progress Justice Blog[/b] In conservative filmmaker James O’Keefe’s latest video, he features two “non-citizens” who have supposedly committed voter fraud in North Carolina. As ThinkProgress reported yesterday, one of the men, Zbigniew Gorzkowski, has actually been an Ame...

  • Walker: New Data Says Wisconsin Gained Jobs In 2011

    16 May 2012 | 2:35 pm
    Source: [b]TPM[/b] So did Wisconsin lose jobs, or gain them, in 2011? The answer could make a huge difference in the June 5 recall election of Republican Gov. Scott Walker. The Walker administration is now touting a new set of numbers to assert that Walker has actually been creating jobs,...

  • Obama, Boehner Clash At White House Over Debt-Ceiling Hike

    16 May 2012 | 2:29 pm
    Source: [b]The Hill[/b] By Russell Berman - 05/16/12 02:06 PM ET President Obama and House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) clashed during a White House meeting on Wednesday, with the Speaker telling the president that he was “not going to allow a debt-ceiling increase without doing somet...

  • Exclusive: Order knew for months about priest scandal: Vatican official

    16 May 2012 | 1:42 pm
    Source: [b]Reuters[/b] VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Leaders of the scandal-plagued Legionaries of Christ religious order knew that their most famous priest had fathered a child for many months before they acknowledged it this week, a top Vatican official told Reuters on Wednesday. The once...

  • Top Army General Objects To GOP Plan To Slow Troop Reductions

    16 May 2012 | 1:11 pm
    Source: [b]The Hill[/b] By Jeremy Herb - 05/16/12 11:36 AM ET Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno said Wednesday he’s opposed to a plan from House Republicans to slow the reduction of U.S. forces over the next five years. The House Armed Services Committee included language in the ...
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    Firedoglake

  • Polling Shows Danger of Being on Wrong Side of Housing and Bank Accountability

    David Dayen
    16 May 2012 | 1:20 pm
    SEIU rally in Chicago against the "Banksters." (photo: Kate Thomas-SEIU via Flickr) The polling showing that voters hold negative opinions of the President’s performance in housing policy and Wall Street accountability suggests that Americans have a hungering for a much tougher policy on these issues and will reward candidates who reflect that, according to the pollster who did the survey. Jim Williams of Public Policy Polling, who did the questioning for Campaign for a Fair Settlement, told me in an interview that the polling displays a lot of anxiety about the economy as a…

  • Hollande and Merkel Meet as Greek Woes Continue

    David Dayen
    16 May 2012 | 12:40 pm
    No Euro member yet has a plan for recovery while holding the Euro together (photo: Lars Aronsson/wikimedia) German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande met yesterday in Berlin, in what was kind of an awkward summit. But they did appear united on one point: that Greece must keep their promises and stay in the Eurozone. Both spelt out their concern that Greece should remain a full member of the common European currency, while promising to consider new measures to revive economic growth in the country. But they also agreed that Athens must carry out the austerity…

  • Nation Expects Obama to Win Despite Close Polls

    Jon Walker
    16 May 2012 | 12:15 pm
    Despite polls showing the Presidential race remarkably close, the American people strongly suspect that President Obama is going to win re-election. 56 percent think Obama will win this November, while just 36 percent think Mitt Romney will win, according to Gallup. While there are both pluses and some minuses to being seen as the clear front runner, on net it is a positive. After all people want to bank a winner. People are also much less likely to donate money or volunteer for a candidate if they appear to be a lost cause. It seems the Obama campaign shares this opinion about the benefits…

  • Peter Van Buren and the State Department’s Suppression of Free Speech

    Kevin Gosztola
    16 May 2012 | 11:35 am
    State Department employee Peter Van Buren (photo: Peter Van Buren) The State Department has taken action against one of its employees, which the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) believes is in retaliation for criticism of the State Department’s reconstruction efforts in Iraq. The ACLU sent a letter that highlights the adverse measures taken against State Department employee, Peter Van Buren, because he published a tell-all book, We Meant Well: How I Helped Lose the Battle for the Hearts and Minds of the Iraqi People. The letter objects to the State Department’s move to fire…

  • Robert Samuelson’s Lessons from Jamie Dimon’s Bad Bet

    Dean Baker
    16 May 2012 | 11:00 am
    Jamie Dimon, whose JP Morgan is too big to hurt anyone? Washington Post columnist Robert Samuelson says that people are taking away the wrong lessons from JPMorgan’s $2 billion loss on a proprietary trade gone bad. He has some legitimate points but carries his case too far. First, he notes that this bet did not threaten either the banking system or JPMorgan. He points out that JPMorgan is a huge and highly profitable bank. Its books look to be in reasonably good shape. A $2 billion loss will be felt, but this is less than the normal profit in a quarter. It does not come close to…
 
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    TalkLeft

  • John Edwards Trial: Defense Rests

    Jeralyn
    16 May 2012 | 12:38 pm
    John Edwards concluded his defense today. Neither he, his daughter Cate nor Rielle Hunter testified. The Government apparently did not call rebuttal witnesses. Jury instructions will be argued this afternoon and closing arguments will be tomorrow. The jury will likely begin deliberating Friday. I think Edwards absolutely made the right decision. He has no burden to prove anything. Had he testified, the Government would have hammered him with his previous lies, over and over. Was he lying then or is he lying now? If he testified and was convicted, the Government would have been able to seek an…

  • Zimmerman's Medical Reports Show Broken Nose and Lacerations

    Jeralyn
    16 May 2012 | 9:29 am
    Update: I was able to find a copy of the actual 8 page list of discovery items released by state's Attorney Angela Corey. ABC news has obtained the 3 page medical report from the doctor who examined George Zimmerman the day after he shot Trayvon Martin. The report was included in the discovery turned over to the defense Monday. Zimmerman was diagnosed with a "closed fracture" of his nose, a pair of black eyes, two lacerations to the back of his head and a minor back injury.... The report also shows Zimmerman's upper lip and cheek were bruised and he had lower back pain. The back of his…

  • Wednesday Afternoon Open Thread

    Jeralyn
    15 May 2012 | 1:55 pm
    Busy day here. Here's an open thread, all topics welcome. Update: Dominique Strauss-Kahn files $1 million counterclaim against the New York hotel housekeeper in the civil suit.

  • John Edwards: Here's the Tape

    Jeralyn
    15 May 2012 | 10:09 am
    John Edwards was probably singing the Boomtown Rats, “I don’t like Mondays” to himself yesterday. His bad luck began in the morning when first the Judge got snippy with Abbe Lowell about Lowell deciding to put his expert witness on when she still hasn’t ruled on whether she’ll allow it. " Come back later in the and we’ll discuss it." Lowell calls his next witness, Lora Haggard, former CFO of his John Edwards for President Campaign. More bad news for John Edwards. The Judge, outside the presence of the jury severely curtailed what she could say. She was not…

  • Defense Gets Discovery in George Zimmerman Case

    Jeralyn
    15 May 2012 | 9:36 am
    Mark O'Mara, attorney for George Zimmerman, said Monday he has received discovery from the state prosecutor today: The discovery package included 67 compact discs and numerous hardcopy documents, including the State’s Discovery Exhibit and Demand for Reciprocal Discovery. The discovery also includes witness statements, 911 calls, non-emergency calls, photos, video, medical records, and more The Orlando Sentinel has more details of what was turned over, as Corey filed an 8 page document with the Court right before it closed describing what was turned over. [More...] There are 67…
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    The Fix

  • Scott Walker leads in new Wisconsin recall poll

    Rachel Weiner
    16 May 2012 | 1:08 pm
    Gov. Scott Walker (R) is up six points over Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett (D) in a new Wisconsin gubernatorial recall poll from Marquette Law School. Walker leads Barrett 50 to 44 among 600 likely voters in the school’s first survey since the May 8 Democratic primary. Their last poll, released May 2, showed a dead heat. Read full article >>

  • How Deb Fischer pulled an upset in Nebraska

    Rachel Weiner
    16 May 2012 | 12:16 pm
    Attorney General Jon Bruning was supposed to win the Nebraska Republican Senate primary — unless he was upset by state Treasurer Don Stenberg, who had the support of national conservatives. Neither man won. Instead, Nebraska’s GOP nominee this fall will be state Rep. Deb Fischer, who surged in the past few weeks with little money or help. She’ll be the one to take on former senator Bob Kerrey (D). Read full article >>

  • Why we’re headed for more debt limit brinksmanship

    Aaron Blake
    16 May 2012 | 11:07 am
    House Speaker John Boehner gave the political world a dose of deja vu on Tuesday when he said Republicans would again hold their ground when the debt limit again comes to a vote in 2013. “We shouldn’t dread the debt limit,” Boehner said at the Peter G. Peterson Fiscal Summit. “We should welcome it. It’s an action-forcing event in a town that has become infamous for inaction.” Read full article >>

  • Crossroads launches $25 million, monthlong ad campaign hitting Obama

    Aaron Blake
    16 May 2012 | 8:29 am
    Republican-aligned Crossroads GPS is going up with a $25 million TV ad buy over the next month seeking to set the table for November’s general election and define President Obama. The massive TV buy from the policy arm of the American Crossroads super PAC will focus on jobs, the economy, Obamacare and government debt. Read full article >>

  • Obama’s April fundraising haul: $43.6 million

    Rachel Weiner
    16 May 2012 | 8:03 am
    President Obama and the Democrats raised $43.6 million in April as the campaign against former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney ramps up. That’s a drop from March when Obama and various Democratic committees together raised $53 million, even though the campaign had 169,500 new donors last month. Obama dwarfed Romney in fundraising in March, when the Republican candidate took in only $12.6 million. Romney has yet to release his April numbers. Read full article >>
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    44

  • Obama, Japan’s Noda hail security alliance after bilateral meeting

    David Nakamura
    30 Apr 2012 | 5:10 pm
    President Obama on Monday reaffirmed the United States’ defense commitment to Japan, calling the relationship the “linchpin” of security in the Far East. Appearing with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda after their bilateral meeting, Obama hailed the recent agreement to relocate 9,000 U.S. Marines off Okinawa to other bases in the Western Pacific, saying the move will help allay concerns of Japanese residents of the island. Read full article >>

  • White House Correspondents’ Dinners in years past

    Sara Carothers
    28 Apr 2012 | 1:58 pm
    This evening, Jimmy Kimmel will take a shot at skewering President Obama, media and celebs in the audience and, very likely, the Secret Service and GSA at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. But taking a look back at years past gives a quick reminder of what the hot issues and big targets of the moment were. Read full article >>

  • Obama signs executive order to protect troops from for-profit college deceptive practices

    Rosalind S. Helderman
    27 Apr 2012 | 1:00 pm
    FORT STEWART, Ga.— Surrounded by thousands of uniformed members of the Army’s Third Infantry Division, President Obama Friday signed an executive order cracking down on for-profit colleges that prey on service members and veterans to collect tuition dollars without providing meaningful education in return. Read full article >>

  • Obama to Jimmy Fallon: A couple ‘knuckleheads’ shouldn’t detract from whole Secret Service

    David Nakamura
    24 Apr 2012 | 3:00 pm
    Is it too soon to joke about the U.S. Secret Service sex scandal? Not if you’re late-night host Jimmy Fallon and President Obama is your guest. In an interview with Obama at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill on Tuesday, Fallon joked with the president that he had been “having the best time hanging out with the Secret Service” over the past two days. Read full article >>

  • Obama endorsed by major environmental groups

    Juliet Eilperin
    18 Apr 2012 | 10:30 am
    In one of the least-shocking political developments of 2012, four major environmental groups simultaneously endorsed President Obama’s reelection bid Wednesday. The leaders of the Clean Water Action Fund, Environment America, League of Conservation Voters and the Sierra Club announced in a conference call with reporters that they would turn their members out in force to support Obama this fall. Read full article >>
 
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    Blue Jersey - Front Page

  • LGBT Families Shouldn't Be A Punchline or Political Football

    16 May 2012 | 7:22 am
    Perhaps Assemblyman Greenwald would like to join Team Blue Jersey at this year's Equality Walk for Garden State Equality? You'd be the first legislator to sign up to walk with us, as befits an Assembly Majority Leader of Democrats. Plus, Team Blue Jersey is the defending champ in the pub quiz afterward. BOO-yah! Who wants to walk with us? Who wants to see some of our legislators in their sneakers? Team Blue Jersey! - promoted by Rosi Last Thursday, President Obama made history, becoming the first President of the United States to announce support for marriage equality on national television.

  • News Roundup & Open Thread for Wednesday, May 16, 2012

    16 May 2012 | 7:19 am
    Quinnipiac Poll takeaways: (1) In NJ, Obama beats Romney and Christie on the ticket doesn't help Romney here (2) Kyrillos: "about as close as a politician can get to anonymous," says poll director Maurice Carroll. Tenure 'reform' hearings delayed As Christie ramps up his tough talk. We can spend millions for anti-terrorism but we're leaving frickin' gates open? CD9: Obama's man David Axelrod all in for Rothman Pascrell has Clinton, now David Axelrod - as close to the president as anybody's likely to get - is campaigning for Rothman, the 2nd time Axelrod's appeared for a primary candidate…

  • Christie's NJ Comeback: "Stuck in the Mud Somewhere in the Swamps of New Jersey"

    15 May 2012 | 2:24 pm
    Taking a line from Springsteen's Rosalita, Senate Budget Chair Paul Sarlo hit the nail on the head with the above comment. Governor Christie's FYI 2013 Revenue Forecast was $32 billion with a Reserve Fund Balance for emergencies of $300 million. Not only was his revenue forecast of a 7.5% increase unrealistically high, but he also reduced the emergency fund balance from the prior years' $500 million. In a press release today the Treasury Department said that tax revenues are now $230 million below the forecast for the first 10 months of the fiscal year - an amount that that would almost…

  • Weekend ME Poll: Eye on the New Jersey Supreme Court

    15 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    The question this weekend was How will Marriage Equality arrive first in NJ?  Of the 19 votes cast, the majority of respondents (10 votes) said "through a NJ Supreme Court ruling." Three respondents chose through "NJ Legislature's override of Christie's veto." Two respondents each voted for the "US Supreme Court," a "voter referendum," and "some other venue." The fact that a majority of poll respondents believe we will get Marriage Equality through a NJ Supreme Court ruling highlights the importance of the nomination process underway. Of the current five justices two are Democrats (Chief…

  • News Roundup & Open Thread for Tuesday, May 15, 2012 - WTF Edition

    15 May 2012 | 5:48 am
      What the Flack? Governor Christie announces a "surprise" news conference on taxes. The surprise is that there's no news conference. Meanwhile, the Treasurer delays publication of April revenue data. What does that do to the credibility of a tax cut? The Democrats' circular firing squad is at work again. What the Frack? Do you want your neighbor dumping his sewage in your back yard? I didn't think so. Sierra Club Director Jeff Tittel gives a report card grade to the governor and the legislature on environmental stewardship. What the Hack? Will the Rutgers-Rowan controversy result in a…
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    xpostfactoid

  • A growing chorus indicts GOP intransigence (updated)

    ASP
    14 May 2012 | 8:17 pm
    [Reposted, with additions from David Frum, Chuck Hagel and John Danforth. The list of testy-moany-yowls groweth apace.] Sometimes the charge is leavened with a little bit of obligatory false equivalence -- or alternately, tinctured with partisan outrage. But left, right and center, in this election season of taking stock, a number of seasoned observers are stepping back for a global view of the hyperpartisanship and bad-faith obstructionism that Gingrich brought to Washington and that has become the Republican m.o.One strong screed of this sort is Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein's 4/27…

  • What poli-sci can't quantify

    ASP
    14 May 2012 | 10:02 am
    When Eric Fehrnstrom came out with his indelible Etch-A-Sketch metaphor for the Romney campaign's intention to wipe the slate clean for the general election, I took issue with political scientist Brendan Nyhan's assertion that all such gaffes have "little electoral significance": There are gaffes and gaffes, however.  The evidence that they don't matter is often gathered from polls taken shortly before and after the incident in question, showing little difference -- e.g., in this John Sides post cited by Nyhan.  Some campaign blowups sink deep, however, and some are gifts that keep…

  • The Great Risk Shift, updated

    ASP
    13 May 2012 | 11:54 am
    The Times' front page story today about the enormous growth in student loan debt loads is long on personal narrative, but also tells a succinct story in numbers: From 2001 to 2011, state and local financing per student declined by 24 percent nationally. Over the same period, tuition and fees at state schools increased 72 percent, compared with 29 percent for nonprofit private institutions, according to the College Board. Many of the cuts were the result of a sluggish economy that reduced tax revenue, but the sharp drop in per-student spending also reflects a change: an increasing number of…

  • A growing chorus indicts GOP intransigence

    ASP
    12 May 2012 | 8:35 am
    Sometimes the charge is leavened with a little bit of obligatory false equivalence -- or alternately, tinctured with partisan outrage. But left, right and center, in this election season of taking stock, a number of seasoned observers are stepping back for a global view of the hyperpartisanship and bad-faith obstructionism that Gingrich brought to Washington and that has become the Republican m.o.One strong screed of this sort is Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein's 4/27 Washington Post op-ed Let's just say it: the Republicans are the problem, a foretaste of a book they've just published on "the…

  • Citizens United* has changed...me

    ASP
    11 May 2012 | 9:00 am
    I was a little shocked when I caught my own train of thought after reading this:A high school classmate of presidential candidate Mitt Romney told ABC News today that he considers a particular prank the two pulled at Michigan’s Cranbrook School to be “assault and battery” and that he witnessed Romney hold the scissors to cut the hair of a student who was being physically pinned to the ground by several others.“It’s a haunting memory.  I think it was for everybody that spoke up about it…  because when you see somebody who is simply different taken down that way and is…
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    -- Washington

  • US changes requirements for some Cuba trips

    McClatchy Newspapers (Juan O. Tamayo)
    16 May 2012 | 5:41 am
    The U.S. Treasury Department has tightened a few of its restrictions on trips to Cuba by non-Cuban Americans on so-called "people to people" visits, saying that the revisions will "help…Click to Continue »

  • Boehner vows another showdown over debt and taxes

    McClatchy Newspapers (David Lightman)
    15 May 2012 | 4:25 pm
    House Speaker John Boehner set the stage Tuesday for another tense, partisan showdown over tax and spending policy later this year, as he vowed to insist on big spending cuts…Click to Continue »

  • Law enforcement remember their fallen

    McClatchy Newspapers (Michael Doyle)
    15 May 2012 | 3:09 pm
    Captain Jennifer Horton, of the Fresno County, Calif., Sheriff?s Department, stood erect in the near-shadow of the U.S. Capitol early Tuesday. Her hand covered her heart. Her eyes were straight…Click to Continue »

  • Same-sex partners of employees increasingly get health benefits

    Kaiser Health News (Julie Appleby)
    14 May 2012 | 1:57 pm
    President Obama’s stand last week in favor of same-sex marriage has no legal effect on employers’ decisions on whether to offer benefits to workers’ domestic partners, but some advocates believe…Click to Continue »

  • Some Bay of Pigs history to remain secret

    The Miami Herald (Mimi Whitefield)
    14 May 2012 | 6:06 am
    A federal judge has ruled that the last volume in a CIA history of the Bay of Pigs invasion that was written more than 30 years ago and 51 years…Click to Continue »
 
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    Marbury

  • mummy owns your eggs

    Ian Leslie
    15 May 2012 | 5:32 am
    Apologies for non-existent posting, I've been on holiday in Sicily. Now I'm back in London, and wondering why on earth there is water dripping from the sky of all places. While away I noticed this extraordinary report in the New York Times. In the States, more and more women are choosing to freeze their eggs for later use (just stick them in the microwave to defrost) and it turns out that they are often being encouraged to do so by parents, keen to increase their chances of becoming grandparents: “By the time Allison was 35, I felt the clock was tick-tick-ticking,” said Candace…

  • what will happen when gays can marry?

    Ian Leslie
    10 May 2012 | 10:03 am
    Seems like a good time to remind ourselves of the data:

  • dept. of only in america

    Ian Leslie
    9 May 2012 | 8:13 am
    In Wisconsin, Democrats are fighting a campaign to 'recall' Scott Walker, the state's controversial Republican governor. Walker, in his first term, has taken some draconian anti-union measures; the Democrats and unions have responded by collecting 900,000 signatures on recall papers, triggering a ballot. On Tuesday, Democrats held a primary to select the candidate who will go up against Walker. Anyway, it seems that things are getting pretty intense: A Chippewa Falls man who repeatedly tried to block his estranged wife from driving to the polls Tuesday was hospitalized with…

  • clinton on caro on lbj

    Ian Leslie
    6 May 2012 | 11:59 am
    LBJ was very much a dog man. In short story called On Exactitude in Science, Jorge Luis Borges (after Lewis Carroll) imagines a map of the world that is on exactly the same scale as the world itself. Robert Caro, for his multi-volume, insanely detailed life of Lyndon Johnson, seems to have adapted that concept to biography. I am ashamed to say that I haven't read any of it, yet, but I intend to, and fully expect it to be as marvellous as everyone says. To review Caro's latest volume, The Passage of Power, the New York Times has hired one of its occasional reviewers, a chap called…

  • double time

    Ian Leslie
    4 May 2012 | 5:53 pm
    Fascinating piece by Kathryn Schulz about chronobiology, the science of internal body clocks. Here is just a snippet: Roenneberg cites experiments in which subjects were confined to bunkers and deprived of all temporal cues. While most subjects maintained a day-night periodicity of roughly 24 hours (circa one day: hence, “circadian”), some people’s cycle doubled, to about 48 hours. Amazingly, they were oblivious to the change. They continued to eat three meals a “day,” and their sense of smaller time units doubled, too. Asked to estimate an hour, they estimated two instead.
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    Opinionator

  • Stone Links: Identity Check

    By MARK DE SILVA
    16 May 2012 | 1:29 pm
    In this week's links: a theory of personal identity, a post-mortem inquiry, a Darwinist social model and more.

  • Playing Left, Right — or Center

    By DAVID BROOKS and GAIL COLLINS
    16 May 2012 | 12:02 pm
    Brooks and Collins on Cranbrook and Columbia, Romney and Obama. Can we really learn anything from what we've been told about their school days?

  • Ironclad Freedom

    By TAFT KISER
    16 May 2012 | 11:30 am
    How a runaway slave, Josiah Carter, found refuge aboard the Monitor.

  • The Power of Nursing

    By DAVID BORNSTEIN
    16 May 2012 | 6:00 am
    The work of the Nurse-Family Partnership and other groups like it bring long term benefits to mother, child and society.

  • We Could Be Heroes

    By MARK BITTMAN
    15 May 2012 | 8:00 pm
    We can slow global warming by eating fewer animal products.
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    Hendrik Hertzberg

  • White House Correspondents’ Dinner: Soup to Nuts

    Hendrik Hertzberg
    30 Apr 2012 | 1:35 pm
    In 1963, Andy Warhol set up a movie camera, aimed it at a sleeping friend, and (while he himself, I assume, caught a few z’s of his own) let it run all night. The resulting five-and-a-half-hour film, Warhol’s first, was not exactly a box-office smash (its première attracted an audience of nine), but “Sleep” helped make its maker as famous as Campbell’s soup. Half a century later, C-SPAN carries forward a similar aesthetic. Admittedly, Saturday night’s coverage of the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner lacked the minimalist…

  • What Republicans Once Were

    Hendrik Hertzberg
    9 Apr 2012 | 8:07 am
    A long time ago, before the Grand Old Party got old, the Grand Old Party was grand. Here are excerpts from a speech by the grandest Republican orator of his time, delivered during the 1876 campaign to an audience of Union Army veterans and their families in Indianapolis, Indiana: I am a Republican. I will tell you why: This is the only free government in the world. The Republican Party made it so. The Republican Party took the chains from four million people. The Republican Party, with the wand of progress, touched the auction-block and it became a schoolhouse. The Republican Party put down…

  • TNC, Trayvon, and Juan

    Hendrik Hertzberg
    2 Apr 2012 | 6:47 pm
    The blog of Ta-Nehisi Coates is one the half-dozen best in the English-speaking world. If it’s not on your regular rotation, it should be. TNC is always worth reading. His continuing chronicle of his exploration of the history and meaning of the Civil War (for a book he’s working on) crackles and fizzes with insight and discovery. He is superb on current events, too. He is intellectually fearless, liberal in politics and temperament but unshackled by political or racial ideology, humane in his judgments, respectful of facts, acutely aware of the difference between what is knowable…

  • Ditty Nails Daily Mail

    Hendrik Hertzberg
    30 Mar 2012 | 8:14 am
    “In 2010,” Lauren Collins writes in our current issue, a bearded, guitar-strumming band called Dan & Dan had a YouTube hit with “The Daily Mail Song,” which, so far, has been viewed more than 1.3 million times. As of this writing, the number stands at 1,319,570. Let’s see if we can get that up to 1,319,571, shall we? Bleedin’ marvellous, innit? As is Lauren’s piece.

  • Dame Edna and Lord Loudon, Cont’d

    Hendrik Hertzberg
    27 Mar 2012 | 12:57 pm
    Exclusively for newyorker.com listeners! From “Older Than My Old Man Now,” the upcoming Loudon Wainwright III album I raved about in my last post, here is “I Remember Sex,” featuring the vocal stylings of Dame Edna Everage:
 
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    Restoring Truthiness

  • Pale Rider and Hell Following

    Some Guy in Virginia
    15 May 2012 | 5:11 am
    Pale Rider and Hell FollowingOne day a man from Washington came to town and told us that we consistently elected members of his opposition party to act as our public servants on the federal, state and local level. According to his way of thinking, this was bull headed, generally damnable, and probably criminal. But he had come to set the crooked paths straight and allow us the liberty to send those people to Washington that had our best interests at heart and who were willing to take upon themselves the august burden of making us a free and happy people. Someone asked him who those people…

  • Republican Women Open Up (Their, ahem … )

    Hank Griffin
    10 May 2012 | 5:57 pm
    Republican Women Open Up (Their, ahem … )Funny or DieRepublican women are open about their opposition to government run anything.  They want the government out of the auto, banking and oil industries.  They want government out of the schools and hospitals.  But where do they want government? Our friends at  http://www.funnyordie.com/ asked this question recently of a handful of Republican women and not so surprisingly, they want Government in their vaginas. It seems they find so called “Women’s Health Issues” a euphemism  for decisions better left in the hands of…

  • Michele Bachmann is Now a Swiss Miss, Condolences to Switzerland [VIDEO]

    Deborah Brancheau
    9 May 2012 | 8:10 pm
    Michele Bachmann is Now a Swiss Miss, Condolences to Switzerland [VIDEO]SwissTVusa | Deborah BrancheauSwitzerland can no longer remain neutral. Unfortunately for them, Michele Bachmann is now a citizen of Switzerland. Flags were flown at half mast all over the tiny Alpine nation. According to Politico: Bachmann (R-Minn.) recently became a citizen of Switzerland, making her eligible to run for office in the tiny European nation, according to a Swiss TV report Tuesday. … Marcus Bachmann, the congresswoman’s husband since 1978, reportedly was eligible for Swiss citizenship due to his…

  • President Obama Endorses Same-Sex Marriage And Proves Evolution In One Day!

    Deborah Brancheau
    9 May 2012 | 4:42 pm
    President Obama Endorses Same-Sex Marriage And Proves Evolution In One Day!ABC News | Deborah BrancheauThe debate is over. Evolution exists. We have the proof from the highest office in the land. Who needs the missing link when you have the President of the United States evolving right in front of our eyes?! In an interview with ABC News today, President Obama, who has said that his views were evolving, pulled a Biden and endorsed same-sex marriage! Yep, you heard right! Obama sat down with ABC’s Robin Roberts and explained, “I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is…

  • Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu Sets Taser to Oy! with New Unity Government

    Deborah Brancheau
    8 May 2012 | 5:40 pm
    Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu Sets Taser to Oy! with New Unity GovernmentMashup by Deborah BrancheauAnd in the “Don’t tase me bro!” department is this new stunning development. Apparently Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has learned that peace in the Middle East involves cooperation with your rivals. Thus, in an overnight deal with Kadima, he has decided to form a coalition government with his Likud party’s long time foes: The stunning partnership with the opposition Kadima party, announced overnight Tuesday just as the nation was expecting him to call…
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    Reuters: Politics

  • Pro-Republican group plans $25 million anti-Obama ad blitz

    16 May 2012 | 1:20 pm
    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Crossroads GPS, a pro-Republican political group, is planning to spend $25 million in the next month on its largest ad assault against President Barack Obama yet this campaign season.

  • Obama says won't allow U.S. debt ceiling crisis repeat

    16 May 2012 | 12:58 pm
    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Barack Obama told top lawmakers on Wednesday he was ready to work with Republicans and Democrats on a "balanced" approach to deficit-cutting but would not permit another down-to-the-wire debt ceiling crisis, the White House said.

  • Boehner tells Obama no debt increase without cuts: aide

    16 May 2012 | 12:57 pm
    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican U.S. House of Representatives Speaker John Boehner told President Barack Obama during a meeting on Wednesday that he would not allow another increase of the U.S. debt limit without spending cuts, according to a Boehner aide.

  • Taxes lurk behind court test of Obama health law

    16 May 2012 | 12:53 pm
    WASHINGTON (Reuters) - While Supreme Court watchers focus on the controversial insurance requirement in President Barack Obama's healthcare law, lesser known is that the court's ruling next month will also decide the fate of billions of dollars in new taxes.

  • Lawyers for ex-US Senator John Edwards rest case

    16 May 2012 | 12:46 pm
    GREENSBORO, North Carolina (Reuters) - The defense rested its case on Wednesday in the federal trial of ex-Senator John Edwards on charges he used presidential campaign finances to hide his then-pregnant mistress from voters, setting the stage for jury deliberations as early as this week.
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    Wired: Politics

  • Defense Chief Restricts Stealth Jet Till It Stops Choking Pilots

    Spencer Ackerman
    15 May 2012 | 2:07 pm
    For five years, America's most expensive fighter jets have been poisoning their pilots and crew. On Tuesday, the Defense Secretary finally stepped in -- restricting the flights of the F-22 Raptor, and ordering the Air Force to begin an "expedited installation" of an automatic backup oxygen system for the entire fleet of Raptors, Pentagon spokesman George Little tells reporters. But Panetta is allowing the stealthy dogfighter to keep flying -- for now.

  • Another Afghanistan Commander Bails on the War Early

    Spencer Ackerman
    15 May 2012 | 11:05 am
    Afghanistan war commanders have tenures as long as Spinal Tap drummers. Army Gen. David McKiernan got fired in 2009. His replacement, Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal, resigned the next year. Now the current commander, Marine Gen. John Allen, may be out the door as well, more than a year early. If Washington Post ace Greg Jaffe is ...

  • Pakistan Shuts Its Border; Pentagon Shuts Its Mouth

    Spencer Ackerman
    15 May 2012 | 5:30 am
    For nearly six months, Pakistan has closed its ground shipping routes to convoys resupplying the U.S.-led war in Afghanistan. Getting those resupply routes open is preoccupying U.S. military officers and diplomats as they haggle, sweet-talk, beg and cajole their Pakistani counterparts, since alternative shipping routes are vastly more expensive. Exactly how expensive, the Pentagon won't ...

  • Republicans Order Navy to Quit Buying Biofuels

    Noah Shachtman
    14 May 2012 | 12:58 pm
    On Monday, the U.S. Navy will officially announce the ships for its demonstration of the "Great Green Fleet" -- an entire aircraft carrier strike group powered by biofuels and other eco-friendly energy sources. But if a powerful congressional panel has its way, it could the last time the Navy ever uses biofuels to run its ships and jets.

  • Cash, and Time, Runs Out for Afghanistan's Wi-Fi City

    Spencer Ackerman
    14 May 2012 | 5:30 am
    It was a project that symbolized the grand ambitions the United States had to rebuild Afghanistan. A DIY Wi-Fi network, free for Afghans to use, powering the aid projects and business ventures of the eastern city of Jalalabad. But now funding for the JLink network has run dry, and like so much of the Afghanistan war, it's run out of time. Jalalabad is about to go offline.
 
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    Slashdot: Politics

  • Ask Slashdot: What If Intellectual Property Expired After Five Years?

    Soulskill
    16 May 2012 | 5:27 am
    New submitter ancientt writes "As a thought experiment, what if the constitution of the U.S. was amended so that no idea (with exceptions only for government use, like currency) could be protected from copy or use beyond January 1, 2035 for more than a five-year period. After a five-year span, any patent, software license, copyright, software NDA or other intellectual property agreement would expire. (This is not an entirely new idea, but would have had significant recent ramifications if it had been enacted in the past.) Specific terms are up for debate, but in this experiment businesses…

  • Americans More Worried About Cybersecurity Than Terrorism

    Soulskill
    15 May 2012 | 6:15 pm
    TheGift73 tips an article discussing a new study (PDF) which found Americans are now more worried about cybersecurity threats than they are about terrorism. Here's Techdirt's acerbic take: "Well, it looks like all the fearmongering about hackers shutting down electrical grids and making planes fall from the sky is working. No matter that there's no evidence of any actual risk, or that the only real issue is if anyone is stupid enough to actually connect such critical infrastructure to the internet (the proper response to which is: take it off the internet), fear is spreading. Of course, this…

  • Ron Paul Effectively Ending Presidential Campaign

    Soulskill
    14 May 2012 | 4:30 pm
    New submitter Dainsanefh sends this quote from the LA Times: "Ron Paul, Mitt Romney's lone remaining rival for the Republican presidential nomination, announced Monday that he would stop spending money on the party's 11 remaining primaries, in effect suspending his campaign. ... Apart from President Obama and Romney, Paul has raised more money than any other White House contender this year – more than $36 million. His calls for strict adherence to the Constitution and his no-nonsense manner have spawned a vocal and well organized group of followers, but not enough to give him a…

  • High School Students Sue Federal Gov't Over Global Warming

    timothy
    14 May 2012 | 7:11 am
    Hugh Pickens writes "Katherine Ellison reports in the Atlantic that a group of high school students is suing the federal government in U.S. District Court claiming the risks of climate change — dangerous storms, heat waves, rising sea levels, and food-supply disruptions — will threaten their generation absent a major turnabout in global energy policy. 'I think a lot of young people realize that this is an urgent time, and that we're not going to solve this problem just by riding our bikes more,' says 18-year-old Alec Loorz, one of the plaintiffs represented, pro bono, by the…

  • NASA's Hansen Calls Out Obama On Climate Change

    timothy
    12 May 2012 | 7:19 am
    Hugh Pickens writes "Dr James Hansen, director of the NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, who first made warnings about climate change in the 1980s, writes in the NY Times that he was troubled to read a recent interview with President Obama in Rolling Stone in which he said that Canada would exploit the oil in its vast tar sands reserves 'regardless of what we do.' According to Hansen 'Canada's tar sands, deposits of sand saturated with bitumen, contain twice the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by global oil use in our entire history. If we were to fully exploit this new oil source,…
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    The Independent: On The Campaign Trail

  • Via the World: From the Kuroshiocurrent to capsizing

    16 May 2012 | 12:30 pm
    Following a couple of weeks of horrendous weather in Japan, British adventurer, Sarah Outen set off at 7.06am (Japanese time) on Sunday, May 13, on what is expected to be one of the most grueling parts of her London2London: Via the World expedition – her solo row across the North Pacific Ocean.

  • UFC: Dan ‘The Outlaw’ Hardy to make last stand

    16 May 2012 | 12:21 pm
    As the curtain falls on an eventful Virginia card we begin our preview of this month’s monstrous Las Vegas bill which features a back to the wall bout for our own Dan “The Outlaw” Hardy.

  • Our Eurosceptic Turn

    16 May 2012 | 10:05 am
    This graph from the British Election Study at Essex University shows a sharp increase in hostility to the UK's membership of the EU in late 2010, which has been sustained since. That was when the crisis of the euro really started to come through in the British media.

  • ‘Everyone will be crossing their fingers for Bayern Munich’ – and so they should

    16 May 2012 | 10:01 am
    The Bayern philosophy, according to Hoeneß is “sporting success and financial prosperity”. It is an admirable mantra.

  • India’s parliament loses its sense of humour

    16 May 2012 | 8:01 am
    India’s government and the presiding Nehru-Gandhi dynasty have a problem – not the policy vacuum, sliding economy, weak leadership and bullying by coalition partners that are only too well known, but a new one that has been entirely of its own making in the past week.
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    Reason.com Full Feed

  • Three Reasons to Reject Federal Hate Crime Charges Against George Zimmerman

    Jacob Sullum
    16 May 2012 | 1:19 pm
    WFTV, the ABC affiliate in Orlando, reports that the FBI is looking for evidence to support federal hate crime charges against George Zimmerman for shooting Trayvon Martin on February 26. Three reasons it should stop: 1. There is very little evidence that Zimmerman hates black people, let alone that he shot Martin because he hates black people. 2. In the absence of a legal justification (such as self-defense), killing people should be a crime, but hating them because of their skin color should not be. By treating crimes more severely when they are motivated by bigotry, hate crime laws…

  • Sheldon Richman Asks if Obama Is "Evolving" His Position on the War on Drugs

    Reason.com
    16 May 2012 | 12:30 pm
    Much is made of how President Obama’s position on same-sex marriage has “evolved” to an endorsement of legalization. One hopes his position on the atrocity called the “war on drugs” is evolving as well, writes Sheldon Richman.  View this article.

  • When Will Obama Evolve on the Drug War?

    Sheldon Richman
    16 May 2012 | 12:30 pm
    Much is made of how President Obama’s position on same-sex marriage has “evolved” to an endorsement of legalization. One hopes his position on the atrocity called the “war on drugs” is evolving. It’s not really a war on drugs. It’s a war on people, most of whom have committed no violence or other aggression against person or property. Those who do commit violence are encouraged to do so by the very “war on drugs” that Obama and other enlightened leaders so enthusiastically support. Black markets often feature violence — precisely because they are illegal. Decriminalize the…

  • Another Exhibit Against Florida's Self-Defense Law Disintegrates

    Jacob Sullum
    16 May 2012 | 12:05 pm
    Two years ago, the Tampa Bay Times ran a story that has been widely cited since George Zimmerman's February 26 shooting of Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida. "Five years since Florida enacted 'stand-your-ground' law," the headline announced, "justifiable homicides are up." That trend in itself, of course, does not tell us whether the 2005 changes to Florida's self-defense law, which included eliminating the "duty to retreat" for people attacked in public places and beefing up the "castle doctine" for people facing intruders in their homes, were wise or misguided. In fact, if justifiable…

  • No Joke: Stimulus Money Went to Study Erectile Dysfunction In Obese Men

    Nick Gillespie
    16 May 2012 | 12:03 pm
    Via Drudge comes news that we here at Reason saw coming years ago. Really. Just look below. NBC's Bay Area affiliate reports that $250,000 in stimulus funds sent to University of California-San Francisco ended up lining the pockets of researchers looking into links between obesity and erectile dysfunction: The University declined to provide an expert to talk with the NBC Investigative Unit about the erectile dysfunction grant. In a written statement provided they said in part, "Obesity related health issues currently cost $147 Billion per year in direct medical costs in the United States.....
 
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    Politics » Political Punch

  • Obama Pushes ‘To-Do List’ For Congress

    Mary Bruce
    16 May 2012 | 12:11 pm
    White House; RNC President Obama is urging lawmakers to act on his “handy to-do list” for Congress in order to sustain the economy’s momentum. “One of the ways we can sustain momentum is for Congress to take some actions right now — even though it’s election season, even though there’s gridlock, even though there’s partisanship — take some actions right now that would really make a difference,” the president told small business owners during a visit to a local D.C. sandwich shop this morning. Obama called for lawmakers to pass…

  • Obama, Democrats Raise $43.6 Million in April

    Devin Dwyer
    16 May 2012 | 7:01 am
    (Image credit: Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP) President Obama and Democrats raised a combined $43.6 million in April with sustained financial support from veteran donors while enlisting thousands of new ones, the Obama campaign announced on Twitter. The monthly haul does not eclipse the president’s best fundraising month of the 2012 campaign — $53 million raised in March. But it does keep Obama on pace to top the record-setting total of four years ago. The Obama campaign, Democratic National Committee and two joint fundraising accounts have together now raised nearly $400 million…

  • Biden Pushes ‘Obama Economics’ in Ohio Swing

    Devin Dwyer
    16 May 2012 | 5:00 am
    (Image credit: Ethan Miller/Getty Images) Vice President Joe Biden kicks off a two-day campaign swing through eastern Ohio today, pushing a populist economic message — dubbed “Obama economics” — that he’ll use to draw sharp contrasts between the president and Mitt Romney. The vice president also plans to offer his first direct, public scrutiny of Romney’s record at the private equity firm Bain Capital, according to excerpts of his first speech in Youngstown released by the Obama campaign. He will recount the case of GST Steel — the now defunct Kansas…

  • Obama Pays Tribute To Fallen Police Officers

    Mary Bruce
    15 May 2012 | 5:53 pm
    President Obama today honored police officers who died in the line of duty and their families, saying the nation is “forever in your debt. “Every American who wears the badge knows the burdens that come with it — the long hours and the stress; the knowledge that just about any moment could be a matter of life or death. You carry these burdens so the rest of us don’t have to,” the president told an audience of thousands gathered outside the Capitol Building for the annual National Peace Officers’ Memorial Service. “The rest of us can never fully…

  • Obama Has Over $500,000 in JPMorgan Chase Account

    Mary Bruce
    15 May 2012 | 4:14 pm
    President Obama has assets valued between $500,000 and $1 million in a JP Morgan Chase checking account, according to financial disclosure forms released by the White House today. Obama, who also has between $1,000 and $15,000 in a separate JPMorgan Chase account, recently called JPMorgan “one of the best managed banks there is,” despite its recent controversial $2 billion trading loss. “This is the best or one of the best managed banks. You could have a bank that isn’t as strong, isn’t as profitable making those same bets and we might have had to step in and…
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    Lehigh Valley Conservative

  • Disappointment and Sadness

    Randy Toman
    1 May 2012 | 10:55 am
    I was at the Bethlehem (PA) Area School District (BASD) finance meeting last night (4/30/2012). The school board voted on the preliminary budget and to approve the 4.84% increase in school property tax to cover the budget short fall and lack of revenue. Their budget for the 2012-13 year is $212,158,344.00 an approximate $6+million dollar increase in spending over last year. According to the slide presentation the average property tax increase would be a $162.93 yearly increase. I got up at the close (courtesy of the floor) of the meeting and attempted to defend the BASD citizen from the…

  • To be or Not to be—-Right

    Randy Toman
    24 Apr 2012 | 12:56 pm
    This article is not written to show a right or wrong of issues. But instead show how there is an ever increasing danger of not being able to formulate a positive direction and/or worse, the fact that the determining of that path does not hinge on either party making the right decision, for there may not be an option available to be taken. We can quickly get into a situation were no one wants to compromise and take the citizens on to a positive path of correction. In the example below all negotiation break down and leave the leaders without recourse, stalling of all operations. I call your…

  • Hey Kids, “Don’t do drugs, and here’s how to lie about it.”

    Randy Toman
    28 Mar 2012 | 12:38 pm
    Defined as “the courses offered by an educational institution”, curriculum seems to be the last priority of the current EASD school board and the current administration under Mrs. McGinley.  At the March 27th regular school board meeting some concerned citizens staged a public reading from one of the most vulgar, politically biased, non-fiction books approved for our children by the McGinley administration. Excerpts form the book were identified by page number, prefaced for context, and then simply read word for word as printed. Audible sneers and whisperings against our public reading…

  • Finding of the Ways

    Randy Toman
    25 Mar 2012 | 7:46 am
    “NCC (Northampton Community College) Trustee Nomination Stalls” Doug Graves 3/21/2012 Bethlehem Press article tells us much as to how things are being run. According to the article it appears the nomination of Ms. Leeson and Mr. Faccinetto, to the NCC board of trustees, ran into some rough waters with qualifications being reduced and no longer a critical factor in the appointment. Vidanage, Ortiz and Bonilla all stated there should be a minority on the NCC board of trustee’s. According to the article; “Bonilla forcefully explained the rationale for his seeking the job. He said, as a…

  • Sandra Fluke—is it Right

    Randy Toman
    4 Mar 2012 | 7:47 am
    Sandra Fluke third year law student at Georgetown University defended her wanting contraception paid for by government because it was costing 3 thousand dollars for a student to buy the protection they thought they were entitled to. Sandra Fluke has unleashed a fire storm of controversy as the talk show people tried to bring it to light or maybe better way of putting it—-they tried to frame the wrong in what she said or is attempting to do. You can view one clip here: http://www.theblaze.com/stories/not-going-to-be-silenced-by-this-sex-plea-co-ed-responds-to-limbaugh-on-ed-show/ In…
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    The Corner

  • Romney Camp: Press Wasn't Supposed to Be Blocked From Rope Line

    Katrina Trinko
    16 May 2012 | 1:26 pm
    The Romney campaign has consistently avoided giving the press much access to Mitt Romney himself. Romney rarely answers questions shouted at him, and he recently went over a month without doing a press conference. Today, Romney staffers and volunteers tried to prevent reporters from even getting access to the rope line. But the Romney campaign is saying that resulted from a mistake. “This was an error on the part of the campaign staff and volunteers. We have reminded them that press is allowed on the rope line to record the governor’s interactions with voters,” Romney…

  • Biden Attacks Romney on Tire Tariffs

    Katrina Trinko
    16 May 2012 | 1:06 pm
    As Dan noted, Joe Biden is set to double down on the GST Steel attack in a speech in Ohio today. (Never mind that Mitt Romney was no longer working at Bain on a day-to-day basis when the company went bankrupt, or that union influence may have played a role in the company’s financial woes.) But Biden is also trotting out another attack today: What does Governor Romney believe?Keep reading this post . . .

