What do the two have in common? Nothing yet, but if we lose any more Republicans up here, they’ll both be in the extinction club. This is the subject of my latest (and wildly popular) column at Pajamas Media. Feel the love!

No matter how old or young you may be, how many times have you remarked to a friend or just made a mental note to yourself, “Say… that looks interesting. I’ll have to get back to that.” I find this happens with things in a wide variety of categories, but mostly entertainment or casual study. There are television series, books, movies, plays and travel destinations which I just know I would enjoy, but I don’t seem to make time for them. Life keeps getting in the way...

I’ve spent more than enough virtual ink wistfully laying out my dreams of ideal Supreme Court nominees, and I’ve reached the acceptance stage in the grief progression. There are no signs that our presidents are going to start ignoring partisan considerations and litmus tests. There was never any chance that George W. Bush was going to nominate a liberal – or even a moderate – to the Supreme Court, and there is zero chance that Barack Obama will nominate a moderate or a conservative....

As one of the regularly appearing authors at Pajamas Media, as well as here at The Moderate Voice, I am frequently called upon to employ the humor and satire tags, covering my occasional efforts to bring a smile to your faces during tough times in he political arena. But few, if any, of my efforts at comedy have been as funny as an entry this week from John Hawkins. “The Right Needs to Play as Dirty as the Left.” Too often today, liberals are using below-the-belt tactics against conservatives...

In case any of you were still laboring under the belief that anyone from AIPAC could ever be convicted of anything in the United States of America, consider yourselves to have been fully disabused of this notion.

Patrick Edaburn already wrote a very insightful article on yesterday’s passage of yet more “hate crime legislation” in the House of Representatives, this time invoking the name of Matthew Shepard. While the people who abducted and murdered Shepard were certainly monsters of the most hateful sort, their biggest crime may not be the assault on Shepard’s person, but the damage they wind up doing to our legal system. Matters are not helped when members of Congress run off at the...

Our alert staff already tipped you off to the breaking Arlen Specter story today, (see Holly and Patrick for details) but I have a few more brief thoughts to add. Pennsylvania is a perfect microcosm of what I’ve seen going on in my former party for some time now. The land of Rocky is a swing state which has been swinging in precisely the wrong direction for the GOP for several cycles now. To see how this illustrates the future of the GOP – at least in its current story arc – we...

While our last effort was unfortunately scrubbed due to a scheduling conflict, today on Movie Addict Headquarters, (4 pm Eastern Time) we will finally be conducting our live interview with that legend of stage and screen, Cloris Leachman. In addition to reminiscing over her fantastic career, we’ll be taking a look at Cloris’ recently released autobiography, Cloris. If you’d like to join us with your own questions or memories from Ms. Leachman’s career, stop by today and join...

For an interesting look at one of the front-line warriors in the abortion wars, be sure to stop by the L.A. Times for their profile of culture warrior, Lila Rose. (For disclosure’s sake, I’ve had the chance to sit in on a number of interviews between the subject in question and Ed Morrissey during his daily talk show.) While you can find out much more from the linked article and her own web site, the short version runs thusly: Ms. Rose is an anti-abortion crusader who looks much younger...

Joe Windish has already been covering this for you, but I wanted to share a few thoughts on the looming prospect of an influenza pandemic. Reports are already reaching us this morning that eleven people have died in Mexico, but people are recovering from the disease at a few locations in the United States, specifically in New York City. Why? Are we some sort of super-species? Does the swine flu have too much class and good taste to go around killing Americans, choosing instead to focus its efforts...

Word is coming out of Albany that Jim Tedisco, facing a growing deficit in the results of the March 31 special election – may concede defeat to political neophyte Scott Murphy today. A finish line could be in sight in the race for the 20th Congressional District. With the numbers not looking good for Republican Jim Tedisco, sources tell Capital News 9 that Tedisco could concede to Democrat Scott Murphy as soon as Friday afternoon. There are roughly 1,000 paper ballots left to open and Murphy’s...

This morning, on Mid Stream Radio, Cindy and I will be talking to Roger Simmermaker, the author of How Americans Can Buy American: The Power of Consumer Patriotism. We’ll talk about the difficulties Americans face in finding “Made in the USA” type products on the shelves and the impact of government policy on prices, product quality, wages and unions. Tune in at the link above for our interview, or call in to (646) 595-3963 with your own questions and comments. See you on the radio.

I have recently heard plenty of harebrained attacks on President Obama, ranging from the inane to the clearly ginned up, and I’ve done my best to call out the perpetrators. But when he screws the pooch, as every administration inevitably does, we also need to call him out on it. That’s why I find myself reading the New York Times today and wondering what the heck is going on in the West Wing these days. Obama Won’t Bar Inquiry, or Penalty, on Interrogations WASHINGTON — President...

