Around The ‘Sphere

Links are from sites with varying viewpoints. Opinions expressed do not necessarily express the views of TMV or its co-bloggers.

More On What Is A Moderate: Our co-blogger Jack Grant sparked quite a discussion here and on his blog by exploring that subject. Here are some additional thoughts via The Classless Society (which we bet Jack will discuss at a future date in some detail). PS: Anyone who has read this blog by now has a teeney weenie idea that we have some strong convictions — and throughout political history having a strong conviction never has meant someone was not considered a moderate, not by historians or by the news media at the time. Read history and you’ll find “moderate” Republicans and Democrats who were at the forefront of issues. They weren’t reclassified. Why? Because in those days the focus was more on issues rather than on personalities.

Due to our schedule we’re passing on this debate (for now) and will not demand liberals prove they’re liberals, conservatives prove they’re conservatives because, frankly, that is NOT why we started a blog to ask other bloggers to prove their ideology or party. And if some folks don’t like the way we define ourselves then we just guess they’ll have to not like the way we define ourselves. We WILL take up this general topic at a later date when we have time (and we don’t — all posts here today are being done quickly before we leave a hotel). We’ll simply say: if some don’t consider TMV a moderate then it’s YOUR right to think what you want if it makes you happy. While you’re at it: consider TMV a Brad Pitt look alike, too.

Journalistic Overstating? Paul Geary of The New Editor puts a Reuters story under his microscope and points out how certainties on this story on global warming seemingly change within the same story — depending on how the reporter describes it. (Our journalism profs and editors would have made it consistent).

The JFK Assassination Revisited: In our post on our Watergate memories we noted that most people can remember where they were when JFK was assassinated. This led to us getting an email from this intriguing site on JFK (we read everything on this subject so we immediately checked it out). People are still split over whether to accept the official version or the various theories. This site does a good job of making the case for the non-government theory. What remains interesting about the JFK assassination is that people who believe the Warren Report look down their noses at the conspiracy theory buffs; the conspiracy theory buffs look down their noses at those who believe the Warren Report.

Do You Have A Blog And Want To Directly “Debate” An Issue? If so, read this from The Daily Demarche and you can get involved (and probably get some good extra exposure.

Lawmaker Wants Minimum Wage For Comedians: No joke.

Are Reporters Like Breeds Of Dogs? Lullaby Pit, looking at Watergate and how the press covers government and The Elite in general, thinks so — and makes the case here.

Is The GOP Paying A Heavy Price For Social Conservatives’ Influence? Bull Moose (one of our FAVORITES in style and content — a blog we proudly have in our Center Voices column) thinks so. He has several posts on the subject and here’s a bit from one:

After months of slavishly following the dictates of the Dobson crowd, the Bushies and their Republican sycophants are paying the price. Live by the base and die by the base has been the reigning philosophy of the Rovian crowd. The hard-core supposedly got them re-elected and now they are an albatross around their necks.

The GOP is suffering from the Dobson Syndrome named after the noted child psychologist and religious zealot Dr. James Dobson. The Syndrome strikes when the base is spoiled and coddled by an over-indulgent President which causes him to lose parental authority. The only solution? Taking them over his knee and giving them a good spanking – pretty unlikely from this Baby Boomer President who was raised on the teachings of Dr. Spock.

He then points to a Washington Post poll that shows GWB is starting to alienate the independent voter. And he adds:

Independents hold the key to the Democratic revival. While the Democrats must continue to oppose the Bushie agenda, they must also have an explicit non-partisan appeal to those who are unaffiliated…Dr. Moose suggests that Democrats need to reconnect with their inner Clinton.

PRECISELY. And this is why DNC Chair Howard Dean’s June Mammoth Mouth Offensive is counter productive for the party. Democrats, it seems, are working quite hard to pull defeat from the jaws of potential victory. The White House is having a hard time navigating between pleasing Dobson & Co. and keeping independent support. Instead of capitalizing on this and building bridges, Dean seems intent on stating things in a way that will chase potential allies away.

A SMOOTHER OPERATOR would capitalize on the GOP’s political and legislative stumbles by maintaining the support the Democrats already have and building on it. Dean seems to be in perpetual campaign mode and is grabbing the spotlight and taking it away from the GOP…and even away from his party.. and putting it on himself. One of the most vocal liberals lambasting Dean for putting the spotlight on him and his own mouth instead of on his party, its priorities and potential programs is liberal talk show host Ed Schulz (who almost sounds like Rush Limbaugh but with a slightly different accent — and different ideas).

More Bad News For The EU Constitution: It’s also losing support in New Europe.

The Approval Of The Nomination of California State Supreme Court Justice Janice Rogers Brown to a for-life seat on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit: The ever independent Talking Dog gives you his as-always non-blog-speak analysis. And, as always, it’s a must read. A small taste 4 U:

I’m one of those sticks-in-the-mud who believes that, for the most part, the judiciary is a pretty intrinsically conservative branch by nature (think stare decisis) as it is, and while certainly individual judges can move the law in their own way, compared to, say, the legislative branch which is actually charged with legislation, or the now-all-powerful executive branch, let’s just say I’m not particularly worried about the occasional “extremist” judge as compared to, say, a President and Congress (both parties) blithely unconcerned with the nation’s fiscal integrity, environmental health, compliance with its own laws (such as those against torture, for example), actual security or international standing. That’s just me, of course.

Should Spanking Be Banned? We’re talking about spanking of CHILDREN, of course. The issue has come up in Massachusetts — like in the legislature — and John Hawkins has some thoughts on that.