  • Black Pastor Now Supports Obama

    Noah Glyn
    16 May 2012 | 12:55 pm
    Reverend Emmett Burns, a prominent black pastor in Maryland, made quite the sensation when he was interviewed by CNN in the wake of President Obama’s announcement that he supports same-sex marriage. He promised to neither vote for President Obama nor for Mitt Romney. “I don’t plan on voting for Romney, for sure,” he said on CNN. “Right now, I plan to stay home.” But in an interview with National Review Online, Reverend Burns says that he changed his mind. “I’m from Mississippi where blacks fought long and hard” for voting rights.

  • An Agenda for Resurgence

    Yuval Levin
    16 May 2012 | 12:54 pm
    National Affairs, the quarterly magazine I edit, publishes essays on a range of issues in domestic policy, politics, culture, and political thought. But some of our most widely read and cited pieces have been very specific “how to” essays for addressing some concrete policy problems—reforming Medicare or Medicaid, replacing Obamacare or Dodd-Frank, fixing state finances or local education.  Keep reading this post . . .

  • 'CHART: Spending, Taxes, and Deficits Are All Lower Today Than When Obama Took Office'

    Rich Lowry
    16 May 2012 | 12:52 pm
    ThinkProgress has a post purporting to prove President Obama’s unappreciated fiscal conservatism. I asked a friend who follows these matters for his take. E-mail: Spending: The choice of measurement — % of GDP – is highly instructive. Between 2008 and 2009, according to OMB, spending as a percentage of GDP shot from 20.8 to 25.2. That was all recession and cyclical spending. That was pre-2009 stimulus, pre-2009 appropriations – in other words, pre-all of the big spending increases that the President presided over during his first two years. We know those spending…
 
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    The American Prospect

  • Why Sex Matters

    Jaclyn Friedman
    16 May 2012 | 12:19 pm
    We've been talking this week about ending sexual violence in conflict, both why it's an achievable goal, and why it's one that affects you. Now I'm going to get a little personal.  I'm a survivor of sexual violence. The details of what happened to me are unimportant to this story, but it's important to me that you know. The experience politicized me, and my anti-sexual-violence activism has taken a lot of forms over the decades. I've taught self-defense, written (and successfully changed) institutional policies, performed educational theater, marched and protested, walk-a-thonned,…

  • Why Can't Journos Do Math?

    Andrew Gelman
    16 May 2012 | 10:36 am
    John shoots down David Brooks’s claim that “If you look at the fundamentals, the president should be getting crushed right now.” John points out (as does Ezra Klein) that if you look at the fundamentals, you’d expect a close election. OK, there are lots of ways of looking at politics, elections, and the economy, and I’m sure that some forecasts give Obama a bit lead. But that’s hardly a consensus reading of the fundamentals. The more parsimonious reading here is that Brooks was (a) misinformed and (b) didn’t know with whom to talk to get informed. I’m reminded of the…

  • Crazy and Crazier

    Paul Waldman
    16 May 2012 | 9:52 am
    In the last few years, many different kinds of communication technologies have been democratized. For instance, up until not too long ago, making a film that didn't look amateurish was impossible without a whole bunch of equipment whose expense made it out of reach for almost everyone, not to mention the technical expertise required. But today, you can buy a professional-quality HD video camera for a couple thousand dollars and video editing software like Apple's Final Cut Pro for a couple hundred, and presto, you can make what looks to be a "real" movie. That means that a kid with a dream to…

  • A State-Federal Standoff over the Death Penalty

    Garrett Epps
    16 May 2012 | 9:16 am
    A principled governor invoking “state’s rights” to defy federal policy. Aggressive local officials overriding state decisions. A federal court angrily affirming its own power. An anguished dissent attacking a power-hungry Congress.  United States v. Pleau has all the elements of a great federalism battle (including, by the way, largely symbolic stakes). But don’t expect to see Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee’s “state’s rights” stand hailed by Republican conservatives: Chafee is blocking the federal government in order to show his disapproval of the federal death penalty.

  • The Unecessary Radicalism of Citizens United

    Scott Lemieux
    15 May 2012 | 10:33 pm
    One of the many striking things about the Supreme Court's infamous Citizens United decision is how poorly the facts of the case fit the extremely sweeping holding. The potential First Amendment issues involved with campaign finance regulation exist on a spectrum. Political editorials, even when published in corporate-owned media and attempting to influence the campaign, are obviously "pure speech" that can be restricted only in extraordinary circumstances. Direct donations to candidates, on the other hand, are further removed from pure speech and also raise serious problems of democratic…
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    The American Prospect

  • Why Sex Matters

    Jaclyn Friedman
    16 May 2012 | 12:19 pm
    We've been talking this week about ending sexual violence in conflict, both why it's an achievable goal, and why it's one that affects you. Now I'm going to get a little personal.  I'm a survivor of sexual violence. The details of what happened to me are unimportant to this story, but it's important to me that you know. The experience politicized me, and my anti-sexual-violence activism has taken a lot of forms over the decades. I've taught self-defense, written (and successfully changed) institutional policies, performed educational theater, marched and protested, walk-a-thonned,…

  • Why Can't Journos Do Math?

    Andrew Gelman
    16 May 2012 | 10:36 am
    John shoots down David Brooks’s claim that “If you look at the fundamentals, the president should be getting crushed right now.” John points out (as does Ezra Klein) that if you look at the fundamentals, you’d expect a close election. OK, there are lots of ways of looking at politics, elections, and the economy, and I’m sure that some forecasts give Obama a bit lead. But that’s hardly a consensus reading of the fundamentals. The more parsimonious reading here is that Brooks was (a) misinformed and (b) didn’t know with whom to talk to get informed. I’m reminded of the…

  • Crazy and Crazier

    Paul Waldman
    16 May 2012 | 9:52 am
    In the last few years, many different kinds of communication technologies have been democratized. For instance, up until not too long ago, making a film that didn't look amateurish was impossible without a whole bunch of equipment whose expense made it out of reach for almost everyone, not to mention the technical expertise required. But today, you can buy a professional-quality HD video camera for a couple thousand dollars and video editing software like Apple's Final Cut Pro for a couple hundred, and presto, you can make what looks to be a "real" movie. That means that a kid with a dream to…

  • A State-Federal Standoff over the Death Penalty

    Garrett Epps
    16 May 2012 | 9:16 am
    A principled governor invoking “state’s rights” to defy federal policy. Aggressive local officials overriding state decisions. A federal court angrily affirming its own power. An anguished dissent attacking a power-hungry Congress.  United States v. Pleau has all the elements of a great federalism battle (including, by the way, largely symbolic stakes). But don’t expect to see Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee’s “state’s rights” stand hailed by Republican conservatives: Chafee is blocking the federal government in order to show his disapproval of the federal death penalty.

  • The Unecessary Radicalism of Citizens United

    Scott Lemieux
    15 May 2012 | 10:33 pm
    One of the many striking things about the Supreme Court's infamous Citizens United decision is how poorly the facts of the case fit the extremely sweeping holding. The potential First Amendment issues involved with campaign finance regulation exist on a spectrum. Political editorials, even when published in corporate-owned media and attempting to influence the campaign, are obviously "pure speech" that can be restricted only in extraordinary circumstances. Direct donations to candidates, on the other hand, are further removed from pure speech and also raise serious problems of democratic…
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    Ezra Klein

  • Democrats talk about cutting entitlements. Republicans don’t talk about raising taxes.

    Suzy Khimm
    16 May 2012 | 1:20 pm
    The line you often hear in Washington is that Republicans won’t talk taxes and Democrats won’t talk entitlements. The two parties, the thinking goes, are similarly irresponsible, albeit on opposite sides of the budget. But at the Peter G. Peterson Foundation’s 2012 Fiscal Summit, there was a clear difference between Democrats and Republicans: Democrats talked constantly about how they should be talking about entitlements. Republicans reiterated their position that they won’t talk taxes. “Our party’s problem is, we are always reluctant to give up the gains of the past to create the…

  • ‘Too big to fail’ watch

    Ezra Klein
    16 May 2012 | 12:33 pm
    The five largest banks controlled $6.1 trillion in assets before the collapse. By 2012, they controlled assets worth $8.5 trillion. That is to say, they went from being “too big to fail” to being much, much bigger. But perhaps that somehow makes them better banks? Economies of scale and all that? Not according to this study (pdf) from the Cleveland Fed: Our calculations indicate that the cost to the economy as a whole due to increased systemic risk is of an order of magnitude larger than the potential benefits due to any economies of scale when banks are allowed to be large..

  • Boehner’s debt ceiling crisis would be so much worse than you think

    Ezra Klein
    16 May 2012 | 12:22 pm
    There’s some chance that House Speaker John Boehner’s threat to provoke another debt-ceiling crisis doesn’t much matter. If it does matter, it’s only because fiscal policy has already gone very, very wrong. As Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner said Tuesday, “we’re likely to hit the debt limit sometime before the end of the year, but Congress has given the executive branch a set of tools that buy them some time. And those tools will probably take us into the early part of 2013, thus separating somewhat the timing of the expiry of the tax cuts and the sequester with the ultimate…

  • Lunch break: Europe’s shifting borders

    Brad Plumer
    16 May 2012 | 11:56 am
    A time lapse video looking at Europe’s shifting country borders from 1000 A.D. to 2003: [Some of the content in this entry could not be displayed on this device.]

  • 50 years of government spending, in one graph

    Sarah Kliff
    16 May 2012 | 10:26 am
    Planet Money’s Lam Thuy Vo charts how our government’s spending habits have changed in the past five decades: The clearest development has been the growth of health-care costs — 50 years ago, Medicare and Medicaid didn’t even exist. Today, the two programs account for about a quarter of all federal spending. Defense spending, meanwhile, has gone from half of the federal budget to a quarter. It’s also worth noting that federal spending has, over the past 50 years, grown at a pretty similar rate to the rest of the economy. In 1962, the federal government spent $707 billion, accounting…
 
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    RedState

  • Daily Links – May 16, 2012

    ()
    16 May 2012 | 1:15 pm
    Today is May 16th. On this date in 1920, Joan of Arc was beatified and canonized by the Vatican. Man, first burned at the stake, then fired from a canon? That chick just could not catch a break!! On this date in 1965, SpaghettiOs went on sale in American supermarkets for the first time. You had to go to Morganville to buy them, which is what they called Shelbyville at the time. The cans were five for a nickel, and in those days, nickels had pictures of bumblebees on ‘em. “Give me five Os for a bee” you’d say. Also on this date, in 1868, President Andrew Johnson was…

  • The call for Mickey Mouse as a write-in in the CA-DEM Primary!

    ()
    16 May 2012 | 12:00 pm
    Slightly contra Instapundit, this call for Mickey Mouse as a write-in on the California ballot is a blogger’s joke rather than an actual movement [UPDATE: I am informed in comments here that this is meant absolutely seriously; please be assured that I had no intention of mocking either the sentiment or the activity], but if it’s kidding then it’s kidding on the square. And it’s illustrating something that is perhaps being under-reported: the way that Obama’s not been doing all that well in the primaries for an incumbent. I mean, yes: we’ve had it noted that…

  • Keep Term Limits on Committee Chairmen

    ()
    16 May 2012 | 9:40 am
    People often ask me what can be done to move the elected officials within the Republican Party rightward.  Well, for one thing, we need to elect more conservatives.  But more importantly, we need those conservatives to obtain positions of power, such as chairmanships of the committees that set our domestic policy agenda. Not surprisingly, all the relevant committee chairmen are either conduits for leadership or are even more liberal than leadership.  Here is a list of the chairmen along with their respective 2011 scores from Heritage Action: Committee Chairman HAFA Score Agriculture Frank…

  • Our Tech Obsessed Culture

    ()
    16 May 2012 | 9:00 am
    Download audio here Download Podcast | iTunes | Podcast Feed On today’s edition of Coffee and Markets, Pejman Yousefzadeh and Kevin Holtsberry are joined by Dr. Larry Rosen to discuss his book on tech addictions, how to recognize them, and how to lessen any unhealthy dependency that we may have on technology. We’re brought to you as always byStephen Clouse and Associates. If you’d like to email us, you can do so at coffee[at]newledger.com. We hope you enjoy the show. Related Links: Buy iDisorder: Understanding Our Obsession with Technology and Overcoming Its Hold…

  • The Club For Growth’s Depressing Study: Failure and Lies of the Tea Party Congresscritters

    ()
    16 May 2012 | 5:26 am
    “If the tea party is not much more successful in primarying Republican candidates and then having those guys practice what they preach, the GOP is within a decade of going the way of the Whigs.” There have been many studies out on the “tea party congress” and just how tea party it actually is. One study last year noted that 70% of candidates who went to Congress under the tea party banner were voting just like the Republican Leaders they ran against. Probably one of the best places to get a sense of this is the Club for Growth. Why? The Club ignores social votes and…
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    News

  • Defense rests in John Edwards trial

    16 May 2012 | 12:30 pm
    In what was set up as a pivotal day of testimony in the trial of John Edwards, his defense team surprised court watchers by resting on Wednesday without calling the former senator, his former mistress, Rielle Hunter, or his daughter, Cate Edwards, to the stand.

  • Romney endorses Mack in Florida Senate primary

    16 May 2012 | 12:04 pm
    Mitt Romney is endorsing Rep. Connie Mack (R-Fla.) in his contested primary for the Senate."Connie Mack is a friend, a strong conservative and the type of principled leader we need in Washington to restore fiscal responsibility. By electing Connie Mack, the people of Florida will be sending a clear message to [incumbent] Senator [Bill] Nelson [(D-Fla.)] and President Obama that their failed policies have not worked to change the borrow and spend ways of Washington," Romney said in a statement Wednesday.Mack is locked in a tough primary battle with former Sen. George LeMieux (R-Fla.), a former…

  • Poll: Tight race in swing-state North Carolina

    16 May 2012 | 11:39 am
    President Obama leads Mitt Romney by 1 percent in North Carolina, according to the latest survey from left-leaning Public Policy Polling.

  • Obama to pitch his 'to do' list over hoagies

    16 May 2012 | 11:31 am
    President Obama will have more than just a "to do" list to offer congressional leaders on Wednesday at the White House. After meeting with small-business owners to push his plan for a tax credit, the president took time to pick up hoagies for his private lunch with leaders from the House and Senate. Obama bought “an assortment of sandwiches,” according to the White House pool report.“I’m going to offer them some hoagies,” Obama said.The tax credit that Obama touted at the event is one of the five items on his “to do” list for Congress, a five-point plan he proposed Congress…

  • Romney offers to help Florida delegation after their exile to hotel far from GOP convention

    16 May 2012 | 10:44 am
    Florida Republicans dismayed over their placement at a hotel some 32 miles from the site of the Republican National Convention this August in Tampa could have an ally at the top of the ticket: Mitt Romney.Romney said Wednesday that he'll work with the Republican National Committee to make sure Florida is treated well at the convention, despite harsh penalties imposed by the RNC for violating the party's primary rules and moving their contest into January."I don't have an announcement today but you can imagine given the big boost that I got from the people of Florida — the Florida delegation…
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    James Wolcott's Blog

  • When the Mitt Hits the Fan

    11 May 2012 | 12:52 pm
    Once of the reasons Mitt Romney seems like such a time-warped, B-actor leading man of a candidate--a cross between John Gavin and Tom Tryon, with high-gloss Hollywood black hair for that new Cadillac shine and a smile that always has money on its mind--is that surface is all he seems to sport. Below the lacquer, there's no underlife; no doubts, no sawing contradictions, no gnawing resentments. As a human being, he still doesn't seem fully thawed, and you get the sense that his sweat would be cold, like refrigerator condensation. What's strange isn't that Romney seems capable of expressing…

  • Sunday Sermonette

    6 May 2012 | 1:51 pm
    "The new American Dream is to get to be very rich and still be regarded as a victim."     --Charles Simic, The Monster Loves His Labyrinth: Notebooks  

  • Unlike J. J. Hunsecker, Sally Draper Doesn't Love This Dirty Town

    1 May 2012 | 7:27 pm
    After a few weeks of heavy downswing, such a relief to see the existential fog burn off on Mad Men and the dialogue pick up the tempo with some jazzy byplay, with John Slattery's Roger Sterling never jauntier and more Pal Joey. (The script was by Jonathan Igla.) Roger's LSD trip--"a life-altering experience"--seems to have bug-zapped the self-pity and internecine rancor that was calcifying his bones and freed him to become the pure player he has always fancied himself to be. Roger tells Don, who is being honored at a posh dinner being hosted by the American Cancer Society in the…

  • The Conspiracy to Commit Legislative Constipation

    27 Apr 2012 | 12:57 pm
    In a scene reminiiscent of the summit meeting of mob bosses in The Godfather, Republican House leaders were summoned by evil marshmallow and message-crafter Frank Luntz to hash out a strategy to cope with the defeat of their party in 2008 and the election of the newly inaugurated President Obama, according to Robert Draper's just published book Do Not Ask What Good We Do: Inside the U.S. House of Representatives. From a report on Draper's revelation by Ewen MacAskill in the Guardian UK (the bolding is mine): During a lengthy discussion, the senior GOP members worked out a plan to repeatedly…

  • Amazing What an Absence of Gag Reflex Can Achieve

    25 Apr 2012 | 3:14 pm
    Tracy Quan, the author of those action-packed urban rhapsodies The Diary of a Married Call Girl and its sequel, The Diary of a Married Call Girl, takes a long, thoughtful look back at the battered and disputed legacy of the late porn star Linda Lovelace, whose oral feats in Deep Throat did so much to de-elevate the cultural "conversation" in the Seventies. A proposed biopic of Linda Lovelace starring Lindsay Lohan, a casting match-up that at least had the virtue of being alliterative, didn't leave the dock, but now there's a new Lovelace project starring the elf-eyed Amanda Seyfried…
 
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    SCOTUSblog

  • Opinion analysis: When worlds collide, the IRS wins and bankrupts shudder

    Ronald Mann
    16 May 2012 | 10:44 am
    Monday’s decision in Hall v. United States is emblematic of the Court’s long-standing skepticism of the Bankruptcy Code as an important institution for mitigating the long-term costs of financial distress.  As a jurisprudential matter, the case is a classic conflict of wholly separate worlds:  the world of the IRS and the Internal Revenue Code on the one hand, and the world of financial distress and the Bankruptcy Code on the other.  Each world has its own title of the United States Code (Title 26 for tax and Title 11 for bankruptcy), and each has its own set of institutions, legal…

  • Wednesday round-up

    Conor McEvily
    16 May 2012 | 9:35 am
    Coverage of Monday’s opinions and orders continued yesterday.  At JURIST, Julia Zebley summarizes Monday’s decision in Hall v. United States,in which the Court held that the federal income tax liability resulting from petitioners’ post-petition farm sale is not incurred by the estate under Section 503(b) of the Bankruptcy Code and thus is neither collectible nor dischargeable in the Chapter 12 plan.  Also at JURIST, Michael Haggerson reports on Monday’s denial of cert. in a case challenging the lack of voting rights for Puerto Ricans in U.S. presidential elections.  And at the Wall…

  • Latif: An answer to detainee lawyers’ dilemma?

    Lyle Denniston
    15 May 2012 | 4:01 pm
    Analysis For most of the past four years, the volunteer lawyers who are helping Guantanamo Bay detainees use their constitutional right of access to U.S. courts have faced a dilemma: they assumed that, at some point, the Supreme Court would again get interested in those cases, but they had no idea what it would take to get the Justices involved again.  They persuaded the Court just once in those years to grant a case — a highly unusual one – but that case went away without any new guidance on where the Court stands. Last Term, the lawyers failed every time as they tried…

  • Petitions to watch | Conference of May 17, 2012

    Matthew Bush
    15 May 2012 | 10:45 am
    At its May 17, 2012 Conference, the Court will consider such issues as the presumption of accuracy of intelligence reports in Guantanamo habeas decisions, standing to challenge the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, the standard of federal habeas review for state court factual determinations, and the burden of proof for affirmative defenses in a criminal case.  This edition of “Petitions to watch” features petitions raising issues that Tom has determined to have a reasonable chance of being granted, although we post them here without consideration of whether they present appropriate…

  • Tuesday round-up

    Nabiha Syed
    15 May 2012 | 8:41 am
    Yesterday the Court issued an opinion in Hall v. United States, holding that the federal income tax liability resulting from petitioners’ post-petition farm sale is not incurred by the estate under Section 503(b) of the Bankruptcy Code and thus is neither collectible nor dischargeable inthe Chapter 12 plan. Robyn Hagan Cain of Findlaw describes the opinion as “unusual,” explaining that she “didn’t expect to see Justice Sotomayor aligned with Chief Justice Roberts and Justices Scalia, Thomas, and Alito in a tax decision ruling against struggling farmers,” while Calvin Massey of the…
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    Politifact.com Truth-O-Meter rulings from National

  • Mitt Romney: On abortion

    15 May 2012 | 3:08 pm
    The Truth-o-Meter says: Full Flop | Mitt Romney evolved significantly in his position on abortion Mitt Romney has faced years of accusations that he’s flip-flopped on various issues. One issue where Romney has clearly changed his position is abortion.     We should note that the Flip-O-Meter rates politicians' consistency on particular topics from No Flip to Full Flop. The meter is not intended to pass judgment on their decisions to change their minds. It’s simply gauging whether they did. First, we’ll look at some of the things Romney said earlier in his…

  • Mitt Romney: On whether humans contribute to global warming

    15 May 2012 | 3:03 pm
    The Truth-o-Meter says: Half Flip | On Mitt Romney and whether humans are causing climate change Do humans contribute to global warming? There’s been a robust debate over whether Mitt Romney has flip-flopped on this question. In this item, we’ll try to determine whether he has. We’ll start by noting that the Flip-O-Meter rates politicians' consistency on particular topics from No Flip to Full Flop. The meter is not intended to pass judgment on their decisions to change their minds. It’s simply gauging whether they did. Romney’s campaign website is silent on…

  • Mitt Romney: On support for gay marriage.

    15 May 2012 | 2:51 pm
    The Truth-o-Meter says: No Flip | Mitt Romney has maintained consistent stance on same-sex marriage With President Barack Obama's change of position on gay marriage -- which earned a Full Flop on our Flip-O-Meter -- we thought it was a good time to take a fresh look at Mitt Romney's position on the same issue. Shortly after Obama’s announcement, Romney was pressed about his own stance on same-sex marriage. In each case, he offered similar answers. At a campaign event in Oklahoma City, reporters asked Romney to clarify his position. "My view is that marriage itself is a…

  • Barack Obama: Says Mitt Romney would deny gay people the right to adopt children.

    14 May 2012 | 2:43 pm
    The Truth-o-Meter says: False | Obama ad says Romney opposes gay adoption Within a day of President Barack Obama announcing his support for same-sex marriage, his campaign released an ad chiding Republican rival Mitt Romney for opposing it. It’s true that Romney does not support gay marriage -- he reaffirmed that position the same day as Obama’s historic announcement. But the Obama campaign video claims that Romney would deny certain rights to gay partners, including the right to adopt children. The ad shows short clips of both candidates talking about gay marriage -- Obama saying…

  • Barack Obama: On support for gay marriage.

    11 May 2012 | 3:19 pm
    The Truth-o-Meter says: Full Flop | President Barack Obama's shifting stance on gay marriage ABC broke into its daytime lineup May 9, 2012, to announce a historic shift: the president of the United States declaring his personal support for gay marriage. "I've been going through an evolution on this issue," President Barack Obama told ABC News. Indeed. While the president has consistently supported civil rights for gay couples — peppering his comments with specifics such as hospital visitation, transfer of property and Social Security benefits — his discussion of…
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    Balloon Juice

  • Talking About White Poverty

    Freddie deBoer
    16 May 2012 | 1:02 pm
    I’m of two minds when it comes to this widely-disseminated and discussed piece by John Scalzi on teaching straight white men about privilege. On the one hand, the piece is in many ways as good as advertised. It takes the crucial step in talking about privilege, which is to attempt to do something about it, rather than just using it as a way to assert righteousness. The metaphor is apt and clever, and I think that it could actually be put to productive use in teaching resistant men about how to think of their own advantages. Not many of them, I’m afraid; when it comes to…

  • The War On Women Crosses The Rubin Con

    Zandar
    16 May 2012 | 11:45 am
    Interesting to note that Sarah Palin’s dark horse in Nebraska literally came out of nowhere to win the GOP senate primary, but Jennifer Rubin declares this neat little fallacy as a result: With more and more female candidates, the Democrats’ “war on women” meme becomes sillier and sillier. Because of course draconian conservative policies on contraception, abortion, health insurance and medical procedures in general advocated by Republican women can’t possibly qualify as misogynist, same theory that Allen West’s presence as a GOP member of Congress means…

  • If it’s Obama’s job to explain Bain, they can’t complain

    Kay
    16 May 2012 | 9:32 am
    I’ll start with what the Obama campaign looks like on the ground in Ohio today, on Bain: President Obama’s re-election campaign pressed its attack on Mitt Romney as a cold-hearted capitalist Tuesday by saying that he helped drive into bankruptcy a chain of department stores that used to be located in 26 Ohio cities, including Bowling Green.State Democratic Chairman Chris Redfern and national Obama campaign co-chair Ted Strickland said that Bain Capital in the 1980s bought up small clothing stores and organized them into Stage Stores, expanded the company, borrowed heavily against…

  • The WaPo Is Shrill

    John Cole
    16 May 2012 | 9:30 am
    I’m not sure how this made it into Fred Hiatt’s loss leader for Kaplan, but more power to them: But for House Republicans, and for the Family Foundation, an anti-gay group that stirred up opposition to Mr. Thorne-Begland’s nomination, his sexual orientation trumped his copious professional qualifications. Del. Robert G. Marshall (R-Prince William), who last year expressed the view that gays are “intrinsically disordered,” denounced the nominee as “an aggressive activist for the pro-homosexual agenda.” Mr. Marshall — known in Richmond as…

  • Never Do Anything

    mistermix
    16 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    Congress passed its first substantive bill in 6 weeks on Tuesday. (via) I was wondering what running against a “Do Nothing Congress” would sound like, and here’s one of Truman’s stump speeches: Some people say I ought not to talk so much about the Republican 80th “do-nothing” Congress in this campaign. I will tell you why I will talk about it. If two-thirds of the people stay at home again on election day as they did in 1946, and if we get another Republican Congress like the 80th Congress, it will be controlled by the same men who controlled that 80th…
 
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    Oliver Willis

  • A Michelle Malkin Venture Is Always Dishonest

    owillis@gmail.com (Oliver Willis)
    15 May 2012 | 11:04 pm
    So Michelle Malkin’s latest online venture is a website called Twitchy, which provides a service nobody in the world asked for by aggregating right-wing themed stories using tweets. Literally, nobody wanted this to exist but there it is on the Internet. It will probably last for a maximum of three years, but yesterday the site went after me. Low hanging fruit, indeed. The site is newish but its an old conservative trick: Attack the liberal for a position he doesn’t have, act superior as a result. The back story: Buzzfeed made a big to-do about how the Obama campaign was requiring…

  • Why I Can’t Stand Ron Paul

    owillis@gmail.com (Oliver Willis)
    15 May 2012 | 5:13 pm
    I can’t stand Ron Paul. Why? I should have some sort of warm sentiment towards him, right? He is, after all, an anti-war conservative riding against the tide of brainless militarism that still rules the GOP, right? But like almost everything else with Paul, it is wrapped up in the type of brain-dead simpleton talk that renders it effectively useless. Besides bring back some pork for his district like any other congressman, what the hell has Paul actually done in his tenure in the House? He hasn’t seriously affected the mainstream thinking of the GOP and his Simple Simon view of…

  • The Media Narrative On Obama 2012 Is BS, Here’s Why

    owillis@gmail.com (Oliver Willis)
    14 May 2012 | 10:56 am
    Over the last 10 years, I’ve learned that the media narrative rarely has any relation to reality. In 2002-3, the media marched along with the Bush administration’s flimsy case for war in Iraq. In 2004, they echoed his message that he was a competent commander-in-chief despite the death toll in Iraq and the refusal to modify the failed strategy there. In 2007-8 we were told that Hillary Clinton’s nomination was inevitable, and after Obama was elected the media kept telling us health care reform was dead as it moved through congress to become a law. Now in 2012, there have…

  • The Wall Street Journal Would Rather Obama Not Campaign

    owillis@gmail.com (Oliver Willis)
    12 May 2012 | 3:54 pm
    The Wall Street Journal‘s Kimberly Strassel is up in arms. Ms. Strassel is just OUTRAGED that the Obama campaign is pointing out the monied interests bankrolling Romney’s presidential campaign and others are looking into their odd behavior. I mean, the nerve of them! Using publicly available campaign finance reports to … wait, what is the concern again? We are seeing some mighty unique things this campaign. Republican/mainstream media outrage at the President advocating an agenda, conservatives suddenly concerned that a Democrat just might not roll over and play dead in…

  • The Most Pro-Marriage President Ever

    owillis@gmail.com (Oliver Willis)
    12 May 2012 | 10:35 am
    The predictable knuckle-dragging conservative response to President Obama’s support for same-sex marriage was to immediately declare that marriage was under attack. Fox News was, as usual, the first idiot brigade on the battlefield. But with his evolution on the issue, President Obama now ranks as the most pro-marriage President the United States has ever had. He’s thrown away the stale idea of limiting marriage only to heterosexual couples in the same fashion that the notion that black and white couples should not mix. Let’s not forget that the President is the result of a…
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    The Moderate Voice

  • No Sense Of Humor About New Voter ID Laws

    MICHAEL SILVERSTEIN, Wall Street Columnist
    16 May 2012 | 12:59 pm
    The other day I had a piece on the Opinion Page of The Philadelphia Inquirer. It was a satirical number that made fun of the new voter ID laws in many states. Instead of comments about the humor, I got a lot of angry emails from people trashing Democrats and Obama. A lot of Republicans, it seems, have no sense of humor. Here’s the Inquirer piece http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/20120514_The_sum_of_our_driver_rsquo_s_licenses.html

  • Black Voices On Pres. Obama’s Gay Marriage Stance

    KATHLEEN MCKINLEY, Guest Voice Columnist
    16 May 2012 | 10:51 am
    In gaging the reaction to Obama’s announcement of his support of gay marriage, I thought it might be interesting to hear the opinion of black voices across our country. Although it was easy to find black pastors who differed with Pres. Obama because of their Christian faith (Imagine! Pastors choosing the gospel over Obama!), I thought Carl Jeffers brought up an interesting point as well. He prefaces this by saying that it’s clear to him that whether Obama wins re-election or not, our next President after him will be white, and the one after that (Not sure that’s a given, but…

  • Obama, Democrats Fundraising for April $43.6 Million: a Decline

    JOE GANDELMAN, Editor-In-Chief
    16 May 2012 | 9:02 am
    Barack Obama and the Democrats found their April fundraising take was down from the previous month — but they’re expecting May to be better. Many Democrats who still seem confident (alarmingly so according to James Carville) that they’ll win in the end underestimate the financial battle they’re in with the GOP. For instance, when Team Obama’s PAC made a big TV buy it was countered -and matched — by Karl Rove’s Super PAC.

  • Romney Looks Good in New Set of Polls Against Obama

    TAYLOR MARSH, Guest Voice Columnist
    16 May 2012 | 8:51 am
    WASHINGTON – NO IDEOLOGICAL COMPASS and no economic message since before the 2010 midterms has come back to bite Pres. Obama, giving Mitt Romney a strong showing according to multiple polling snapshots of the presidential race today. A larger stimulus would have been more effective, while illustrating Pres. Obama had a progressive economic plan, with a strong message in 2010 to take on Tea Party austerity at least showing he had a clearly stated economic vision throughout his first term, instead of the series of reactions to Republicans that it has come to represent. Simpson-Bowles did…

  • Nate Silver’s A 30,000-Foot View on the Presidential Race

    JOE GANDELMAN, Editor-In-Chief
    16 May 2012 | 8:20 am
    See saw polls. Partisan on each side on weblogs touting polls that show their side ahead as proof that the other side is in trouble and often ignoring polls that show the opposite. When a poll comes out that gets a lot of attention showing the other side ahead, using the increasingly tired mantra of “bad methodology” (the latest example is Team Obama). And YES there are partisans on each side that do try to analyze and give a non-spin take on what they see in polls. But the big question is: has that much really changed when you stand back — like, at 30,000 feet — and…
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    US Politics | AMERICAblog News

  • Vintage photo: San Francisco in ruins, circa May 28th, 1906

    John Aravosis
    16 May 2012 | 12:54 pm
    An amazing photo of San Francisco following the great earthquake of 1906.  At first, it looks like simply a beautiful panorama of a great city. Then you zoom in on any part of the photo you want and realize that the resolution is so good you're starting to see buildings torn in half, and entire lots razed to the ground.  It reminds me of images of Japan following the recent...

  • Virginia House of Delegates rejects judicial nominee because he's gay

    Jon Green
    16 May 2012 | 11:46 am
    *Unless you're gay. (Or black.) The Virginia State Legislature is at it again. Just after 1:00 am Tuesday morning, the GOP-controlled Virginia House of Delegates voted to block the appointment of an openly gay Chief Deputy Commonwealth's Attorney, Tracy Thorne-Begland, to the judgeship of the General District Court in Richmond. Thorne-Begland's nomination had received bipartisan support...

  • Poll shows strong swing state disapproval of Obama on housing

    Matt Browner Hamlin
    16 May 2012 | 10:12 am
    Housing photo via Shutterstock Campaign for a Fair Settlement, a liberal housing group which formed to pressure state Attorneys General like California's Kamala Harris to not agree to a bad robosigning settlement deal, has released a poll that paints a brutal picture of how voters in swing states view President Obama's handling of the housing crisis. The poll also shows that voters think the...

  • What really happened in the Oklahoma City bombing and why the investigation "failed"

    Gaius Publius
    16 May 2012 | 8:15 am
    This is a straight news piece, the fascinating story of what a really thorough investigation of the Oklahoma City bombing of the Murrah Federal Building in 1995 actually turned up. Unfortunately, that investigation was performed by the authors of a new book on the subject, not by the feds. Bottom line — what we think we know, we don't. The operation was far bigger than anyone realizes,...

  • Ron Paul's sneaky strategy

    John Aravosis
    16 May 2012 | 7:00 am
    Rich Koele / Shutterstock.com He's not exactly going away. If Ron Paul actively stayed in the race and didn’t win any delegates in Kentucky, he would damage his son’s political stock in a state where, despite being a U.S. senator, Rand Paul is still a political outsider. But if Ron Paul simply dropped out, his delegates would no longer be bound to him, foiling his strategy to gain control of the...
 
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    VideoSift.com

  • Only SFW on Mute -- Geeks poke at GOP

    bareboards2 (http://politics.videosift.com/member/bareboards2)
    16 May 2012 | 9:42 am
    From the website: "Grand Old Party" is a data visualization project. It is also a set of [watch the video]. Download Catalogue w/ detailed specs. Each shape is determined by voter approval ratings amongst registered republican voters for each of the GOP presidential candidates. The height is a measurement of time, beginning December 10, 2011 and ending on April 1, 2012 (bottom to top). The width of each object is the quantity by percentage (out of 100%) of approval for that candidate. All data comes directly from Gallup polls. Pricing Single piece: $65 ($45 for Perry or Bachman) Entire set:…

  • The Greatest "No Comment" of ALL TIME!!

    Barseps (http://politics.videosift.com/member/Barseps)
    16 May 2012 | 9:23 am
    Long story short, Arthur Scargill was a MAJOR headache to Margaret Thatcher in the 1980's, nice to see there's no love lost. Brit Sifters will definitely understand this one. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UK_Miners%27_Strike_%281984-1985%29

  • President Obama Talks Gay Marriage On The View

    eric3579 (http://eric3579.videosift.com)
    16 May 2012 | 9:03 am

  • Robert Reich: Public vs. Private Morality

    geo321 (http://politics.videosift.com/member/geo321)
    15 May 2012 | 11:49 pm
    Robert Reich discusses the misconceptions between Public & Private Morality. -yt

  • Paid Cash for House -- JP Morgan Forecloses 2 Months Later

    Boise_Lib (http://politics.videosift.com/member/Boise_Lib)
    15 May 2012 | 9:19 pm
    YouTube Description: KMBC's Haley Harrison reports.
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    The American Prospect

  • Why Sex Matters

    Jaclyn Friedman
    16 May 2012 | 12:19 pm
    We've been talking this week about ending sexual violence in conflict, both why it's an achievable goal, and why it's one that affects you. Now I'm going to get a little personal.  I'm a survivor of sexual violence. The details of what happened to me are unimportant to this story, but it's important to me that you know. The experience politicized me, and my anti-sexual-violence activism has taken a lot of forms over the decades. I've taught self-defense, written (and successfully changed) institutional policies, performed educational theater, marched and protested, walk-a-thonned,…

  • Why Can't Journos Do Math?

    Andrew Gelman
    16 May 2012 | 10:36 am
    John shoots down David Brooks’s claim that “If you look at the fundamentals, the president should be getting crushed right now.” John points out (as does Ezra Klein) that if you look at the fundamentals, you’d expect a close election. OK, there are lots of ways of looking at politics, elections, and the economy, and I’m sure that some forecasts give Obama a bit lead. But that’s hardly a consensus reading of the fundamentals. The more parsimonious reading here is that Brooks was (a) misinformed and (b) didn’t know with whom to talk to get informed. I’m reminded of the…

  • Crazy and Crazier

    Paul Waldman
    16 May 2012 | 9:52 am
    In the last few years, many different kinds of communication technologies have been democratized. For instance, up until not too long ago, making a film that didn't look amateurish was impossible without a whole bunch of equipment whose expense made it out of reach for almost everyone, not to mention the technical expertise required. But today, you can buy a professional-quality HD video camera for a couple thousand dollars and video editing software like Apple's Final Cut Pro for a couple hundred, and presto, you can make what looks to be a "real" movie. That means that a kid with a dream to…

  • A State-Federal Standoff over the Death Penalty

    Garrett Epps
    16 May 2012 | 9:16 am
    A principled governor invoking “state’s rights” to defy federal policy. Aggressive local officials overriding state decisions. A federal court angrily affirming its own power. An anguished dissent attacking a power-hungry Congress.  United States v. Pleau has all the elements of a great federalism battle (including, by the way, largely symbolic stakes). But don’t expect to see Rhode Island Governor Lincoln Chafee’s “state’s rights” stand hailed by Republican conservatives: Chafee is blocking the federal government in order to show his disapproval of the federal death penalty.

  • The Unecessary Radicalism of Citizens United

    Scott Lemieux
    15 May 2012 | 10:33 pm
    One of the many striking things about the Supreme Court's infamous Citizens United decision is how poorly the facts of the case fit the extremely sweeping holding. The potential First Amendment issues involved with campaign finance regulation exist on a spectrum. Political editorials, even when published in corporate-owned media and attempting to influence the campaign, are obviously "pure speech" that can be restricted only in extraordinary circumstances. Direct donations to candidates, on the other hand, are further removed from pure speech and also raise serious problems of democratic…
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    Mike's Washington Watch

  • State of the Nation

    28 Apr 2012 | 9:00 am
    In the April NBC/WSJ survey, 59% say the country is on the wrong track. 33% say it is on the right track. The following are the Right Direction/Wrong Track findings from the NBC/WSJ and the CBS/NYT, dating back to the beginning of the Obama administration.     Right Direction Wrong Track 4/13-17/12 NBC/WSJ 33% 59% 4/13/17/12 CBS/NYT 31 61 4/8-12/12 WP/ABC 33 64 7/2011 NBC/WSJ 25 67 6/2011 CBS/NYT 28 63 6/2011 WP/ABC 32 66 1/2011 NBC/WSJ 35 56 1/2011 CBS/NYT 32 64 1/2011 WP/ABC 29 60 2/2010 CBS/NYT 33 62 1/2010 NBC/WSJ 34 54 1/2010 WP/ABC 37 62 2/2009 NBC/WSJ 41 44 2/2009 CBS 23 68…

  • Odds and Ends

    28 Apr 2012 | 8:59 am
    At least for some, if not many, the ubiquity and ease of email has changed what we would have thought of as the practice of social graces. Before email, when a response or circumstance dictated a response, a visit, a phone call, and/or a handwritten or typed note, would be the order of the day. This is no longer the case. Increasingly, an email replaces other methods of communication. There are some arguments in favor of this new way of communicating in these circumstances. It is easier, less complicated, and, since you can do it right away, you are more likely not to forget. On the other…

  • President Obama

    28 Apr 2012 | 8:58 am
    With 6 months to go before the general election, the public’s grade for the job President Obama has done so far is lower than that of 6 of the previous Presidents at this point in their first term. The President’s current job approval rating (April 16-22) in Gallup is 48% approval and 46% disapproval. The following is the list of 8.   App Dis Eisenhower 69 19 Clinton 56 37 Reagan 54 36 Nixon 54 37 G Bush (II) 52 45 Obama 50 44 (4/22-24) G Bush (I) 42 48 Carter 39 50 The following are several additional cuts at the President’s job approval rating over the last 16 months.  …

  • 2012 Republican Presidential Nomination

    28 Apr 2012 | 8:57 am
    22 people have been tempted or have joined the race. 19 people have announced they are not running, quit the race, or have written it off. 3 people are still running (sort of): Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, and Ron Paul. 1 is the number of real players remaining at the moment. The Goal: 1,142 Committed Republican Convention Delegates by the time of the Republican National Convention, August 27-30, 2012 The contest is over. It effectively ended late on the evening of April 3rd , when Romney won all three of the primaries held that day in Wisconsin (most important because Santorum competed…

  • The Money

    28 Apr 2012 | 8:56 am
    The following is an attempt to summarize campaign fundraising and expenditures for selected Presidential campaigns, national Party organizations, and the larger Super PACs. The data does not include State political parties, 501c (4)s, or 527s. Some of the Super PACs will also spend money on other Federal or State races. Information in this issue of the Watch is based on information from the Center for Responsive Politics, which, frankly, is an easier source of gross fundraising and spending information than Federal Election Commission reports. All of which is to say that the picture painted…
 
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    The Washington Note

  • Romney vs Obama on Afghanistan, Terrorism, & bin Laden

    Steve Clemons
    2 May 2012 | 9:39 am
    photo credit: ReutersThe anniversary of Osama bin Laden's death has spiked public interest in the foreign policy positions of President Obama and Mitt Romney -- particularly with regards to fighting terrorism and the war in Afghanistan.  Over the last couple of days, I have done a number of shows across the networks -- but mostly have the clips from Current TV and MSNBC and want to post here (on next page).I argue that Barack Obama deserves enormous credit (and political bragging rights) for the decision he made to send the Navy SEAL Team 6 in to get bin Laden.  He would have owned…

  • Obama Punctuates End of Afghan Conflict

    Steve Clemons
    1 May 2012 | 6:54 pm
    On the one year anniversary of President Obama ordering a Navy SEAL team to "go in and get Bin Laden and if he not there, to get out", the President has given a speech tonight framing what America's post-Afghanistan game will look like. In a relatively brief 1,540 word statement offered at Bagram Air Base in a surprise trip to Afghanistan, President Obama opened the door to what the elements of an endstate will be -- moving in 2013 to a full support role of an Afghan security and police force now standing at more than 352,000 personnel. The full transition of roles and responsibility would be…

  • Anti-Gay Advocates Win: Grenell Resigns from Romney Campaign

    Steve Clemons
    1 May 2012 | 3:08 pm
    Richard Grenell, recently hired by the Mitt Romney for President campaign to serve as the GOP presidential contender's national security spokesman, has resigned.His statement:I have decided to resign from the Romney campaign as the Foreign Policy and National Security Spokesman. While I welcomed the challenge to confront President Obama's foreign policy failures and weak leadership on the world stage, my ability to speak clearly and forcefully on the issues has been greatly diminished by the hyper-partisan discussion of personal issues that sometimes comes from a presidential campaign. I want…

  • Will Romney Squash Republican Anti-Gay Bigotry?