This morning I find myself taking one side of a dueling columnist battle at Pajamas Media, with my article on Why Megan McCain is Right. This is poised against Kim Priestap’s piece on Why Megan McCain is Wrong. On the surface it may seem difficult to defend the opinions of a 24 year old when it comes to an issue as weighty as the future of a major political party and the establishment of an ancient political ideology such as conservatism. There’s certainly an element of that attitude...

Since so many other people are already piling on to the party, I won’t spend too much time wondering why Jane Harmon was allegedly caught chatting up an Israeli spy, likely an associate of AIPAC. The question of the day for TMV readers is the following: what do all of these posts have in common? Harmon Recorded Making Deal With Israeli Agents Harman caught on wiretap bargaining for intervention in espionage case Dem Harman Caught On Tape Making Deals For Committee Chairmanship Well, they have...

In a move sure to swell his already legendary popularity among the GOP’s Christian Conservative base, Rick Moran of Right Wing Nuthouse takes up his pen this weekend to make the case for why conservatives need to reject their opposition to gay marriage. A number of specific points are raised, which make the entire essay worth a read, but an interesting baseline is set with the following: There is no delegitimizing love be it between a man and a woman or two members of the same sex. The same...

A disturbing story is stinking up the joint this week, and it centers on Barack Obama’s decision to release Bush administration memos on torture. (Or enhanced interrogation techniques, if you prefer.) I noticed that Glenn Greenwald was wrestling with the questions surrounding it today. My problem isn’t with the answers so much as the questions themselves which are being raised, and more importantly, the one which is not. The two questions on many people’s lips seem to be: 1. Should...

On top of our recent discussion about how the Fauxrage inspiring DHS report on right wing extremist groups was actually ordered during the Bush administration, there is now news the the FBI is “targeting” veterans for similar reasons. While this will doubtless be blamed on the current, veteran hating president as well, these investigations also began during the prior administration. The Federal Bureau of Investigation earlier this year launched a nationwide operation targeting white supremacists...

Going all the way back to Bush v Gore 2000 right up through the 2008 runoff Senate election in Georgia and the endless ballet being danced by Norm Coleman and Al Franken, clearly Americans are tired of long, drawn out, contested electoral battles. Seizing on this groundswell of voter unrest, Jim Tedisco made a bold move last night and asked the county Supreme Court to put an end to this nonsense and declare him the winner. COLUMBIA COUNTY — 20th Congressional District candidate Republican Jim Tedisco...

In my latest column at Pajamas Media, I have the next in our series of articles on fuel efficiency and economy in automobiles. In this edition I describe a course some of us took on “eco-driving” and how to save gas during the daily commute no matter what type of vehicle you own. We also look at consumer reactions to gas prices and the somewhat angry response toward Detroit by some prospective shoppers. Enjoy. UPDATE: Today, NY City Mayor Bloomberg will be endorsing eco-driving for the...

In the past, I have used my modest platform here to chastise some Democrats for being “sore losers” and not doing a very good job of playing the part of the loyal opposition while they were in the minority. I was apparently way off base, not knowing the the depths to which sore loserhood can be taken. Georgia Senate threatens dismantling of USA It wasn’t quite the firing on Fort Sumter that launched the Civil War. But on April 1, your Georgia Senate did threaten by a vote of 43-1...

Tonight’s edition of your tax dollars at work features a screaming, victorious headline from the fair and balanced folks at Fox News, proclaiming in virtual ink writ large, Napolitano Apologizes for Offending Veterans. You know, I watched the video of that apology, and somehow it seemed like a bit less of a “walkback” than one might think from a highly placed official who had allegedly tarred and besmirched the honor and reputation of not only me, but every veteran from Paul Revere...

Jeff Emanuel has high praise today for the “Tea Parties” taking place at various locations around the country, a topic which thus far I’ve pretty much passed on. First, it’s being covered from hell to breakfast all across the blogosphere, and second… it’s getting blown out of proportion for all the wrong reasons. To be clear, I’m not “protesting” these protests, nor do I plan on “crashing them” even if I had that much free time on...

It’s been a busy couple of weeks on the Fauxrage Watch, but there’s no rest for either the wicked or the easily amused. Today’s edition comes from the continuing outburst of indignation over a Department of Homeland Security report (download the .pdf) which warned law enforcement groups about potential “right wing extremists” who may be planning mayhem on the home front. At the risk of being labeled (yet again) some sort of far Left sympathizer, I feel compelled to...

As you prepare to tuck the children in bed for the night this week, you can share with them the latest in the never ending series of fairy tales from our two eternally warring magical kingdoms, Bluetopia and Redland. All the citizens of these two enchanted realms, from the royalty to the knights to the pompous mayors and the drudges working the fields do their utmost keep their battles raging and entertain us all. Redland is a wondrous place, with a rich, deep history, though it has recently fallen...