    Steve Clemons
    21 Apr 2012 | 1:55 pm
    Right wing, and anti-gay provocateur Bryan Fischer, Director of Issue Analysis for Government and Public Policy at the American Family Association, wrote in early 2011 that Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee were just carrying too much baggage to win the GOP nomination and run for the presidency in 2012. So, he said a second tier of candidates would probably break through -- listing "Tim Pawlenty, Mitch Daniels, Haley Barbour, John Thune, John Bolton, Mike Pence, and a possible "dark horse" (his term, not mine), Herman Cain." Ultimately, Fischer said that in the end it…

  • Moby Dick Airlines and Newt

    Steve Clemons
    21 Apr 2012 | 6:44 am
    Huffpost's Paul Blumenthal has an extensive piece out on Newt Gingrich's campaign debt problems. I loved this graf: The campaign's most absurd unpaid expenses were more than $1 million to the private jet company Moby Dick Airways, nearly $450,000 to a security firm, and more than $500,000 in travel reimbursements and other payments to individual staffers and consultants. When life imitates absurd movies. . .well, I just love the notion of Newt, Ahab, and Moby Dick. Can't find much on the airline, but there is a Moby Dick Airways facebook page and a clip or two out there on Newt/Ahab's debts…
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    Calitics - Front Page

  • More Pain to Come

    14 May 2012 | 5:38 pm
    Increased budget deficit means big cuts with or without tax initiatives by Brian Leubitz With the recent announcement of a bigger than expected deficit, Gov. Brown has announced bigger than expected cuts are coming in his May revision of the budget. The gap grew, the budget revision states, because Brown over-estimated tax revenues by $4.3 billion and the federal government and courts blocked $1.7 billion in cuts the state wanted to make. The remainder of the difference reflects an increase in the amount of money the state is mandated to spend on education under a complex voter-approved…

  • AD50 Candidate Betsy Butler Touts Endorsement By Powerful Rent Control Opponents

    10 May 2012 | 1:36 pm
    Tenant advocacy and affordable housing proponents in the 50th Assembly District say Betsy Butler's endorsement by a powerful anti-rent control group sows "doubt and mistrust" for her candidacy, and raises serious concerns about her commitment to protecting tenant rights. On April 25, Butler's campaign issued a press release touting an endorsement by the Apartment Association of Greater Los Angeles (AAGLA), a landlord and apartment owners lobbying group. "In her first term in the state Legislature, Assemblymember Butler has demonstrated a genuine understanding of the challenges facing the…

  • Obama Supports Marriage Equality

    9 May 2012 | 2:18 pm
    While Prop 8 Decision Remains pending, President Obama "Evolves" by Brian Leubitz It may have been the Amendment 1 vote in North Carolina, but for whatever reason, today the President of the United States announced that he supports marriage equality. From ABC News: California politicians on the "evolution": "This is a historic day and another step in our country's long march toward equal rights and justice for all. The President's statement is a milestone and so important for the millions of American families who deserve full equality. None of us can rest until marriage equality is a reality…

  • Jason Hodge: a Republican in Democrat's Clothing

    8 May 2012 | 5:21 pm
    Remember Jason Hodge, the corporate-backed Democrat running for California's 19th Senate District who "doesn't think you need higher taxes", running against progressive Democrat Hannah-Beth Jackson? Well, I just got a nice big glossy mailer from an organization called the California Senior Advocates League, saying that Jason Hodge would be the Democrat most capable of defeating the Republicans and calling Hannah-Beth Jackson the derogatory nickname "Taxin' Jackson." What is the California Senior Advocates League? Well, it's a group that only seems to exist come election time. It runs a…

  • CA-52: The Scott Peters I Know

    8 May 2012 | 11:58 am
    by Lorena Gonzalez, Secretary-Treasurer and CEO, San Diego Labor Council I have grown extremely frustrated by the lies and distortions being peddled by out of area groups about Scott Peters in his run for Congress. The San Diego Labor Council has endorsed Scott because of his outstanding record for workers, and his commitment to getting things done. But, on a personal level, as an extremely progressive, pro-worker advocate, I am proud to unconditionally support Scott Peters in his bid for Congress and this is why: When I first came to the Labor Council as political director in 2006, I was…
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    Jeffrey Goldberg : The Atlantic

  • Stories to Make You Feel Great About America

    Jeffrey Goldberg
    16 May 2012 | 10:09 am
    Here are two stories that will leave even the most committed cynic slack-jawed in wonder at America's promise, and also make you wonder if the people who think we should close our borders to immigrants are total idiots. (h/t Andrew Exum on the first story, Scott Stossel on the second).This is from the AP, via Stars and Stripes: NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- Orlando Morel was 6 years old when he and his mother left Haiti on a crowded small wooden boat destined for America. Now 24, Morel remembers the blue of the ocean everywhere. And the hunger.When a piece of bread fell into the water, Morel quickly…

  • The Other 'Nakba'

    Jeffrey Goldberg
    15 May 2012 | 3:25 pm
    Today is the day Palestinians commemorate the "Nakba," the "disaster" that brought about the rebirth of Israel. I'm an advocate of a Palestinian state on 100 percent of the West Bank and Gaza (with land swaps, obviously -- the nefarious Obama plan that the majority of Israelis also endorse) and of a Palestinian capital in Jerusalem, but what I won't do is label as a "nakba" a war that saw the 600,000 Jews of Palestine prevent their own slaughter at the hands of invading Arab armies.The Middle East suffers today from the crucial mistakes made by Arab leaders in the late 1940s. The United…

  • Iranian Official: 'We Have Bypassed the West's Red Lines'

    Jeffrey Goldberg
    15 May 2012 | 9:20 am
    Here's the quote of the day (from yesterday), from a story by the New York Times' man in Tehran, Thomas Erdbrinck:"Without violating any international laws or the nonproliferation treaty, we have managed to bypass the red lines the West created for us," said Hamidreza Taraghi, an adviser to Iran's supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who is close to the negotiating team.There's been a lot of happy talk about the possibilities of real breakthrough at the upcoming P5 + 1 talks in Baghdad next week, in which the members of the UN Security Council, plus Germany, try to steer Iran to an…

  • Willful Delusion Re: Iran

    Jeffrey Goldberg
    14 May 2012 | 12:20 pm
    Anthony Cordesman of the The Center for International and Strategic Studies has published an extremely thorough report about Iran's nuclear program that should quell the doubts of those who believe that Iran's nuclear pursuits are benign or even TBD. The report, based on close readings of past IAEA reports as well as other declassified documents, paints a very sober, Monday-ruining kind of picture about the advanced scope of the Iranian program, the inadequacy of the current P5+1 agenda, and the limited efficacy of a potential strike on the program. This report, taken with last week's news of…

  • An Iran-Strike Worst-Case Scenario

    Jeffrey Goldberg
    11 May 2012 | 7:31 am
    Ahmed Rashid, writing in Haaretz, outlines what he sees as a highly likely response in the Muslim world to an Israeli, or American, strike on Iran's nuclear facilities. It's a worst-case scenario, but nevertheless a plausible one (h/t Hussein Ibish). Rashid says the locus of rage would be in Shia communities, but Sunnis might also erupt, as well. By the way, if someone has a compelling counter-argument, please send it along. Rashid: In countries that border Iran, such as Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan, all of which are subject to a powerful U.S. military or political presence, Iran, to…
 
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    GOP Convention 2008

  • Mitt Romney and Jimmy Carter

    jhgood
    13 May 2012 | 3:06 pm
    It now looks certain that Mitt Romney will be the GOP candidate for the 2012 Presidential Election. Mitt is being called in the media ‘the presumptive Republican Candidate’. In such a position, it is not surprising that the media focus has been on what Mitt Romney has to say on several issues. For a start he is being pressured to come out against gay marriage. This probably conforms to Romney’s own belief system, but the matter is more complicated. Mitt Romney is a strong advocate of religious tolerance. He is a Mormon and is opposed to several ideas that make up Christian…

  • How Republicans believe that all Americans should be able to extend their lines of credit

    theadmin
    29 Apr 2012 | 7:34 pm
    The politics of the USA has been dominated with two parties namely republicans and democrats who fight it out every election year to have most of their members in the USA congress. The views of these two political parties differ when it comes to a variety of policies that govern the country, but there are some on which they agree on. Most times these two parties have debates on policies that they do not agree on which can leave the country in a dilemma as their decision is awaited or sometimes a compromise is reached to allow the country to move forward.The extension of lines of credit…

  • Wine Shipment Policies

    theadmin
    24 Apr 2012 | 9:27 pm
    So now that we know that Mitt Romney is going to be the Republican nominee in 2012, I thought it’d be fun to look at a few industries and how they were treated during his time in Massachusets. For those that don’t know, I have a ton of family in the San Francisco Bay Area, so wine is something I know quite a bit about.  I recently tried to ship a couple of wine gift baskets to family in Texas, only to find that I couldn’t actually ship wine into the state unless I was a winery.  In fact, my local wine store couldn’t do it either. According to that same wine…

  • Tea Party and Immigration

    jhgood
    22 Apr 2012 | 3:22 pm
    The Tea Party over the last few years have grabbed the headlines and the initiative within the Republican Party. The Tea Party have bought a new perspective to right wing politics and have caught the imagination of many members of the general public. Their message of returning to the principles of the founding fathers and increasing liberties for individual Americans is an attractive one that could well help the GOP to re-capture the White House. On the issue of immigration the Tea Party is divided. Some members point to comments made by Benjamin Franklin warning of too much German…

  • Gary Johnson

    jhgood
    21 Apr 2012 | 4:49 pm
    Gary Johnson, twice the governor of New Mexico, and recently in the running for the Republican Candidacy for the 2012 Presidential Race has left the GOP and become the front man for the libertarian party. It was a surprise move, and it is even more surprising that Gary Johnson is catching the voters’ interest despite a near television media blackout on any third party politics. According to poll results released on 19th April 2012, if the presidential election was held next week Gary Johnson would get 6% of the vote. The poll stated that Obama would get 47% of the vote and Ron Paul 42%. The…
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    The Weekly Standard Blog

  • Third Poll in a Week Shows Scott Walker at 50% in Wisconsin Recall Race

    John McCormack
    16 May 2012 | 1:28 pm
    In the past week, three different pollsters have polled the Wisconsin recall race, and all three came up with virtually identical results. Last week, a Rasmussen poll showed Governor Scott Walker leading Democrat Tom Barrett 50% to 45%. Yesterday, the Democratic firm Public Policy Polling showed Walker leading Barrett 50% to 45%. And today, a new Marquette Law School poll shows Walker leading Barrett 50% to 44%. If these polls are accurate, that's obviously good news for the governor. With Walker sitting at 50%, Barrett not only needs to win over virtually all of the…

  • MAD-Men Lawmakers Want to Kill East Coast Missile Defenses Against Iran

    Robert Zarate
    16 May 2012 | 1:12 pm
    House of Representatives lawmakers are set to debate an annual bill that authorizes military programs later this week, and a handful of Democrats have set their sights on killing provisions that would support efforts to build missile defenses by 2015 to protect America’s East Coast from future missile threats from countries like Iran. It’s no accident that the House Armed Service Committee wants to robustly defend the East Coast from missiles by 2015. For over a decade, the intelligence community has consistently estimated that Iran, with foreign assistance, could develop by that year an…

  • 'Spoiled Rotten'

    Daniel Halper
    16 May 2012 | 12:01 pm
    Jay Cost talks about his new book, Spoiled Rotten: How the Politics of Patronage Corrupted the Once Noble Democratic Party and Now Threatens the American Republic, with Fox News: Buy Jay's book, which was just released yesterday, here.

  • Company Receiving Taxpayer Money Has More Jobs Overseas than in America

    Daniel Halper
    16 May 2012 | 11:12 am
    The chairman of First Solar, a company that's been in the recipient of the Department of Energy money, admitted this morning at a House hearing that his company has more jobs overseas than in America: In terms of "sheer numbers," the chairman of First Solar said to House Oversight Committee chairman Darrell Issa, the jobs are overseas. (He did, however, maintain that the "hub" of First Solar is "here," in America.)

  • Why Merkel Shouldn't Be Worried

    Victorino Matus
    16 May 2012 | 11:05 am
    The Drudge headline from Sunday night was "Crushing Defeat," which it certainly was for the Christian Democrats in North Rhine-Westphalia's state election. In the span of two years, the CDU plummeted from 34.6 percent of the vote to 26.3 percent within the state. The CDU's gubernatorial candidate and environmental minister Norbert Röttgen resigned from office just today. The Social Democrats, meanwhile, increased support from 34.5 percent to 39.1 percent. Combined with the Green party's 11.3 percent, the SPD-Green coalition will be running Germany's most…
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    James Fallows : The Atlantic

  • Iran Drumbeat Watch: Rand Weighs In

    James Fallows
    16 May 2012 | 7:55 am
    After a 5 am airport checkin, my thoughts naturally turn to: Armageddon, despair, the bleak inevitabilities of life. Though on the brighter side, the TSA operation at San Diego turns out to have an metal-detector-only line, which for once I managed to sidle towards and make my way through without being intercepted for "random" extra screening.*Back to the dark side: the Spring 2012 issue of Rand Review, from the Rand corporation, has published an article on the threats posed by Iran and the ways to deal with them. Please read the whole thing, which elaborates on this opening premise:An…

  • Book News: Pushback, Videos, Lists

    James Fallows
    15 May 2012 | 2:42 pm
    Given that today is Official Publication Day for China Airborne, I am erring on the side of adding some updates. As promised, I will move these items off the "main" site and onto a standalone book-news page once we get that up and running:1) An enjoyable session last night in at a Zócalo event in Santa Monica. Amazingly quick (and skillful) after-action wrapup provided a few minutes later by an unnamed Zócalo blogger. Find out who this person is, and recruit him or her.2) Interesting pushback to my excerpt on "What is the Chinese Dream?" from Samuel Crane*  at the Useless Tree blog. Worth…

  • Filibuster and False-Equivalence Fiesta

    James Fallows
    15 May 2012 | 1:42 pm
    News has piled up fast about the filibuster in the past two weeks, and I am way behind in taking note of it. While I have ten minutes at a computer just now -- and am not in a taxi, in a security line, in a green room, or in some other fashion enjoying the delights of new-city-each-day travel -- here is a quick update on some relevant reading tips:1) Ezra Klein on the lawsuit Common Cause is initiating, on grounds that abuse of the filibuster has risen to the level of unconstitutional offense. (More info from Common Cause here.) Klein's item also has this explaino-graph: 2) Greg Sargent on…

  • Book News: Zocalo, Rand Forum, Chinese Movies

    James Fallows
    14 May 2012 | 1:10 pm
    Other people's travel problems are not interesting, and thus I will go easy on my latest misadventures* at the hands of United Airlines. I will say, though, that if I see you either at a Zócalo event in Santa Monica this evening, at 7pm, or tomorrow evening at the Revelle Forum at UCSD, also at 7pm -- and I am wearing something other than the blue jeans and blue-checked shirt I am wearing right now, that will mean one of two things. Either United Airlines has figured out how to give us back the bags (with a week's worth of clothes, notes, supplies, pills, presents, etc) that my wife and I so…

  • The Chart to Accompany All 'Jobs, Jobs, Jobs' Discussions

    James Fallows
    13 May 2012 | 6:22 am
    Numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, graph from Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The spike in "total employment" (including government) in early 2010 is presumably Census hiring. The pattern for the next few months was total employment going up while government employment was going down. And you can see the overall pattern, including what the trend was in 2008, how it changed in 2009, and also the worrisome very recent slide.For discussion, see Media Matters and Greg Sargent. And related from our Derek Thompson.
 
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    Megan McArdle : The Atlantic

  • Mitt Romney, One Night Stands, and the Economics of Relationships

    Megan McArdle
    16 May 2012 | 10:33 am
    Guest Post by Gabriel Rossman-- Professor Rossman is a sociologist at UCLA. His work applies economic sociology to media industries. He blogs at Code and Culture and is the author of Climbing the ChartsIn the course of a discussion about Mormons, a friend pointed me to a religious testimony offered by Clayton Christensen (who is best known for his work on disruptive innovation). In his testimony, Christensen describes his belief in the Book of Mormon through a religious epiphany reminiscent of St. Augustine's "tolle lege" experience. However this is in the second half of the essay, the…

  • The Wacky World of Prices: Rental Cars, Hollywood, and HBO

    Megan McArdle
    15 May 2012 | 1:35 pm
    Guest post by Gabriel Rossman -- Sociologist at UCLA. His work applies economic sociology to media industries. He blogs at Code and Culture and is the author of Climbing the Charts. I study media markets and one of the interesting things about the entertainment industry is there's a lot of complex pricing. This includes both simple bundling (eg, basic cable) and two-part tariffs (eg, HBO). These pricing practices are forms of price discrimination, which is to say they are ways to customize the price point so the seller doesn't leave much money on the table relative to each particular…

  • What Is Causality?

    Megan McArdle
    15 May 2012 | 9:31 am
    Guest post by Jim Manzi, founder and Chairman of Applied Predictive Technologies, and the author of Uncontrolled: The Surprising Payoff of Trial-and-Error for Business, Politics and Society.Gabriel, your very deep post that, in passing, requested my comment was fascinating.My family thanks you for the weekend I just spent staring off into space. You open with this: Sampling error? Omitted variable bias? Bah, that's for first-year grad students. What I find really interesting is there are some fairly basic principles for how analysis can get really screwy but which can't be fixed by adding…

  • What Really Happened to Income Inequality in the 20th Century?

    Megan McArdle
    14 May 2012 | 3:45 pm
    Guest post by Scott Winship, Brookings Institution. Follow him on Twitter: @swinshi I promised that this was the last post I would write this week dwelling on rising inequality at the top, and I do want to shift to the comparatively under-appreciated lack of rising inequality in the bottom half of incomes.  But bear with me, as this turned into two separate posts.  To review, in my first post on high-end inequality, I showed how outsized gains at the top are mostly concentrated in the top half of the top one percent and noted that these gains came even as the poor and middle class became…

  • The Wacky World of Prices: Rental Cars, Hollywood, and HBO

    Megan McArdle
    14 May 2012 | 1:35 pm
    Guest post by Gabriel Rossman -- Sociologist at UCLA. His work applies economic sociology to media industries. He blogs at Code and Culture and is the author of Climbing the Charts. I study media markets and one of the interesting things about the entertainment industry is there's a lot of complex pricing. This includes both simple bundling (eg, basic cable) and two-part tariffs (eg, HBO). These pricing practices are forms of price discrimination, which is to say they are ways to customize the price point so the seller doesn't leave much money on the table relative to each particular…
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    The American Scene

  • The Case for Regressive Taxation

    Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry
    9 May 2012 | 4:10 am
    Please bear with me as this is more of a thought experiment than a manifesto… We’re talking equality again. Here’s Bain Capital executive Edward Conrad, putting forth the case for inequality, and here’s TAS Alum and all around genius extraordinaire Jim Manzi, guest-blogging for Friend of the Scene Megan McArdle and arguing that inequality is a bug, not a feature. Conard has set off a firestorm of discussion, and while I’m not sure I agree with him I think he is at least not easily discounted. With that in mind… Believe it or not, I’m quite sympathetic…

  • How To Starve The Beast With A VAT

    Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry
    4 May 2012 | 3:16 am
    France’s technocratic state has created many monsters but one of the great things it did for the world was when a polytechnicien and inspecteur des finances (one of the worst technocratic beasts one might imagine) invented the VAT in the 1950s. Perhaps it is by chauvinism that I like the idea of the VAT. Uniquely among industrialized economies, the US doesn’t have a VAT. Part of the opposition comes from conservatives, but some conservative wonks frequently make the argument for a VAT, now recently with the esteemable Josh Barro. In a characteristically clever post, Will Wilkinson…

  • A completely oversimplified look at US vs French education systems

    Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry
    21 Apr 2012 | 4:41 pm
    I’m pretty sure the US educational system is superior to the French one. This is sort of a counterintuitive idea, in part because the narrative the US school reform movement tells itself is based on the idea of OMG US education is THE WORSE EVAR that won’t let us win the future by beating the Chinamen at math. And there are those international comparisons that look pretty bad (even though they’re generally not normalized by income, family situation and the like). But here’s another way to look at it. Let’s play a little veil of ignorance game: what can you…

  • On "Bad Religion"

    Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry
    18 Apr 2012 | 2:54 pm
    (This post is written at 11pm, so it might not be coherent.) Bad Religion is an important book that should be read by anyone with interest not just in religion in the American 20th century but by the trends that animate contemporary society and the thinking of our contemporaries. The first part of the book is a fascinating history of American religion and theology in the 20th century. The second part of the book is an illumination of some of the most pervasive cultural memes that undergird many social trends today. And the conclusion, which I don’t want to say is the most valuable part…

  • Philosophers vs Breeders, Part Deux

    Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry
    8 Apr 2012 | 11:47 am
    Given that I don’t want to bore our few remaining readers to death, I’ve mostly kept silent to that piece in The New Yorker about breeding to which many on Twitter have alerted me. (I mostly found it dismaying. The piece gives two-thirds time to the anti-kids perspective and one-third to the pro-kids, and oversimplifies and misrepresents their arguments.) But, since TAS Overlord Ross decided to chime in, and since this is Easter (a day which, naturally, is even more about birth than Christmas), I wanted to complete what he says. Ross takes on the most anti-kids philosopher…
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    Cafferty File

  • Is former President Carter an effective weapon in Mitt Romney's campaign against President Obama?

    Katie McLaughlin
    15 May 2012 | 2:56 pm
    FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty: Mitt Romney is hoping Jimmy Carter can help him win the White House. The likely Republican nominee has been comparing President Barack Obama to the former Democratic president on the campaign trail. For example, when Romney was asked if he would have approved the bin Laden raid, he answered "even Jimmy Carter would have given that order." And when talking about the economy, Romney described the Obama White House as "the most anti-small business administration... probably since Carter." For many, the name alone evokes an incompetent, liberal…

  • Should drones be used to spy on Americans?

    Katie McLaughlin
    15 May 2012 | 2:55 pm
    FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty: Drones aren't just for fighting the war on terror in the Middle East anymore - they might be watching you. As more and more of these unmanned aircraft pop up over U.S. soil, they may be used to spy on Americans. There is an Air Force document that says if unmanned drones accidentally capture surveillance footage of Americans, they can keep the information for up to 90 days and analyze it. Where is that in the Constitution? The U.S. military and the government aren't supposed to conduct surveillance of Americans on U.S. soil without their consent, but…

  • What does it mean when the government is issuing a study of a study of studies?

    Katie McLaughlin
    14 May 2012 | 2:10 pm
    FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty: Washington hard at work. ABC News reports our government is just out with a study of a study of studies. Try to stay with us here. Back in 2010, Defense Secretary Robert Gates complained that his department was "awash in taskings for reports and studies." He wanted to know how much they cost. So the Pentagon commissioned a study to find out how much it really costs to produce all those studies. Fast forward two years: The Pentagon review was still going on - so Congress asked the government accountability office to check in on them. Now the GAO is out…

  • How big is President Obama's Wall Street problem?

    Katie McLaughlin
    14 May 2012 | 2:09 pm
    FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty: JPMorgan Chase’s $2 billion trading loss highlights what could be a huge Wall Street problem for President Barack Obama as he faces re-election. Nearly four years after the financial crisis, little appears to have changed on Wall Street. These guys can still play fast and loose with whatever rules there are and in the process risk huge losses. JP Morgan's CEO Jamie Dimon was on "Meet the Press" on Sunday doing damage control. There have already been several resignations at the company. Dimon acknowledges the $2 billion loss was due to a series…

  • Will President Obama's support of gay marriage cost him black votes?

    Katie McLaughlin
    10 May 2012 | 3:09 pm
    FROM CNN's Jack Cafferty: While President Obama's support for gay marriage is sure to fire up parts of the liberal base, it could alienate others - including black voters. In other words, backing same-sex marriage might be a risky position for the president in an election year when it comes to one of his core voting blocs. In 2008, African-Americans were crucial in making Mr. Obama the nation's first black president. Exit polls showed 96% of black voters supported him and they made up 13% of the electorate. Fast forward four years: While polls suggest America on the whole is…
 
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    Obsidian Wings

  • 50 shades of fandom: publishing. Part IIb

    Doctor Science
    16 May 2012 | 5:47 am
    by Doctor Science Our story so far: Part I: 50 Shades of Publishing Part IIa: 50 Shades of Fandom: Writing. The process of taking a piece of fanfic and re-purposing it for professional sale is known as filing off the serial numbers. Obviously you first have to change the names -- unless the source you're working from is something like Arthurian legend (it's fanfic all the way down) or Sherlock Holmes, which is now largely public domain. Serial Killer, Serial Thriller, Serial Numbers collage by Alan Jordan Lew. Filing off the serial numbers is much more complicated if the source has a unique…

  • Hatch watch

    Doctor Science
    14 May 2012 | 3:35 pm
    by Doctor Science Today in nature, we are waiting for Wood Duck eggs to hatch in North Carolina: Direct UStream link There are 18 eggs, and they should hatch very close to all at once. If you don't see anything, it's because mom has carefully covered them up and gone out for a bit. When the ducklings are a day old or less, the mother will swim under the nest box, calling: Direct UStream link and they'll all clamber up to the hole, drop to the water, and begin swimming immediately. Here's the inside-the-nest view from last year; this year we'll get to see it from both angles. I love Wood…

  • your amazing devices Friday open thread

    liberal japonicus
    11 May 2012 | 2:53 pm
    by liberal japonicus I'm a bit late with this one. I work at a university that has a 'social welfare' department, which has a strong research emphasis on the problems of barrier free and this was something that a colleague mentioned to me earlier and I've only just now got around to watching it. A simple and brilliant idea. What amazing devices have caught your fancy recently?

  • The Evolution Man

    Doctor Science
    10 May 2012 | 7:17 am
    by Doctor Science liberal japonicus got there first, but I'll just add something about what I think are the political calculations involved in Obama's "coming out" in favor of marriage equality. In particular, I suspect it's a tactic designed to appeal to a subset of big donors, especially in the financial industry. In the first place, no way were Biden's remarks a "gaffe", that was a trial balloon -- which is part of Biden's job, of course. I'm betting Obama's announcement and its timing have been planned for weeks if not months. The Balloon, by Maurice Prendergast. The setting is said to be…

  • What the president said thread

    liberal japonicus
    9 May 2012 | 6:21 pm
    by liberal japonicus Well, the video is here at the Maddow blog. Some suggestions that Obama's hand was forced when Biden put made this gaffe. Some grafs CNN’s Jessica Yellin asked whether Obama was trying to “have it both ways before an election” and whether he should “stop dancing around the issue.” ABC’s Jake Tapper said that “it seems cynical to hide this prior to the election” and that “I don’t want to hear the same talking points 15 times in a row.” NBC’s Chuck Todd said with a grin, “So help me out here. He opposes bans on gay marriage, but he doesn’t…
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    Open Budgets Blog

  • Making budgets more transparent in oil rich states

    Albert van Zyl
    14 May 2012 | 3:00 pm
    In the OBI working paper series that we have been posting about recently, Michael Ross of UCLA returns to the question of the resource curse (click here for his paper). He looks specifically at how a country’s mineral wealth affects the transparency of the government’s budget. He finds that the budget transparency of countries with oil and those with other mineral riches is not impacted on in the same way. Just like Wehner and de Renzio, his research suggests that the solution to the puzzle of what drives budget transparency in resource rich countries, lies in domestic factors. The…

  • A political path to budget transparency? Transparency, elections and political competition

    Albert van Zyl
    30 Apr 2012 | 6:06 am
    In our previous post we reported on research showing that budget transparency reduces the cost of debt to governments. In another paper in the Open Budget Initiative working paper series, Joachin Wehner (London School of Economics) and Paolo de Renzio (International Budget Partnership) cite empirical research showing that budget transparency also reduces budget deficits and corruption. Given the persuasiveness of the case for budget transparency, it is surprising that more research hasn’t been done on its determinants. Wehner and De Renzio try to plug this gap by looking at the effects of…

  • The fruits of budget transparency: Cheaper Credit

    Albert van Zyl
    19 Apr 2012 | 8:00 am
    The International Budget Partnership’s Open Budget Initiative has just published a series of working papers that explore the causes and consequences of budget transparency. Such research is important because it can show what the best ways are to promote greater budget transparency. It can also motivate governments to become more transparent by pointing out the rewards of budget transparency. One of these papers provides convincing evidence that high levels of budget transparency can contribute to favorable credit ratings. But the links between budget transparency and credit ratings are…

  • The era of accountability has arrived: Warren Krafchik’s speech at the Open Government Partnership in Brasilia

    Albert van Zyl
    17 Apr 2012 | 10:15 am
    Warren Krafchik is a co-chair of the  Open Government Partnership (OGP) and director of the International Budget Partnership. This speech was delivered at the first annual meeting of the Open Government Partnership  in Brasilia on April 17, 2012 Welcome Distinguished participants – I am honored to be here. Introduction Last year, I was sitting next to a woman – let’s call her Lydia – on a bus ride through rural Uganda when, suddenly, she called out: “Look at that school. It has a new roof now because the community complained about the previous one.” Several miles later, she…

  • 1st Annual Meeting of the Open Government Partnership Kicks Off Today

    Albert van Zyl
    17 Apr 2012 | 3:03 am
    TRANSPARENCY!  ACCOUNTABILITY!  CITIZEN EMPOWERMENT! First Annual Meeting of the Open Government Partnership Kicks Off Today What: Government and civil society representatives from 53 countries around the world, including the International Budget Partnership, will meet in Brasilia for the first annual meeting of the Open Government Partnership – a new global initiative that brings together government, civil society, donors, and the private sector to promote transparent, effective, and accountable governments – with institutions that empower citizens and are responsive to their needs…
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    Newsvine - politics

  • Deb Fischer Primary Victory Shocks Political World. by Tony Lee. 11 hours ago

    Larry H-189743
    16 May 2012 | 1:32 pm
    Nebraska state Senator Deb Fischer rocketed out of nowhere to win the GOP senate primary on Tuesday, sending shockwaves across the political world from Nebraska to Washington, D.C.  The Republican establishment spent nearly $3 million to support state attorney general Jon …

  • Michelle Obama 'Prepared Divorce Papers to Separate from Barack Leaving Him Suicidal

    rescue dogs62
    16 May 2012 | 1:29 pm
    Michelle Obama prepared divorce papers to separate from Barack Obama in 2000 following his disastrous attempt to win a House seat in Chicago, according to a new book. When he lost miserably the future First Lady was supposedly disgusted that her husband had ignored her warning …

  • Gov. Jan Brewer Signs New Law That Takes Debt Collectors' Word For How Much You Owe

    redsfan
    16 May 2012 | 1:27 pm
    What could possibly go wrong? After all, it's not as if creditors ever make mistakes, or claim you owe them a lot more than you actually do. So it would never be abused by the legal system, right? Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer has approved legislation making it easier for debt colle …

  • Obama's Losing Strategy by Harvard Hollenberg

    Harvard Hollenberg
    16 May 2012 | 1:19 pm
    OBAMA’S LOSING STRATEGY By  Harvard Hollenberg                 So don’t listen to me.  I’ll lay it out again, and for the last time.    n      Romney &n …

  • Norton Denied Chance to Testify on D.C. Abortion Bill: DCist

    JDfromMD
    16 May 2012 | 1:13 pm
    D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton announced today that she will not be given the opportunity to testify during a congressional hearing on a bill that would prohibit abortions in D.C. after 20 weeks. This Thursday the House Subcommittee on the Constitution will consider the bill  …
 
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    Politics » Matthew Dowd

  • Romney Needs a Better Brand

    Matthew Dowd
    3 May 2012 | 4:24 pm
    Branding is as important in politics as it is for products in the commercial marketplace and our daily lives and relationships (but that’s a column for another day). This election will be contested around certain values and the economy. Right now, Mitt Romney has a slight lead over President Obama over who is best to handle the economy. But to win, Romney has to have a large lead on this issue, just as other challengers had when they beat an incumbent president – as Bill Clinton did against George H.W. Bush in 1992, and as Ronald Reagan did against Jimmy Carter in 1980. To do…

  • Politics as a Playground Game of Four Square

    Matthew Dowd
    1 May 2012 | 3:01 pm
    This past weekend I was horsing around with my daughter, playing in the parking lot with a green Buzz Lightyear “four square” ball, and it got me thinking about four square. Many of us became familiar with this playground activity as youngsters; it involves a person standing in each square and the ball being used in a variety of ways to eliminate someone in an opposing square.  The game features all sorts of rules and strategies that have changed over time. My adult sons actually have gotten into it, adding their own sets of rules and tactics. (As an aside, it is awesome to…

  • In a Roller-Coaster Election, the Amusement-Park Vote Matters

    Matthew Dowd
    11 Apr 2012 | 2:57 pm
    Do you want a road map to the general election for Mitt Romney and President Obama?  Think amusement parks and summer fun – and specifically think Disney World, Cedar Point, and Kings Dominion. There are many important geographic areas in this election, and many key demographic groups that will be decisive in deciding this presidential race. Many issues will be discussed. No one of them will be the deciding factor. But if we try to whittle this down to a key narrative arc, then we arrive at roller coasters, cotton candy, and fun children’s shows this summer. Working women…

  • Romney and Santorum Push Michigan Toward Obama

    Matthew Dowd
    27 Feb 2012 | 12:37 pm
    (Image Credit: Christophe Lehenaff/Getty Images) Ten days ago, Michigan was a major battleground state for the general election, Mitt Romney was looking to reconnect with the middle class in his home state, and Rick Santorum was gaining momentum after three big wins and looking at maybe becoming the first Catholic nominated by the Republican party. The Obama campaign was so concerned about Michigan being in play for the fall that it brought President Obama there to give a major speech and made plans to spend valuable ad dollars in the state. But that was then.

  • Tribal Politics: America Today

    Matthew Dowd
    5 Nov 2011 | 6:30 pm
    Does the truth really matter any more in our republic?  Is the search for truth just another martyr on the battlefield of today’s polarized political discourse?  The latest news about the allegations of sexual harassment against Herman Cain is very telling.  Not in its impact on the presidential campaign, but on the question of what our political culture has become. Have we devolved into a tribal society? Let’s review.  The news breaks in Politico that Herman Cain’s former employer, the National Restaurant Association, agreed to a settlement with some…
 
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    Dependable Renegade

  • Not even the most popular hipster coffee house

    watertiger
    16 May 2012 | 11:19 am
    in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, can handle this much irony: Gingerly, the 43rd president is beginning to add his voice back into the national dialogue. A month ago, he spoke publicly in favor of one of his defining domestic legacies, the tax cuts that still divide the country. Two months from now, he plans to publish a book outlining strategies for economic growth. And on Tuesday, he made a rare return to Washington to promote freedom overseas. Not. Enough. Facepalm. In. The. World. --WT

  • "You missed a spot!"

    Tengrain
    16 May 2012 | 10:03 am
    BuzzFeed --Tengrain

  • A detail we missed...

    Tengrain
    16 May 2012 | 9:37 am
    I cannot believe that last night I missed this detail of Chimpy's endorsement of the Willard Mechanism: “I’m for Mitt Romney,” Bush told ABC News this morning as the doors of an elevator closed on him, after he gave a speech on human rights a block from his old home — the White House. I gotta admit that's a great technique for giving a wan endorsement, not taking any questions, and getting the hell outta Dodge. Has anyone yet enthusiastically endorsed Willard? -- Tengrain

  • News Briefs

    Tengrain
    16 May 2012 | 9:32 am
    News you can use all day Is that a gun in your pocket, or are you happy to see me? Money - The surprise win last night of Teabagger and Mooselini protégée Deb Fischer in square fly-over state Nebraska is largely being credited to SuperPacs that swamped the state, not so much trying to get her elected, but in slamming the other two candidates. So... when the dust cleared the third place candidate won. Well-played Turdblossom, well played. (TPM) Paultards - The campaign of hard money aficionado Ron Paul is now officially over (was it ever on?), except that the Paultards are trying to pick off…

  • "And he was a snappy dresser!"

    watertiger
    16 May 2012 | 9:13 am
    "If it weren't for Hitler, I wouldn't have all these Hugo Boss suits!" The Human Wind Sock invokes Godwin's Law and cites Hitler...HITLER!!!...during a campaign stop. Does this make him "Mittler"? Laffin' my ass off at this tool. [h/t Culture of Truth] --WT
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    All Spin Zone Liberal Politics News & Blog

  • Drug Rehabilitation is The Politically Correct Answer to The U.S. Drug Problem.

    rick
    7 May 2012 | 3:46 pm
    (According to the Obama Administration) The Obama administration recently announced that it is serious about working on eliminating the country’s drug problem. However, the administration stressed that the focus should be on treatment for drug addicts rather than jail sentences. The belief is that treating addicts will cost the country less in the long run than incarceration. There has also been a problem in the United States with overcrowding of jails that has been tied to the incarceration of misdemeanor and repeat drug offenders. Unfortunately, many states are voicing concerns about…

  • The Government’s View on Business Loans

    rick
    3 May 2012 | 1:19 pm
    The government attempts to provide resources that can help encourage businesses to continue to grow. Business loans are essential to fostering a healthy economy, and the government has acknowledged this fact by taking steps to allow businesses to secure the financing that they need to succeed. While the Small Business Administration (SBA) does not directly offer loans, it does aim to connect small business owners with lenders. Loans that are found through the SBA can be used to start a new business or expand an existing business. SBA loans are easier to obtain than other forms of financing…

  • 10 Companies That Pay Little to No Tax!

    rick
    17 Feb 2012 | 11:54 am
    Interesting graphic. Please share this with your audience by clicking the image. Let’s stop corporate corruption and loopholes once and for all!Powered by abcbizloans.com

  • 10 Incredible churches infograph…

    rick
    27 Jan 2012 | 10:27 am
    Powered by Christian Rehab

  • Liberal Politics are just the Start

    sean
    1 Oct 2011 | 9:57 pm
    We haven’t updated the site as often as we would of liked but we have some big plans in the future. Stay tuned!
 
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    Suburban Guerrilla

  • Catfood life

    susie
    16 May 2012 | 1:31 pm
    We should be so proud: URBANA – A new study that looked at the hunger trends over a 10-year period found that 14.85 percent of seniors in the United States, more than one in seven, face the threat of hunger. This translates into 8.3 million seniors. “In 2005, we reported that one in nine seniors faced the threat of hunger,” said Craig Gundersen, University of Illinois associate professor of agricultural and consumer economics and executive director of the National Soybean Research Laboratory who led the data analysis on the study. “So, unlike the population as a whole,…

  • Time to ditch the HFCS

    susie
    16 May 2012 | 1:23 pm
    I keep saying I’ll do it but I don’t stick to it. This is really frightening stuff: A Princeton University research team has demonstrated that all sweeteners are not equal when it comes to weight gain: Rats with access to high-fructose corn syrup gained significantly more weight than those with access to table sugar, even when their overall caloric intake was the same. In addition to causing significant weight gain in lab animals, long-term consumption of high-fructose corn syrup also led to abnormal increases in body fat, especially in the abdomen, and a rise in circulating blood…

  • Smash

    susie
    16 May 2012 | 12:56 pm
    I got hooked on “Smash,” the new show about the making of a Broadway musical about Marilyn Monroe. The big conflict in the show is which actress is going to play her, and the decision went all the way down to the wire in the season finale. I finally figured out why I wasn’t especially invested in which actress played Marilyn – it’s that both of them were wrong. The thing I loved about Marilyn is that she knew she was a parody of herself, the same as Dolly Parton is. But like Dolly, she was always in on the joke, and winked at the audience to let you know.

  • Wrong again

    susie
    16 May 2012 | 12:09 pm
    James O’Keefe. Not that it matters, he’s a hero to the nuts no matter what. Bookmark It

  • Bible lesson

    susie
    16 May 2012 | 11:47 am
    The classic West Wing segment: Bookmark It
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    Latina Lista: News from the Latino perspective

  • Latino middle-schooler creates website to share passion for space

    Marisa Treviño
    16 May 2012 | 12:07 pm
    By Alain Castillo LatinaLista Joseph Ruiz sees the world as a big ball of mystery that still needs to be explored. Once he discovers its secrets, he wants to lead and be its hero. “There are so many things we don’t know yet…people are trying to figure out the mysteries of the world,” said Joseph, 12. “I want to be one of these people that finds out these mysteries.” Together brothers Ray and Joseph Ruiz built PhotonKids.com. Joseph, who attends KIPP Liberation College Preparatory, a charter school in the Houston, Texas area, is passionate about space. He loves space so much…

  • Study: Latino Cancer Patients Suffer More Pain, Severe Sadness

    Marisa Treviño
    16 May 2012 | 10:53 am
    SaludToday Latino patients reported significantly higher rates of pain, numbness, cognition difficulties, vomiting and severe sadness than non-Hispanics in a recent survey of 622 cancer patients awaiting appointments at three hospitals in the Bronx, New York City’s poorest borough, Internal Medicine News reports. About 45% of Hispanic patients reported moderate to severe pain, more than twice the percentage of whites (20%) and also more than African Americans (37%). On some measures, differences were seen between Latino patients who spoke English and those who did not. For example, 64…

  • Young Immigrant Activists Who Can’t Vote Influence Those Who Can

    Marisa Treviño
    16 May 2012 | 10:37 am
    By Devin Browne Fronteras News Desk PHOENIX — Last month, Time Magazine featured a 27-year-old undocumented immigrant activist from Phoenix in its list of the world’s 100 most influential people. The activist, Dulce Matuz, an advocate for undocumented migrant youth looking for a pathway to citizenship, was featured alongside Marco Rubio, the Middleton sisters, and other moguls Time says, “challenge us and change our world.” The magazine’s decision highlights a certain irony common among young immigrant activists in Arizona: They’re politically connected — and effective…

  • Intern’l Video: Remembering the songs of Chilean Victor Jara

    Marisa Treviño
    16 May 2012 | 1:00 am
    Life for Victor Jara was cut terribly short in a horrific manner by a fascist military regime in Chile 1973. Yet, thanks to his many fans, the eternal words of his compositions and the ongoing support from his family and friends, the world is reacquainting itself with Jara in a new documentary titled The Resurrection of Victor Jara. A member of the Communist Party of Chile, Jara was a teacher, theatre director, poet, singer-songwriter and political activist. He was one of the neo-folkloric artists who established the Nueva Canción Chilena (New Chilean Song) movement which led to a revolution…

  • Immigration reform proposal brings all immigrant laborers into the conversation

    Marisa Treviño
    15 May 2012 | 5:59 pm
    LatinaLista — The main thesis of a new paper about immigration titled Rationalizing U.S. Immigration Policy: Reforms for Simplicity, Fairness, and Economic Growth revolves around this simple assertion: The economic consensus is that, taken as a whole, immigrants raise living standards for American workers by boosting demand and increasing productivity, contributing to innovation, and lowering prices — while also improving their own wellbeing and that of their families. Any immigration policy has to walk the fine line between protecting the rights of immigrant workers while helping US…
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    Campaign Stops

  • The Third Party Fantasy

    By ROSS DOUTHAT
    15 May 2012 | 10:33 pm
    Efforts to create a sensible centrist alternative to the Democratic and Republican parties are weak because they misunderstand where true political insurgency comes from.

  • Romney's Weasel Problem

    By TIMOTHY EGAN
    14 May 2012 | 7:30 pm
    When it comes to troubling aspects of his own life story, Mitt Romney has shown a tendency to dodge, weave, parse or deny in such a way that it outweighs the original offense.

  • The Lobbyist in the Gray Flannel Suit

    By THOMAS B. EDSALL
    14 May 2012 | 8:40 am
    Will the corporate takeover of lobbying firms make us surprisingly nostalgic for the old school version?

  • For Obama, It's About the Children

    By KENJI YOSHINO
    12 May 2012 | 3:43 pm
    The president's announcement was an affirmation of gay couples as parents.

  • Richard Nixon's Model Campaign

    By NICOLE HEMMER
    10 May 2012 | 10:13 pm
    How can Mitt Romney get movement conservatives to fall in line, if not in love? Nixon '68 may be his surest guide.
 
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    NYT > Columnists

  • Come the Revolution

    14 May 2012 | 11:00 pm
    Through ventures like Coursera, world-class learning is coming at bargain-basement prices.

  • Dancing With Derivatives

    14 May 2012 | 11:00 pm
    Othello learned that reputation is all. Now, after a $2 billion trading blunder, Jamie Dimon is learning that.

  • The Right’s Righteous Frauds

    13 May 2012 | 11:00 pm
    Many of the country’s self-appointed moralists are hypocrites whose own histories tumble out the window as soon as there is a check to be cashed.

  • Make Banking Boring

    13 May 2012 | 11:00 pm
    JPMorgan’s bad bets show why regulators need to force changes that will curb risky behavior.

  • The ESPN Man

    13 May 2012 | 11:00 pm
    With all the fundamentals gone haywire, why is Obama staying competitive at the polls?
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    Indecision Forever | Political Humor and Satire Blog | 2012 Election

  • Blame Liberals for All the Babies Named Emma

    Ilya Gerner
    16 May 2012 | 12:00 am
    Since the Office of the Chief Actuary is one data-gathering agency the House of Representatives has not yet managed to eliminate, the Social Security Administration was able to report, earlier this week, on the most popular baby names in 2010. A closer analysis reveals a divide between red states and blue states: when it comes to baby names, liberals are more conservative… More progressive communities… tend to favor more old-fashioned names. Parents in more conservative areas come up with names that are more creative or androgynous. "Sometimes people have a naive expectation…

  • Chris Christie Will Not Deliver New Jersey to Mitt Romney

    Dennis DiClaudio
    16 May 2012 | 12:00 am
    Much like many of its citizens, New Jersey is small but densely-packed. So, one might imagine why conservatives might be tempted to slaver a little bit at the prospect of chipping off the normally-blue state's 14 electoral votes and taking them for their own. And with an exceedingly popular Republican governor – who would just look oh so great presiding over the Senate as VP — the situations seems never more likely! Unfortunately, everyone's gonna have to — and I'll put this in my childhood state's local parlance — Fuggedaboutit! Without running…

  • The Chris Christie and Cory Booker Show [VIDEO]

    Ilya Gerner
    16 May 2012 | 12:00 am
    Newark Mayor Cory Booker's penchant for hands-on and very media-centric governance is bound to get on any political rival's nerves. What kind of Newark resident breaks into a woman's home to save her from enveloping flames? It's enough to drive the (Olive) Garden State's other press obsessed elected official, Governor Chris Christie to produce a pretty amusing three-minute video, which was screened last night at the New Jersey Press Association Legislative Correspondents Club Show… Kudos to the governor's communications team for the scene in which a baby is…

  • Tweet Untweet: Ron Paul Lies

    Lisa Beth Johnson
    16 May 2012 | 12:00 am
    The lie I tell most frequently by far is "Yes I watched the Ron Paul video you emailed me" — Eireann Space Museum (@EireannDolan) May 16, 2012

  • Take Michele Bachmann's Important Survey Now!

    Mary Phillips-Sandy
    16 May 2012 | 12:00 am
    Michele Bachmann, team player, has a very important new survey on her website. Hurry, click now! It will only take two minutes and two million brain cells for you to answer such pressing questions as "President Obama has raised the federal debt limit SIX times in three years. It now sits at $15.4 Trillion. Do you believe this is responsible leadership?" and "Will President Obama's lack of leadership on foreign policy be a deciding factor in your vote this November?" You can also self-identify by ideology, and those options are "Very Conservative,"…
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    Observer

  • Charlie Rangel Wishes That Obama Would Hug And Kiss Him

    David Freedlander
    16 May 2012 | 1:04 pm
    Charlie Rangel appeared on CNN for an interview with Kyra Phillips this morning and he was asked about President Obama’s apparent lack of support for his re-election bid. Recall that in 2010, the president described Mr. Rangel, then mired in a fundraising and illegal apartment scandal, as someone who “ served his constituents very well” but also as someone ”who’s at the end of his career. Eighty years old. I’m sure that he wants to end his career with dignity. And my hope is that it happens. “ Read More

  • Blogger James Franco Takes Issue with The New York Observer, Defends Interest in Ghost Hunting, Graduation Speeches

    Drew Grant
    16 May 2012 | 12:33 pm
    Rebel with a grudge (Getty) Two days ago, The New York Observer noticed that Renaissance man James Franco had quietly begun blogging for the Huffington Post, adding to his already extensive resume of writer/poet/Ivy League student/film teacher/director/musician/actor/producer/artist. Tackling the issues of New Orleans, haunted houses, and that time he hung out with Nick Cage in a haunted house in New Orleans, we posted the item of interest because, like it or not, James Franco is a Very Famous Person. (Also because we miss his Twitter feed so much.) But Mr. Franco was not happy with our…

  • Get On Your Feet: The Essential Steve Ballmer Videos

    Jessica Roy
    16 May 2012 | 12:22 pm
    Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer recently topped a Forbes list naming the CEOs who should have already been fired, calling him “the worst CEO of a large publicly traded American company today.” Ouch. We leave ranking his leadership abilities up to the glossies, but what we do consider ourselves experts in is his hype man skills. In fact, we dare say that Mr. Ballmer is the Best Hype Man of All Time. YouTube is an unending well of Ballmer gold. And as Deadspin editor Erik Malinowski put it, “He really is a national treasure.” So without further ado, we present to you the…

  • Ed Koch: Gay Marriage Isn’t A Winning Issue for Obama

    Colin Campbell
    16 May 2012 | 12:21 pm
    At a press conference with congressional candidate Rory Lancman earlier today, we asked former Mayor Ed Koch about the timing of President Barack Obama’s announcement that he supports gay marriage, and whether he felt it was cynical at all. Mr. Koch is a prominent support of gay marriage, but he argued Mr. Obama’s decision was actually made in spite of the electoral politics rather than because of them. “I don’t have any doubt that the statement by Vice President [Biden] on the subject matter precipitated his doing that,” Mr. Koch explained, noting he…

  • Greece Woes Likely Making Matters Worse for JPMorgan’s Dimon, Grandson of Greek Immigrant

    Patrick Clark
    16 May 2012 | 11:43 am
    The European Central Bank stopped monetary operations with some Greek banks today, Reuters reports, the latest bit of bad news for Greece and just about everyone else. Savers have been withdrawing funds from Greek banks at a rate of more than $800 million a day, as the failure by Greek political parties to form a governing coalition raises fears of a eurozone Grexit. Markets fell on the news. And JPMorgan's credit derivatives bet, the one that led the firm to disclose $2.3 billion in trading losses last week, is looking worse and worse. From  International Financing Review: So far, the…
 
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    Lynn Sweet

  • Obama's official NATO greeting: "Chicago is a quintessentially American town"

    16 May 2012 | 12:31 pm
    WASHINGTON--President Barack Obama, in his official NATO Summit greeting, welcomes the global leaders to his hometown with a shot of civic boosterism. "Chicago is the perfect place to strengthen our Alliance of democratic nations, which is rooted in the friendships between our people and the values we share. It's why I'm so proud that my hometown is the first American city ever to host a NATO Summit outside Washington, DC.," Obama says in the greeting. "Chicago is a quintessentially American town, but it is also a hub of our transatlantic community. It has grown into one of the great cities…

  • Chicago NATO Gift Bags: What's in them

    16 May 2012 | 12:05 pm
    Photos courtesy Chicago NATO Host Committee WASHINGTON--Each NATO Summit attendee--and every journalist covering the world leaders this weekend at McCormick Place--will get a Chicago themed gift bag with food made in Chicago, music made in Chicago, suggestions where to sight-see in Chicago and personal welcomes from Chicago students. If you get that the emphasis is on Chicago, then you got it right. The gifts are courtesy of the Chicago NATO Summit Host Committee, with the items intended to promote the city. It's common for host committees of big events--the political conventions, the last…

  • Rahm's May 16, 2012. One year in office today

    16 May 2012 | 12:00 pm

  • President Obama official schedule and guidance, May 16, 2012

    16 May 2012 | 11:55 am

  • Mitt Romney's Illinois players

    15 May 2012 | 7:13 am
    follow on Twitter: @lynnsweet WASHINGTON -- Mitt Romney hits Winnetka on Tuesday to scoop up, I've learned, $2.3 million at a fund-raiser as key figures are emerging from Illinois bolstering his White House drive. Romney's fund-raising dinner is at the home of insurance mogul and civic activist Pat Ryan and his wife, Shirley; between 50 and 60 people will attend, with the minimum donation $25,000. Romney returns to the Chicago area on June 14 for an event with a sliding price tag, from $2,500 to $75,000. Proceeds will be divided between the Romney campaign, the Republican National Committee…
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    DavidMixner.com

  • TLDEF Holding Major Fundraiser For Transgender Rights In New York On May 30th

    David Mixner
    16 May 2012 | 1:00 pm
          From last year's event in New York City The Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund (TLDEF) has become one of the nation's leading advocates for the rights of Transgender Americans. Celebrating seven years as an organization this month, it is hosting its annual fundraiser on May 30 at the Art Directors Club Gallery on 106 West 29th Street. The event has become a huge success over the last couple of years and once again New York's legal and LGBT communities are expected to make this the spot to be that Wednesday night. The prestigious law firm of…

  • "Five Questions For......Richard Fleeshman"

    David Mixner
    16 May 2012 | 9:00 am
        The Brits have sent us another fantastic import that has entertainment circles a buzz. Richard Fleeshman, the star of Broadways "Ghost: The Musical", is one of those rare young talents who can act, sing, write and just be purely entertaining. Fleeshman, despite his young age of 23, has already starred in several British television series over the last ten years. In addition, he has been the opening for Elton John on the "Red Piano Tour." The journey from the concert stage to Broadway, started when Fleeshman obtained the role of "Sam Wheat"…

  • Election 2012: The Choice Is An Easy One

    David Mixner
    16 May 2012 | 6:36 am
        The 2012 Presidential election will be the most important one in the entire history of the LGBT community. Not only will we be presented an enormous opportunity to move forward with President Obama in our epic struggle for freedom but juxtaposed is the possibility of Romney who will actively seek to roll back progress we have already achieved. Never has the choice been more clear and stark. The list of President Obama's accomplishments for the LGBT community is endless. Yes, of course, there is more to do but in order to accomplish those milestones he must be re-elected.

  • Impressions...by David Mixner

    David Mixner
    15 May 2012 | 6:33 am
        -The above photograph taken in Arizona near Interstate 10 has an eerie feel of a pending apocalypse but actually instead is a bad approaching dust storm. Nature has been simply amazing the last couple of years. -Here is more from the 'Outrageous Republicans of the Week' club. The Greene County, Virginia Republican Committee has called for 'armed revolution' if the President is re-elected. Wouldn't move to Greene County if I was y'all. -Public Policy Polling (PPP) has constantly shown Montana Democratic incumbent United Senator Jon Tester losing by two…

  • Robert Shrum: Obama's Marriage Equality Stance Is Political Winner

    David Mixner
    14 May 2012 | 1:00 pm
        Political guru and commentator Robert Shrum in his latest column for "TheWeek" has declared President Obama's decision to endorse marriage equality a "moral and political win."The longtime campaign strategist writes powerfully that this is light years away from the presidential elections in 2000 and 2004 when some argument can be made of the impact of the LGBT issue in Ohio and Florida. Shrum reaches back to President Kennedy: Forty-nine years ago this spring, as he proposed the landmark civil rights reforms of the 1960s, John F. Kennedy became the…
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    Salon.com

  • SPIN METER: Rivals airbrush anti-Romney words

    16 May 2012 | 12:30 pm
    WASHINGTON (AP) — Remember Newt Gingrich calling Mitt Romney a liar? Michele Bachmann saying Romney's unelectable? Rick Santorum calling Romney "the worst Republican in the country" to run against President Barack Obama?They're hoping you don't. And acting like it never happened (even though most of their words are just clicks away online.)One by one — with the exception of holdout Ron Paul — the GOP also-rans have coughed up endorsements of their onetime rival. And as they do, they're pulling rhetorical backflips to distance themselves from their former harsh assessments of…

  • Ron Paul sets up Rand for 2016

    16 May 2012 | 11:50 am
    So Ron Paul says he is going to stop actively campaigning, but his supporters will continue to rack up delegates by storming state conventions. What will he do with these delegates? That is still unclear. (Barter them for gold?) What is the point of this strategy, exactly? Also unclear, but the Daily Beast's Ben Jacobs today says it's part of a "sneaky maneuver" to help his son Rand out. Ron will continue to consolidate power but will not appear to be actively sabotaging the party's nominee. Dave Weigel says the maneuver is less sneaky and barely a maneuver: He doesn't want it to be a huge…

  • Next Tea Party targets

    16 May 2012 | 11:36 am
    What may be most notable about the surprise triumph yesterday of a Sarah Palin-backed insurgent in Nebraska’s Republican Senate primary is how routine these sorts of things are becoming.Deb Fischer’s late charge to victory wasn’t really rooted in ideology. As Hotline’s Reid Wilson points out, she’s actually racked up a (somewhat) moderate record in the Nebraska legislature, and has some personal connections to the state’s leading GOP establishment figures.But most GOP primary voters probably didn’t know this. Fischer came to the race with little money or name recognition and…

  • Susana Martinez’s veep suicide

    16 May 2012 | 11:04 am
    While Newsweek touted New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez as a possible running mate for Mitt Romney, the erstwhile beneficiary of the hype all but killed her chances of getting the job by opening her mouth.“I absolutely advocate for comprehensive immigration reform,” Martinez  told reporter Andrew Romano. “Republicans want to be tough and say, ‘Illegals, you’re gone.’ But the answer is a lot more complex than that.”With those words, Martinez inflicted multiple wounds on whatever slender chance she had to join the national ticket. First, she indicated support for the immigration…

  • Romney’s human shield

    16 May 2012 | 11:00 am
    The only honest line in "Inside the Circus," the recent Politico e-book in which millions of nauseating Republican operatives lacerate each other anonymously during primary season, should be mounted on the computers of all "political news readers": "It is sometimes unclear whether political campaigns are run for the benefit of the voters and office seekers or for the professional consultants who earn their living from politics." Every other line in the book mostly goes like, and then the RNC flack whispered that the campaign flack didn't know what he was doing, but that one sentence about…
 
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    The American Conservative » Daniel Larison

  • Why Would Anyone Want to Be the Candidate for the Bad Joke That Is Americans Elect?

    Daniel Larison
    16 May 2012 | 11:22 am
    Dana Millbank laments the lack of interest in Americans Elect from potential candidates: Yet even Paul, who ran as a third-party candidate in 1988, isn’t interested in the Americans Elect nomination. Perhaps the only thing more implausible than the scenario of a successful Americans Elect candidate in the general election was the idea that Ron Paul would be the Americans Elect candidate. Of course he isn’t interested. If he had wanted to switch parties and eliminate any gains he has made during the last two presidential campaigns, he could have done that by going back to the…

  • The U.S. Hasn’t Abandoned or Betrayed Allies in Europe As Part of the “Reset”

    Daniel Larison
    16 May 2012 | 10:00 am
    It isn’t an exaggeration to say that almost everything in Arthur Herman’s review of U.S. Russia policy is factually wrong: It meant cravenly abandoning our allies Poland and the Czech Republic on missile defense for Eastern Europe, in order to get a nuclear-arms-reduction treaty that reduced our nuclear arsenal while leaving lots of loopholes for Russia. It meant handing over nuclear secrets belonging to our ally Great Britain and offering Moscow top-secret information about our own missile-defense technologies. The last point is correct in that there is the possibility of sharing…

  • Romney Is Not “Well-Positioned” to Win in November

    Daniel Larison
    16 May 2012 | 5:10 am
    Pete Wehner imagines that Romney has the advantage in the election: This election, like most elections, will be decided on substance, not style; on objective circumstances, not ginned-up attacks. Which is why Mitt Romney is extremely well-positioned to become the next president of the United States. Doug Bandow’s article on Romney and foreign policy is another reminder that substance is something that Romney does not have on his side. Fortunately for him, elections aren’t decided by a candidate’s grasp of policy, foreign or domestic. Elections are typically decided by…

  • Ceaser’s Misrepresentation of Realism

    Daniel Larison
    16 May 2012 | 5:00 am
    James Ceaser mars an otherwise mostly interesting review of the literature on American exceptionalism with this bizarre and inaccurate digression on realism (via Postmodern Conservative): Where antiexceptionalists are not partisans of the ideology of global citizenship and postnationalism, they stand ready to plant their flag inside the school of thought in international relations known as “realism.” Realism does not mean looking at the phenomena as they actually present themselves—for otherwise belief in a mission, which realists acknowledge to exist and so often decry, would be a part…

  • The Failure of the Bad Joke That Is Americans Elect

    Daniel Larison
    15 May 2012 | 2:55 pm
    Jonathan Bernstein flags some silliness from John Avlon about Americans Elect: Perhaps the biggest obstacle was the basic fact of this particular election cycle—when a president is running for reelection, it tends to be a referendum. Third-party candidacies do best when there is not an incumbent on the ballot or after an extended period of one-party rule with weak opposition [bold mine-DL]. As Bernstein notes, that’s just false. 1912, 1948, 1992, and 1996 were elections in which an incumbent was on the ballot, and in all of those elections third party candidates did remarkably well.
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    RollingStone.com: RS Politics Daily

  • Mark Ruffalo on the Fracking Fight

    16 May 2012 | 9:29 am
    Mark Ruffalo aka the Incredible Hulk is the natural gas industry’s worst nightmare a serious committed activist who is determined to use his star power as a superhero in the hottest movie of the moment to draw attention the environmental and public health risks of fracking  Last night Ruffalo hosted a

  • How FBI Entrapment Is Inventing 'Terrorists' - and Letting Bad Guys Off the Hook

    15 May 2012 | 2:10 pm
    This past October at an Occupy encampment in Cleveland Ohio "suspicious males with walkie-talkies around their necks" and "scarves or towels around their heads" were heard grumbling at the protesters' unwillingness to act violently At meetings a few months later one of them a 26-year-old with a black Mohawk known

  • What 'President Romney' Would Mean for Women

    15 May 2012 | 11:35 am
    Mitt Romney wants you to know that he and his party are "extraordinarily pro-woman" – "pro-opportunity for women pro-moms pro-working moms pro-working women" as he put it on Fox News the other night This idea Democrats are pushing of a Republican "war on women"? "Misguided wrong dishonest" he told Sean

  • NASA's James Hansen Slams Obama for Failure to Lead on Climate

    10 May 2012 | 3:31 pm
    President Obama can't catch a break Just when he gets right with the gays the greens come after him In today's New York Times NASA's leading climate scientist James Hansen takes the president to task for not doing jack on climate change "President Obama speaks of a 'planet in peril'"

  • It Got Better: Obama Endorses Gay Marriage

    9 May 2012 | 2:00 pm
    The evolution is complete President Barack Obama has endorsed gay marriage May 9 2012 is a momentous day in the struggle for civil rights in this nation America It just got better "I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that I think
 
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    Blue Hampshire

  • O'Keefe Shows Proof of Citizen Voting!

    15 May 2012 | 10:23 pm
    Young James O'Keefe, disciple of the late, unlamented Andrew Brietbart is still trying to fake up some voter fraud. His latest attempt is in North Carolina, where he highlighted furriner  Zbigniew Gorzkowski. Trouble is, Gorzkowski is a US citizen. From Think Progress: ThinkProgress spoke with Gorzkowski this morning. He verified that this information was indeed correct and he had been an American citizen since the late 1980s. Therefore, his votes in the 2008 and 2010 elections were not only perfectly legal, but encouraged as a civic duty. In other words, the one instance in the video…

  • BREAKING: Rep. Vaillancourt Removed from House Chambers

    15 May 2012 | 12:42 pm
    I can't embed the twitter slide show, but Tuck has it at his blog: http://www.miscellanyblue.com/... Absolutely amazing. These guys want everyone to be carrying several guns at a time, but words and gestures get them all upset? The GOP sure does hate that pesky FIRST Amendment. If you're there, please share!  

  • Mead's Mileage

    14 May 2012 | 5:00 am
    Concord Monitor: Bob Mead, a state employee in the House Majority Office, was reimbursed by taxpayers for traveling to Republican events where he sought to recruit House candidates for this year's elections. So, while state reps from the north country were denied mileage by the O'Brien junta, partisan state employee Bob Mead was reimbursed by taxpayers while he was out trolling for new Freebaglican candidates.   Mead, a former state representative from Mont Vernon, was House chief of staff during Bill O'Brien's first year as speaker. In December, he was moved to a post in the House…

  • Happy Mother's Day

    13 May 2012 | 12:59 pm
    There really aren't a lot of good mother songs. I discussed that after church this morning with musician Seth Austin.  So, everyone, what are your favorite mother songs or videos? For me, no mother song list would be complete without this Merle Haggard song: and without this video. The song doesn't make any sense, and neither does the video - but the big poofy dresses are fun, and the Beatles appear to be having a dandy time.

  • What do you Make? Teacher Appreciation Week

    11 May 2012 | 7:48 am
    This video always gets to me. Teacher Appreciation Week ends today. All week my kids have been bringing in Fruit or Flowers into school for their teachers. Despite these "grassroots" efforts, teachers (and education) are not very appreciated in our state. The O'Brien Era has tried to insert phony science in to the state curriculum and attempted to siphon money from the public education. Bill Duncan at has been fighting the good fight and documenting the assault at http://www.dnhpe.org/. How bad is it in Concord? Looks like he had to add "F-" to the Legislator scorecard to grade them all.
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    The Brody File

  • Nebraska GOP Senate Primary Reveals The Tea Party Conundrum

    David Brody
    16 May 2012 | 1:30 pm
    Deb Fischer’s victory in Nebraska’s GOP Senate Primary is a great example of how the Tea Party movement hasn’t quite got its act together and is simply not all on the same page. Tea Party stalwart Sarah Palin backed Fischer but Tea Partier Jim DeMint backed her challenger Don Stenberg. Meanwhile, Tea Party fan Mike Huckabee backed Jon Bruning along with Tea Party Express. It was a total Tea Party hodgepodge. Everybody was on a different page. What we saw in Nebraska is one of the big inherent dangers for the Tea Party. How does an organic, bottom up movement continue to increase in…

  • Exclusive: Romney Says He Needs to Make Sure Voters Understand What His Views Are

    David Brody
    12 May 2012 | 5:11 pm
    From Brody File Executive Producer Dana Ritter on site at Liberty University: GOP Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney gave what could be considered the biggest speech of his political career Saturday at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. Liberty University is the biggest evangelical Christian university in the world and the crowd was 34,000 people. After his big speech, Romney sat down with Jennifer Wishon, White House Correspondent for CBN News. David Brody was planning to do the interview but a last second family emergency made that impossible. She asked him about how he is going to court…

  • Exclusive: Mitt Romney's Message to Evangelical Christians  

    David Brody
    12 May 2012 | 5:08 pm
    From Brody File Executive Producer Dana Ritter on site at Liberty University GOP Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney gave what could be considered the biggest speech of his political career Saturday at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va.  Liberty University is the biggest evangelical Christian university in the world and the crowd was 34,000 people. After his big speech, Romney sat down with Jennifer Wishon, White House Correspondent for CBN News. David Brody was planning to do the interview but a last second family emergency made that impossible. She asked him what he would say if he could…

  • Exclusive: Heroic Romney Explains Lake Rescue 

    David Brody
    12 May 2012 | 4:56 pm
    From Brody File Executive Producer Dana Ritter on site at Liberty University: GOP Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney gave what could be considered the biggest speech of his political career Saturday at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. Liberty University is the biggest evangelical Christian university in the world and the crowd was 34,000 people. After his big speech, Romney sat down with Jennifer Wishon, White House Correspondent for CBN News. David Brody was planning to do the interview but a last second family emergency made that impossible. She asked him about a time he rescued a…

  • Exclusive: Mitt Romney Reveals His Wild and Crazy Side

    David Brody
    12 May 2012 | 4:39 pm
    From Brody File Executive Producer Dana Ritter on site at Liberty University: GOP Presidential Candidate Mitt Romney gave what could be considered the biggest speech of his political career Saturday at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va.  Liberty University is the biggest evangelical Christian university in the world and the crowd was 34,000 people. After his big speech, Romney sat down with Jennifer Wishon, White House Correspondent for CBN News. David Brody was planning to do the interview but a last second family emergency made that impossible. Ann Romney has said there is a "wild and…
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    The Spectacle Blog

  • Don't Blame Wrigley Field

    Aaron Goldstein
    16 May 2012 | 11:33 am
    In an op-ed in yesterday's Wall Street Journal, Rich Cohen argues that Wrigley Field should be torn down in order to put a merciful end to the Chicago Cubs' 104-year (and counting) World Series drought: I'm a Roman, and to me, the expanse between Waveland and Addison on Chicago's North Side is Carthage. The struts and concessions, the catwalk where the late broadcaster Harry Caray once greeted me with all the fluid liquidity of an animatronic Disneyland pirate - Hello, Cubs fan! - the ramps that ascend like a ziggurat to heaven - it's a false heaven - the bases, trestles, ivy, wooden seats…

  • Video of the Day: Romney 2012 Ad

    TAS Staff
    16 May 2012 | 11:24 am

  • Senate to Hold Budget Votes Today

    W. James Antle, III
    16 May 2012 | 11:10 am
    The Democratic-controlled Senate hasn't passed a budget in 1,113 days and that is unlikely to change today. But senators are scheduled to vote on five different budget proposals, four of them proposed by Republicans.Senate Democrats did not agree to a budget of their own. There are a few interesting questions: How many Senate Republicans, if any, oppose the Paul Ryan budget from the left? There will be a few GOP senators who vote against it because it doesn't balance the budget fast enough. Will any say it goes too far? Does anyone vote for Barack Obama's budget? The president's budget failed…

  • Four Words

    Ross Kaminsky
    16 May 2012 | 8:04 am
    Yesterday, I posted to these pages a blog note of 619 words on the subject of the politics of Obama's flip-flop-flip on gay marriage. Of these, four words were "as we should be" which I used in reference to the nation's getting more comfortable with homosexual relationships. To be perfectly clear, I am neither gay nor willing to learn. But not being gay doesn't cause me to automatically dislike gays anymore than not being black causes me to automatically dislike blacks. Of course, I'm perfectly willing to dislike any individual based on his or her own merits. When I wrote those four words, I…

  • Beckett Turns Jeers Into Cheers

    Aaron Goldstein
    15 May 2012 | 9:11 pm
    Five days ago, Boston Red Sox pitcher Josh Beckett was booed off the mound after a dismal performance against the Cleveland Indians in which he gave up seven runs over two and a third innings en route to an 8-3 loss. Red Sox Nation not only was miffed with Beckett's performance but teed off after it was revealed Beckett played a round of golf despite missing his previously scheduled start against the Baltimore Orioles. But today all is forgiven - for now. On his 32nd birthday, Beckett pitched seven shutout innings against the Seattle Mariners striking out nine batters. The Red Sox 5-0 victory…
 
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    The Reality-Based Community

  • The Laxative Free Virtual Colonoscopy

    Matthew E. Kahn
    15 May 2012 | 11:29 pm
    The LA Times  reports on a new strategy that should encourage more people to get screened but may further increase our expenditure on health care.

  • This Island of England Breeds Very Valiant Creatures

    Keith Humphreys
    15 May 2012 | 9:46 am
    I have gone through a spate of watching British movies that show the country in the 1940s and 1950s (e.g., The Long Arm and Green for Danger). And also, as I always like to do, I have been spending hours over tea listening to friends in their 70s, 80s and 90s tell me about their [...]

  • Living Below The Line

    Keith Humphreys
    15 May 2012 | 3:13 am
    Fresh from helping bring the life saving 24/7 sobriety programme to the UK, Baroness Anne Jenkin appeared on the popular British TV show “Come Dine with Me”, but with the twist that she had to feed all her guests at a total cost of only a few quid. She is part of the live below [...]

  • Romney and Gender at Liberty University — Sometimes it’s what’s not said that’s emblematic

    Quincy Adams
    15 May 2012 | 2:01 am
    Excluding various references to God, and two where his wife Ann served as a prop to introduce the actions of a man, Romney mentioned 19 people in his speech — all male. He claimed christianity builds “heroic souls” — but, you guessed it, he couldn’t imagine that any women’s souls were the equal of watergate [...]

  • Robert Frank at UCLA this Friday

    Mark Kleiman
    14 May 2012 | 11:01 pm
    Korn Convocation Hall, Friday from 1-3, speaking on his new book, The Darwin Economy.
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    Bleeding Heartland - Front Page

  • Iowa House Democrat Brian Quirk cancels ALEC membership

    16 May 2012 | 12:02 pm
    State Representative Brian Quirk announced today that he is no longer a member of the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC), which lobbies for a wide range of conservative and corporate-friendly policies in state legislatures. Up to now, Quirk had been the only ALEC member among the 40 Democrats in the Iowa House. Follow me after the jump for background and details on Quirk's decision, as well as recent comments about ALEC by former Iowa House Democrat Dolores Mertz. All 60 Iowa House Republicans are members of ALEC, and House Majority Leader Linda Upmeyer is treasurer of ALEC's…

  • The hidden costs of a perfect lawn

    16 May 2012 | 7:58 am
    Longer days, warmer weather and the approaching end of the school year mean more time outdoors for many Iowans, especially children. Last week Kamyar Enshayan, a Cedar Falls City Council member and director of the University of Northern Iowa's Center for Energy and Environmental Education, raised an important question: "Is having weed-free lawn worth it?" Excerpt from Enshayan's May 10 guest editorial in the Des Moines Register: All lawn care ads mailed to our house featured images of weed-free lawns and kids and parents with bare feet on the lawn. In all cases, highly poisonous substances…

  • Romney: "I will lead us out of this debt and spending inferno"

    15 May 2012 | 4:35 pm
    Speaking in Des Moines this afternoon, Mitt Romney promised to lead the country "out of this debt and spending inferno" by reducing federal government spending from 24.3 percent of the country's gross domestic product to 20 percent of GDP within four years. Romney would address what he called a "prairie fire of debt" by moving some federal programs to the state level or the private sector, repealing "Obamacare," reforming Medicare and Social Security, and reducing "redundancy and waste" in government programs. I've posted the full prepared text of Romney's remarks after the jump, along with a…

  • New math: Terry Branstad's unique job-counting method

    15 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    Governor Terry Branstad's education reform blueprint called for higher academic standards and better methods to assess student skills. I just hope my kids don't learn to count the way the governor counts jobs created in Iowa. Creating 200,000 jobs in Iowa was one of Branstad's key promises as he campaigned for governor in 2010. During that campaign, Branstad also exaggerated how many jobs had been lost in Iowa during Governor Chet Culver's tenure. More than a quarter of the way through Branstad's fifth term, job creation in Iowa is nowhere near the pace needed to meet what the governor's…

  • Buyer beware of misleading sunscreen labels this summer (updated)

    14 May 2012 | 9:29 pm
    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration was poised to implement new rules on sunscreen labels and marketing this summer, more than 30 years after the first sunscreen labeling rules were introduced in 1978. However, sunscreen manufacturers may keep using misleading language when packaging and advertising their products for at least another six months. Click here for the full text of the proposed FDA rule on sunscreen labeling and effectiveness testing. Jen Quraishi summarized some key points at the Mother Jones blog last summer. --all sunscreens must be SPF 15 or higher if they claim to prevent…
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    Salon.com

  • SPIN METER: Rivals airbrush anti-Romney words

    16 May 2012 | 12:30 pm
    WASHINGTON (AP) — Remember Newt Gingrich calling Mitt Romney a liar? Michele Bachmann saying Romney's unelectable? Rick Santorum calling Romney "the worst Republican in the country" to run against President Barack Obama?They're hoping you don't. And acting like it never happened (even though most of their words are just clicks away online.)One by one — with the exception of holdout Ron Paul — the GOP also-rans have coughed up endorsements of their onetime rival. And as they do, they're pulling rhetorical backflips to distance themselves from their former harsh assessments of…

  • Ron Paul sets up Rand for 2016

    16 May 2012 | 11:50 am
    So Ron Paul says he is going to stop actively campaigning, but his supporters will continue to rack up delegates by storming state conventions. What will he do with these delegates? That is still unclear. (Barter them for gold?) What is the point of this strategy, exactly? Also unclear, but the Daily Beast's Ben Jacobs today says it's part of a "sneaky maneuver" to help his son Rand out. Ron will continue to consolidate power but will not appear to be actively sabotaging the party's nominee. Dave Weigel says the maneuver is less sneaky and barely a maneuver: He doesn't want it to be a huge…

  • Next Tea Party targets

    16 May 2012 | 11:36 am
    What may be most notable about the surprise triumph yesterday of a Sarah Palin-backed insurgent in Nebraska’s Republican Senate primary is how routine these sorts of things are becoming.Deb Fischer’s late charge to victory wasn’t really rooted in ideology. As Hotline’s Reid Wilson points out, she’s actually racked up a (somewhat) moderate record in the Nebraska legislature, and has some personal connections to the state’s leading GOP establishment figures.But most GOP primary voters probably didn’t know this. Fischer came to the race with little money or name recognition and…

  • Susana Martinez’s veep suicide

    16 May 2012 | 11:04 am
    While Newsweek touted New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez as a possible running mate for Mitt Romney, the erstwhile beneficiary of the hype all but killed her chances of getting the job by opening her mouth.“I absolutely advocate for comprehensive immigration reform,” Martinez  told reporter Andrew Romano. “Republicans want to be tough and say, ‘Illegals, you’re gone.’ But the answer is a lot more complex than that.”With those words, Martinez inflicted multiple wounds on whatever slender chance she had to join the national ticket. First, she indicated support for the immigration…

  • Romney’s human shield

    16 May 2012 | 11:00 am
    The only honest line in "Inside the Circus," the recent Politico e-book in which millions of nauseating Republican operatives lacerate each other anonymously during primary season, should be mounted on the computers of all "political news readers": "It is sometimes unclear whether political campaigns are run for the benefit of the voters and office seekers or for the professional consultants who earn their living from politics." Every other line in the book mostly goes like, and then the RNC flack whispered that the campaign flack didn't know what he was doing, but that one sentence about…
 
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    Booman Tribune

  • McCain Noticed He Wasn't Doing Anything

    16 May 2012 | 1:10 pm
    I'd like to believe that I'm responsible for this. My mocking of John McCain's cowardice on campaign finance reform has spurred him to team up with Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse pf Rhode Island. Good-government advocates who worked with McCain in the 1990s and early 2000s had begun to think he’d given up on the issue. But McCain said Tuesday he could join Democrats once again to form a bipartisan coalition, even though it would annoy the Republican leadership. “I’ve been having discussions with Sen. [Sheldon] Whitehouse [D-R.I.] and a couple others on the issue,” McCain told The Hill. Will…

  • Too Broken To Fix

    16 May 2012 | 1:10 pm
    Americans Elect announced their intentions with some basic boilerplate: American voters are tired of politics as usual. They want leaders that will put their country before their party, and American interests before special interests. Leaders who will work together to develop fresh solutions to the serious challenges facing our country. That they came out of the box sounding exactly like every Democrat and Republican running for office should have been our first warning. Were they really going to be different? They had three mechanisms that were supposed to assure that their members would…

  • Romney Looking to Play it Safe

    16 May 2012 | 1:10 pm
    John McCain fanboys Mike Allen and Jim Vandehei have an article in today's Politico that discusses Team Romney's desire to avoid John McCain's mistakes. This means that they don't want to look like idiots in the middle of a financial meltdown, they don't want to pick a half-witted moron as a running mate, and they want to successfully build themselves up as a safe alternative. In the Romney camp's view, John McCain failed on all three scores. Of course, they're right. The most interesting stuff in the article involves their thinking on a running mate. If their reporting is accurate, Mr.

  • Happy Birthday Cabin Girl!

    16 May 2012 | 1:10 pm
    May you have an especially great day with your kids and the spousal unit, what's his name. Discuss

  • Today in Stupid

    16 May 2012 | 1:10 pm
    Oh, good Lord: The most popular baby names often change a bit year to year, but not Jacob, which in 2011 marked its 13th year as the most popular name for boys, according the Social Security Administration's tally for 2011, out today. Sophia is the new No. 1 name for girls, moving the most popular girls' name for the past two years — Isabella — to second-best. Mason was No. 2 on the boys' list. The federal agency notes that although Mason has been a relatively popular name since the 1990s, it had never reached the top 25 names until 2010. That's when it hit No. 12, suggesting the rise may…
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    Politics » George Stephanopoulos

  • Rep. Barney Frank: I ‘Expected’ President Obama to Support Same-Sex Marriage

    George Stephanopoulos
    13 May 2012 | 10:56 am
    (ABC News) Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., the first openly gay member of Congress, said this morning on “This Week” that he “expected” President Obama to support same-sex marriage and dismissed the idea that he would suffer a political backlash for his decision. “I expected the president to be supporting same-sex marriage, because, frankly, of the absence of any good reason against it,” said Frank. “I can’t think there are many people who said, ‘OK, well, I’m going to vote for Obama even though he said that the Defense of Marriage…

  • Rep. Barney Frank: I Hope Final Volcker Rule Would Prevent JPMorgan’s Actions

    George Stephanopoulos
    13 May 2012 | 9:15 am
    (ABC) Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., said this morning on “This Week” that he hopes the still-forming Volcker Rule would prevent the type of behavior that JP Morgan Chase engaged in that led to a $2 billion trading loss announced last week. ” I hope that the final rule will prevent this,” said Frank, an author of the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill. “The Volcker Rule is still being formulated.” The Volcker Rule, as envisioned, would place limits on certain speculative proprietary trading. Frank’s comments come days after the head of JPMorgan Chase,…

  • Let’s End Childhood HIV Infections

    George Stephanopoulos
    11 May 2012 | 10:13 am
    I had the privilege of being part of a new campaign to help end HIV infections in children by 2015. The campaign called “Believe It. Do It.” was launched by UNAIDS to bring attention to this worldwide problem. Everyday 1,000 babies are infected with HIV, and we have the power to end it. I joined my wife Ali Wentworth as well as Whoopi Goldberg, Naomi Watts, Annie Lennox, Blair Underwood, Denis O’Hare and Sujean Rim to create this PSA. It’s a global effort that needs your help – CLICK HERE to see how you can join. And watch the new PSA here:

  • Politics of Gay Marriage: Top 9 Things to Watch For

    George Stephanopoulos
    10 May 2012 | 7:56 pm
    President Obama made history at the White House yesterday when he told my GMA co-anchor Robin Roberts that he supports same-sex marriage. But how will the politics play out come November?  That’s the question we’re tackling today on the Bottom Line. Strategists on both sides of the issue – and from both Presidential campaigns – have told me the politics are likely to be a wash.  Hard to read – and certain not to supplant the economy as the campaign’s top issue.  No question that’s right.  To borrow a phrase from Donald Rumsfeld,…

  • Top Counter-Terrorism Official: No Further Threat From Bomb or Attempted Bomber

    George Stephanopoulos
    8 May 2012 | 6:42 am
      Michael Bonfigli/Christian Science Monitor/Getty Brian Ross reported brand new details this morning that the inside source who helped foil a bomb threat has been taken out of Yemen and is safely in Saudi Arabia. That’s where I began with John Brennan, Obama’s top counter-terrorism advisor. “Was that source the would-be bomber,” I asked Brennan. Notice the non-denial. “We’ve been working very closely with our international partners to make sure that this device did not pose a threat to the American public. We continue to work with them, there are some…
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    Citizen WElls

  • NC voter fraud investigations, Project Veritas, James O’Keefe, UNC officials, 2008 evidence, Wake County residents charged, Governor Perdue veto of ID bill

    citizenwells
    16 May 2012 | 9:01 am
    NC voter fraud investigations, Project Veritas, James O’Keefe, UNC officials, 2008 evidence, Wake County residents charged, Governor Perdue veto of ID bill “Why would anyone eligible to vote complain about providing a photo ID?”…Citizen Wells “The end justifies the means, the template of the left.”…Citizen Wells “We control life, Winston, at all its levels. You are imagining that there is something called human nature which will be outraged by what we do and will turn against us. But we create human nature. Men are infinitely malleable.”…George Orwell,…

  • Obama bribed Jeremiah Wright, Church Sermons?, Donald Young murder?, Obama and Wright closet homosexuals?, Larry Sinclair allegations

    citizenwells
    14 May 2012 | 3:47 pm
    Obama bribed Jeremiah Wright, Church Sermons?, Donald Young murder?, Obama and Wright closet homosexuals?, Larry Sinclair allegations “Instead, since I have some reporting history here, I am noting a pattern that has emerged: This is Obama’s third ethical conversion of convenience — taking on a higher standard, but only when it appears to be politically expedient. Obama is making government transparency and ethics a centerpiece of his presidential campaign.”…Lynn Sweet, Chicago SunTimes “Why did Obama deny his close ties to Jeremiah Wright?”…Citizen Wells…

  • Obama 2012 manufactured crisis to delay election, Government insider warning?, Obama diversions abound, Obama camp panic, Cornered animal predictable

    citizenwells
    13 May 2012 | 6:45 pm
    Obama 2012 manufactured crisis to delay election, Government insider warning?, Obama diversions abound, Obama camp panic, Cornered animal predictable “One of these days, thought Winston with sudden deep conviction, Syme will be vaporized. He is too intelligent. He sees too clearly and speaks too plainly. The Party does not like such people. One day he will disappear. It is written in his face.” …George Orwell, “1984″ “This was all because of what [Obama] did to all of his challengers,” “It just was outrageous to disqualify these people that way. This is how…

  • Presidents challengers mysterious deaths, Andrew Breitbart Tim Russert General Patton, LA Coroner death, Pulmonary embolism or heart attack induced?

    citizenwells
    12 May 2012 | 9:14 am
    Presidents challengers mysterious deaths, Andrew Breitbart Tim Russert General Patton, LA Coroner death, Pulmonary embolism or heart attack induced? “Why have so many people questioning Obama or associated with his corrupt past been threatened or died under mysterious circumstances?”…Citizen Wells “Why was Christopher Kelly transported past 2 trauma facilities on the way to Stroger Hospital?”…Thomas R. Bennett “Why did Donald Young, Bill Gwatney, Christopher Kelly, Andrew Breitbart and others with information about Obama all die under mysterious…

  • Obama economy and performance buoyed by NPR and biased media, Washington Post aka Times of “1984″ misleads public, Time Magazine, NPR receives 4 Orwells

    citizenwells
    10 May 2012 | 2:38 pm
    Obama economy and performance buoyed by NPR and biased media, Washington Post aka Times of “1984″ misleads public, Time Magazine, NPR receives 4 Orwells “If I had my choice I would kill every reporter in the world but I am sure we would be getting reports from hell before breakfast.”… William Tecumseh Sherman “If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it”…Joseph Goebbels “As soon as all the corrections which happened to be necessary in any particular number of the Times had been assembled and…
 
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    Dandelion Salad

  • Paul Krugman’s Economic Blinders by Michael Hudson

    dandelionsalad
    15 May 2012 | 6:39 pm
    by Michael Hudson Featured Writer Dandelion Salad http://michael-hudson.com May 14, 2012 Paul Krugman is widely appreciated for his New York Times columns criticizing Republican demands for fiscal austerity. He rightly argues that cutting back public spending will worsen the economic depression into which we are sinking. And despite his partisan Democratic Party politicking, he warned [...]

  • Iran War Path Resumed, With Another ‘Colin Powell Moment’? by Finian Cunningham

    dandelionsalad
    15 May 2012 | 5:46 pm
    by Finian Cunningham Featured Writer Dandelion Salad Ethiopia May 15, 2012 You know when Western powers are getting trigger happy towards Iran again because the mainstream media propaganda machine starts cranking out lurid scare stories. The latest wheeze is based on “computer-generated drawings” allegedly depicting a nuclear explosion blast chamber that Iran has allegedly been [...]

  • Coleen Rowley on How Top Secret America Misfires

    dandelionsalad
    14 May 2012 | 11:24 pm
    Dandelion Salad May 9, 2012 by SocialJusticeNOW Coleen Rowley, one of three whistleblowers chosen as persons of the year for 2002 by Time Magazine, will speak about her experiences in the FBI and broader issues of official surveillance and massive data collection. When Coleen Rowley was an FBI agent in Minneapolis, her office got a [...]

  • Economic Inequality’s Impact On Political Voice

    dandelionsalad
    14 May 2012 | 11:16 pm
    Dandelion Salad May 11, 2012 by joefriendly Discussion at Demos think tank about new book, The Unheavenly Chorus: Unequal Political Voice and the Broken Promise of American Democracy about the devastating effects of economic inequality on our political process with moderator Kenneth Prewitt and authors Kay Lehman Schlozman, Sidney Verba, and Henry E. Brady, The [...]

  • Dr. Michael Brown with Sid Roth – The Real Kosher Jesus

    dandelionsalad
    14 May 2012 | 10:54 pm
    Dandelion Salad May 14, 2012 by SidRoth Take a trip back 2,000 years in time to capture the debate between Jews who believed in Jesus and Jews who did not. I have selected the best Orthodox rabbi challenging the best Messianic Jewish scholar in the country. Wait till you eavesdrop on this fiery, amazing family [...]
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    international

  • Is Europe voting against austerity or is Europe voting against tax rises?

    Conservative Home
    14 May 2012 | 1:46 am
    By Tim MontgomerieFollow Tim on Twitter Another election result and another bad result for the incumbent. Angela Merkel's CDU won just 25% of the vote in the huge laender of North Rhine Westphalia. The Wall Street Journal warns it readers not to get excited about the result. Before 2005 NRW was a stronghold of the opposition SPD, it says. It also notes that, unlike in France, the big German parties are largely agreed about the need for some sort of austerity (although they're not agreed on pace and scale). The results across Europe are largely being read as votes against austerity.

  • Marina Yannakoudakis MEP: The lesson of the French and Greek elections is that the Fiscal Compact is defending the indefensible

    Conservative Home
    8 May 2012 | 12:09 am
    Marina Yannakoudakis is a Member of the European Parliament for London. Follow Marina on Twitter. I recently took part in a debate on the French TV channel France 24. The subject was austerity and the French Presidential election. I suggested, as much as a joke as anything, that as a London MEP I was looking forward to welcoming those French who wished to avoid François Hollande’s 75% millionaire tax. The socialist economist who was participating in the debate practically jumped out her chair. “The French people are not going to leave France because of a small increase in tax,” she…

  • Austerity-sceptic Hollande wins in France --- and anti-austerity parties gain in Greece

    Conservative Home
    6 May 2012 | 1:02 pm
    By Tim MontgomerieFollow Tim on Twitter. BIFF! France has elected a Socialist president on a massive turnout (81.5% certainly shames Britain) - ending Nicolas Sarkozy's rule and also ending a run of right-of-centre victories across Europe. Some say '75% tax-rate Hollande' will be more moderate than on the campaign trail but IDS has warned of a exodus of French entrepreneurs quitting Paris for London. The Socialist candidate wants to re-negotiate the fiscal pact to place more emphasis on growth. KA-POW! But will France provide the most important election of the day? Greece has…

  • Canada stands up for sensible environmental policies and rejects unilateral economic disarmament

    Conservative Home
    5 May 2012 | 5:45 am
    By Matthew BarrettFollow Matthew on Twitter Several Anglosphere counties are in the process of implementing climate change policies that mean burdensome green regulations which kill jobs. There's the United States, where jobs and energy will move to China unless a new direction is taken on the environment: "Foreign markets, led by China, could soon become the most appealing options for American energy companies dealing in coal. Environmental Protection Agency regulations, chief among them an effective ban on new coal-fired power plants, are squeezing the U.S. market and strangling…

  • Kevin Andrews MP: Australian Labor is on the ropes

    Conservative Home
    29 Apr 2012 | 12:22 am
    The Hon Kevin Andrews MP is a member of the Australian Parliament and publisher of the Australian Polity. This will be the first of an occasional report he'll be submitting for ConHome readers. Follow Kevin on Twitter. The Australian Parliament is in recess until the annual Budget session in May. Despite the break from proceedings in Canberra, much has happened on the political landscape in the past few weeks. First, the Labor Party were thrashed in the Queensland election. In what is essentially a ‘first-past-the-post’ system (optional preferential voting) for a unicameral…
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    The Best Defense

  • Tom's World War I binge continues: A few lines from the play 'Journey’s End'

    Thomas E. Ricks
    16 May 2012 | 5:10 am
    Reading Six Weeks persuaded me to buy R.C. Sherriff's play Journey's End, which I'd never read. I liked it especially because it is unique to the circumstances of its war-British class differences, trench warfare, losses by years of attrition. The entire thing takes place in an underground bunker. I doubt that it could be "updated," for example, into a drama about the Vietnam War. The concerns, the histories, the values of the soldiers involved are just too different. I suspect that when it came out it was a shocker, but now it seems like half the war movies we've seen since. Lines…

  • William Faulkner gets his third star, let's hope he buys a round for the room tonight

    Thomas E. Ricks
    16 May 2012 | 5:07 am
    Faulkner, the writer of Mississippi, famously said that the past isn't dead, it is not even past. Turns out he was more right than he knew: He is still with us, and just got promoted by the Marines to lieutenant general. Maybe he can hang out with my favorite U.S. admiral, Julius Caesar. If you think I am joking, click on that last link. I don't know General Faulkner, but I have met John Toolan, whom I interviewed when I was writing 'Fiasco.' I was impressed to see him promoted as well, to CG IMEF. He is exactly the kind of sober, tough leader you'd like to see leading your son or daughter in…

  • Law of the Sea: Less boring than you think

    Thomas E. Ricks
    16 May 2012 | 5:01 am
    By Will Rogers Best Defense bureau of natural security Washington is gearing up for another fight over the Law of the Sea Convention (LOSC) as the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee prepares to hold hearings in the coming weeks. But while the thirty year LOSC debate may start to sound like a broken record to some, the stakes of not ratifying the convention are the highest they have ever been for the United States. Although the United States has safeguarded its interests at sea by relying on customary international law, this approach is becoming increasingly risky. Critics of LOSC…

  • The cadre: Thinking outside the box about how rotation affects operations

    Thomas E. Ricks
    15 May 2012 | 6:10 am
    By Andrew Person Best Defense department of personnel-as-policy affairs After over a decade spent fighting in Afghanistan, American officers are still having their first cups of tea with key Afghan leaders in government, tribes, and villages. As I argue in a piece I wrote for the Small Wars Journal titled "Getting Past the First Cup of Tea" (available on page 10 at this link), the Lazy Susan style rotation of American leadership in Afghanistan makes our mission impossible. What would an alternative model look like? If the U.S. had established a permanent cadre of military leaders…

  • What sort of help do Google and the National Security Agency give each other?

    Thomas E. Ricks
    15 May 2012 | 6:03 am
    Something, it looks like, but we are not going to be told about it, if a U.S. Court of Appeals ruling issued last Friday stands. I wonder if Google and NSA will merge one day.  On the other hand, something that discourages intelligence operatives in China from hacking into our e-mails is probably a good thing. Hmm -- maybe I am learning how to love Big Brother?
 
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    Politics4All Latest Blogs

  • National Library of Medicine

    16 May 2012 | 3:58 am
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    16 May 2012 | 3:06 am
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  • Buy NORCO Overnight Cheap | Buy NORCO Online Pharmacies Cash On Delivery

    16 May 2012 | 1:41 am
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    POLITICOMIX

  • Meanwhile, Greece ...

    Roberto
    14 May 2012 | 3:17 am
    Click comic to ENLARGE.I'm not a Time magazine reader, but apparently this has tongues wagging.Meanwhile, Greece continues to circle the drain.

  • Talk about Greece

    Roberto
    10 May 2012 | 7:39 pm
    Click comic to ENLARGE.

  • Obama Mans Up

    Roberto
    9 May 2012 | 8:42 pm
    Click comic to ENLARGE.

  • East of Aden

    Roberto
    8 May 2012 | 11:27 pm
    Click comic to ENLARGE.Background here.

  • 1-800-HAPPY-2CU

    Roberto
    8 May 2012 | 3:27 am
    Click comic to ENLARGE.
 
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    The Left Coaster

  • A dramatic five hours

    Mary
    16 May 2012 | 12:01 am
    Mike Konczal writes about what last Thursday can teach us about financial reform. As he said, it illustrated the problem and the solution, but in reverse order. At 12:10 p.m., Martin J. Gruenberg, Acting Chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), gave the keynote at the 48th Annual Conference on Bank Structure and Competition held by the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago. In the long-awaited speech, he outlined the overall vision, as well as the problems and pitfalls, of the FDIC using "resolution authority" to oversee the failure and unwinding of a Too Big To Fail financial…

  • Best Government Money Can Buy

    Mary
    14 May 2012 | 6:38 pm
    Jeffrey Tobin lays out exactly how the Roberts Supreme Court has made sure those with money have prime advantage in electing your government. The Roberts Court, it appears, will guarantee moneyed interests the freedom to raise and spend any amount, from any source, at any time, in order to win elections. Who needs elections anymore when the money guys can battle it out without us?

  • Mothers Day

    Mary
    14 May 2012 | 12:01 am
    David Atkins has penned the best Mothers Day piece I've found today as he honors his mother who not only worked at an outside job but was expected to take care of the "women's work" at home after her long shift at the job. He calls it the Second Shift. Fathers teach their sons and daughters what their "proper" roles are in dividing work at home, and mothers are all-too-often complicit--sometimes eagerly so--in the training. That in turn makes the extraordinary burden of motherhood a generational one, a curse passed down from patriarchal generation to patriarchal generation, ensuring Second…

  • Responding to Global Warming

    Mary
    10 May 2012 | 12:06 pm
    The other day Joe Romm pointed to a terrific piece by Bill Blakemore in ABC that talks about how those who are truly aware of the looming danger from catastrophic climate change are dealing with the fear to rise to the occasion. “Hug the monster” is a metaphor taught by U.S. Air Force trainers to those headed into harm’s way. The monster is your fear in a sudden crisis — as when you find yourself trapped in a downed plane or a burning house. If you freeze or panic — if you go into merely reactive “brainlock” — you’re lost. But if your mind has been prepared in advance to…

  • Smart Thinking

    Mary
    5 May 2012 | 1:45 am
    Kevin Drum had an excellent summary of what to focus on regarding our real fiscal problems: So: focus on domestic energy production, especially renewable resources. Rein in the trade deficit. And focus like a laser on reining in healthcare spending. Truly the right things to be working on for our country's future. Too bad there are people who want to destroy the clean energy targets and to make healthcare unreachable for most Americans. Oh, the glories of having the greatest government money can buy.
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    YouTube Videos

  • SC Sen. Jake Knotts calls Barack Obama and Nikki Haley "ragheads"

    PalmettoPublicRecord
    15 May 2012 | 8:15 pm
    SC Sen. Jake Knotts calls Barack Obama and Nikki Haley "ragheads" SC Sen. Jake Knotts calls then-Rep. Nikki Haley a "raghead" on Pub Politics. Full story: palmettopublicrecord.org Footage owned by Pub Politics and UStream, republished by BuzzFeed. No copyright infringement intended. From: PalmettoPublicRecord Views: 379 2 ratings Time: 00:35 More in News & Politics

  • Michael Coleman speaks on politics

    koattv
    12 May 2012 | 12:19 am
    Michael Coleman speaks on politics Michael Coleman speaks on politics From: koattv Views: 41 1 ratings Time: 01:50 More in News & Politics

  • How Twitter is reshaping politics, instantaneously - Tech Tonic

    ReutersTV
    9 May 2012 | 3:36 am
    How Twitter is reshaping politics, instantaneously - Tech Tonic Adam Sharp, senior manager of government, news and social innovation at Twitter, talks with Reuters' Anthony De Rosa about how political campaigns are using the micro-blogging service to get quick reactions to their messages and directly engage their opponents. (May 9, 2012) From: ReutersTV Views: 1251 9 ratings Time: 03:00 More in News & Politics

  • Inside Story - Should sport and politics mix?

    AlJazeeraEnglish
    4 May 2012 | 3:47 am
    Inside Story - Should sport and politics mix? Ukraine's biggest sporting event is under threat as European politicians urge a boycott in response to the treatment of jailed PM Yulia Tymoshenko. Should sports be used for political pressure? Guests: Keir Radnedge, Mehrdad Masoudi, David Mepham. From: AlJazeeraEnglish Views: 485 3 ratings Time: 24:46 More in News & Politics

  • Constitutional Amendment To Fight $ In Politics Suffers Short Term Setback In CA

    TheYoungTurks
    3 May 2012 | 5:46 pm
    Constitutional Amendment To Fight $ In Politics Suffers Short Term Setback In CA The Young Turks host Cenk Uygur explains that Joint Resolution 32 failed in California, but he's encouraged about the long-term prospects of a limited constitutional convention on the issue of corporate personhood and money in politics. Richard Eskow (Campaign for America's Future) joins him. www.wolf-pac.com Subscribe to The Young Turks: bit.ly Find out how to watch The Young Turks on Current by clicking here: www.current.com The Largest Online New Show in the World. Facebook: www.facebook.com Twitter:…
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    YouTube Videos

  • At The Drive In - Interview - Music/Activism/Invisible Children

    invisiblechildreninc
    24 Apr 2012 | 1:57 pm
    At The Drive In - Interview - Music/Activism/Invisible Children After headlining Coachella, just under Dré and Snoop, At The Drive In members Jim Ward and Cedric Bixler-Zavala sit down for their first interview together in 11 years to talk about the power of music in social movements and to voice their support of non-profit Invisible Children's efforts to arrest warlord Joseph Kony. Learn more at: www.invisiblechildren.com From: invisiblechildreninc Views: 12434 551 ratings Time: 04:57 More in Nonprofits & Activism

  • Occupy Colleges & Student Activism Today

    tytuniversity
    25 Jan 2012 | 5:21 pm
    Occupy Colleges & Student Activism Today How is the Occupy Colleges movement doing? What is the current state of college student activism? Ana Kasparian and John Iadarola of TYT University break down a New York Times piece on students and Occupy Wall Street on TYT University. www.nytimes.com Get involved: occupycolleges.org Subscribe to TYT U for more videos: www.youtube.com Submit a video to TYT U: www.youtube.com twitter.com twitter.com twitter.com From: tytuniversity Views: 3618 137 ratings Time: 05:52 More in Education

  • Internet regulation, Internet freedom, Internet activism

    AdamVsTheManRT
    13 Apr 2011 | 7:06 pm
    Internet regulation, Internet freedom, Internet activism Tonight on Adam Vs. the Man: Look out! The inter-webs are coming! Don't worry, your fearless leaders in Washington are busy regulating the internet out of existence. But wait, didn't Al Gore invent the internet? Joining Adam tonight is, Alex Jones, a man who has built one of the largest audiences online with his message of freedom and refocusing our fears towards the government. Also joining Adam to discuss the government's latest attempts to control the internet are Seton Motley, editor in chief of StopNetRegulation.org,…

  • The Trailblazer Campaign

    jamesdukemason
    11 Apr 2011 | 7:56 pm
    The Trailblazer Campaign Actor James Duke Mason launches "The Trailblazer Campaign", a new movement to encourage gay actors and musicians, as well as people in general, to come out and be honest about who they are. The more that they come out, the more progress will be made, and the more Hollywood, America and the rest of the world will be a better place. From: jamesdukemason Views: 16856 134 ratings Time: 03:40 More in People & Blogs

  • THE ANSWER TO 1984 IS 1776 - ACTIVISM

    edganchez
    27 Feb 2011 | 4:25 am
    THE ANSWER TO 1984 IS 1776 - ACTIVISM Thanks a million to Alex Jones and staff for showing this video love. Also, thanks to all of you for your encouraging comments. I would have never been able to make this video without the help of Germain, J-Lo, Bird and Jr. The song is called Bang Bang Bang by Mark Ronson and the Business Intl.. Buy it. It's catchy. Thanks for watching. From: edganchez Views: 28031 286 ratings Time: 04:08 More in Nonprofits & Activism
 
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    rightwingwatch.org

  • How Prayer Ended the Drought in Texas and Stopped the BP Oil Spill

    Kyle Mantyla
    16 May 2012 | 12:54 pm
    As we have noted before, Rick Scarborough of Vision America is organizing an effort called 40 Days to Save America which seeks to mobilize Christians who will engage in forty days of prayer, fasting and repentance leading up to the election. As part of the organizing effort, Scarborough has been hosting conference calls featuring Republican members of Congress and Religious Right leaders.  Earlier this month, Scarborough teamed up for a call with David Barton, who discussed the importance and effectiveness of prayer and fasting, which then prompted a discussion between the two about how…

  • Pat Robertson Dubs Episcopal Church an 'Apostate' Church

    Brian Tashman
    16 May 2012 | 12:20 pm
    Pat Robertson today on the 700 Club had harsh words for Episcopalians in the U.S., saying that it is “a matter of time” before the Anglican Communion declares the Episcopal Church “an apostate.” Robertson was referring to a case in Falls Church, Virginia, where a judge ruled in favor of the Episcopal Church over a breakaway conservative group that has been holding services in the disputed sanctuary since 2006, and Robertson said that the returning Episcopalian congregation won’t have “the blessing of God.” Watch:

  • Top VAWA Opponents Partnered with Convicted Wife-Beater and Group Tied to Mail Order Bride Firm

    Josh Glasstetter
    16 May 2012 | 11:57 am
    The House of Representatives is poised to pass a hobbled version of the Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization (VAWA) later today. The House GOP version actually rolls back some current protections and excludes other key protections contained in the Senate version of the bill, which was passed with bipartisan support in April.  In past years, VAWA enjoyed bipartisan support and garnered little controversy. This time around, however, top Religious Right groups have rallied against the bill due to the protections it would extend to immigrant, Native American, and LGBT victims of…

  • Anti-Mormon Activist Warns Romney and Obama Represent 'Twin Evils'

    Brian Tashman
    16 May 2012 | 11:15 am
    Last month we noted that many Religious Right leaders have tried to rationalize their fundamentalist version of Christianity with voting for a Mormon candidate for president by arguing that it isn’t a problem since Romney supports “biblical values” and Obama, they allege, does not. Others, such as televangelist Joel Osteen and Pat Robertson, and activists like David Barton, have gone so far as to say that Mormons are indeed Christians. Now, a group of pastors has released a document, For the Sake of the Gospel, saying that if Christian leaders decide to back Mitt Romney,…

  • Bauer Says Obama's Support for Gay Rights Shows he isn't 'Fighting for the Little Guy'

    Brian Tashman
    16 May 2012 | 10:10 am
    Gary Bauer yesterday emailed members of his Campaign for Working Families arguing that Democrats are dishonest by representing ‘themselves as champions of the ‘little guy’ because President Obama…supports gay rights. Apparently, gays and lesbians can’t be a “little guy,” and Bauer went on to plead with Republicans to use Obama’s endorsement of marriage equality against him in the election, saying “it is far easier to defend normal marriage than it is to argue for cuts in popular programs”: Fighting For The Little Guy? For decades…
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    Politics in the Zeros

  • Greece central bank warns of depositor anxiety AKA bank runs

    Bob Morris
    16 May 2012 | 11:15 am
    Bank run 1933“Provopoulos told me that of course there’s no panic but there’s great fear which can evolve into panic,” he said.The panic will be coming soon enough.Pimco says 17-nation Euro currency union will not last

  • The U.S. has a lot of shale oil. So?

    Bob Morris
    16 May 2012 | 7:45 am
    Just because shale oil is theoretically recoverable doesn’t mean it’s economically or environmentally desirable to do so.Steve Hynd explains why.

  • Germany returns to coal power as nuclear shuts down

    Bob Morris
    15 May 2012 | 11:56 pm
    Well, this is maddening and nonsensical. A goofy carbon emissions trading scheme in Germany makes it cheaper to return to coal than continue moving towards clean energy.

  • The George Zimmerman trial is going to get crazy

    Bob Morris
    15 May 2012 | 8:04 pm
    George Zimmerman had broken nose, black eye.FBI may charge George Zimmerman with a hate crime. Can you imagine what it will be like outside the courthouse during the trial, with protesters from all sides there?

  • Farm child labor: Which side are you on?

    Pat H
    15 May 2012 | 4:15 pm
    Field-workers, Goodrich Tobacco Farm, near Gildersleeve, Conn., 1917. Lewis Wickes Hine, American. (Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C.)Last month the US Department of Labor bowed to political pressure spearheaded by agribusiness lobbyists like the American Farm Bureau Federation and cancelled its planned revision of safety rules for farm child labor, a follow-on to similar rules for kids working in non-farm industries that the Department had issued in 2010.Although a lot of noise was made about the threat these rules posed to family farms amid claims of…
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    Free Government Magazines and Downloads from alltop.tradepub.com

  • Compliance Management in Environment, Health & Safety

    1 May 2012 | 2:00 am
    Organizations are often challenged with the myriad of Environmental, Health, and Safety regulations that need to be complied with across the enterprise. While finding information in a timely fashion is a constant challenge, the uncertainty surrounding change in future regulations and the complexity of managing regulations across different regions consistently haunts industrial organizations. Companies are looking for ways to reduce the cost of compliance, improve the safety of people, products, and processes, and surpass corporate goals around Sustainability. This research will provide a…

  • The Essentials of the Government Technology in 2012 - Free Kit

    19 Apr 2012 | 2:00 am
    The Essentials of Government Technology in 2012, brings together the latest in information, coverage of important developments, and expert commentary to help with your Government Technology related decisions.The following kit contents will help you get the most out of your Government Technology research:Enterprise Mobility Survey Executive Summary from Government TechnologyConsolidation with HP Multifunction Printers Saves Money, Time for StateA Primer On Electronic Document SecurityProtecting Federal Systems from Advanced Persistent ThreatsRequest Free!

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    Bob McCarty Writes

  • Mitt Romney ‘Competent Turk’ of 2012

    BobMcCarty
    12 May 2012 | 9:47 am
    Today at 10 a.m. Eastern, a crowd estimated at more than 34,000 gathered for commencement activities at Liberty University, the world’s largest Christian university, in Lynchburg, Va.  Regardless of what he told those in attendance, Mitt Romney stood out as the “odd duck” for one reason. Not because he’s the presumptive Republican nominee for president. [...]

  • It Was A Bad Week in ‘Clintonville’

    BobMcCarty
    11 May 2012 | 12:58 am
    By Paul R. Hollrah, Guest Blogger Bill Clinton is the stereotypical southern Democrat politician: smooth, personable, sly as a fox, everyman’s friend on the outside, but tough, manipulative, hard as nails, and totally corrupt on the inside.  He and his wife have been through many adventures and misadventures together, and when their final story is [...]

  • Request for Copy of ‘Green-On-Blue’ Handbook Results in 30 Days of Stonewalling by Army

    BobMcCarty
    10 May 2012 | 3:49 pm
    After waiting 30 days — so far — for the U.S. Army to fulfill my request via the Freedom of Information Act, I’ve concluded that Army officials would rather keep certain unclassified information about the so-called “green-on-blue” attacks in Afghanistan out of the public eye.  Below is an update to my May 1 post on [...]

  • Labor Department to Smother Press Freedom

    BobMcCarty
    9 May 2012 | 3:24 pm
    This afternoon, I received an email from my friends at the Online News Association about a letter sent by the head of the Sunshine In Government Initiative to Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis.  In short, the letter implores Solis to reconsider the implications of her agency’s new “Press Lock-Ups Policy, which could inhibit the quality, [...]

  • Oklahoma Soldier to Spend Fourth Birthday Behind Bars for Killing Known Al-Qaeda Operative in Iraq

    BobMcCarty
    8 May 2012 | 8:31 am
    Following the story of Army Ranger 1LT Michael Behenna has been a long and winding process that, to date, has required more than 50 posts to explain.  Today’s installment comes in the form of an update from his parents, Scott and Vicki Behenna: To the thousands of Michael Behenna supporters, Many of you have been [...]
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    I Hate the Media Article Feed

  • Pres. Rutherford B. Hayes weighs in on Obama’s name dropping

    Bonfire of the Absurdities
    16 May 2012 | 12:51 pm
    Pres. Rutherford B. Hayes weighs in on Obama’s name dropping. We could sure use a man like Rutherford B. Hayes right now. Even Woody Hayes.

  • Obama fundraising declines

    Bonfire of the Absurdities
    16 May 2012 | 12:42 pm
    Obama fundraising declines. “…the numbers also point to what some have described as a problem for the campaign – the unwillingness of big donors whose income and industries have been vilified by Obama to give him money this time around.” Biting the hand that bleeds you.

  • Obama in history

    Bonfire of the Absurdities
    16 May 2012 | 12:35 pm
    Obama’s role in history revealed. Yep, he was there on the moon with Armstrong, suggesting where to plant the flag no doubt. The guy is apparently no Barack-come-lately, he appears to have been the guiding force behind the great events in history.

  • Obama worth as much as $10 million

    Bonfire of the Absurdities
    16 May 2012 | 12:00 pm
    Obama worth as much as $10 million. Has a big account at JP Morgan Chase, one of those Wall Street banks he hates. How’s he make his money? Book royalties – he’s the world’s best selling unread author, and part of the “one percent.” BTW, interesting how that narrative has vanished from the MSM’s songbook, ain’t it?

  • Muslims finally win a battle in the culture wars

    J.P. Travis
    15 May 2012 | 10:13 pm
    Muslims finally win a battle in the culture wars. The largest Muslim nation in the world, Indonesia, has denied Lady Gaga a permit for her sold-out June 3 concert in Gelora Bung Karno stadium. Islamic leaders said the suggestive nature of her show would undermine the moral fiber of the nation. Yes, believe it or not, the Muslims might be right for once. Hey, even a blind pig finds an acorn once in a while.
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    Hit & Run

  • Three Reasons to Reject Federal Hate Crime Charges Against George Zimmerman

    Jacob Sullum
    16 May 2012 | 1:19 pm
    WFTV, the ABC affiliate in Orlando, reports that the FBI is looking for evidence to support federal hate crime charges against George Zimmerman for shooting Trayvon Martin on February 26. Three reasons it should stop: 1. There is very little evidence that Zimmerman hates black people, let alone that he shot Martin because he hates black people. 2. In the absence of a legal justification (such as self-defense), killing people should be a crime, but hating them because of their skin color should not be. By treating crimes more severely when they are motivated by bigotry, hate crime laws…

  • Sheldon Richman Asks if Obama Is "Evolving" His Position on the War on Drugs

    Reason.com
    16 May 2012 | 12:30 pm
    Much is made of how President Obama’s position on same-sex marriage has “evolved” to an endorsement of legalization. One hopes his position on the atrocity called the “war on drugs” is evolving as well, writes Sheldon Richman.  View this article.

  • Another Exhibit Against Florida's Self-Defense Law Disintegrates

    Jacob Sullum
    16 May 2012 | 12:05 pm
    Two years ago, the Tampa Bay Times ran a story that has been widely cited since George Zimmerman's February 26 shooting of Trayvon Martin in Sanford, Florida. "Five years since Florida enacted 'stand-your-ground' law," the headline announced, "justifiable homicides are up." That trend in itself, of course, does not tell us whether the 2005 changes to Florida's self-defense law, which included eliminating the "duty to retreat" for people attacked in public places and beefing up the "castle doctine" for people facing intruders in their homes, were wise or misguided. In fact, if justifiable…

  • No Joke: Stimulus Money Went to Study Erectile Dysfunction In Obese Men

    Nick Gillespie
    16 May 2012 | 12:03 pm
    Via Drudge comes news that we here at Reason saw coming years ago. Really. Just look below. NBC's Bay Area affiliate reports that $250,000 in stimulus funds sent to University of California-San Francisco ended up lining the pockets of researchers looking into links between obesity and erectile dysfunction: The University declined to provide an expert to talk with the NBC Investigative Unit about the erectile dysfunction grant. In a written statement provided they said in part, "Obesity related health issues currently cost $147 Billion per year in direct medical costs in the United States.....

  • Will President Obama Commute Clarence Aaron’s Sentence?

    Ed Krayewski
    16 May 2012 | 11:54 am
    Pro Publica’s investigative piece revealing everything that went wrong in the processing of Clarence Aaron’s pardon application at the tail-end of the Bush Administration has brought some renewed attention to both Aaron’s case and the Office of the Pardon Attorney that handles such requests. Clarence Aaron is serving life in prison on drug-related charges despite not being involved in their purchase or distribution. Though the U.S. Attorney and the District Judge both recommended Aaron’s sentence be commuted, that recommendation never got to President Bush, having been lost along the…
 
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    Geoff Robinson

  • New Communists

    admin
    6 May 2012 | 3:33 am
    An interesting critique of the ‘new Communists’ here that in part misses the point. Some observations drawn from the history of real Communism and real anti-Communism. The new Communists evocation... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Queensland Labor’s lessons for state politics

    admin
    21 Mar 2012 | 7:04 pm
    Why is Labor’s era in Queensland coming to an end? The short answer is that Queensland is a naturally conservative state. I argue that different states may have a natural propensity to support Labor... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Superannuation & contraception in the US & Australia

    admin
    13 Mar 2012 | 9:58 pm
    In the 1980s Australian unions pursued a retirement income strategy that centered on the inclusion of superannuation in agreements with employers. This strategy was encouraged by a Labor government... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Labor without heartlands?

    admin
    11 Mar 2012 | 1:16 am
    Been looking over Antony Green’s recent report (pdf) on the 2011 NSW election and inspired by comments from Penny Sharpe thought it was interesting to consider what it reveals about the disappearance... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Libertarians for sexual assault?

    admin
    21 Feb 2012 | 1:10 am
    Why are libertarians so conservative? Libertarian intellectuals usually deny this insisting that they are beyond left and right, but libertarianism as a mass movement sits squarely on the right of... [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
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    THE SECOND CHANCE SHEEPDOG

  • Guest Column - Dale Flowers

    The Second Chance Sheepdog
    16 May 2012 | 11:57 am
    RUMINATIONS ON PREJUDICE One of the most ridiculous endeavors and wastes of human energy is to engage in prejudicial thinking. The only person that it injures more than the object of the prejudice is the person who demonstrates prejudice. I grew up in a time period when prejudice was rampant. It hasn’t changed.  Politicians use it constantly to win votes. Already in the Presidential election we are seeing it used. It comes under the disguise of  “rich vs. poor”, “educated vs. uneducated”, “agricultural cultures vs. industrial cultures”, “regions…

  • Music Monday with Aerosmith

    The Second Chance Sheepdog
    14 May 2012 | 12:30 am
    Today's Music Monday is one that I postponed last month. My regular readers may remember that on the second Monday in April I shared that I had planned and prepared a "double shot" post for that day and then decided to go in a different direction. Today's Music Monday is that postponed post. Aerosmith is one of the bands that haven't appeared on The Sheepdog's Music Mondays ... until now. The first video for today is of the only number one single of Aerosmith's career - "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing." The interesting thing about the song is that it debuted at number one even though it wasn't…

  • Thanking the Taxpayers

    The Second Chance Sheepdog
    11 May 2012 | 4:58 pm
     Dear American Taxpayer For only the second time in my adult life, I am not ashamed of my country. I want to thank the hard-working American people for paying $242,000 dollars for my vacation in Spain. My daughter, Sasha, several long-time family friends, my personal staff, and various guests had a wonderful time. Honestly, you just haven't lived until you have stayed in a $2,500 per night private, 3-story villa at a 5-Star luxury hotel. Thank you also for the use of Air Force Two and the 70 Secret Service personnel who tagged along to be sure we were safe and cared for at all times. I…

  • Shocking Tax Fraud Exposed

    The Second Chance Sheepdog
    9 May 2012 | 12:44 pm
    The following embedded video is a must view for all taxpaying Americans. However, you might want to double-check and make sure you've taken your blood pressure meds for the day before you do, because your blood pressure is likely to rise while watching the video. The video explains a lot in regards to why the U.S. is broke. It can also be viewed by clicking here. Source - wthr.com article titled IRS Tax Loophole

  • Remembering A Friend On Music Monday

    The Second Chance Sheepdog
    7 May 2012 | 9:02 am
    The Sheepdog's gotta get back on schedule. Week before last, I was late getting the Music Monday post up. Then, last week there was no Music Monday because some things came up that required The Sheepdog take some time off and be away from the computer. So, I apologize to anyone who was disappointed that there was not a Music Monday last week. I'm back on post now and will be getting back to the normal schedule. One of the things that came up last week was the passing of a dear friend named Curtis. He went home to be with the Lord after an off and on battle with cancer over the last twelve…
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    ARCTV

  • Yaron Answers: Food Safety

    nbrook
    15 May 2012 | 9:05 pm
    Yaron Brook answers the question “Can laissez-faire capitalism ensure food safety?” Featured on LaissezFaire: The Uncompromised Case for Capitalism.

  • Yaron Answers: Minimum Wage

    nbrook
    14 May 2012 | 7:25 pm
    Yaron Brook answers the question “Does the minimum wage help the poor?” Featured on LaissezFaire: The Uncompromised Case for Capitalism.

  • Leonard Peikoff Podcast #216

    nbrook
    14 May 2012 | 4:30 pm
    Topics in Leonard Peikoff’s latest podcast of philosophical Q&As include: comic book superheroes, prenuptial agreements, and defamation as a form of free speech.

  • Significance of the Goldwater Campaign

    nbrook
    10 May 2012 | 7:20 pm
    Here are pre- and post-election discussions by Ayn Rand of the ideological implications of the Johnson-Goldwater contest. She endorses Goldwater, evaluates the two parties’ platforms, examines Goldwater’s glaring philosophical deficiencies, explains the smear campaign against him, and discusses the dim prospects for implementing capitalism via political—as against philosophical/educational—means.

  • Yaron Answers – Gold Standard

    nbrook
    9 May 2012 | 6:43 pm
    Yaron Brook answers the question “Should the US return to a gold standard?” Featured on LaissezFaire: The Uncompromised Case for Capitalism.
 
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    VOICES for REASON

  • Health Care Roundup

    Rituparna Basu
    15 May 2012 | 10:17 pm
    Here are some interesting and informative articles I’ve come across in following the debate on health care reform: Dr. Anthony Youn, a plastic surgeon in Detroit, comments on a recent report that found many doctors unsatisfied with their level of income, offering a personal experience to illustrate one reason why doctors are frustrated with their salaries. If Dr. Youn’s experience is commonplace, it’s a profound injustice–doctors save our lives and just like anyone else who performs a service for us, we owe them payment in return. Sarah Kiff of the Washington Post…

  • What You Missed Last Week at Laissez-Faire

    Rituparna Basu
    14 May 2012 | 7:00 am
    Here are some recent highlights from ARC’s other blog, Laissez-Faire: The Uncompromised Case for Capitalism. Freedom, Dependency, and the Avengers Yaron Answers: Is Apple Exploiting Chinese Workers? Why Making Altruism Voluntary Can’t End the Entitlement State Be sure to visit the blog regularly and while you are there, register for the Ending Big Government newsletter.

  • Read Laissez-Faire

    Rituparna Basu
    7 May 2012 | 7:00 am
    If you’re reading this blog, you should be reading Laissez-Faire, too. On it ARC’s Don Watkins and Yaron Brook are working to reverse today’s anticapitalist trend by bringing you the gold standard in pro-capitalist thought. Here are a few highlights from last week: Why We’re Born Poor and Why Some Become Rich A Desperate Defense of Capitalism? The Soul of Occupy Wall Street: Part 1 and Part 2 And while at the blog, be sure to sign up for the Ending Big Government newsletter.

  • Health Care Roundup

    Rituparna Basu
    3 May 2012 | 7:00 am
    Here are some interesting and informative articles I’ve come across in following the debate on health care reform: Legislators and health care leaders are trying to figure out what to do about the shortage of physicians in Arizona. Whenever I hear about a lasting shortage, I suspect government interference in the marketplace because shortages don’t last very long on a free market (check out my post from earlier this year about how government controls in the drug market are contributing to the severe shortage of critical drugs). When it comes to physician supply, as this article points…

  • Buying enemies in Iraq

    Elan Journo
    2 May 2012 | 4:26 pm
    During the Iraq war — especially during the “surge”– battalion commanders were “were allocated packets of $100 bills and authorized to use them for anything from repairing a schoolhouse to paying off ex-rebels and paying blood money to the families of innocents killed by U.S. forces.” Washington poured as much as $4b into this kind of effort to “improve relations” with Iraq. There’s a lot wrong, in my view, with paying off “ex-rebels” to stop killing Americans, and in my book I criticized this tactic at length. At the time it…
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    RealClearPolitics - Homepage

  • Hysterical Media a Sign Obama's in Trouble

    16 May 2012 | 11:02 am
    Michael Goodwin, NY PostAn Important change is happening in the presidential race - the belief that Mitt Romney could actually win is spreading. There is a growing confidence among his supporters, and the polls are starting to pick up a shift in his favor.There is another indicator, however, and it is far more reliable. The left-leaning media is getting hysterical, launching over-the-top attacks on Romney and moving to protect President Obama as they see the public turning away from their man.&nbsp;

  • Dancing With Derivatives

    16 May 2012 | 11:02 am
    Maureen Dowd, New York TimesJamie Dimon calls it &ldquo;a doozy.&rdquo; And it was. A $2 billion credit derivatives trading bungle that could mushroom to a $4 billion loss. The shining industry agitator against some of the tougher regulations on banks has suddenly become the shining example of why still tougher regulations may be needed.After the economy nearly atomized in a cloud of cupidity, Dimon became known as America&rsquo;s least-hated banker.&nbsp;

  • What Mitt Romney Is Really Worth

    16 May 2012 | 9:55 am
    Edwin Durgy, ForbesMitt Romney isn&rsquo;t the richest person to ever run for President &ndash; Ross Perot had him beat by a factor of ten. And if he&rsquo;s elected, inflation adjustments might favor sprawling plantation owners like Washington and Jefferson, or Kennedy if family assets counted. But there&rsquo;s no denying that in terms of total dollars a President Romney would be the wealthiest White House occupant ever, and would be even wealthier&nbsp;had he not&nbsp;set aside a trust, now&nbsp;worth $100 million, for his 5 boys.&nbsp;So just how rich is…

  • US to Reap Big On Jobs With Colombia Free Trade Pact

    16 May 2012 | 8:57 am

  • Groping Toward "Grexit"

    16 May 2012 | 8:56 am
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    E.J. Dionne Columns and Blog Posts

  • I’m not quitting the church

    E.J. Dionne Jr.
    13 May 2012 | 7:04 pm
    Recently, a group called the Freedom from Religion Foundation (FFRF) ran a full-page ad in The Washington Post cast as an “open letter to ‘liberal’ and ‘nominal’ Catholics.” Its headline commanded: “It’s Time to Quit the Catholic Church.” Read full article >>

  • Featured Advertiser

    13 May 2012 | 7:04 pm

  • E.J. Dionne Jr.: Obama’s marriage statement shows much has changed since 2004

    E.J. Dionne Jr.
    11 May 2012 | 8:22 am
    The most striking aspect of the reaction to President Obama’s announcement that he supports same-sex marriage is the ambivalent response from Republicans. Yes, Mitt Romney reaffirmed his opposition, and House Republicans messed around with the defense bill to make gay marriage an issue. But in their public comments, both Romney and House Speaker John Boehner were relatively restrained, as if they know that, politically, this is not in any way a slam dunk for the GOP. Read full article >>

  • Mourdock Republicans, embracing dangerous austerity

    E.J. Dionne Jr.
    9 May 2012 | 1:12 pm
    Can a Republican primary in Indiana have even the remotest connection to a presidential election in France? Richard Mourdock, the tea party giant-killer who defeated Sen. Richard Lugar on Tuesday, clearly thinks so. Read full article >>

  • E.J. Dionne Jr.: And then there’s Democracy...

    E.J. Dionne Jr.
    7 May 2012 | 12:41 pm
    I have been heartened by the response to my column this morning about The American Prospect and its efforts to get out of its financial crisis. It turns out that there are many lovers of opinion journals out there. Read full article >>
 
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    Hotline On Call

  • Fighting for the Deb Fischer Mantle in Texas

    16 May 2012 | 12:56 pm
    While former Texas Solicitor General Ted Cruz has drawn comparisons to Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., throughout his Senate campaign, two other contenders for the GOP nomination are battling for a different mantle: the next Deb Fischer. Following Fischer's surprise victory in Tuesday's GOP primary in Nebraska, former ESPN college football analyst Craig James and former Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert both are pushing the narrative that Texas will be a repeat of Nebraska -- with Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, the establishment favorite, and Cruz, whose campaign is backed by Sen. Jim DeMint and the Club for…

  • Club For (Establishment) Growth

    16 May 2012 | 9:52 am
    The three Washington-based conservative organizations that are most able to confer the Tea Party mantle on a candidate very clearly picked a side in Nebraska's primary election held yesterday. Their side lost -- and in the process, they helped nominate the most moderate candidate in the three-way field. The media has a bad habit of labeling anyone backed by FreedomWorks, the Club for Growth and the Senate Conservatives Fund as the Tea Party candidate, even when that's not entirely the case. The habit comes because many observers are still trying to capture the Tea Party-versus-Republican…

  • Controversial Magazine Covers And Romney Tries to Out-Sing Obama--VIDEO

    16 May 2012 | 7:57 am
    All the late-night hosts continued to talk about Newsweeks cover with President Obama as "The First Gay President", but they still found time to explore Mitt Romney's singing chops and other presidential gay rumors. Today's Must See Moment -- Fast forward to 1:40 to see some more classic pranks pulled by Mitt Romney.

  • Hotline Sort: Upset Central

    16 May 2012 | 7:11 am
    Welcome back to Hotline Sort. Deb Fischer scores a major upset win in Nebraska, Hector Balderas goes after Heather Wilson in a new ad, the Obama/DNC fundraising pace slowed in April and Cory Booker and Chris Christie appear together in a new video. Here's today's rundown: 10) Enjoy this entertaining web video featuring Chris Christie and Cory Booker. The two poke fun at Booker's heroic acts and Christie's VP buzz. Booker's friendship and alliances with Christie are making it less likely he'll challenge the governor in 2013. It also helps when your job approval ratings are in the high-50s, and…

  • Q Poll: Menendez Leads Kyrillos By Ten

    16 May 2012 | 5:00 am
    Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., leads his presumptive Republican challenger, state Sen. Joseph Kyrillos, by ten points but remains under 50 percent, according to a new Quinnipiac University poll released on Wednesday. Menendez leads Kyrillos 45 percent to 35 percent in the survey. With less than three weeks to go before the June 5 primary, the latest numbers suggest little has changed in the race's landscape since the last survey. A Quinnipiac poll conducted last month showed Menendez leading Kyrillos 44 percent to 35 percent. Most voters are unfamiliar with Kyrillos, who is a close friend of…
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    ThinkProgress

  • What ‘Parks and Rec’ Gains and Loses with Director’s Cuts

    smeslow
    16 May 2012 | 1:38 pm
    After I watched “Win, Lose or Draw,” the season-four finale of Parks & Recreation that aired last Thursday night, I knew I’d end up watching it again on Hulu the following day. And that’s not just because I loved the episode – it’s because I knew there were at least five minutes of the episode that I hadn’t seen yet. Of all the TV shows on the air, Parks & Recreation has most fully embraced the idea of the Hulu-friendly extended director’s cut. The “Win, Lose, or Draw” director’s cut, which adds over six minutes to the episode that originally aired on NBC, has…

  • Senate Committee Advances Domestic Partner Benefits

    Zack Ford
    16 May 2012 | 1:10 pm
    Today, the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee advanced the Domestic Partnership Benefits and Obligations Act. The bill would ensure that the same-sex partners of federal workers have access to the same benefits straight employees currently receive, including health insurance, long-term care, family and medical leave, and retirement benefits. Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME), the only Republican sponsor of the bill, explained that “it’s just a matter of making the federal government’s benefits structure comparable of those of large employers.”

  • Gov. Walker Disregards Official Jobs Data Now That It Shows Wisconsin Losing Most Jobs In The Nation

    Travis Waldron
    16 May 2012 | 1:00 pm
    Disappointed that official government data showed his state was the worst in the nation for job creation over the last 12 months, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) decided to release his own numbers today. But even if Walker’s new calculations have merit, he’s nowhere close to the pace necessary to create the 250,000 new jobs he promised in his first four years in office. Walker had no problem touting the official Bureau of Labor Statistics’ job report last year when it showed that Wisconsin was adding jobs. Now, he has decided to cite a different report that still shows…

  • The Real Fraud: Second ‘Non-Citizen’ In James O’Keefe Voter Fraud Video Naturalized In 2011

    Scott Keyes
    16 May 2012 | 1:00 pm
    Conservative filmmaker James O'KeefeIn conservative filmmaker James O’Keefe’s latest video, he features two “non-citizens” who have supposedly committed voter fraud in North Carolina. As ThinkProgress reported yesterday, one of the men, Zbigniew Gorzkowski, has actually been an American citizens for decades. Now, it turns out that the second “non-citizen,” William Romero, is actually a citizen as well, according to his family. The video opens with O’Keefe’s cameraman walking up Romero’s driveway and confronting a member of his family…

  • The Wettest Drought On Record: Torrential Rain Can’t Bring Much Of England Out Of ‘Exceptional’ Dry Conditions

    Stephen Lacey
    16 May 2012 | 12:54 pm
    Even with the wettest April on record, some areas of England are still facing “exceptional” drought conditions. After two years of dry winters — including the fifth-driest March — the ground hasn’t been able to soak up the heavy rainfall that hit in April. The situation in the country illustrates the cruel reality of “rollercoaster” extreme weather — a problem that will only be exacerbated by accumulating heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere. Recent research also finds that the loss of Arctic ice favors extreme, prolonged weather events…
 
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    Democratic Strategist

  • Americans Elect: Lessons of 'A Ridiculous Flop'

    16 May 2012 | 9:47 am
    Yes, we posted on the ungainly demise of Americans Elect just yesterday. But Paul Krugman's short, but juicy obit on the hapless organization and their fruitless search for a standard-bearer merits a plug. As Krugman opines, And the center not only did not hold, it couldn't seem to get any attention whatsoever. Americans Elect, a lavishly funded "centrist" group that was supposed to provide an alternative to traditional political parties, has been a ridiculous flop. Basically, about seven people were actually excited about the venture -- all of them political pundits. Actual voters couldn't…

  • Teixeira: AZ Obama's Best Chance for a Pick-up

    15 May 2012 | 2:45 pm
    Since President Obama lost Arizona by 8.5 percent in 2008, it's easy to understand why many commentators are skeptical about buzz that he has a good chance of carrying the state this year. But TDS Co-Editor Ruy Teixeira's article in the New Republic presents a compelling argument that "a convergence of factors" indicates that Arizona is indeed a good bet for the Obama campaign: As Teixeira explains: Start with the "McCain effect" on the 2008 result in the state. There are compelling reasons to believe that GOP performance in Arizona would have been far weaker in 2008 had it not been the home…

  • Americans Elect Flunks Deadline

    15 May 2012 | 1:48 pm
    Ed Kilgore posts today at The Washington Monthly on the failure of Americans Elect to nominate a presidential candidate via it's much-trumpeted on-line nominating process by it's Monday deadline: ...The organization is publicly admitting that under its own rules it won't have a candidate for president, due to a lack of interest among potential candidates and "delegates" alike...It's pretty shocking that even with the bait of general-election ballot access in 27 states and counting, AE couldn't attract a candidate capable of getting 1,000 online votes from 10 states. Kinda makes you wonder…

  • Romney's Likeability Gap, er... Chasm

    15 May 2012 | 10:27 am
    Michael Tomasky ruminates at The Daily Beast on the likeability gap between President Obama and Governor Romney. Okay, it's more like a chasm, as Tomasky points out: ...This is the biggest washout of modern times, folks. Gallup just this week put the likeability ratings at Obama 60, Romney 31. It's not that Obama's number is unusually high. Look back at those Kerry-Bush numbers. Americans are an open-hearted lot, at least presumptively, so they want to like the guy who's going be the president. But they Do. Not. Like. Mitt. Romney. It would be more interesting for all of us if there were some…

  • TDS Co-Editor Ruy Teixeira: Public Wants Environment Protected

    15 May 2012 | 9:28 am
    In his latest 'Public Opinion Snapshot,' TDS Co-Editor Ruy Teixeira reports that environmental protection retains strong public support, despite conservative hopes that it would become a fading concern, as a "conflicting priority to jobs and economic growth." But it looks like conservatives' "environment-wrecking agenda" will have to wait, as Teixeira explains: ...The public didn't get the memo. In the recently released poll from Yale University's and George Mason University's climate change communication programs, 58 percent of poll respondents said that protecting the environment improves…
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    Project Syndicate RSS-Feed

  • The Smartest Ways to Save the World

    Bjørn Lomborg
    16 May 2012 | 6:30 am
    If you had $75 billion to spend over the next four years and your goal was to advance human welfare, especially in the developing world, how could you get the most value for your money? An expert panel of economists, including four Nobel laureates, would tell you to invest mainly in nutrition and reduction of chronic disease.

  • Hillary Clinton’s Asian Adventure

    Jaswant Singh
    16 May 2012 | 5:20 am
    On her recent trip to China, Bangladesh, and India, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was eager to trumpet America’s “New Silk Road” strategy, which she unveiled last September. But the Silk Road was a trade route, whereas knife-edge diplomacy dominated Clinton’s Asian tour.

  • Hollande or Insurrection?

    Zaki Laidi
    16 May 2012 | 5:10 am
    For better or worse, Europe is now engaged in an revolt against the fiscal pact condemning EU member countries to austerity without growth. Will the election of François Hollande as French President shift Germany’s uncompromising stance?

  • The Diplomacy Option

    Christopher R. Hill
    16 May 2012 | 4:40 am
    Those who call for a military solution to the problem of Iran’s nuclear aspirations, without first supporting diplomacy and economic sanctions, miss a key point: many countries will not support a military solution until other means of persuasion (and coercion) fail.

  • The Death of Inflation Targeting

    Jeffrey Frankel
    16 May 2012 | 3:37 am
    Inflation targeting by central banks, a hugely popular monetary-policy anchor around the world, died in September 2008, when it became clear that those who had been relying on it had not paid enough attention to asset-price bubbles. But its death was never announced, owing to uncertainty over what should succeed it.
 
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    Davey D's Hip Hop Corner-(The Blog)

  • Tennis Superstar Serena Williams is Rapping Now..

    Davey D
    14 May 2012 | 12:45 pm
    Tennis Superstar Serena Williams Debuts New Rap Song. The tennis star hit Baltimore Ravens lineman Bryant McKinnie‘s studio in Florida to record some songs last year. Have a listen to the minute-long sample, Lyrics Below: Wait a minute now x4 I ball hard, no tennis racquet/I can see these haters through my Gucci glasses I [...]

  • Gov Scott Walker You’re Fired! New Song Calling for Him to be Ousted Hits the Streets!

    Davey D
    14 May 2012 | 10:05 am
    Props to Jasiri X who is back on the grind, bringing serious truth and hard-hitting music to key issues of the day..Last year around this time, Jasiri weighed in on the big debate around public union bargaining rights in Wisconsin when tens of thousands came out to oppose newly elected Governor, Koch brother puppet, Scott [...]

  • Lets Go Beyond Hallmark Cards & Brunch to Honor our Mothers…How about Justice & True Equality?

    Davey D
    13 May 2012 | 2:26 pm
    This mother’s day if we wanna honor the mothers in our lives & around the world how about we END the poverty so many mothers are experiencing?… We can honor the mothers in our lives and around us by ENDING the abuse of women.. We can start by not calling women out their names. Talk [...]

  • NYPD’s New Policy; Clean Halls..Allows Police to Stop and Frisk in the Hallways of Your Home

    Davey D
    13 May 2012 | 6:54 am
    I hate to bring up instances of police brutality and terrorism because at this point in time in a very perverse way, I think the police feel emboldened and get off on stories highlighting their exploits. They know word of these accounts instill fear and leave many feeling overwhelmed and completely powerless. At the same [...]

  • Serious Injustice from Coast to Coast: Family of Oscar Grant & Marissa Alexander

    Davey D
    12 May 2012 | 11:54 am
    Yesterday I attended  a press conference where the family, friends and supporters Oscar Grant came to speak out about something hideous. The family, like everyone else in the Bay Area found out through local news reports that the person who murdered Oscar Grant, former BART cop Johannes Mehserle went to court to file an appeal. [...]
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    Allgov News

  • CEO Who Oversaw Mass Vioxx Deaths Now Teaching at Harvard and on Microsoft Board of Directors

    16 May 2012 | 9:34 am
    Raymond Gilmartin’s landing was a soft one after leaving behind an embattled Merck. The one-time top executive of the leading pharmaceutical company, which was engulfed in the Vioxx controversy last decade, splits his time these days between teaching part-time at Harvard and serving on the boards of major corporations.   Gilmartin served as Merck’s president and CEO for 12 years (1994-2006) during troubles that stemmed from the company’s anti-arthritis medicine Vioxx. Despite knowing that Vioxx was potentially lethal, Merck put it on the market in 1999. Although a Food…

  • Thanks to For-Profit Prisons, Louisiana Has Triple the Incarceration Rate of Iran

    16 May 2012 | 9:21 am
    Crime is down in Louisiana, but the state still holds the ignominious title of “the world’s prison capital.”   An exposé by the New Orleans Times-Picayune found that Louisiana incarcerates more people per capita than any other state or country in the world. One out of every 86 adults is behind bars, which is nearly double the U.S. average.   This means Louisiana’s prison rate is nearly three times higher than Iran’s, seven times more than China’s, and 10 times that of Germany.   For African-Americans from New Orleans, one in 14 is in…

  • The Case for Criminalizing Filibusters

    16 May 2012 | 9:12 am
    One of the nation’s leading business lawyers has decided to take on the filibuster and get it outlawed.   Emmet Bondurant, selected Lawyer of the Year for Antitrust and Bet-the-Company Litigation in 2010, has proposed that the U.S. Supreme Court abolish the U.S. Senate’s use of the filibuster. Common Cause, of which Bondurant is a board member, has filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of filibusters.   According to Bondurant, the filibuster was created by accident. Senators in 1806 accepted Aaron Burr’s recommendation to do away with “the…

  • Private Contractor Torture Cases Given Go-Ahead by Federal Court

    16 May 2012 | 9:06 am
    Two U.S. defense contractors have lost their appeal in federal court and must continue to fight multiple lawsuits accusing their employees of helping torture Iraqis at Abu Ghraib prison and at other locations during the war.   The two companies, CACI International and L-3 Communications Holdings (formerly known as Titan Corporation), were hired by the Department of Defense after the military invasion of Iraq in 2003. CACI and L-3 provided translators to help conduct interrogations of Iraqi insurgents.   Following the revelations that hundreds of Iraqis were tortured by American…

  • Why Did Some News Sources Fall for Egyptian Necrophilia Hoax?

    16 May 2012 | 8:56 am
    Taking news sources at their word resulted in a highly controversial, but false, story being spread all over the Internet three weeks ago about Egyptian lawmakers legalizing necrophilia.   The rumor apparently began with columnist Amr Abdel Sami at Al-Ahram, Egypt’s state-owned newspaper. In late April, he wrote that the Islamization of Egyptian society might get so extreme that parliament could consider legislation allowing a man to have intercourse with his wife after death (an idea reportedly proposed by Moroccan Sheikh Zamzami Abdul Bari).   Soon after that, Saudi…
 
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    Evidence Trumps Common Sense

  • Obama Evolving - Romney Devolving

    Richard J. Cohen
    10 May 2012 | 5:21 pm
    Yesterday, the day following my post on this subject President Obama stated that …I've just concluded that - for me personally, it is important for me to go ahead and affirm that - I think same-sex couples should be able to get married.  Thus President Obama became the first sitting President of the United States to come out in favor of same sex marriage. Yesterday, Mr. Romney also stated his position on this issue.  He reiterated his opposition to same sex marriage (he favors a Constitutional amendment to ban it on the federal level).  However, in addition he added that he…

  • Time for the Boys Scouts of America to Evolve

    Richard J. Cohen
    8 May 2012 | 4:39 pm
    Jennifer Tyrrell was the leader of Pack 109's Tiger Cub Scouts in Ohio of which her son, Cruz age 7, was a member.  Ms. Tyrell is lesbian. She and her partner together raise their four children.  Ms. Tyrell informed the local Boy Scout official and the parents of the children in her pack of her sexual orientation and they all were fine with it.  By all accounts she did a great job as pack leader.  However, someone filed a complaint against her with the Boy Scouts of America regarding her sexual orientation and she was promptly fired.  It was reported that the…

  • Time for Obama to Finish Evolving on Marriage Equality

    Richard J. Cohen
    8 May 2012 | 9:55 am
    President Barack Obama has done more in support of gay rights than any previous US President.  He presided over repeal of the Don’t Ask Don’t Tell law thus enabling gay soldiers to serve openly in the US military.  His administration has determined that the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional and taken that position in pending court cases.  Yet the President has not come out in support of same sex marriage. Politically speaking, the most important issue for the cause of gay rights in the US is whether or not President Obama wins re-election.  His Republican…

  • The Jobs Conundrum

    Richard J. Cohen
    6 May 2012 | 7:45 pm
    As I showed in a recent post the rate of adult employment in the US is substantially below where it was in 2000.  The employment rate has been flat at the same depressed level for the past three years; jobs have been created, but the rate of job growth has been matched by the rate of population growth.  During the same three year period the gross domestic product of the US has recovered and is now higher than it was before the recession started.  Corporate profits have been extremely strong and the S&P 500 stock index has doubled from its trough in March 2009.  The…

  • The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

    Richard J. Cohen
    5 May 2012 | 7:37 pm
    The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel tells the story of a group of aging English citizens who for various reasons decide to "outsource" their retirement and move to India to live, in what turns out to be, a dilapidated hotel. The movie vaunts the talents of veteran director John Madden and a cast of vintage British actors including Judi Dench, Bill Nighy, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, Celia Imrie, Ronald Pickup and Penelope Wilton.  The audience follows the exploits of the British expats as well as those of the young - over the top - hotel manager Sonny, his gorgeous girlfriend Sunaina, and…
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    Blog For Arizona

  • Americans Elect - An Epic Failure

    AZ BlueMeanie
    16 May 2012 | 1:01 pm
    Posted by AzBlueMeanie: The brainchild of hedge fund operators, the shadowy 501(c)(4) Americans Elect (not a political party) promised to select a bipartisan ticket for president and vice president through online voting in a virtual convention. Yeah, that fraud ain't gonna happen. Ed Kilgore writes today at the Politcal Animal blog Americans Unelect: As you probably know, the start-time for the online “primary” being conducted by the shadowy if much ballyhooed “centrist” group Americans Elect has come and gone, and the organization is publicly admitting that under its own rules it…

  • How 'Mittens' gets away with his lying - a complicit corporate media

    AZ BlueMeanie
    16 May 2012 | 12:53 pm
    Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Yesterday, Willard "Mittens" Romney gave a big speech in which he accused President Obama of lighting a “prairie fire of debt.” Apparently Mittens is unaware that "Prarie Fire" is the name of the progressive movement in the Great Plains, but whatever. Prairie Fire - The Progressive Voice of the Great Plains. Mittens' speech has been fact checked by the Associated Press and dissected by Jonathan Chait and Steve Benen. As Greg Sargent notes at the Plum Line, How Mitt Romney Gets Away With His Lying: They note that it’s entirely at odds with conventional…

  • How about a Star Barber/Kelly Fact Check on Medicare and Social Security?

    David Safier
    16 May 2012 | 11:24 am
    by David Safier The Star has an AP Fact Check in today's paper looking at Romney's claims about Obama's responsibility for the national debt. I'm pleased to say, it doesn't indulge in false equivalence. It basically says Romney's accusations against Obama are incorrect without creating a weak, on-the-other-hand "balance" to muddy the waters. Obviously, I especially like the Fact Check because it calls Romney on his misstatements, and I would be less happy if a similar Fact Check made Obama's statements look flawed. But if the AP is this accurate in an Obama takedown, it doesn't matter whether…

  • Day of Action - May 19th - Walking for Arizona's Democratic Future!

    AZ BlueMeanie
    16 May 2012 | 10:48 am
    Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Announcement from the Pima County Democratic Party: Day of Action - May 19th - Walking for Arizona's Democratic Future! Saturday, May 19th, 2012 It is time to finish collecting those last signatures for our Democratic Candidates! Join Democrats and candidates from all over Southern Arizona as we complete the last bits of work to make sure all our candidates will be on August's Primary Ballot. *BONUS* - For those of you who are collecting your PC signatures, feel free to bring your own walk lists and pick up petitions for those candidates who need signatures in your…

  • CD 8 Special Election: Watch the debate tonight, Vote early tomorrow!

    AZ BlueMeanie
    16 May 2012 | 10:40 am
    Posted by AzBlueMeanie: The first of two debates is tonight -- a prerecorded televised debate on Arizona Public Media's Arizona Illustrated, PBS-HD Channel 6, simulcast on the radio NPR 89.1 FM. at 6:00 p.m. If you have any questions for the candidates for the AZPM forum, submit them by going to this link, and give your name & city you live in. The pre-taping of the forum is not open to the public. Early voting in the CD 8 Special Election begins Thursday. Mail-in ballots will be mailed to you on Thursday. Early voting runs from Thursday, May 17 to Friday, June 8, 2012. The last day…
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    People Power from YES! Magazine

  • Spanish Indignados Return to City Squares

    Ter Garcia
    15 May 2012 | 7:16 pm
    Tens of thousands celebrated the 15M movement's birthday in cities across Spain.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/yes/people-power/~4/nbJu0OSUQis" height="1" width="1"/>

  • North Carolina's Fight for Marriage Equality Continues

    Sue Sturgis
    15 May 2012 | 3:04 pm
    In the wake of North Carolina's new amendment banning same-sex marriage, couples across the state are protesting by requesting marriage licenses.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/yes/people-power/~4/MZrkSxsbTfI" height="1" width="1"/>

  • The Bank Vs. America Showdown

    Mark Engler
    12 May 2012 | 12:51 am
    In shareholders’ meetings and in the streets, how 99% Power is taking on Bank of America.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/yes/people-power/~4/BKU4Ui56zes" height="1" width="1"/>

  • Bank of America, Bad for America

    aharbin
    11 May 2012 | 5:05 pm
    Video: Protesters take on Bank of America in New York.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/yes/people-power/~4/SPqjOo-R0jc" height="1" width="1"/>

  • Yes, the Climate is Changing

    aharbin
    11 May 2012 | 1:09 pm
    Video: People around the world show how climate change is already affecting their lives.<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/yes/people-power/~4/m16kgcbcvYo" height="1" width="1"/>
 
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    Self Deprecate

  • President Obama and Jimmy Kimmel 2012 White House Correspondents’

    Jason Parker
    29 Apr 2012 | 4:14 pm
      Check out President Obama’s hilarious speech at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner (aka Nerdprom):     The event’s host, Jimmy Kimmel, had a great set:   President Obama and Jimmy Kimmel 2012 White House Correspondents’ via: Self Deprecate Political Humor & Cartoons   Follow @selfdeprecate

  • Cartoons About GSA Spending Scandal

    Jason Parker
    28 Apr 2012 | 10:28 am
      The General Services Administration (GSA) is once again in the spotlight. This time, it is for their lavish spending habits during a Las Vegas convention.             Cartoons About GSA Spending Scandal via: Self Deprecate Political Humor & Cartoons   Follow @selfdeprecate

  • Political Jokes of the Week – GSA Scandal, John Edwards Trial, Obama Slogan

    Jason Parker
    28 Apr 2012 | 9:58 am
    Leno, Conan, and Letterman Jay Leno: “The GSA, they were partying in Vegas. The Secret Service having sex with prostitutes. Suddenly working for the government is one long episode of ‘The Jersey Shore.’” Jay Leno: “As you know, a member of the Secret Service advance team was in Colombia ahead of President Obama. He got in an argument with an escort over how much he owed her for her services. She said it was $800. He offered her $30. Finally, somebody in Washington willing to cut spending and they fire him.” Conan O’Brien: “President Obama…

  • The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on the John Edwards Trial in North Carolina

    Jason Parker
    27 Apr 2012 | 3:38 pm
      Jon Stewart jokes about the Edwards trial and the report that he called his mistress a ‘crazy slut’ and the ‘Seinfeld Defense’   The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on the John Edwards Trial in North Carolina via: Self Deprecate Political Humor & Cartoons   Follow @selfdeprecate

  • Conan Has an Exclusive Video Showing North Korea Using Fake Missiles in a Parade

    Jason Parker
    27 Apr 2012 | 10:29 am
      While not obvious to the naked eye, experts agree that this missile is likely a fake.   North Korea can’t fool Conan O’Brien and Andy Richter. Check out this video with details of how obviously fake North Korea’s missiles are in a recent parade:   Conan Has an Exclusive Video Showing North Korea Using Fake Missiles in a Parade via: Self Deprecate Political Humor & Cartoons   Follow @selfdeprecate
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    Political Campaign Tips, Articles and Strategies

  • Creating an Online Political Press Kit

    Online Candidate
    14 May 2012 | 1:41 pm
    Online political press kits are helpful in that the information can be kept up to date, and the information is easily accessible. What goes into one? It depends, really. Unlike a physical press kit, a digital press kit can be broken up so it can be downloaded in part or in whole.

  • Political Campaigns Need More Than A Digital Presence

    Online Candidate
    7 May 2012 | 4:59 pm
    In this era of Facebook and Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest, candidates can easily interact with their potential voters. It had become extremely important for a candidate to have a strong online presence as a great source of feedback, a way to stay in touch with the issues that are current and particular to their community and in addition, because social media and networking through these sites involves minimal, if any, cost to the campaign...

  • The Biggest Political Campaign Website Screwups

    Online Candidate
    30 Apr 2012 | 5:21 pm
    Just by the nature of our business, we're involved with a lot of political campaigns. After we set up campaign sites and turn them over the clients, they add content and build them out. Sometimes we're asked for our opinion on certain things, but usually we're not. Here are some of the biggest website blunders we often see.

  • 5 Takeaways From CampaignTech 2012

    Online Candidate
    23 Apr 2012 | 5:49 pm
    Last week attended CampaignTech 2012 in Washington, DC. It was a great time. We got to meet a lot of great people and listen to seminars and panels by some of the best in the industry. While there was a lot to take in, here are five major trends that political campaigns can expect to find in 2012 and beyond.

  • Sign of the Times for Political Candidates – Best of Posts

    Online Candidate
    15 Apr 2012 | 12:01 pm
    No matter the changes or trends in politics, yard signs were and still remain a mainstay of political campaigning. We've written about signage several times over the years. For newer readers who may have missed some posts, you'll find them all here in once place!
 
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    Divided Under God

  • Science Is No Longer Exact in Tennessee

    Kevin Davis
    22 Apr 2012 | 8:43 pm
    More than 85 years after the Scopes trial in Tennessee, the state is again making headlines for its science education practices. Recently, a bill was passed by the state house and senate that will allow science teachers to insert their own curriculum into the fold, exposing students to whatever brand of “science education” their particular teachers feel is relevant. According to the explanation in The Tennessean, “it encourages students to question accepted scientific theories — listing as examples evolution, the chemical origins of life, global warming and cloning — and…

  • Thou Shalt Not Display Commandments in Court

    Kevin Davis
    20 Jul 2011 | 7:29 am
    Finally. A federal judge has ordered Dixie County officials to remove a 5-foot tall monument to the Ten Commandments from the front of a courthouse in Florida. The 6-ton granite waste of taxpayer money must be removed from the courthouse in 30 days, which will ultimately waste another heap of cash in an already financially strapped state. The ACLU of Florida sued the county back in 2007, citing the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. For the Evangelicals reading this, the Establishment Clause prohibits the government from not only establishing religion, but based on case law, also…

  • Pat Robertson is Bat Shit Crazy

    Kevin Davis
    28 Jun 2011 | 11:52 am
    Ok, maybe the title is a little harsh.  But come on, this is a guy that compared Liberals to Nazis, called feminists child murderers, and said that Haiti is suffering because of the pact they made with the devil to get the French out.  And now his latest rant involves same sex marriage.  Recently on the 700 Club, Mr. Robertson explained that America is turning into a modern day Sodom and is heading toward the path of God’s destruction. According to Pat, no civilization has ever embraced homosexuality and survived.  I’m assuming he’s referring to ancient civilizations,…

  • Is Our Country’s Culture Beyond Repair? Why Weiner Should Have Stayed in Office

    Kevin Davis
    16 Jun 2011 | 9:18 am
    The recent developments in the Anthony Weiner “scandal” have forced me to give some thought to what’s going on with American society and whether or not it needs fixing.  There are so many avenues I could go down with this post:  the news media’s obsession with scandal, our voyeuristic culture, the ultra-sensitive fragile feelings of the masses, the opportunistic lawyers and civil rights advocates that are working for the almighty dollar rather than justice, or the tendency toward reveling in others’ pain in the comfort of our living rooms. All of these issues…

  • The Right Has Nothing Better to Do

    Kevin Davis
    14 Mar 2011 | 2:01 pm
    Yup… so instead of focusing on the crisis in the Middle East, unemployment, health care, education, and a myriad of other issues that threaten the great US of A, Michelle Bachmann and her Congressional Prayer Caucus have written a letter to President Obama correcting him on his reference to our National Motto. The Caucus, “dedicated to preserving America’s religious heritage,” (and supported by your tax dollars) has pointed out to our commander in chief that he misspoke in a speech on 11/10/10 in Indonesia, when he referred to our national motto as E pluribus unum…
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    The Official Reset San Francisco Blog

  • SFMTA Gears Up For Long Shut Down Of Key Muni Lines

    15 May 2012 | 4:50 pm
    May 15, 2012 At Reset, we fully advocate making Muni faster and more reliable, and the SFMTA is working hard to improve San Francisco’s public transportation system and to make sure renovations are as painless as possible. That’s why they’re trying to get the word out early on about potential delays, shut downs and reroutes. Avid Reset readers know we’re fans of Muni – from the ten community town halls last year to Muni Manners and Muni MadLibs – and we thought we’d help spread the word. [Tired of crowded Muni buses? Learn how we can Reset Muni…

  • Building A 21st Century Democracy

    Phil Ting
    11 May 2012 | 1:44 pm
    May 11, 2012 By: Phil Ting In today’s media landscape of 140 character statements and 30-second sound bites, it’s easy to score points with buzzwords like open government and transparency. From President Barack Obama to leaders closer to home, elected officials are exploring the power and potential for Open Source Government. These are admittedly admirable aims, but when you bore a little further we have to make sure that e-government empowers everyone, not just government leaders and agencies. Putting Your Data Where Your Mouth Is That’s why my office is forging a…

  • How Old Phones Can Help Close The Digital Divide

    9 May 2012 | 12:44 am
    May 8, 2012 By: Charlotte Baughen Here at Reset we always closely follow new innovations that help reduce the digital divide. Recently, we found out about Mobile-XL, free mobile technology that helps make internet more accessible by creating a web browser for older cell phones that run Java. The revolutionary feature of Mobile-XL is that it runs entirely through SMS. This means that information can be accessed without having a smart phone or computer. Creative Reuse Of Old Technology Guy Kamgaing, the CEO of Mobile-XL, thought of his SMS Internet technology when he saw the effects of the…

  • BART Gets It Right on Rider Engagement

    4 May 2012 | 3:52 pm
    May 4, 2012 We’re living in a world where so many exercises in e-government wind up being just more ways for politicians and bureaucrats to deliver propaganda to us. But say what you will about turning off cell phones and the occasional controversial contract, BART really seems to “get it” when it comes to using social media and Web 2.0 to allow riders to talk back to policy makers. They’re using social media resources to leverage a conversation with riders about everything from new car designs, more bike-friendly polices to more hygienic seats. [Why is San Francisco…

  • San Francisco State University Students To Premiere Short Film On the Digital Divide and Other Documentaries

    2 May 2012 | 1:03 pm
    May 2, 2012 By: Eric Cuadra, SF State University Student On Tuesday, May 8th, the Broadcasting and Electronic Communication Arts department at San Francisco State University invites you to the annual screening of documentaries produced by students. The event begins at 6:30pm with the screening beginning at 7pm. It is located at San Francisco State University’s Creative Arts Building, Studio One. The event is free and open to the public. The premier of Building a Bridge: San Francisco, California is home to more than 800,000 people, as well as major tech giants like Google, Twitter,…
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    Political Campaign Tips, Articles and Strategies

  • Creating an Online Political Press Kit

    Online Candidate
    14 May 2012 | 1:41 pm
    Online political press kits are helpful in that the information can be kept up to date, and the information is easily accessible. What goes into one? It depends, really. Unlike a physical press kit, a digital press kit can be broken up so it can be downloaded in part or in whole.

  • Political Campaigns Need More Than A Digital Presence

    Online Candidate
    7 May 2012 | 4:59 pm
    In this era of Facebook and Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest, candidates can easily interact with their potential voters. It had become extremely important for a candidate to have a strong online presence as a great source of feedback, a way to stay in touch with the issues that are current and particular to their community and in addition, because social media and networking through these sites involves minimal, if any, cost to the campaign...

  • The Biggest Political Campaign Website Screwups

    Online Candidate
    30 Apr 2012 | 5:21 pm
    Just by the nature of our business, we're involved with a lot of political campaigns. After we set up campaign sites and turn them over the clients, they add content and build them out. Sometimes we're asked for our opinion on certain things, but usually we're not. Here are some of the biggest website blunders we often see.

  • 5 Takeaways From CampaignTech 2012

    Online Candidate
    23 Apr 2012 | 5:49 pm
    Last week attended CampaignTech 2012 in Washington, DC. It was a great time. We got to meet a lot of great people and listen to seminars and panels by some of the best in the industry. While there was a lot to take in, here are five major trends that political campaigns can expect to find in 2012 and beyond.

  • Sign of the Times for Political Candidates – Best of Posts

    Online Candidate
    15 Apr 2012 | 12:01 pm
    No matter the changes or trends in politics, yard signs were and still remain a mainstay of political campaigning. We've written about signage several times over the years. For newer readers who may have missed some posts, you'll find them all here in once place!
 
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    The Alternative Conservative

  • The Conservative Tree House

    8 May 2012 | 10:45 am
    Since I have spent quite a bit of time on the Zimmerman case, I have found myself lingering on a blog that has done absolutely amazing coverage on the Trayvon story. They have been able to clearly connect the dots and make sense out of this wild and bizarre tale that has been played out in the media over the last couple months. Do take some time to click the title of this thread to visit and have a look around. They have several different types of updates on the case. The most impressive have included a step-by-step explanation of the supposed girlfriend's testimony and call logs. Without the…

  • So Why Was Trayvon Suspended?

    8 May 2012 | 5:09 am
    In my hours of research concerning this case, I happened to run across a bit of interesting information. Something about Trayvon being suspended for 10 days didn't sit well with me. That is quite a bit of time to be suspended from school. Since the official records seem to have been sealed, much of what has been said in the media is speculation and I am having a hard time being able to really confirm anything with certainty. For the school handbook and code of conduct, click here. When looking for information concerning suspensions, I found this: A principal may suspend a student from school…

  • Child Pornography on Facebook

    7 May 2012 | 1:01 pm
    It's amazing to me how Facebook allows so many different and disgusting things on their pages but, will actually disable the accounts of conservatives for talking about politics. I have had my account suspended for a small time. It was quite apparent to me that I had pissed someone off and my account was reported. Why or what did I piss someone off about? It had to have been my politics and me arguing with someone. Ultimately,  I was told it had to do with my name being listed as, "Tuesday." Facebook doesn't allow nicknames. They will disable your account for a nickname and the only way…

  • Welcome the Month of May ...Oh and Obama Admits Fabrication?

    3 May 2012 | 5:47 am
    So, I haven't been blogging as much lately and it's not because I've been lazy, I've just been focused on a few other things. I've been reading, studying, and listening to classical music because I am told it is good for the brain. I have also been doing some extra grooming because every woman needs to set aside some extra time to do all those little extra things that sometimes are neglected. Several home facials, discovering thrifty ways of shopping, and lounging have been on the menu as of late and I also managed to complete some major projects at home. Well, enough about all of that...

  • Jon Lovitz Rips Into Obama

    27 Apr 2012 | 9:58 pm
    Jon Lovitz goes after Obama and the Occupy Movement. This is pretty funny stuff but, be warned -- bad language so, NSFW.
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    Politics

  • Is David Cameron's luck finally running out?

    Samira Shackle
    15 May 2012 | 10:33 am
    The Prime Minister's personal poll ratings are falling, indicating that voters have stopped giving him the benefit of the doubt.Back in February, a New Statesman cover story asked: how long can David Cameron keep getting away with it? My colleague Rafael Behr discussed how the Prime Minister is “uncannily immune from blame”, saying:To Labour's frustration, on most issues Cameron's ear tends to be pretty well tuned. He performs the role of Prime Minister with a breezy aplomb that looks enough like competence for voters to give him the benefit of the doubt. That leeway is…

  • France: Hollande is sworn in as President

    Harriet Williams
    15 May 2012 | 6:56 am
    He is the first Socialist to hold the role in twenty years.Francois Hollande was sworn in today, making him the first Socialist President of France in twenty years. It was a low key ceremony, ahead of crisis talks with Angela Merkel in Germany later today. He is expected to press the German Chancellor to temper the austerity drive that has so far been the policy of the two countries. The latest figures suggest that the French economy did not grow in the last quarter, prompting concerns that it may slide into recession. The ceremony took place in the Elysee courtyard, with only 30 or so…

  • A third intifada?

    Mehdi Hasan
    14 May 2012 | 11:29 am
    Expect violence and chaos if the Palestinian hunger strikers perish.  In her excellent report today on the 2,000 or so Palestinian hunger strikers, the Guardian's Jerusalem correspondent Harriet Sherwood quotes Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas telling Reuters: If anyone dies … it would be a disaster and no one could control the situation. She also quotes Jamal Zahalka, a Palestinian member of the Israeli parliament, telling a solidarity rally in Jaffa: If one of the striking prisoners dies, a third intifada [uprising] will break out. A third intifada? Is that what the world…

  • Peter Hain confirms shadow cabinet exit

    Samira Shackle
    14 May 2012 | 6:10 am
    What does this mean for Labour's frontbench?After rumours over the weekend and before, Peter Hain has confirmed that he will step down at shadow Welsh secretary. In a letter to the Labour leader, Ed Miliband, the 62 year old said he plans to stay on as an MP, fighting Neath again at the next election. The veteran MP, who informed Miliband of his plan to step down before Christmas, stayed in his post to contest this month’s local elections. He wrote that the “thumping victory” in Wales provided a good opportunity to step aside. Hain, who served as a cabinet minister under…

  • 500,000 could lose their disability benefits

    Samira Shackle
    14 May 2012 | 3:31 am
    Iain Duncan Smith to press ahead with plans to cut disability claimants.Half a million people could lose their disability benefits under government plans. In an interview with the Daily Telegraph today, Iain Duncan Smith says he will press ahead with radical reforms of the disability living allowance (DLA) that could slash the bill by £2.24bn annually. The DLA is not a means-tested benefit, so it is paid to those in employment as well as those unable to work. Intended to help people meet the extra costs of mobility and care associated with their conditions, it now costs more than…
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    Breitbart Feed

  • Obama In Serious Danger of Losing Arkansas Primary

    16 May 2012 | 1:00 pm
    After President Obama's humiliating showing against a West Virginia prison inmate earlier this month, a more serious humiliation could be in making after the May 22 Arkansas primary. According to a new poll of Arkansas Democrats taken by Talk Business-Hendrix College, Obama is only seven points ahead (45-38) of his challenger, an relatively unknown attorney by the name of John Wolfe. According to our friends at The Weekly Standard, Wolfe hasn't done a single radio or television ad. In West Virginia, a prisoner garnered nearly 42% of the vote against this sitting president. In North…

  • Wisconsin Union Continues to Defend Teacher Convicted of Molesting Student

    16 May 2012 | 12:40 pm
    WAUSAUKEE, Wis. - To more fully appreciate the destructive influence Big Labor has on public schools, consider the case of former Wausaukee teacher Kurt Kostelecky. Kostelecky was convicted last summer for having sexual contact with a freshman female student during the 2008-09 school year, and is currently serving a 10-year prison term. (He claims the student came on to him, and he “couldn’t say no.”) But that doesn’t mean Kostelecky’s former employer, the Wausaukee school district, can wash its hands of him. The convicted child molester was a…

  • Rep. Scalise: Obsolete regulations holding back innovation and growth

    16 May 2012 | 12:36 pm
    Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.), a proponent of free market television and video marketplace reform, says in a new interview that "obsolete regulations have held back innovation and growth" in this fast-changing area of the economy. As congressional attention has increasingly focused on the topic of online video, in an interview with RedState's Neil Stevens, Scalise discusses the impact of what he calls "archaic laws" that form the basis of the regime governing transmission of broadcasters' signals by cable and satellite operators, among others: Retransmission consent rules were enacted in…

  • Wisconsin: Dems Lost Union Issue, Now Losing Jobs Issue

    16 May 2012 | 12:22 pm
    Big Labor has forced the good people of Wisconsin to have a "do-over" of their 2010 Gubernatorial contest. Not happy with the results or the reforms which Gov. Walker campaigned on and implemented, spent millions from it's members paychecks to force next months recall vote. Their anger was raised, obviously, by Walker's reforms which curbed the unions' ability to extract overly generous compensation and benefits from taxpayers. It was this reform of collective bargaining that sparked the recall campaign. Now the unions don't want to talk about it.  It is easy to understand why. Big…

  • Man Sues Wal-Mart for $1M After 16-Year-Old Says Racist Things on PA System

    16 May 2012 | 12:00 pm
    Remember Steve Martin’s old joke about how to have a million dollars and not pay taxes? First, he said, get a million dollars. Donnell Battie has found a way to do just that. Battie, from Winslow, New Jersey, is suing the Wal-Mart on the Black Horse Pike because a sixteen-year-old boy sneaked into the room where the PA microphone was and announced over the intercom, “Attention, Wal-Mart customers. All black people must leave the store.” Claiming that Wal-Mart was negligent, careless, reckless and showed deliberate indifference in not controlling access to the PA system,…
 
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    Beppe Grillo's Blog

  • No one must be left behind

    16 May 2012 | 11:48 am
    New words are needed. Important words. Solidarity, social participation, sense of community, sense of national identity. No one must be left behind. The entrepreneur who commits suicide, usually so as not to have to face his inability to provide for the family (how can you tell your wife?), is a curse that he doesn’t deserve and neither do we. The court of miracles, of beggars, that is thronging in our cities is getting even fuller of Italians. Even the people from outside the European Union are leaving Italy. One in four has gone back to their country or has gone elsewhere to seek their…

  • Monti and the spring clean

    15 May 2012 | 2:27 pm
    source: Financial Times Even Monti can do something right, the problem is that when he does, no one recognises its merits. So he gets demotivated, he gets sad and he calls in ABC for a game of snap at Palazzo Chigi (where it’s always Casini that wins). In April a law came in to forbid board members from having more than one position on the Boards of financial companies. A law against the conflict of interests and one that obliges people to give up 1,500 positions (that’s more than the locusts of the Nile), in the various Boards of the quoted companies as well as the unlisted ones. The…

  • Passaparola - The sleep of the monsters - Oliviero Beha

    14 May 2012 | 10:27 am
    The sleep of the monsters (06:10) There’s a famous painting by Goya that says that the sleep of reason produces monsters, however, what we have here is Goya in reverse, in other words the sleep of monsters, which is obviously the fact that the Caste has ruined this Country and has played a major role in denuding the Country of any point of view that is creating reason. The sleep of these monsters is in fact producing reason, which is manifesting itself in the form of protests and democratic intervention by the MoVimento 5 Stelle in the National public life, albeit purely at the municipal…

  • #OccupyParma

    13 May 2012 | 1:31 pm
    Parma is our little Stalingrad. If in this city the one to become the mayor’s spokesperson is a respectable person, a disinterested citizen who as a child wanted to make the world a better place, like Federico Pizzarotti, then everything is possible in this wretched country. Direct democracy will be able to get established in each Italian town and in the institutions. Parma “Caput Mundi”. For some astral coincidence, it seems that in the last few days, everything has been happening in this beautiful and proud city. The conclusion of the Parmalat trial, the biggest financial collapse in…

  • Beppe Grillo in TIME

    11 May 2012 | 9:49 am
    The international news media are following the growth of the MoVimento 5 Stelle {5 Star MoVement} with great interest. Below is part of the article in TIME: “It says something about Italian politics that the most potent political figure to enter the arena since scandal-ridden former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is a frizzy-haired bombastic comedian named Beppe Grillo, best known for organizing nationwide protests against government corruption called "Go F Yourself" days. And what it says is this: that as a desire for change sweeps the European electorate, Italians are feeling starved…
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    TuPolitica.com - El Sitio y Centro de Prensa Oficial de la Política en Panamá

  • Informe del incumplimiento de atribuciones por parte del vicepresidente Juan Carlos Varela

    tupolitica
    14 May 2012 | 5:45 pm
    Como parte de la sustentación de la solicitud de renuncia que le hiciera el Presidente Ricardo Martinelli al vicepresidente Juan Carlos Varela, ofrecemos a los panameños un informe que describe el incumplimiento de atribuciones en que este ha incurrido. Es importante destacar que las atribuciones del Vicepresidente están descritas en el artículo 185 numeral 2 [...]

  • Navarro: Varela y Martinelli, dos caras de la misma moneda

    tupolitica
    11 May 2012 | 3:55 pm
    La disputa que protagonizan el presidente Ricardo Martinelli, y su vicepresidente, Juan Carlos Varela, es una pelea vergonzosa por negocios, espacios políticos e intereses personales, que afecta la imagen de Panamá, afirmó el dirigente del opositor Partido Revolucionario Democrático (PRD), Juan Carlos Navarro. El líder opositor dijo que siente vergueza de la pelea escenificada por [...]

  • Comunicado del Tribunal Electoral sobre reciente propaganda política

    tupolitica
    10 May 2012 | 6:57 pm
    Los magistrados del Tribunal Electoral no podemos permanecer callados ante la reciente actividad publicitaria entre rivales políticos, lo que apunta hacia una campaña electoral que estaría centrada en ataques que pueden desencadenar tensiones de tal magnitud, que pongan en peligro la fiesta cívica que toda la ciudadanía quiere celebrar una vez más, en el marco [...]

  • PRD de Colón realiza esfuerzo por la unidad

    tupolitica
    9 May 2012 | 5:18 pm
    Los esfuerzos por lograr que las diversas corrientes a lo interno del Partido Revolucionario Democrático (PRD) trabajen en unidad para las próximas elecciones de delgados y Comité Ejecutivo Nacional, al parecer empiezan a rendir buenos frutos en la provincia de Colón. Una fuente, que no quiso revelar su identidad, nos confirmó que hubo una reunión [...]

  • TE firma contrato de adjudicación para campaña electoral del 2014

    tupolitica
    8 May 2012 | 9:39 pm
    Este martes 8 de mayo, el Tribunal Electoral firmó con la empresa Cerebro JCM Publicidad, S.A., el contrato de adjudicación por un monto de 3 millones 750 mil balboas, para la campaña publicitaria del proyecto de elecciones generales del 2014. De acuerdo al contrato que lleva la firma de Gerardo Solís, en su condición de [...]
 
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    Inciting Bedlam

  • Ted Nugent: Salesman

    Lord Bedlam
    22 Apr 2012 | 3:18 pm
    This Country’s greatest strength is also its greatest weakness. We are a nation of salesmen and our product is fear packaged in your choice of blue or red cellophane. Fear is a narcotic that elicits irrational thought and behavioral patterns. It is responsible for the advent of religion, sports and politics; albeit, religion and politics … Continue reading »

  • Ann Romney: Pundit?

    Lord Bedlam
    15 Apr 2012 | 11:09 am
    Hilary Rosen set off a firestorm of criticism for her comments regarding Ann Romney’s lack of work experience. It is unfair to criticize any person, man or woman, for electing to stay home to raise 5 boys; and exceptionally unfair to label them as lazy or, in this case, not having worked a day in … Continue reading »

  • Supreme Politicking

    Lord Bedlam
    8 Apr 2012 | 1:57 pm
    The Supreme Court of the United States has entered the kerfuffle that is the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act [1] [2], otherwise known as Obamacare. With Conservatives intensely against the federal mandate and Liberals in favor, the Supreme Court has virtually mirrored the divide, bringing into question their objectivity and authenticity as judges for … Continue reading »

  • The Bernie Madoff Act of 2012

    Lord Bedlam
    25 Mar 2012 | 5:32 pm
    The Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act [1] or JOBS Act is a bill that has been lauded by the business community for its initiative to ease regulations and allow small businesses to draw more investment dollars from unaccredited sources. In theory, this is a good idea and should be championed by every red-blooded American because … Continue reading »

  • They’re All Sluts, They’re All Prostitutes

    Lord Bedlam
    12 Mar 2012 | 11:31 am
    We elect leaders to lead and to maintain the best interests of the majority. When we cast our ballots, our ideals, our convictions and our integrity are projected onto the candidates we’ve designated to become our representatives. The election process is, effectively, a leap of faith. The process is an exercise in democracy, whereby the … Continue reading »
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    The Conversation - Politics + Society

  • Oil fuels the conflict between Sudan and South Sudan – and it keeps getting hotter

    David Dorward, Associate Professor, History at La Trobe University
    16 May 2012 | 12:40 am
    Khartoum has resumed its bombardment of South Sudan despite the passing of a UN Security Council Resolution calling for a ceasefire. With military action escalating over the past few days, the two nations are now on the brink of all-out war. The rhetoric of both nations' leaders is becoming increasingly strident. While the immediate causes of this conflict are control of oilfields and territorial disputes, the tension is rooted in a deeper clash of culture, religion and politics. A history of oil, division and conflict In 1978, Chevron discovered oil in the Bentu and Heglig districts of…

  • Hollande and Merkel: breaking up is hard to do

    Binoy Kampmark, Lecturer in Global Studies, Social Science &Planning at RMIT University
    15 May 2012 | 8:30 pm
    Europe is in economic dire straits and the two most powerful economies on the continent are, at least on paper, led by individuals with considerable differences. The previous French President Nicolas Sarkozy was not merely regarded as a man of austerity, but a man who Chancellor Angela Merkel could do business with. The Sarkozy-Merkel imprint marks the entire bailout strategy that is now being employed against the Greeks. It is a model that has ushered in technocratic governments whose loyalties lie less to the citizen than the budget. Balancing accounts and paying creditors is considered the…

  • Penny Wong, Joe Hockey and the dire state of political punditry

    Dennis Altman, Director, Institute for Human Security at La Trobe University
    15 May 2012 | 3:03 pm
    If there is a turning point in the Australian debate on same-sex marriage it may well be Penny Wong’s remarkable grace and honesty when answering Joe Hockey on last night’s Q&A. Wong was asked by host Tony Jones whether Hockey’s view that children were better off with a mother and father was hurtful to her. “Of course it is,” she said. Then, with a curt nod: “But I know what my family is worth.” For once, a minister spoke on television from her heart, unconstrained by the need to follow whatever script was issued that day from head office. But such honesty is rare in…

  • If police and government can't control Sydney gun crime, local communities must

    Hugh McDermott, Senior Lecturer at Charles Sturt University
    14 May 2012 | 11:54 pm
    The spiralling rise in shooting crimes in Sydney’s western suburbs requires strong and sustained political, community and police action to make suburbs safe for families. I happen to live in a suburb that has been ringed by shooting incidents, and recent was just around the corner from my home. Like many of my neighbours, I can see that politicians are seeking, but are not really offering, new strategies or solutions to fight the gun crime that is plaguing Sydney. It’s not just well organised bikie gangs to blame, but a range of criminals and business rivals, all with access to guns. They…

  • Age-old question: when should children be responsible for their crimes?

    Thomas Crofts, Associate Professor, Sydney Law School at University of Sydney
    14 May 2012 | 11:35 pm
    The age of criminal responsibility acts as the gateway to the criminal justice system – under a certain age you are kept out. Most jurisdictions have this age barrier because it’s widely understood children need sheltering from the criminal law consequences of their behaviour until they are developed enough to understand whether their behaviour is wrong. But what age is the right age? And how do legal systems deal with this difficult question? What is the age of criminal responsibility? The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, requires states to set a minimum age “below…
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    BarackBerry

  • White House Website Thoughts

    richard.brownell
    16 May 2012 | 1:57 pm
    Here are some additional thoughts for presidential biography updates on the White House website.   Abraham Lincoln – Abraham Lincoln was one of this nation’s tallest presidents, but Barack Obama is a better basketball player.   Ulysses S. Grant – Many military leaders like Grant went on to become president. Barack Obama never served in [...]

  • History in the Making

    richard.brownell
    14 May 2012 | 11:21 am
    Dear Boss,   I share in the nation’s joy that you came out in support of gay marriage, but I must confess I was a bit surprised that you, well, came out.   I admire your candor. I just wish I could have been let in on it before the Newsweek story ran. You know [...]

  • Slow Jammin’ The News

    richard.brownell
    26 Apr 2012 | 9:00 am
    Jimmmmmmmyy!   I had a lot of fun doing your show the other night. Appearances on shows like yours offer me an outlet to reach the American people on an eye-to-eye level, and step away from the chaos of Washington. Thanks for having us on.   I must confess, though, I’m a little surprised at [...]

  • Thank You for the Gift

    BHO
    8 Aug 2011 | 7:55 am
    Reince,   I am emailing to thank you and the entire Republican National Committee for your gift for my 50th birthday. My family and I will enjoy having our new pet ferret with us at the White House. It was great for the whole family, except Michelle because she is allergic and Sasha because she was [...]

  • For Wed: The Town

    BHO
    2 Aug 2011 | 11:37 am
    Browse | Suggestions | Queue Shipped: The Town   Arriving on or around: Wednesday, August 3, 2011   Next up in your Queue (44 titles): 1.The Social Network 2. Toy Story 3 3. The Twilight Saga: Eclipse more… Suggestions for you Let us show you some hidden gems that you may have missed or forgotten about. [...]
 
 
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    Cato @ Liberty

  • Limit Access to Deposit Insurance Fund

    Mark A. Calabria
    16 May 2012 | 11:03 am
    By Mark A. CalabriaThe recent losses at JP Morgan have renewed calls to break up the banks and/or increase regulation of the banks.  I’ve written elsewhere why I believe these losses do not justify more regulation, particularly of the Volcker rule variety.  While I have some sympathy with the break them up view, and a number of people for whom I have great respect have argued for that position, I think that position is ultimately flawed beyond repair. First any size limit would be arbitrary.  I don’t know anyone who thought that Bear Stearns was too big to fail ex ante.  I…

  • Selling Work Visas

    Alex Nowrasteh
    15 May 2012 | 4:38 pm
    By Alex NowrastehProfessor Giovanni Peri today made an interesting proposal to auction work visas to the highest bidding employer. His reform is similar to an auction proposal made by Gary Becker, but more specific. His idea is innovative and deals with transitioning from the current maze of quotas, visa categories, and other barriers to a more open system that better allocates visas to the highest bidders. The one  problem with Peri’s proposal is that it does not meaningfully increase the number of work visas. The limited number of work visas, not the distribution, is the main problem…

  • The States Are Already Getting Bailed Out

    Tad DeHaven
    15 May 2012 | 4:07 pm
    By Tad DeHavenIn today’s Wall Street Journal, Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) and Rep. Kevin Brady (R-TX) advise the states to get their fiscal houses in order instead of holding out hope for a bailout from federal taxpayers. That’s sound advice. However, the states already effectively get bailed out by federal taxpayers each and every year. The first chart shows that the federal government has accounted for over a third of total state spending in recent years. The increase can be attributed to federal “stimulus” spending. The federal government’s share will retreat as the economy…

  • Another Fairly Insane Cross-National Health Care Comparison

    Michael F. Cannon
    15 May 2012 | 3:49 pm
    By Michael F. CannonYesterday, countless newspapers published a really disappointing story by Noam Levey that the Los Angeles Times ran under this title: Global push to guarantee health coverage leaves U.S. behind; China, Mexico and other countries far less affluent are working to provide medical insurance for all citizens. It’s viewed as an economic investment. The article is little more than a puff piece for the hotly contested idea of universal coverage. It gives zero space to the competing strain of thought that the less the government does for the poor, the sick, and the…

  • Caribbean Trade Dispute Gives the U.S. a Rum for Its Money

    K. William Watson
    15 May 2012 | 3:25 pm
    By K. William WatsonRum subsidies in U.S. Caribbean islands have sparked an internal trade war and are inviting a World Trade Organization (WTO) challenge from ill-affected countries in the region. According to an envoy representing a number of Caribbean countries that recently came to Washington, the U.S. government is unwittingly funding industrial policy in the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico by tying aid dollars to rum production in a way that is inconsistent with our trade obligations and may cause the destruction of the entire foreign Caribbean rum industry. Under current law, U.S.
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    A View from the Right

  • Alternative Job Recommendation for Romney

    sirrahc
    15 May 2012 | 10:00 pm
    I’ve been thinking about Mitt Romney and his skill set. You know how he made the bulk of his fortune? Investing in and, in many cases, turning around poorly performing and/or financially underwater organizations. For whatever reasons, these businesses had lost their way and were headed for bankruptcy. Aside from an infusion of cash, they [...]

  • U.S. Postal Service in Dire Straits

    sirrahc
    13 May 2012 | 11:14 pm
    “If the post office was a business, it would be in bankruptcy. It’s insolvent.”  — Rep. Dennis Ross (R-FL) In case you haven’t heard, I’ll give it to you straight. The Post Office is in deep trouble, sinking under huge deficits and hampered by Congressional micromanagement. If the powers-that-be don’t get their collective act together [...]

  • Why Christian Apologetics?

    sirrahc
    6 May 2012 | 10:08 pm
    I came across this the other day and decided to share it…. Readers of this blog will recognize that some of what I write about in the science & religion areas can be characterized as “Christian apologetics” (from the Greek word apologia, which loosely means ‘giving a defense’). Not every Christian recognizes the need for [...]

  • Practical Vote vs Conscience Vote: Don’t Throw It Away!

    sirrahc
    30 Apr 2012 | 9:02 pm
    This past January, I posted an article that looked at some of the things that influence our decisions about whom we decide (not) to vote for. I encouraged my readers to get past the more frivolous concerns (e.g., how a candidate dresses or a particular personality quirk) and to be fair-minded in assessing each candidate’s [...]

  • Keeping the I-Word

    sirrahc
    28 Apr 2012 | 10:12 pm
    Brief rant… On O’Reilly last night, the Talking Points memo included a MoveOn.org video (“Drop the I-Word”) urging people not to use the term “illegal immigrant” anymore. According to the voiceover, “Calling a person illegal takes away their humanity.” Baloney! No one’s questioning their humanity! That claim is victicrat-speak. “It’s racially-charged, legally inaccurate, and morally [...]
 
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    Fair Observer

  • The Sarkozy Revolution of the French New Right

    Eddy Fougier
    16 May 2012 | 11:05 am
    Electoral Year 2012: France The history, agenda, and future of ‘Sarkozysm’. Nicolas Sarkozy’s 2012 presidential campaign has often been depicted as extremist by mainstream US media. He embodies a turning point in French right-wing history. He represents the French version of what was called the “New Right” in the US during the Reagan Revolution of the 1980s and in the UK during the Thatcher years. However, unlike Thatcherism or Reaganism, Sarkozysm is not a political ideology based on a set of ideas. Rather, it is a new way of being involved in French politics…

  • The US Dollar: The World’s Currency and the World’s Problem

    Prof. Dr. Rolf J. Langhammer
    15 May 2012 | 4:20 pm
    Analysis on the unexpected relationship between the dollar’s international acceptability and the US military’s global presence. Since World War II, the US has provided two essential services to the rest of the world: an international currency and international military protection. Producing them was costly, both in terms of achieving dollar stability and undertaking military expenditures in many parts of the world. However, the benefits were far more important. Foreigners were prepared to hold more dollars than they actually needed and to forgo risk premiums even when the dollar…

  • Turkey and Tehran: Caught Between a Rock and a Hard Place

    James M. Dorsey
    14 May 2012 | 7:03 pm
    Turkey: Modern Assertiveness in a Globalized World Turkey’s besting Iran in the contest for the hearts and minds of advocates of change in Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East and North Africa is proving to be both a blessing and a curse. With tension mounting over Iran’s nuclear ambitions and the perceived window of opportunity for a military strike closing, Turkey faces increased challenges and the threat of a proxy war with Syria and the Islamic Republic. This is compounded by the fact that the US, Israel and Saudi Arabia need Turkey in their effort to further corner the…

  • Francois Hollande’s Victory: What It Tells Us About France

    John Bruton
    14 May 2012 | 2:29 pm
    Electoral Year 2012: France Analysis on Francois Hollande’s election as French president and what this means for austerity in France, Greece, and Europe. The result of the French Presidential election was no great surprise in a way. In fact, when one considers that most of the first round competitors had endorsed Hollande, outgoing President Sarkozy did well to get 48% as against the mere 27% he received in the first round. The centrist Bayrou, and the Left Front candidate Mélenchon, had both explicitly endorsed Hollande, and the National Front candidate Marine le Pen, most of…

  • A Very British Tradition

    Emma Ley
    14 May 2012 | 8:55 am
    A Diamond Reign: Reflections on the Queen's Jubilee As we approach the end of the Queen’s 60th year on the throne, we can reflect on what she has brought to Britain. There is an unquantifiable part of British identity that resides in the Queen. Although some are weary of displaying too much patriotism, when the Jubilee celebrations kick off next month most of us will partake. There is a niche group of ardent royalists, the kind who clutter up their kitchens with royal memorabilia, who will revel in it. There are also some republicans who will conscientiously (and conspicuously) opt…
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    Booker Rising

  • Do You Want Booker Rising To Grow? Only $570 Left To Raise!

    Shay Riley
    15 May 2012 | 5:17 pm
    Last Friday, Booker Rising celebrated its 8th year (you can see the blog's very post here). Yes, it's that time of the year again: Booker Rising's biannual fundraising drive.As mentioned back in January, I had to delay redesigning the blog (which was last done in 2008). As you know, my schedule has been crazy busy this year, which prevented regular blog posting until recently. Now that I'm getting around to the redesign, the designer has increased his price somewhat in the interim as well.In celebration of Booker Rising's 8th birthday, my goal is to raise $800. Booker Rising is the only…

  • 5/15 Events Calendar

    Shay Riley
    15 May 2012 | 4:04 pm
    4:00pm ET, USA: Angela McGlowan Appears On FOX News RadioThe political analyst and conservative Republican will be on Fox News Radio with Sean Hannity later this afternoon, discussing current political news. I assume that the U.S. presidential campaign, U.S. President Barack Obama's changed stance on gay marriage, and/or the economy will be discussed on the show.9:00pm ET, USA: African American Conservatives Interviews Deneen Borelli And Jonah GoldbergMs. Borelli is a Fellow with Project 21, a black conservative organization, and a Fellow with FreedomWorks. She is also a Fox News contributor.

  • Deneen Borelli: "Obama Threw The Black Community Under The Bus For The Gay Community’s Money"

    Shay Riley
    15 May 2012 | 3:30 pm
    Asserts the Fox News panelist and conservative Republican:

  • Challengers Eye Some Key Blacks In Congress

    Shay Riley
    15 May 2012 | 3:00 pm
    From the Associated Press: "For two decades, Eddie Bernice Johnson has been an outspoken voice for Democrats in her signature bright blazer and multicolored scarf. Now, the first black woman to represent north Texas in Congress faces serious opposition in the May 29 primary, and the effort to unseat her is just one of several challenges against some of the longest-serving black members of Congress. 'I will always be ever more grateful for the trails that she has blazed,' said Eva Jones, owner of a barbecue restaurant and chairwoman of Johnson's first House campaign in 1992. But 'there has…

  • Why Are So Many U.S. Black Women Fat?

    Shay Riley
    15 May 2012 | 2:00 pm
    James Collier, a moderate blogger, gives his response to the controversial New York Times piece: "I read Alice Randall's NYTimes opinion (here) entitled, "Black Women And Fat", with more than a passing interest. In it, Ms. Randall postulates that a significant contributor to black female obesity resides with pleasing the black male desire for 'ampleness'. She speaks of diet and sedentary behavior, as influences, as well, but I still think she has the magnitude of the influence out of order. Pleasing black men would seem more of a cop-out for women, than sound reasoning. Still, this does not…
 
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    The One About...

  • The One About... Did The "Occupy" Movement Doom Itself From The Moment It Was Named?

    7 May 2012 | 11:30 pm
    I love Progressives. I kind of have to since I am one. But sometimes I watch the things that Progressives do and I feel a bit like I'm watching a herd of very naive children. There are certain realities of human nature that the regressives on the "Right" have accepted and used to their benefit that Progressives continue to either ignore or even worse act deliberately contrarily to. One of the most important of these has become the concepts known as framing and branding. At the most fundamental level this is about the words we use to convey important ideas. If words are chosen poorly it means…

  • The One About... Troy Davis Is Easy. It's Lawrence Russell Brewer That's Hard.

    21 Sep 2011 | 11:41 pm
    Two men died today. One was black. One was white. One was in Texas. The other in Georgia. The one was convicted of a crime that most likely he did not commit. There is no doubt at all about the guilt of the other man. Despite all of their differences, these two men share one sad commonality. They were both murdered by the state.There is a great outpouring of grief over the wrongful execution of Troy Davis. And rightly so. This entire situation is disgusting beyond measure.The problem is that so long as we allow the state to hold the power to execute even so much as one single person we leave…

  • The One About... It's A Poor Carpenter Who Blames His Tools.

    19 Sep 2011 | 6:34 pm
    I happened to catch the following exchange on Twitter the other day... "I thought 2000 had taught liberals a lesson about making the perfect the enemy of the good. But maybe not.""it taught this liberal a lesson I'll never forget."Since one of the participants in this exchange is someone I follow on Twitter and respect even if I often don't agree with them, I thought perhaps they would be so kind as to respond to a question that has long been bugging me. So I tweeted..."Serious ?. y do U & so many others cont 2 downplay or ignore the role the SCOTUS played in helping Jr steal the 2000…

  • The One About... I Have Met The Enemy. And He Is Us.

    11 Sep 2011 | 11:27 am
    Ten years ago, September Eleventh was a weekday work day for my wife and I. Her mother was visiting, getting ready to go back to work driving truck cross country. She was waiting on a call from her dispatcher telling her they had a load for her. Her dispatcher called and told her to turn on the television. In an event that Americans haven't seen the like of, probably since Jack Ruby shot Lee Harvey Oswald, the whole of the nations attention was glued to their televisions. After picking our jaws up off the floor, and not fully understanding the depth of what was taking place, my wife and I…

  • The One About... I've Got Twenty Pounds In The Game. How About You?

    7 Sep 2011 | 12:25 am
    Well, a day without a rich asshole whining about paying too much in taxes, is like a day without burning rectal itching. It's a real popular Wrong Wing talking point lately. The Rich, and Super Rich, in an attempt to appear just a little bit less like assholes, are almost universally stepping away from out and out saying, "Fuck the poor! If they want more money they can go and screw over some brown people in a third world country like I did.", and instead carefully shading their words. "Oh well I don't mind that those who have more money pay more. But it's not fair that so many…
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    FactCheck.org

  • FactCheck Mailbag, Week of May 8-14

    FactCheck.org
    16 May 2012 | 11:26 am
    This week, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce responded to our analysis of three of its recently released television ads. In the FactCheck Mailbag, we feature some of the email we receive. Readers can send comments to editor@factcheck.org. Letters may be edited for length.   The Chamber of Commerce Responds We are pleased that FactCheck.org affirms ["Chamber Continues to Mislead on Health Care Law," May 11] the fact that Obamacare could cause 20 million people to lose their current employer-paid health care coverage according to the [Congressional Budget Office] report (CBO, 3/15/12). In…

  • Bachmann’s Fundraising Whopper

    Robert Farley
    14 May 2012 | 3:27 pm
    In several urgent fundraising appeals, Rep. Michele Bachmann falsely claims that biased “liberal judges” redrew her congressional district “in retaliation for repeatedly standing up to President Obama.” The truth is that only two of the five judges were Democratic appointees, and Bachmann’s Minnesota district has become even more Republican than it was before. It’s true that a bipartisan panel of judges redrew district lines and placed the town where Bachmann lives in an abutting district represented by a Democrat. But she has chosen to again run in the 6th…

  • Do ‘Most Americans’ Agree with Romney on Gay Marriage?

    Eugene Kiely
    14 May 2012 | 3:15 pm
    The Republican party chairman claims “most Americans” agree with Mitt Romney “that marriage ought to be defined between one man and one woman.” Americans are closely divided on the issue. Various polls show either a slight plurality or majority of Americans support same-sex marriages, although sometimes within the margin of error. This much is clear: American attitudes have been trending in support of gay marriage for the past few years, as this Gallup poll chart shows: Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee, addressed the issue while appearing…

  • Chamber Continues to Mislead on Health Care Law

    DAngelo Gore
    11 May 2012 | 2:38 pm
    The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s latest onslaught of television ads continues to miseducate voters about the potential impact of the health care law. Ads attacking Sen. Bill Nelson and former Rep. Alan Grayson claim that the health care law “could” cause 20 million people to lose employer-paid health care coverage. The truth is that might happen under a very pessimistic scenario, according to the Congressional Budget Office. But the agency said it is more likely that about 3 million to 5 million fewer people, on net, would obtain health insurance from their employer under the…

  • Group Skews Facts on Obama’s ‘Shameless’ Statements

    Ben Finley
    11 May 2012 | 2:06 pm
    A group claiming to be backed by veterans has gone too far in a viral Web video that portrays the president as a glory hog after Osama bin Laden’s death. We cannot dispute the video’s larger point: That President Obama is using Bin Laden’s killing to score political points. But the video – produced by a former Bush-Cheney campaign operative and boasting more than 1 million hits on YouTube — misleads by: Claiming the Washington Post criticized Obama for having the “Shameless Gall” to score political points. But the video uses the headline of an opinion piece by veteran GOP…
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    WesternFront America

  • Remote Control Security vs Freedom

    J.D. Longstreet
    15 May 2012 | 10:24 am
    Remote Control Security vs FreedomHow would you like to live in oh, say, Pakistan or Yemen, or Afghanistan.  I expect the usual remonstration(s) for asking such a question in the first place.  But I have a point to make – or, at least TRY to make. See, those folks live every day and every night with one eye trained on the sky.  They KNOW that somewhere, way up THERE, someone is watching their every move.  Plus, they know someone is going to die. Hellfire missiles rain from their skies like lightening bolts cast by angry gods.  They bring death and destruction instantaneously, with no…

  • Using Earth’s blessings to better mankind and planet

    Guest
    15 May 2012 | 10:08 am
    Using Earth’s blessings to better mankind and planetRational thought underlies conservative Christian views on climate change and the environment By David R. Legates Although he has rarely been willing to discuss or debate energy or environmental issues with those who do not share his views, environmentalist David Suzuki frequently challenges them on other grounds. In his recent article, “Religious Right is wrong about climate change,” Suzuki claims that some US and Canadian scientists hold religious views that are anti-science. Suzuki asserts that some climate scientists –…

  • Those Ashamed Of America Shouldn’t Make A Penny Off The Name

    Dr. Frederick Meekins
    15 May 2012 | 9:52 am
    Those Ashamed Of America Shouldn’t Make A Penny Off The NameThough at one time barely considered worthy of the appellation of literature, scholars of popular culture have today established the thesis that comic books and other forms of media expression derived from these illustrated periodicals serve as a snapshot of the perspectives and assumptions prevalent at particular points in American history Certain characters and series evoke more reflection on certain aspects of culture and ideas than others. For example, the Fantastic Four evoke reflection upon the loving but some times…

  • The wheels are coming off the wind energy gravy train

    Guest
    15 May 2012 | 9:40 am
    The wheels are coming off the wind energy gravy trainAnd subsidy-dependent wind energy supporters are running scared By Marita Noon The wind energy industry has been having a hard time. The taxpayer funding that has kept it alive for the last twenty years is coming to an end, and those promoting the industry are panicking. Perhaps this current wave started when one of Big Wind’s most noted supporters, T. Boone Pickens, said in an MSNBC interview, “I’m in the wind business…. I lost my ass in the business.” But the industry’s fortunes didn’t get any better when the Wall Street…

  • Hey Babe; Take a Walk on the Wild Side

    Thor H. Asgardson
    14 May 2012 | 11:30 am
    Hey Babe; Take a Walk on the Wild Side The Huffington Post:    “Where do you stand on gay marriage?” Remarks from the Peanut Gallery “Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official, save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country. It is patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic not to oppose him to the exact extent that by inefficiency or otherwise he fails in his duty to stand by the country. In either event, it is unpatriotic not to tell the truth,…
 
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    Kamikaze Earth

  • Women of Punk : Five of the Best Female Punk Singers

    Andy Domonkos
    11 May 2012 | 9:52 pm
    Before Avril Lavigne and her late-coming angst (it's tough being a millionaire) there were female leads that were not just "keeping up" with Johnny and Joey, but defining the Punk-sound with equal contribution.  In the age of YouTube you think the unsung singers would be finally sung to the public, but alas they are still greatly overlooked in leui of the watered-down "pop-princess-whine-core" that dominates millions of attention spans today.   Without further adieu, here are some of the toughest pioneers of the Riot Grrrl and Punk movement.   Brody Dalle: The…

  • The Super Hero Bubble

    Andy Domonkos
    1 May 2012 | 4:09 am
    I know I tend to scoff at frivolous things like Justin Bieber and people from Iowa, but that doesn't mean I can't enjoy the simple pleasures of some high-glossed steroid monsters playing rochambeau in a city street.  With all the super-hero movies coming out lately, it's almost as if we are being completely over-saturated with comic-book enteratainment, from the Juggernaut  Marvel (no pun intended) and to a lesser extent DC, who have dominated the silver screen for the past decade with blockbuster after blockbuster.   This cinematic domination does…

  • An Open Letter to the Resentful : The Diablo 3 Bombshell

    Andy Domonkos
    30 Apr 2012 | 3:52 am
    Late last year and early this year there was a large amount of discussion about class warfare.  What some considered “a fair share of responsibility” others considered an open attack on what has been rightfully gained.  Whatever standpoint you may have taken on this issue, one thing is certain:  the rich protected their interests and the poor sought to protect the interests they wished to have.  We are seeing something verily familiar with Diablo 3 and its ‘Real Money Auction house’ (Which I will call RMAH for the purpose of economy).  The RMAH is not the true…

  • Learning Spanish : The Quest to Entiendo

    Andy Domonkos
    28 Apr 2012 | 3:45 am
    Lately I have become increasingly obsessed with learning at least one language other than English as a sort of defiance against the xenophobic elements now rampant in the USA, where any interest in foreign culture is eyed suspiciously as a communist plot.   During my short time in Mexico, where I was digging for gold in a small village town called Baviacora--which resides in the north-western canyons of the Sonora desert--I was  constantly awash in touristic confusion and felt the frustration of not being able to convey a thought without pantomime.

  • Metta World Peace Elbows Some Jerk in the FACE

    Andy Domonkos
    23 Apr 2012 | 6:50 pm
                                                  (Ron Artest : AKA Metta World Peace) Ron Attest is known for many things: a decent basketball player, an emotionally unstable train-wreck, his new moniker "World Peace,"  (which reads proudly across his Jersey) and of course, irony. Metta World Peace is his full name to be exact.  Metta--which stands for peace or friendship--depending on which silly mysticism you happen to subscribe to--recently threw a…
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    opposingviews.com

  • Video: Obama Appears on The View, Will He Repeal Defense of Marriage Act?

    Michael Allen
    15 May 2012 | 12:50 pm
    Appearing on ABC's 'The View' this morning, President Obama would not say whether or not he would try to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), a 1996 federal law which states marriage is a legal union of a man and a woman, and also say that states are not required to recognize a gay marriage from another state. (video below). President Obama said: "We don't think the Defense of Marriage Act is constitutional. This is something that historically had been determined at the state level and part of my believing ultimately that civil unions weren't sufficient, and I've been a longtime…

  • Virginia House Blocks Tracy Thorne-Begland from Becoming a Judge, Because He is Gay

    Michael Allen
    15 May 2012 | 12:07 pm
    Tracy Thorne-Begland served 20 years in the Navy and, later, became one of the top prosecutors in Richmond, Virginia. He was proposed for a low-level trial judgeship by a bipartisan mix of state lawmakers. However, a late-hour lobbying offensive by social conservatives prevailed in the GOP-controlled House of Delegates. The Virginia House of Delegates fell 18 votes short of the 51 needed to appoint Thorne-Begland to the state bench. Had he been appointed, Thorne-Begland would have been the first openly gay judge on the Virginia bench. Delegate Bob Marshall was one of the key…

  • Gay GOP Donor Bill White Pulls Support From Mitt Romney Over Gay Marriage

    Michael Allen
    15 May 2012 | 11:49 am
    Bill White, an openly gay supporter of Mitt Romney, has decided to withdraw his support for Romney and back President Barack Obama instead. White had given $2,500 to the Romney campaign. White is the chairman and CEO of the New York-based consulting firm Constellations Group. White told CNN he has advocated on behalf of injured and fallen veterans for 20 years, and has been awarded the Meritorious Public Service Award from the Coast Guard and from the Navy In a letter obtained by CNN, White wrote: "I feel that I no longer wish to support your presidential campaign and ask that you please…

  • Video: Rep. Don Coram, Has Gay Son, Helps Kill Civil Unions Bill in Colorado

    Michael Allen
    15 May 2012 | 10:48 am
    On Monday night, Colorado’s general assembly rejected a bill that would have authorized civil unions for same sex couples in the state (video below). The bill, which had been killed by filibuster in the regular session, resurfaced in the House’s special session (called for Governor John Hickenlooper), only to be killed by a vote of 5-4 by the House State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee, according to the Associated Press. Even though the House State, Veterans and Military Affairs Committee has nothing to do with these types of bills, House Speaker Frank McNulty sent the bill to…

  • 'Family Guy' Mocks the Tea Party as Violent Idiots

    Michael Allen
    14 May 2012 | 11:37 pm
    On a recent episode of Family Guy, the animated Fox show mocked the Tea Party (video below). The episode, entitled 'Tea Peter,' featured the show’s main character, Peter, joining the local Tea Party after the government shuts down the unlicensed mall he is running out of his house. Brian the dog warns Peter that the Tea Party is a ruse run by rich businessmen who want to use populist anger to get rid of regulations. Peter eventually discovers that his rich father-in-law is running the Tea Party, wearing a mullet wig and pretending to be a guy named 'Joe Workingman.' The Tea Party ends up…
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    Ruck.us

  • ★ Ruck Spotlight: National Wildlife Federation

    Ray Glendening
    16 May 2012 | 9:29 am
    Ruck Spotlight: National Wildlife Federation. Some issues are pretty black and white when it comes to how we feel.  Abortion can be one of them.  For the most part, you feel one way or another.  More recently, gay marriage is another.  You are either here or there.  However, most issues provide a place where many sides, viewpoints and opinions can come together to form new unions and agreement we may not find in such hot button issues.  The National Wildlife Federation does just that: Wildlife’s ability to survive the challenges of the 21st century is becoming outpaced by the…

  • ★ Who are the Bundlers?

    Nathan Daschle
    14 May 2012 | 12:08 pm
    The Center for Responsive Politics has a very interesting infographic on political bundlers on both sides the aisle.  Its interesting that the Romney campaign has only disclosed 22 bundlers, compared to the 345 it disclosed in 2008.  Also interesting is fact that bundlers account for over 25% of all money raised by the Obama campaign and the DNC.  The best nugget, though, is that if you are named Michael, you are far more likely to be a successful bundler than if your name is Sheldon.  Check it out here.  

  • ★ Ruck.us in Mashable

    Nathan Daschle
    11 May 2012 | 11:48 am
    Mashable, the leading news source on technology and social media, did a very nice profile on Ruck.us today.  Special thanks to all of our users who make our community great.  Check it out here.

  • ★ Joe Trippi and the continuing Digital Revolution

    Ray Glendening
    8 May 2012 | 11:03 am
    At Ruck.us, we have been a fan of Joe Trippi for years.  Trippi has been the quintessential ruckus bringer in the campaign world.  Just when you think you have him figured out…. he stuns you in the best way possible.   When we began to put together an advisory board of thoughtful people, he was one of the first we turned to, and Trippi has been on board with us since the ground floor.  Beyond his campaign days, Trippi has become iconic in the digital world.  He recently spoke at the Mashable Connect conference, offering some observations we thought were spot on.  Check out…

  • ★ The Dangers of Timing a Wave

    Nathan Daschle
    7 May 2012 | 10:43 am
    Over the weekend, Vice President Biden appeared to express his support for same-sex marriage, declaring: I am absolutely comfortable with the fact that men marrying men, women marrying women and heterosexual men and women marrying one another are entitled to the same exact rights, all the civil rights, all the civil liberties. Education Secretary Arne Duncan was even clearer this morning.  When asked by Mark Halperin whether he believed “that same-sex men and women should be able to get legally married in the United States?” Duncan replied, “Yes, I do.” Naturally political…
 
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    The Recovering Politician

  • The RP on Wall Street Journal Radio

    RP Staff
    16 May 2012 | 1:00 pm
    Yesterday, the RP was back on Wall Street Journal Radio’s “The Daily Wrap with Michael Castner” to discuss John Boehner’s recent threat to tie any debt ceiling modifications to spending cuts. Click here to listen in.

  • The RP’s Weekly Web Gems: The Politics of Fashion

    Kristen Hamilton, RP Staff
    16 May 2012 | 12:30 pm
    Politics of Fashion Christian Louboutin is expanding into beauty. Will his infamous red soles find their way into his makeup line? Hmmm…   [The Cut] Imagine your shopping in a clothing store…with digital wooden hangers…that change when someone likes the item on Facebook. Weird, right? Weird, but real. [Fashionista] Hot or Not?: The Caviar Manicure. [Racked] Low and behold, the intrigue, the mystery, the infatuation behind – wait for it – Mark Zuckerberg’s hoodie. Check it out: [Esquire] NBC’s Fashion Star is renewed for a second season! [The Cut]…

  • “Fix Congress Now” Caucus Just Launched

    RP Staff
    16 May 2012 | 11:30 am
    From press release: Congressmen Kurt Schrader (D-OR), Scott Rigell (R-VA), Jim Cooper (D-TN), and Reid Ribble (R-WI) today appeared together in front of the U.S. Capitol to send a clear message to America: Congress is broken, and we’re ready to fix it. “The American people recognize that Washington is broken,” said Congressman Scott Rigell, a Republican from Virginia Beach. “This is underscored by the fact that the 112th Congress has an underwhelming 12 percent approval rating. It is a sobering reality that Congress is, indeed, in need of reform, and it’s time we do something about…

  • John Y’s Musings from the Middle: Children’s Books

    John Y. Brown III
    16 May 2012 | 11:00 am
    Children’s books matter. I love–LOVE–trying to take perceived problem and turning it into an unforeseen solution. Creating a new situation that is “better” than the condition before the problem. I was wondering what my first exposure to this concept was and think I remember–at least in part. A favorite book of mine as a very young boy involved a family of bears. The playful young boy bear was picking blackberries (so the story goes) and got blackberry juice stain on his plain-colored shirt. The mother bear–tempted to get angry and scold her…

  • Artur Davis: Americans Elect, Going, Going, Gone?

    Artur Davis
    16 May 2012 | 9:00 am
    Mark Schmitt has just written a solid critique in the New Republic of the failing political enterprise that is Americans Elect. On this site and elsewhere, I’ve echoed Schmitt’s point that the putatively grassroots organization has turned into little more than a society of well connected K Street/Wall Street donors and establishment types who are steering toward some amorphous “center.” I‘ve also argued that this center is a socially liberal, deficit conscious, selectively pro big business zone that reflects the worldview of any lobbyist-paid lunch table at the Palm or Bobby…
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    A Return to Common Sense

  • Greece Fails to Forge Coalition Government, Risks Expulsion from EU & Global Crisis!

    Patriot4Ever
    16 May 2012 | 9:46 am
    We called it when we highlighted the dangerous outcome of the recent Greek elections. In the wake of that vote, President Karolos Papoulias has been forced to call for a new vote, one that risks Greece being expelled from the EU and triggering another global crisis, after the disjointed political sides were unable to compromise enough to put together a coalition government. This not only has the citizens of Greece, members of the EU and investors on edge but it should be a discernible warning to those stowing passage on the HMS Liberalism here in America -- European socialism is an epic…

  • Hypocritical Obama Campaign Ad Attacks Romney & Bain Capital for GST Steel Bankruptcy!

    Captain America
    15 May 2012 | 8:19 am
    The Obama Campaign is attacking Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney over his record at Bain Capital, releasing a hypocritical ad that focuses on a Kansas City steel mill that was shut down. In the intentionally emotional video, the campaign focuses on several of the workers that lost jobs when the GST Steel went bankrupt. But is the ad, which will run in Iowa, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Colorado and Virginia, really a fair critique of the overall track record of Romney while at Bain Capital...

  • Consequences of Liberalism — California Deficit Soars to $16 Billion!

    Mr. Common Sense
    13 May 2012 | 9:08 am
    The State of California, the Bastian of liberalism, continues to prove the axiom that it's cool to spend other people's money but that eventually you run out of it! The state's budget deficit has soared to $16 billion -- much, much higher than projected in January. And what is Governor Brown's solution to the dilemma? Raise taxes! Brown is promoting a ballot initiative to do just that since he can't get the necessary votes in the legislature to raise taxes...

  • Wisconsin Atheist Group Attacks Welcome Signs in Small Alabama Town of Sylvania!

    Freedom Zone
    11 May 2012 | 10:11 am
    In just another example of the war on Christianity, Madison Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation, the crusader of needless litigation, has taken aim at the small town of Sylvania in Alabama -- population 1,800. What vicious crime against humanity has Sylvania committed? The town has welcome signs that read, "Sylvania Welcomes You. Ephesians 4:5 - One Lord, One Faith One Religion." Of course, the atheist group argues that this violates the non-existent wall between church and state...

  • Obama Falls Off the Fence – Endorses Gay Marriage in Wake of NC Amendment!

    Patriot4Ever
    9 May 2012 | 10:21 am
    Apparently, President Obama's "evolving" view on same-sex marriage is no longer mutating -- he has come out of the closet and is now unequivocally in favor of gay marriage. While Obama has consistently resisted taking a firm position on the issue for obvious political reasons, in the wake of the North Carolina vote on Tuesday over the gay marriage issue, Obama has finally climbed down off his proverbial fence and stacked out position -- he’s for it and all about it. Forward and onward...
 
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    BBCW

  • The GOP Runs from George W. Bush in 2012 While Running the Next Version of George W. Bush

    Bungalow Bill
    16 May 2012 | 6:27 am
    The Republicans don't want anything to do with George W. Bush even though they are running someone who won't stray about the Bush path of political destruction--more debt and more unconstitutional wars while supporting more war against terrorism infringement up our Constitutional rights like the NDAA and the Patriot Act. There isn't much difference between Bush and Romney and I would argue Bush is far to the right of Romney, which is just sad since W. was never showed a conservative side as POTUS--going even as far as ensuring the federal government were micro managers of your child's…

  • Timothy Geithner at Peter G. Peterson Foundation Sounds Warning on Fight for Higher Debt Ceiling

    Bungalow Bill
    16 May 2012 | 6:17 am
    Did you know we are on the fast track, no thanks to Republicans in charge of the purse in the House, to meet their record $2.4 trillion deficit ceiling raise from last last year. Sometime around November we will hit that limit.Yesterday at the Peter G. Peterson Foundation gathering of political hacks, Timothy Geithner sounded the warning against those who will stand in the way of raising the amount of debt the United States already owes.

  • Remember How the GOP Attacked Obama as a Foreign Policy Lightweight?: Well Romney Fits the Mold Too

    Bungalow Bill
    16 May 2012 | 5:52 am
    Four years ago, the GOP attacked Obama rightfully so as a foreign policy lightweight. That has been proven over and over as Obama's foreign policy mistakes are numerous. Now the Republican establishment shows just how hypocritical they are having ignored Mitt Romney's own foreign policy blunders and lack of knowledge.The American Conservative has a great article on just how little Romney actually knows about foreign policy this week:Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney has become the inevitable Republican Party presidential nominee. Despite the weak economy, he faces an uphill race.

  • Jared Polis Thinks Congress Should Regulate Pizza Now: Can You Say Impeachment Congressman Polis

    Bungalow Bill
    16 May 2012 | 5:35 am
    Somehow in his warped Democrat brain Congressman Jared Polis now thinks its the job of Congress to regulate pizza in school lunches. Obviously out of ideas how to cut $16 trillion in debt, Polis has his priorities set on Pizza and not ensuring that your children and their children don't carry the weight for Washington's irresponsible spending spree.Fox News reports:A Democratic congressman is trying to give the federal government the power to regulate pizza in public school lunches, following a failed attempt last year.The legislation proposed by Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo., would end pizza…

  • Romney's Cut the Spending Stump Speech Offers no Details

    Bungalow Bill
    16 May 2012 | 5:24 am
    How serious is Mitt Romney when it comes to cutting government spending? Well, he's just another politicians throwing out hypothetical numbers without citing any real plan of what he will cut. In other words he's either afraid to say what he will cut because it be used against him or has no real plan to begin with. I think it's probably both actually.Holly Bailey writes of Romney's lack of substance and empty promises:Mitt Romney warned Tuesday that out of control government spending "threatens what it means to be American" and pledged that if elected he'll lead the country out of…
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    The E Vent

  • Spike that football Prez

    3 May 2012 | 11:42 am
    Ya, Obama killed osama fuckers, stuff it up your ass and eat it .  That goes to anyone who is outraged by the "spiking of the football"  they believe our president is doing.  I want to go on record as saying these fuckers are the most fucked up assholes that populate our great nation and should be exiled to the middle east so they can be shot for the terrorists they are.  they is the only difference these assholes have between them and "muslim extremists" is that they are not found in the middle east but they are instead our own home grown terrorists.  Just to…

  • Fuck Ted Nugent, wait, he is fucked

    30 Apr 2012 | 10:08 am
    It is about time!  Ted Nugent has been getting away with all kinds verbal garbage against the Obama administration and is just now getting scrutiny?  This dude is like one statement from being classified as a terrorist and enemy combatant.  He does more to advance the hate of America than the taliban or his music career has ever done. I say crucify the bitch and move on to the next idiot that decides it's a good idea to bade mouth the president during war time.  I think they used to hang idiots that do that.  This fucker should feel lucky.  Very much like…

  • newt - king douche

    30 Apr 2012 | 9:55 am
    This one is old but still pretty funny (I think).  This was written at the end of insane cain's candidate reign and newt was just starting to gain ground.  Funny how it ended up.Just when I thought I could avoid a GOP debate I miss one of the best douche moments of all time.  newt continues to berate the media and looking like he is caught off guard every time questions are asked at a debate.  Imagine that, questions, at a debate.  Still looking as to why this guy is toted as the smartest man in the party.  It is truly an insult to the party.

  • Oh-WS, how u have let us down

    28 Dec 2011 | 2:18 pm
    I wanted to say the OWS would work. I really wanted it to stand for something...but here we are at year's end and still no real direction to speak of. Chanting we are the 99% is was a good start, but it is old now and the voice of change now just sound annoying.  The opportunity has been wasted and even the simple idea of bringing the numbers gathered to the voting booth to make a difference there seems like a pipe dream at this point.  What we have learned from this is if you want the American people to get behind you, it can't be done by being a bigger douche than the douchery you…

  • Armageddon talk

    22 Nov 2011 | 9:18 am
    Do these idiots on fox or radio ever know what they are talking about?  You have to wonder how these richy rich assholes come to this conclusion?  Do they run out of grey poupon and start running for the hills?  Why is anyone making an income lower than $200k pay any attention to these morons.  They don't live the lives we do.  If food prices go up, we clip coupons.  If gas is too high we find things to do at home.  If people are outside protesting our actions...well, we don't have to worry about that.  Only rich assholes need to worry about that.
 
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    The Mojito Corner

  • Suggest a Topic

    jdedenghy
    1 May 2012 | 8:37 am
    It's been a while since I let readers choose the topic so today you have your chance. Write in your suggestion and I'll see what I can do !

  • Jeremy Part 1: Room 506

    jdedenghy
    26 Apr 2012 | 2:22 pm
    Utter and complete darkness. The sound of labored breathing - his own - was the first noise Jeremy became aware of as he regained consciousness followed by an incomprehensible, intermittent beeping. His eyelids were slow to respond to his master's command and as light began to slowly form identifiable images in his mind, Jeremy became aware of the burning pain searing through his lungs. --- Where am I? --- he thought to himself. Jeremy struggled to make sense of what his vision was revealing: light and shadows slowly transmuted into a room. Unremarkable but clean, room 506 was equipped with…

  • Intro to Jeremy

    jdedenghy
    25 Apr 2012 | 8:57 am
    Despite being blindfolded, Jeremy couldn't help but notice the distinct smell of burning flesh as the flames engulfed the remains of special agent Samuel Packson. Jeremy knew that if Packson were still alive, he would undoubtedly be begging his captors for mercy or perhaps screaming uncontrollably as the fire ravaged his body. Yet the room remained eerily quiet with only the crackling flames emitting any sound.  Jeremy again tried to free his hands but to no avail. The knots that secured his wrists had been tied by true professionals.  ---- Think, Jeremy, think ---- he muttered out…

  • Monday Morning Blues

    jdedenghy
    23 Apr 2012 | 10:09 am
    Much to the disdain of my fellow readers, it's Monday morning which means it's the beginning of another work week. Already you can hear your mind emitting that sorrowful groan, that desperate supplication for time to somehow escape its metaphysical constraints and speed up...  But all is not lost. While I cannot violate the laws that govern the fabric of space and time, I am able to whisk you away into another world, a delightful world in which your problems are secondary to the far more menacing challenges humanity faces. It's not your fault. Your mind is wired to react to the mundane…

  • 4/20 Higher Than the Andes

    jdedenghy
    20 Apr 2012 | 11:42 am
    April 20th is a magical day around the world for it is the day humanity celebrates cannabis subculture. It's either that or simply the day that everyone agrees to smoke marijuana together. Either way, I think it's high time (no pun intended) that I share my views on the most controversial of herbs. While I am for the legalization of marijuana, I do not intend to make this entry a persuasive one. Smoke or don't smoke, that's your business but among you readers there are those of you who have never smoked or tried marijuana and it is my hope that upon reading this article you will take the…
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    Sunshine State News feed

  • Conservative Group Hammers Obama in New Ad

    Kevin Derby
    16 May 2012 | 9:25 am
    On Wednesday, Crossroads Grassroots Policy Strategies (Crossroads GPS), a conservative political group affiliated with Republican strategist Karl Rove, unveiled a new ad that will run in Florida and nine other battleground states that hammers President Barack Obama’s record on economic issues. read more

  • Jeb Bush Endorses Chauncey Goss to Succeed Connie Mack in CD 19

    Kenric Ward
    16 May 2012 | 9:15 am
    Jeb Bush on Wednesday endorsed Chauncey Goss for the seat being vacated by Rep. Connie Mack in Florida’s newly drawn 19th Congressional District.In a statement, the former governor said, "Chauncey has a clear vision to restore this nation to greatness by encouraging opportunity and individual initiative -- replacing dependence on government programs with entrepreneurship, ingenuity, hard work, and the pursuit of the American Dream. Bush added about Goss:read more

  • Jeff Atwater: Ex-Insurance Agent Charged in Investment Fraud

    Jim Turner
    16 May 2012 | 8:21 am
    A former insurance agent from Palm Harbor was arrested for allegedly running a scam aimed at seniors where details of financial products were misrepresented, according to the office of Florida Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater.Neal Seth Smalbach, 49, was charged with grand theft after an investigation by the state Department of Financial Services Division of Insurance Fraud revealed Smalbach’s misrepresentations resulted in an estimated $4.6 million being invested by seniors in products that were unsuitable for them, the CFO office reported. read more

  • Rick Scott Discusses Spain, FCATs, Steve MacNamara

    Jim Turner
    16 May 2012 | 8:02 am
    Gov. Rick Scott discussed his departing Chief of Staff Steve MacNamara, the curved grades of the state’s FCAT results, and next week’s trip to Spain while on WFLA 100.7 FM Wednesday morning.Spain“We’ve got over 300 Spanish companies that do business in Florida, I want 1,000 of them. Whatever the number is, I want more than what we have.read more

  • Rick Scott to Attend Governor's Hurricane Conference

    Jim Turner
    16 May 2012 | 5:57 am
    Gov. Rick Scott will attend the Hurricane Conference being held Wednesday at the Greater Fort Lauderdale/ Broward County Convention Center.More than 1,600 emergency managers, rescue workers and public officials are expected to be in attendance at the conference that is spending time recalling Hurricane Andrew, which devastated South Florida 20 years ago.
 
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    Restoring Truthiness

  • Pale Rider and Hell Following

    Some Guy in Virginia
    15 May 2012 | 5:11 am
    Pale Rider and Hell FollowingOne day a man from Washington came to town and told us that we consistently elected members of his opposition party to act as our public servants on the federal, state and local level. According to his way of thinking, this was bull headed, generally damnable, and probably criminal. But he had come to set the crooked paths straight and allow us the liberty to send those people to Washington that had our best interests at heart and who were willing to take upon themselves the august burden of making us a free and happy people. Someone asked him who those people…

  • Republican Women Open Up (Their, ahem … )

    Hank Griffin
    10 May 2012 | 5:57 pm
    Republican Women Open Up (Their, ahem … )Funny or DieRepublican women are open about their opposition to government run anything.  They want the government out of the auto, banking and oil industries.  They want government out of the schools and hospitals.  But where do they want government? Our friends at  http://www.funnyordie.com/ asked this question recently of a handful of Republican women and not so surprisingly, they want Government in their vaginas. It seems they find so called “Women’s Health Issues” a euphemism  for decisions better left in the hands of…

  • Michele Bachmann is Now a Swiss Miss, Condolences to Switzerland [VIDEO]

    Deborah Brancheau
    9 May 2012 | 8:10 pm
    Michele Bachmann is Now a Swiss Miss, Condolences to Switzerland [VIDEO]SwissTVusa | Deborah BrancheauSwitzerland can no longer remain neutral. Unfortunately for them, Michele Bachmann is now a citizen of Switzerland. Flags were flown at half mast all over the tiny Alpine nation. According to Politico: Bachmann (R-Minn.) recently became a citizen of Switzerland, making her eligible to run for office in the tiny European nation, according to a Swiss TV report Tuesday. … Marcus Bachmann, the congresswoman’s husband since 1978, reportedly was eligible for Swiss citizenship due to his…

  • President Obama Endorses Same-Sex Marriage And Proves Evolution In One Day!

    Deborah Brancheau
    9 May 2012 | 4:42 pm
    President Obama Endorses Same-Sex Marriage And Proves Evolution In One Day!ABC News | Deborah BrancheauThe debate is over. Evolution exists. We have the proof from the highest office in the land. Who needs the missing link when you have the President of the United States evolving right in front of our eyes?! In an interview with ABC News today, President Obama, who has said that his views were evolving, pulled a Biden and endorsed same-sex marriage! Yep, you heard right! Obama sat down with ABC’s Robin Roberts and explained, “I’ve just concluded that for me personally it is…

  • Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu Sets Taser to Oy! with New Unity Government

    Deborah Brancheau
    8 May 2012 | 5:40 pm
    Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu Sets Taser to Oy! with New Unity GovernmentMashup by Deborah BrancheauAnd in the “Don’t tase me bro!” department is this new stunning development. Apparently Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has learned that peace in the Middle East involves cooperation with your rivals. Thus, in an overnight deal with Kadima, he has decided to form a coalition government with his Likud party’s long time foes: The stunning partnership with the opposition Kadima party, announced overnight Tuesday just as the nation was expecting him to call…
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    The Conference Channel Blog

  • Does American Higher Education Need a Reinvention?

    Zain Iqbal
    15 May 2012 | 2:52 pm
    Is the United States system of higher education among best in the world? The answer is a resounding yes, at least according to a recent analysis by Universitas 21 (via GOOD), which gave the American system the top ranking in the world ahead of Sweden, Canada, Finland and Denmark. Universitas 21, a global network for research universities, compiled data based on several criteria, including available resources, educational environment, connectivity, and graduate output. But leading education experts in the United States have a different point of view. At a Miller Center for Public Affairs…

  • JPMorgan Chase: Under the Regulatory Microscope

    Zain Iqbal
    15 May 2012 | 11:35 am
    As one of the major banking institutions that weathered the financial crisis in 2007 and 2008, JPMorgan Chase emerged relatively unscathed, making last week’s announcement of a $2 billion loss in a surprising risk management failure all the more troubling. It’s unclear how the bank will reorganize its risk strategy after shareholders expressed their ire at JPMorgan’s annual meeting today. However, what is clear is how Washington will react: this week Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner alluded to dropping the proverbial regulatory hammer down on JPMorgan following a close…

  • National Geographic Live: Photojournalisms

    Zain Iqbal
    14 May 2012 | 2:32 pm
    From the plight of the Kurdish people in the Middle East to the troubling impact of the oil industry in the Niger Delta in southern Nigeria, award-winning photographer and experimental filmmaker Ed Kashi has traveled the world as a documentarian of modern socioeconomic and political issues. Aside from his in-depth pieces that document global issues, Kashi chronicles his photography and and his experiences in small notebooks which he dubs “photojournalisms.” Kashi joined National Geographic Live to discuss his travels and reveal how he copes through varying degrees of struggle…

  • Coming Up This Week: Securing the Global Skies and Maker Faire

    Zain Iqbal
    14 May 2012 | 1:26 pm
    Here’s a quick look at two events coming up on FORA.tv. Last week’s dramatic discovery of an Al-Qaeda plot to blow-up an airliner, and how it was foiled by an operative working with the CIA, MI6, and Saudi intelligence services, revealed how the terrorist organization is evolving in its methods. Though intelligence agencies have the ability to counter such plots, general aviation security is still an important tool in preventing terrorism. On May 16, the National Journal presents Securing the Skies: Aviation Security for Safer Global Airways, an event that will discuss how various…

  • Quiz: Is This a Whale Placenta or Deep Sea Jellyfish?

    Eric Pfeiffer
    11 May 2012 | 5:50 pm
    A deep-sea submersible camera caught this “thing” on camera. What is it? It’s a Deepstaria enigmatica. Image courtesy of purpleslog
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    The Desert Lynx

  • The Righteous Fist

    Joël Valenzuela
    13 May 2012 | 6:31 pm
    A man walks calmly through a park. Another man approaches him and, after a brief exchange (consisting mainly of "I don't want no trouble, man" from the first and "Eyyy, Chuck Norris!" and "Wanna go, huh? Let's throw down right here!" from the second), a fight breaks out. One of them is going to end up on the ground, battered and defeated. Morally, does it matter who wins? Yes, yes it does... very much so.Today's first world citizens have it good. The spoiled denizens of North America, Western Europe, and selective parts of East Asia have grown up in a world of unprecedented prosperity, civil…

  • Quote of the Week

    Joël Valenzuela
    11 May 2012 | 5:16 pm
    "When you come to a fork in the road, take it." - Yogi BerraI always found this little gem of advice to be deceptively useful.  Which specific turn you make isn't as important as staying true to your path and moving forward. If you're on the right track, then you won't even see the fork, just the path ahead.

  • The Wanderer's Curse

    Joël Valenzuela
    6 May 2012 | 4:22 pm
    Are you superstitious? Do you believe in magic and witchcraft and whatnot? Well, whatever you believe, let me tell you, curses do exist. And there's nothing magical or supernatural about them. Let me take you inside the cursed world of the wanderer.It starts innocently enough, with the simple desire to see the world. Expand your horizons. Have bragging rights with your less urbane friends and ammunition for impressing the opposite sex ("This pastry reminds me of that one cafe in Geneva..."). Then the unexpected happens. The places you see and people you meet affect your heart. At first it's…

  • Quote of the Week

    Joël Valenzuela
    4 May 2012 | 10:24 am
    "Be careful about getting holes in your heart. They tend to let the winter chill in." - The Desert LynxLoving, living, leaving, and losing. You think you can forget and move on, but when the winds of change and memory blow, they slip right through holes created by the past, like an old and useless coat, and chill your heart.

  • I Can Fix the Economy

    Joël Valenzuela
    29 Apr 2012 | 5:36 pm
    Want to get the people's support? Convince them you know how to save the economy. This is a subject that's always at the forefront of people's priorities, because it affects basic human survival, and therefore everything else. Economics is also very misunderstood, so you need only feign some basic knowledge of the subject to get people to go "Oh, okay."But what is the economy, really? Really simply put, it's everyone's productive action put together. In that sense, it's the simplest thing in the world. Every one of us is part of the economy. The guy who owns the taco stand down the street,…
 
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    The Maddow Blog

  • Trying to rationalize bigotry

    Steve Benen
    16 May 2012 | 12:32 pm
    As Rachel explained on the show last night, Tracy Thorne-Begland was set to become a Virginia judge before state Republican lawmakers rejected him. Thorne-Begland is a state prosecutor, a father, and a former Top Gun fighter pilot, and his nomination enjoyed bipartisan sponsorship, but the GOP rejected him anyway.By all appearances, this was as plain an example of bigotry towards a judicial nominee as we've seen in a while: Thorne-Begland is gay, so Republicans blocked him from becoming a state judge.But Virginia Republicans can explain this. The GOP didn't reject Thorne-Begland because he's…

  • Mitt's Miami vice

    Steve Benen
    16 May 2012 | 11:30 am
    The first hint of trouble came early this morning, when Mitt Romney's campaign team told journalists there would be no questions for the candidate today. (One reporter responded, "Isn't that our decision?")But the problem intensified when the Republican appeared in Miami, and relied on staff and volunteers to physically prevent reporters from approaching a rope line and asking the candidate questions.As a rule, media professionals don't respond well to heavy-handed tactics that prevent journalists from doing their jobs.It's worth noting that some reporters were able to work their way to the…

  • Wednesday's campaign round-up

    Steve Benen
    16 May 2012 | 11:00 am
    Today's installment of campaign-related news items that won't necessarily generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers:* In a new video, Jim Messina, President Obama's campaign manager, notes that the campaign raised $43.6 million in April, which is down from March's totals.* In Wisconsin, the latest Daily Kos/Public Policy Polling survey shows Gov. Scott Walker (R) ahead by five in his recall fight against Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett (D), 50% to 45%. The election is three weeks away.* Gallup asked respondents to put aside personal preferences and predict who…

  • Geithner rains on Boehner's parade

    Steve Benen
    16 May 2012 | 10:39 am
    Associated PressHouse Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) yesterday said he would do in 2013 exactly what he did in 2011: use the debt ceiling to hold the nation hostage. As Boehner sees it, Democrats have to give in, or he'll trash the full faith and credit of the United States and crash the economy on purpose.And why did Boehner declare his intentions in mid-May? Because the Speaker is trying to shape upcoming tax-policy negotiations, applying leverage to get what he wants. The problem, as Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner noted yesterday, is that Boehner's calendar doesn't quite work.At the end of…

  • Who doesn't love a 'perfect entrepreneurial story'?

    Steve Benen
    16 May 2012 | 9:12 am
    If you're going to present arguments based on anecdotes, make sure the anecdotes say what you want them to say.Last month, Mitt Romney blamed President Obama for a closed drywall plant in Ohio, but the facility was shut down during the Bush era. This week, the Romney campaign released a video showing a closed Electrolux plant in Iowa, but the company has added more American jobs than it had lost.Romney also released this video about Steel Dynamics, which benefited in part from an investment by Bain Capital.The point of the clip isn't subtle: Romney wants voters to overlook all the mass…
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    david-frum

  • Ask a Question, Win a Book

    David Frum
    16 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    Thanks to all who participated yesterday. We narrowed the field to three:

  • Econ 101

    David Frum
    15 May 2012 | 2:10 pm
    Arrived in Ottawa to see the streets bedecked with Polish flags. Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk is making his first visit to Canada this week.

  • All Your State GOP Are Belong to Us

    Noah Kristula-Green
    15 May 2012 | 1:00 pm
    Ron Paul will no longer campaign in any reminding primary states, but what does he really want? Talking Points Memo wonders if the campaign is going to create a scene at the GOP convention. ABC News thinks he might try to use his influence to change elements of the party platform.

  • Heartland Refugees Start New Think Tank

    Noah Kristula-Green
    15 May 2012 | 12:05 pm
    On May 3rd, the Heartland Institute unveiled a controversial billboard equating belief in global warming with the beliefs of the Unabomber. This lead Heartland's Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate project to spin off to become its own think tank. The new think tank's director, Eli Lehrer, has long been an advocate for free market solutions to public policy problems and has also called for a more modern Republican Party.

  • Spinmeister

    David Frum
    15 May 2012 | 8:30 am
    The four children of Francois Hollande will not attend his inauguration today as president of France. Given M. Hollande's messy personal life, the children's absence might seem significant of something. But the French press seems content to accept the official explanation that the non-invitation (or their refusal of an extended invitation?) is motivated solely by considerations of frugality and simplicity.
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    Seeing Clearly

  • Talk To The Australian People

    Des Sydes
    6 May 2012 | 3:59 am
    I have come to the view that it is most unlikely that Labor can win the next election with Julia Gillard as leader.  I have always held the view and continue to do so, that Labor will definitely lose the next election if it changes leader.  This is the dilemma, which may have finally hit home to the party this week. When yet another poll brought bad news the speculation again raised its head in the party.  Nothing new there unfortunately, but as the week unfolded the talk died down.  I hope it was killed off.  I will not repeat my comments in my blog of the 6th…

  • Peter Slipper Must Go!

    Des Sydes
    22 Apr 2012 | 7:23 am
    Peter Slipper must either step aside while the allegations against him are being tested or the Government must use its numbers to force him to do so.  Maybe this will reflect badly on them, but that does not matter.  They took a calculated gamble when they coaxed him into the Speaker’s Chair and it has backfired.  His position cannot be sustained while he is under such a cloud.In public life, indeed in life generally, we must accept the consequences of our decisions.  The Government was aware that allegations have been swirling around him dating back many years.

  • Abbott To Impose Carbon Tax

    Des Sydes
    12 Apr 2012 | 5:23 am
    Why have we not seen this headline spread across the front pages of our newspapers?The Coalition has proclaimed loudly and often that they will repeal the CPRS (Carbon Tax) if they are elected next year, but this is only half the story.  What the Coalition is actually proposing is to repeal the CPRS and replace it with their Direct Action climate policy.  Why do they hardly ever mention the second part of their promise.  When questioned they mention it, usually in a defensive way.  Very occasionally it is mentioned as an after-thought when discussing dumping “Labor’s…

  • Queensland Debacle

    Des Sydes
    27 Mar 2012 | 5:12 am
    I would describe the Queensland election last Saturday as a debacle.  It is true the Labor Party was thrashed, but this is not a debacle.  Parties lose heavily from time to time and they recover.  Yes, this is the worst loss on record, but again there will probably be a worse one some day. The real debacle on Saturday is one on which I have heard no commentary at all and this makes it an even bigger debacle in my eyes.On Saturday the Labor Party received about 35% of the two party preferred vote and will be represented in the Queensland parliament by less than 10% of the…

  • Story - Three Blind Freddys

    Des Sydes
    27 Mar 2012 | 5:07 am
    Here is another mystery featuring Sid and Kim.  Claire (of ‘Who Wants To Be A Millionaire’ fame) gave me the plot.  I have to accept responsibility for the stupidity.  I hope you find it funny. Clang!  The door slammed shut and the key turned in the lock.  The footsteps echoed and then faded.  Silence….  I was alone in my prison cell.Strangely enough, the first thought that came into my head was what wall would be the best for my poster of Rita Hayworth.“Come on Sid.”  I told myself out loud.  “This is a police holding cell, not…
 
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    PoliticusUSA

  • Obama Opens Up a General Election Can of Whoop Ass on Romney

    Becky Sarwate
    16 May 2012 | 1:00 pm
    After Obama's rousing start to what is sure to be a long general election campaign, before the boredom of the Romney veepstakes could set in, two very awesome things occurred. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Koched Up Scott Walker Invents His Own Reality with Deceptive Jobs Numbers

    Sarah Jones
    16 May 2012 | 11:10 am
    Scott Walker’s Wisconsin suffered record job losses as he faces recall, so Walker decided that he didn’t like the measurement used. He wanted to tell a different story. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • War Criminals for Romney: Bush Hops Aboard Mitt’s 2012 Titanic

    Rmuse
    16 May 2012 | 9:00 am
    What Americans should remember is that a convicted war criminal and arguably the worst president in history just endorsed his 'updated' clone to be the next worst president in history. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Obama Adding a Faith Vote Director to Campaign

    Hrafnkell Haraldsson
    16 May 2012 | 6:56 am
    Obama has a religion problem. His answer to that problem is a Faith Vote Director. He has already shown that the Bible is not the exclusive property of the GOP [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

  • Coroner’s report tells different story than South Carolina Law Enforcement

    Dennis S
    15 May 2012 | 8:42 pm
    The earth is intellectually flat in South Carolina. There are no objective curvatures of introspection, inquiry, sypmpathy or alternatives. It’s black and white when it comes to gunning down ‘bad’ guys. [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]
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    The Crimson Crow » Politics

  • Gwen Ifill Under Fire For Emceeing LGBT Gala

    Political Staff
    20 Apr 2012 | 10:14 am
    Gwen Ifill, a correspondent for “PBS News Hour”, is under attack from the conservative news outlet, NewsBusters, after emceeing Whitman-Walker Health, a nonprofit community health clinic in Washington. Tim Graham from NewsBusters claims that Ifill crossed the “Obama Line” by emceeing the event because Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius was receiving an award for the Affordable Care Act. The conflict comes into play because Graham describes Whitman-Walker Health as an LGBT advocacy group but they describe themselves as a community healthcare facility…

  • The Best Picture Of Obama And Clinton Ever

    Political Staff
    17 Apr 2012 | 2:35 pm
    With the presidential election in full swing, I thought this photo was so appropriate, and hilarious.  It just reminds me of the drunk uncle that comes over on holidays and how your dad would react when he walked in.  I’m counting on you people, make me proud with this one.  Put your captions in the comments. via i.imgur.com

  • Bob Beckel Drops The F-Bomb On Hannity [Video]

    Political Staff
    17 Apr 2012 | 9:28 am
    Bob Beckel and Jennifer Stefano were caught in a very heated off-air debate during Hannity when he was obviously caught off-guard by the commercial ending and as the cameras started rolling was caught yelling, “You don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about.” At first, Beckel didn’t realize what happened and refused to apologize to Stefano, but once it sunk in, he covered his head and kept saying that he was going to be fired and telling Hannity that he needed to run his show better.  Beckel basically remained quiet the rest of the segment after the gravity of the situation…

  • Herman Cain Uses Murderous Chickens To Show That He Is Sick Of The Stimulus

    Rob
    16 Apr 2012 | 1:45 pm
    Herman Cain is back with another installment in his “Sick of the Stimulus” series of commercials. This one has the familiar little girl narrating while a farmer (the American taxpayer) feeds his chickens, which are a metaphor for big government. The chickens then attack and kill the farmer. You may see a similarity between these commercials and the old “This is your brain…This is your brain on drugs” commercials. The little girls always has the catchphrase, “Any questions?” As cheesy as these commercials are, Cain shows he still enjoys entertaining…

  • Newt Gingrich Campaign Vendors Fear They Won’t Get Paid

    Political Staff
    11 Apr 2012 | 10:39 am
    Newt Gingrich is the self-proclaimed “champion of small businesses”, but those small businesses are fearing that they won’t get paid for services they performed for his campaign.  Some vendors went against their better judgement to do work for the GOP candidate’s campaign and may have gotten burned in doing so.  According to an article in The Huffington Post, the Gingrich campaign is being pretty loose with their spending and may have overdone it in Florida when they tried to match Mitt Romney.  Gingrich was quoted as saying, “Florida got to be a real brawl.
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    Angry Lebs

  • Wow!! They finally agree on something.

    Michel
    16 May 2012 | 6:07 am
    In an interview published today in al-Akhbar newspaper, Samir Geagea said “Aoun and us are against the 1960 electoral law”. I never thought I will read Aoun and Lebanese [..]

  • When will Lebanese realize that guns will not solve the problem

    Michel
    13 May 2012 | 7:37 am
    Guns never solved a problem in Lebanon. It might gives you an advantage today but for sure it will bring destruction on those who keep using it. Shadi [..]

  • Sheikh Qataya is ready to wage civil war

    Michel
    11 May 2012 | 9:28 pm
    In this video Sheikh Ahmad Kataya, Imam of the mixed Bekaa town of Nabha, threatens priests, monks and the Christians by launching a civil war (don’t blame him but [..]

  • What an early morning !

    Michel
    11 May 2012 | 7:56 am
    I woke up early today to catch up on some work. Soon after, I received a tweet about a huge fire in a carpet factory in the coastal town of [..]

  • Enough – May 5, 2012 – 6PM @ Martyr’s Square

    Michel
    4 May 2012 | 7:07 am
    I got this from a friend and asked me to pass it along. I doubt this event or movement will make a difference but it is a step [..]
 
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    Resnarkable

  • Seven Ways to Be Happier at Work: Worklife Collaboration

    Lizzie
    15 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    If you can’t make your life part of work and your work part of life, you’ll have trouble finding success in either. Trends focus on work/life balance as an ideal to aim for. Leave work at 5 pm and begin your personal life at 5:01. Keep the two separate, equal if you must, but for God’s sake, stay balanced. The truth is:  Your well-being must be central to work … because work is essential to your well-being.  I grew up involved in the employee engagement and recognition industries starting at age eight. Every year, recognition practitioners gather at events together…

  • 3 Social Media Rules Your Brand Should Break Right Now

    Lizzie
    14 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    There are a hundred rules for promoting your brand on social media. But really … you can’t read all of those. Or you shouldn’t. You know the rules, right? Well here’s three rules for social media you should break right now:  Don’t schedule your content. It’s about engagement, guys. Social media can’t be forced, scheduled or faked. Jeez. While part of that is true … scheduling your content with an editorial calendar can at least keep you consistent and at best prevent you from having huge gaps between posts if something in your life comes up.

  • Screw It Saturday: Kreayshawn’s “Gucci Gucci”

    Lizzie
    12 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    Something about going home to Chicago makes me feel like a badass. I come home ready to start fights. Kreayshawn makes me feel that way too. Hurry up, I’m starvin’… You can also hear the YouTube-famous Nana’s cover while you’re at it. PHOTO: Wikipedia Creative Commons

  • Shit You Should See: Gay Marriage Opinions

    Lizzie
    11 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    The Pew Research Center recently released their study results on the Changing Attitudes on Gay Marriage after President Obama revealed his stance on gay marriage … on the second-best talk show in the country … conveniently after Biden revealed his … All’s well that ends well, right? Last year, it was a big deal that the majority believed same sex marriage should be legal for the first time. This year, the gap widened in favor of same sex marriage and with the president’s and vice president’s support like dominos, it’s likely to keep widening. It…

  • Five Boards Your Brand Should Have on Pinterest

    Lizzie
    11 May 2012 | 8:00 am
    I would die before following a board called “our products” on Pinterest. Actually, literally die. C’mon guys! You’re better than this. You’ve heard the buzz around content marketing and Pinterest and you know how important keeping your brand cohesive and engaging is. If you haven’t, then let’s get a few ground rules for Pinterest down: Pinterest is for stunning imagery. Graphics, photography, art … think about how to capture someone’s attention with relevant imagery and forget about the mug shots of your sales team. Unless, of course, they…
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    BuzzFeed - Politics

  • Romney: It's Gotten "Too Vicious" On Both Sides Of The Aisle

    16 May 2012 | 12:43 pm
    Dinging Obama for class warfare at a Florida fundraiser, Romney calls for cooler heads in the fairness discussion. His latest attempt to reframe the economic debate. (Reuters / STEVE NESIUS) Speaking at a fundraiser at a country club in Tampa, Florida, Mitt Romney waded into the debate over economic equality with a call for more reasoned rhetoric — and an attack on President Obama, according to a pool report. "If I'm fortunate enough to become president, I will not do what this president is doing," Romney said. "I don't care what the circumstance is. I am not going to divide…

  • It's All Greek To Romney

    16 May 2012 | 12:29 pm
    As Republicans try to get average voters to care about the deficit, they may have found the perfect object lesson. It has nothing to do with prairie fires. People riot in the streets of Greece, as the country faces severe austerity measures. Source: buggstories.files.wordpress.com With his recent push to put the deficit at the center of the campaign conversation, Mitt Romney faces the challenge of getting swing voters in battleground states — not just fiscal conservatives —to care deeply about national debt, an abstract economic principle whose real-world consequences aren't…

  • Biden "Resents" Republican Wealth Attacks: "They Don't Get Who We Are"

    16 May 2012 | 11:51 am
    Biden fights back against class war. “They think it's envy.” (Reuters / LUCAS JACKSON) YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio — Vice President Joe Biden struck a defiant tone in defense of manufacturing jobs as he kicked off a campaign swing here today."It's about dignity, about respect," Biden said about the need for people to work. “These guys don’t get that,” he added, saying Romney and Republicans believe that the middle class will get by if the wealthy get wealthier. "I resent the fact that they think it’s envy," Biden said. "My mother and father dreamed as…

  • How To Fix Mitt Romney's Laugh

    16 May 2012 | 8:27 am
    Yesterday, acting legend James Lipton offered Mitt Romney some unsolicited advice via New York Magazine on how to act human . Here's the highlight. Via: nymag.com LINK: How to Act Human: Advice for Mitt Romney From Inside the Actors Studio

  • Chris Christie In 2008: "Being In This Country Without Proper Documentation Is Not A Crime"

    16 May 2012 | 8:27 am
    It's a position that could starkly contrast with Mitt Romney's strict stance on illegal immigration. Source: youtube.com New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, sometimes mentioned as a possible running mate for Mitt Romney, stands notably to his party's left on immigration, an issue that could play either way in considering him for a number two spot he's said he's sick of being asked about.Christie staked out his position at forum in 2008."Being in this country without proper documentation is not a crime," Christie said to more than 60 residents and city officials at local…
 
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    Dwindling Empire

  • Those of us on the right simply have to communicate better

    Frustrated Joe
    15 May 2012 | 8:46 pm
    I have never made any bones about the fact that I lean to the right in my political beliefs. Does that mean I believe that all things right are "right" (no pun intended, but it is an ironic use of words)? Two entirely different directions take by people often with the best of intentions Of course not, I am not so naive as to believe the Conservative mindset can do no wrong, nor am I so ignorant to imagine that the Liberal train of thought is never right (that almost seems like an oxymoron). Although, what I do find of interest is that at times the personal commitment to a course of…

  • It's been a busy week... to say the least

    Frustrated Joe
    12 May 2012 | 4:58 pm
    Sorry readers, I have been up to my neck in alligators over the last few weeks, and so have neglected to post anything. Trust me, it wasn't for a lack of material, just personal time. Tom Mulcair Let's start with last weeks statement regarding Alberta's oil industry by the newly chosen leader of the Federal NDP party, Thomas Mulcair. Tommy who owes his parties current standing entirely to the popularity of the late Jack Layton and draws the bulk of his support (number of elected seats) from Ontario and Quebec seems to feel that the prosperity of some regions of the country, namely…

  • They certainly make a fine pair......

    Frustrated Joe
    9 May 2012 | 12:33 pm
    As the American Presidential election gets closer we can expect hear a lot more about the candidates, both the incumbent President Obama and his opponent Republican Mitt Romney. I have a suspicion that this race is going to get down and dirty and will be very "in your face" as both parties have access to large amounts of cash for media buys. Obama will undoubtedly take credit for real and perceived success during his first term in office and will play every card available to him to avoid too much attention being focused on his real legacy and less than desirable achievements that will linger…

  • Now, if Ottawa really wants to get serious about this

    Frustrated Joe
    2 May 2012 | 9:02 am
    So according to a story in the Globe and Mail, Ottawa is apparently going to start having telemarketers underwrite the cost of enforcing the national Do Not Call List. It seems that our  federal government plans to consult with the telemarketing industry in the coming months and implement a permanent funding mechanism to take effect April 1 of next year. Junk Calls, an endless stream Great concept, making the offender responsible for the cost of policing themselves. After all, why should the taxpayer continuously be expected to foot the bill to police industry. I understand the…

  • A short walk, but an unforgivable betrayal

    Frustrated Joe
    26 Apr 2012 | 3:18 pm
    If you read this blog regularly it's no secret that Frustrated Joe's political philosophies tend to differ a great from those of the left, like say the NDP. However, once in while an issue arises that I find myself agreeing (at least partially) with someone I would normally be opposed to. Wow, that was a mouthful. The issue at hand today are the shackles that are placed upon our Members of Parliament when they are expected to vote with their party on issues before Parliament. The particular case in question is that of Bruce Hyer, one of the NDP's northern Ontario MP's. Hyer…
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    visionandvalues.org

  • The Controversial Faith of Barack Obama

    Gary S. Smith
    15 May 2012 | 10:06 am
    President Obama’s recent statement on gay marriage has again thrust his religious views onto the front pages. In defending his position, Obama stressed that he and his wife were “practicing Christians” and that his stance was supported by Christ’s teaching of the Golden Rule. Since his quest to win the U.S. Senate seat from Illinois in 2004, Barack Obama’s faith has provoked controversy. In that campaign, his Republican rival Alan Keyes—a black Catholic—accused Obama of stressing his faith only “when it’s convenient to get votes.” When faith must be followed, explained,…

  • Britain, “Austerity,” and the Lessons of Economic History

    Kyle Latham
    14 May 2012 | 1:03 pm
    Economists and pundits alike are going wild over the United Kingdom’s recent “double dip” recession. The 2008-09 recession prompted the election of a conservative coalition led by Prime Minister David Cameron. Cameron decided the best path for economic recovery was “austerity,” a program of reduced government spending and smaller government debt. The new coalition—with the aid of Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne—sought to drastically slash the government budget. With the addition of increased taxes, the plan was dubbed “Tax and Axe.” Two years later, the United…

  • Reflections on the French Election

    Mark W. Hendrickson
    11 May 2012 | 8:23 am
    Editor’s note: A version of this article first appeared at Forbes.com. The election of Socialist Party candidate Francois Hollande to the presidency of France epitomizes the sorry state of contemporary democracy. By that, I don’t mean to imply that the French people should have voted for the incumbent, Nicolas Sarkozy. Neither would be capable of solving France’s intractable problems in a way acceptable to French voters, nor are the problems with democracy unique to France. To varying degrees they exist throughout Europe as well as here in the United States. The first problem is:…

  • Allen West and His Critics

    Paul G. Kengor
    9 May 2012 | 10:23 am
    Editor’s note: A longer version of this article first appeared at American Spectator. Congressman Allen West (R-Fla.) is being heavily criticized for comments alleging that certain Democratic members of Congress are communists, and he is not backing down. West dared to quantify his accusation, claiming there are “78 to 81” Congressional Democrats who are communists. I want to say three things relating to West’s remarks: First, some criticism of West’s critics. Second, a defense of West’s critics. And, finally, some criticism of West, which I offer constructively. I like Allen…

  • STREAMING VIDEO — Overhauling the Federal Reserve System

    Jeffrey M. Herbener
    8 May 2012 | 4:49 pm
    On Tuesday, May 8, 2012, chair of the department of economics at Grove City College and fellow for economic theory & policy with The Center for Vision & Values—Dr. Jeffrey Herbener—testified before the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Domestic Monetary Policy & Technology on the topic of “Improving the Federal Reserve System: Examining Legislation to Reform the Fed and Other Alternatives.” (A PDF of Dr. Herbener’s full written testimony may be downloaded here.) To view a streaming video of C-SPAN’s coverage of the hearing at the Rayburn House Office Building in…
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    Commonly Qualified Political Analysis

  • Data Behind General Motors (GM) Record Profits

    admin
    29 Apr 2012 | 12:29 pm
    The Data behind the GM Record Profits Story Intro to CommonlyQualified.com:  On the Commonly Qualified Blog, I strive not just to give you another opinion about current Kansas and national stories, but to give you easy links to the rawest data available.  I hope you use these links to educate yourself and form your own opinions.  At the end of each article, I will tell you what conclusions I draw from the data, and I encourage you to tell me where I went wrong.   I have an open mind and want to hear disagreements, but I don’t want just your opinion, I want data to back it up.  If you…

  • Kansas Representatives and CISPA HR 3523

    admin
    28 Apr 2012 | 3:16 pm
    What Kansas Representatives Supported CISPA?  Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) HR 3523 was passed in the US House of Representatives on Thursday April 26th, 2012.  All four of the Kansas Representatives voted in favor of CISPA, the latest effort federal effort to regulate and censor the internet.     Below are the names, and phone numbers for each Kansas Congressperson who voted Yes on CISPA. 1st District Tim Huelskamp (Republican) 202-225-2715, 2nd District Lynn Jenkins (Republican) 202-225-6601, 3rd District Kevin Yoder (Republican) 220-225-2865, 4th District Mike…

  • Status Quo?

    admin
    27 Apr 2012 | 2:31 pm
    I teach my children that nothing stays the same.  I tell them everything is changing every moment.  Living things are either growing or dying.  Objects are either being built and improved or they are eroding.   We are either exercising our minds or we are forgetting the things we once took pride in knowing.    As individuals we are either exercising our bodies or we are becoming weaker.   Our real and metaphorical gardens are either growing food or growing weeds; what flourishes depends on our choices and actions. I work hard to teach my children that there is no such thing as…

  • Governor Brownback & Ron Paul

    admin
    8 Mar 2012 | 9:35 pm
    Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback to Join Ron Paul in Topeka Incumbent GOP governor to attend Dr. Paul’s Shawnee County Town Hall Meeting 2012 Republican Presidential candidate Ron Paul will be joined by incumbent Gov. Sam Brownback at Congressman Paul’s Shawnee County Town Hall Meeting in Topeka.  The event, which is free and open to the public, will be held at 12:30 p.m. CST on Friday, March 9th at the Topeka Performing Arts Center. “We appreciate that Governor Brownback has generously offered to attend one of Ron Paul’s town hall meetings in Kansas, and trust his appearance there will…

  • 3/9 Ron Paul in Topeka

    admin
    7 Mar 2012 | 7:43 pm
    Ron Paul in Topeka KS As part of Ron Paul’s tour of Kansas, Dr. Paul will speak at the Topeka Performing Art Center at 12:30 PM on Friday March 9th.  Doors will open at 11:30 AM. The non-partisan event is free and open to the public. The TPAC venue was chosen to assure that there is room for everyone who wants hear Ron Paul’s message of Liberty for All.  Ron Paul 2012 events have been some of the largest presidential candidate events nationwide.  “Dr. Paul has had crowds as large as 4,000 in locations across the nation.  We don’t expect that many here in Topeka, but I believe his…
 
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    Political News and Opinion from a Multicultural Point of View

  • America’s Got Talent – But, No Educational Opportunities

    Unai Montes-Irueste
    16 May 2012 | 12:29 pm
    (The first in a two-part series) “Being oppressed means the absence of choices.” – bell hooks Here’s a question for those of you who are fans of 1990s pop culture: Do you remember that episode of Beverly Hills 90210 in which authorities discover that Gabrielle Carteris’ character, Andrea Zuckerman, has been secretly living outside of the school district? So, she gets kicked out of school and they lock up her family for illegal enrollment, larceny, theft by deception, and records tampering. Oh – that’s right. Sorry. My mistake. Andrea actually goes on to receive an…

  • In Response to the NY Times: Net Neutrality Was Never Consumer Driven

    Alton Drew
    16 May 2012 | 12:00 pm
    On May 8, 2012, The New York Times’ published an article arguing that innovation requires an open network. The open network concept, referred to as net neutrality, includes as one of its principles the requirement that broadband providers such as Comcast, Verizon, Time Warner Cable, and AT&T, do not unreasonably discriminate against content providers by throttling their data speeds or entering into agreements favoring “high-occupancy” lane treatment for one content provider while relegating other carriers to slower lanes. The concept of nondiscriminatory treatment of traffic has…

  • Judicial Watch Drops Alcee Hastings Accuser as Client

    Lauren Victoria Burke
    16 May 2012 | 11:02 am
    After a much publicized lawsuit kicked off with a press conference at their Washington headquarters over a year ago, conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch has dropped Winsome Packer as a client against Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL). On March 7, 2011, Judicial Watch filed a sexual harassment lawsuit on behalf of Packer, a congressional staffer, against Hastings. However, Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton recently confirmed the group was no longer representing Packer in an interview.  Fitton cited “irreconcilable differences” with Packer as the reason.  Fitton did not speak in…

  • Facebook Tax Dodgers: Profit Off the People and Run

    Jeneba Ghatt
    16 May 2012 | 8:58 am
    There used to be a saying: “You don’t have to do anything but pay taxes and die.” But if your name is Mark Zuckerberg or Eduardo Saverin, you are the co-founders of Facebook, and your company is set to go public this Friday in an IPO, you’ve earned the privilege to avoid one of those absolutes. Federal tax laws are such that Zuckerberg can restructure his ownership in the company and get away with paying no personal income taxes at all – and he could do just that, the New York Times reports. Meanwhile, Saverin, a Brazilian-born naturalized US citizen since 1998, didn’t even…

  • Cathy Hughes

    Elesha Barnette
    16 May 2012 | 7:19 am
    Name: Cathy Hughes Title/Occupation: Founder/Chair Organization/Affiliation: Radio One/SBA Council on Underserved Communities What Makes The Person A Game Changer: After helping a once struggling Howard University radio station increase its annual revenue more than $1 million dollars, in 1979 Cathy Hughes bought a small radio station in Washington, DC. Her purchase would later give life to the largest black-owned radio chain in the nation known as Radio One. Today, Radio One owns 65 radio stations throughout every major U.S. market. Radio One is also the parent company to TV One, REACH Media,…
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    Oleuanna

  • We were free once

    Oleuanna
    30 Apr 2012 | 9:46 pm
    Don’t get mad at me because I am throwing videos up on my blog instead of writing pieces, I just need to finish mind numbing, pubic hair pulling, mundane soaked projects as the month draws to an end but I want to keep your interest and even though I love you as I do, let’s face it, you lot will look at something else that is shinier and wander off like disgruntled chimps in need of play, don’t look at me like that, we both know it’s true. Now my placating is made even worse as my choice of shiny for you has been thrown around the web for years now, don’t care though, I love…

  • THIS DAY IN HISTORY: 29th April 1963

    Oleuanna
    29 Apr 2012 | 9:11 pm
    Thank you WDI Roy Hackett, Owen Henry, Audley Evans, Prince Brown and of course Paul Stephenson, when Boycotts meant something. Employment of first black conductor, 17 September 1963. The reason I posted this as a precursor to my article on the word Nigger is that this was my childhood, some attitudes have changed, some…chose not to, it’s important to realise that.

  • Why is this so difficult for you?

    Oleuanna
    28 Apr 2012 | 9:27 pm
    The signing of a petition was an invention for people who couldn’t either be physically at the cause that concerned them maybe due to distance or could not afford to put money towards enabling the atrocities to be elucidated. It is of course ultimately a show of defiance and protest against the awfulness of a situation that disturbs you, it shows those who you constantly vote into power, that you disagree with the way they handle that matter. The more people that stand up and show their disappointment that such an ill can continue, the more the leaders of the power will HAVE to listen,…

  • How To Fight Race* Prejudice by

    Oleuanna
    24 Apr 2012 | 11:21 am
    “Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it everywhere, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedies” Julius Henry ‘Groucho’ Marx there as if you hadn’t guessed, I rediscovered him recently as I was moving further into my middle age and needed to find reasons not to mature in the way this government led society insists. Why people are in such a hurry to move into old age and die shows a people that really haven’t worked out just how good this life thing is, I call them voters of occlusion, why think when there is a pocket filling government…

  • Discrimination and Police Violence Against Transgender Women in Kuwait

    Oleuanna
    28 Mar 2012 | 9:34 pm
    Transgender people in the West receive a pretty discriminative way of life even though the they are now being represented on Equal Opportunities Monitoring forms on job applications (I was shocked and then binned it) but you may have seen recently on my blog that there is still a long way to go in some of our countries. I far from want to make any comparisons of severity of treatment, any thing or one restricting the freedom of another to express who they are, is a violation of democracy, on saying that, Kuwait has been playing with the idea of the democratic process rather than allowing it…
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    God Makes Lemons Too

  • Thomas Mulcair Protests Bill C-309 With Mask of Vulcan

    AlexanderTrout
    15 May 2012 | 10:24 pm
    Sporting the infamous Mask of Vulcan, Thomas Mulcair leads a protest in opposition to Bill C-309 After proving to be ineffective in challenging the Conservative Juggernaut’s slew of fast-tracked legislation, the NDP have pulled out a wild card that even Stephen Harper is concerned about. The newest bill to be rubber-stamped by the current Conservative majority, Bill C-309, will send masked protesters to jail for up to ten years.  Thomas Mulcair, the leader of the official opposition, stepped into parliament yesterday and threatened to employ the legendary Mask of Vulcan if the Harper…

  • Robo Calls & Pierre Poutine: The Conservative Party to Blame

    AlexanderTrout
    8 May 2012 | 12:39 am
    Pierre Poutine is an enchanted order of Classique poutine from La Banquise, a restaurant in Montreal Conspiracy theories have been flying around Parliament, but in this case, the truth is far stranger than fiction. Pierre Poutine and the robo calls placed in the recent Canadian election were, in fact, both creations of the conservative party. The party allegedly purchased an order of Classique poutine from La Banquise, a popular poutine restaurant in Montreal, and hired a witch to enchant it. The poutine is now a living member of the conservative party, and it turns out that the robo calls…

  • Calgary Comic Con 2012 – The Good, The Bad, and the Naked

    AlexanderTrout
    3 May 2012 | 6:40 pm
    With the exception of He-Man, the men were masked, and the women were drenched in sexuality You may have taken note that comic books and “entertainment” (video games, fantasy card games etc.) have changed since Superman was created back in the dirty thirties.  The level of graphic violence has skyrocketed, and the level of sexualization of the female form couldn’t be increased without comic books entering the realm of porn. It appears that the violence cannot be translated into reality, but the sexualization sure can. What would you conclude if you walked around a corner at…

  • Wildrose Party Loses Election: Smith Revealed as Demon

    AlexanderTrout
    25 Apr 2012 | 12:49 am
    Danielle Smith claims to be Ursula Quackburn, Demon Witch of the Northern Tar Sands Albertans knew the 2012 provincial election was going to be crazy, and now that it’s over, crazy would be an understatement. Not only did Danielle Smith invoke Jesus and recruit Fred Phelps, she has now revealed herself to be Ursula Quackburn, Demon Witch of the North. Shortly after the Wildrose failed to overtake Alberta’s parliament, reporters scrambled to find Smith, but she had disappeared without a trace. Apparently, she was in the back room transmuting into her original form of a Demon Witch.

  • Danielle Smith Recruits Fred Phelps For Wildrose Cabinet

    AlexanderTrout
    19 Apr 2012 | 12:55 am
    Alberta Wildrose leader, Danielle Smith, poses for a publicity shot with Pastor Fred Phelps of the Westboro Baptist Church. Phelps has agreed to help with the campaign on the last few days before the election Danielle Smith and the Wildrose Party shocked Albertans yet again by recruiting the infamous hate-speech specialist, Fred Phelps, Pastor of the  Westboro Baptist Church. It’s hard to say what the strategy is in recruiting a man who is bat-shit crazy, but maybe the Wildrose figures it will balance out the invocation of Jesus a few days earlier. It is also probable that there is a…
 
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