In a cleverly titled article at Politico — “The audacity of nope” — writers Jeremy Lott and W. James Antle III set up Congressman Ron Paul as the antithesis of not only Sen. Barack Obama but the entire field of presidential candidates, Republicans and Democrats alike. Lott and Antle make a good point, but in the process, they miss a much larger (and more obvious) point, namely: Paul and his “no” message might be polling well, but Obama’s “yes”...

Assorted items from the past week, wherein the writers attempt to strike a balanced note on current affairs or challenge us to review and refine our own sense of balance, of what’s right and wrong, fair and unfair, rational and not. ————————– ‘Twas the day after Christmas and all through the ‘sphere, no one really cared who was balanced or not … except me, of course. Steve Clemons asks two so-called Christians to show...

Why do so many of us root for underdogs? Because they resonate with our sense of “fairness and justice” and we frequently believe they “put forth more effort than top-dogs.” At least, that’s what researchers at the University of South Florida have concluded after a series of studies on the subject. From the summary of their findings at PsychCentral: ” … in one study using the Israeli and Palestinian conflict, the participants were given the same essay about...

Dispirited by the evil that plagues our planet? Need some evidence, no matter how small, that there are still good people left in this world? Check out this tale of one soldier and one Iraqi child. Photo credit: Associated Press.

All voters compromise. Sooner or later, no matter how pure our intentions, we settle for a candidate who generally represents what we believe, but with whom we also disagree on any number of policy points. The reasons for this compromise should be rather obvious. First, perfection remains the great elusive goal of the human race. Second, no two human brains are wired exactly the same, meaning that if we really desired the perfect candidate for each of us, then each of us would be a candidate. Combined,...

If you’re a map-freak like me, or otherwise fascinated by “the intersection of politics and geography,” you’ll enjoy this relatively new site, launched about two months ago by Patrick Offenhof, an analyst for New Media Strategies. H/t Jonathan Martin.

Assorted items from the past week, wherein the writers attempt to strike a balanced note on current affairs or challenge us to review and refine our own sense of balance, of what’s right and wrong, fair and unfair, rational and not. ————————– Ed Morrissey praises a recent change to the Freedom of Information Act. As someone who has been, more than once, on the receiving end of FOIA-request delays, I have to agree with the good captain’s...

If one of my esteemed co-editors or another TMV contributor already made reference to this week-long series of leading-candidate profiles in the WaPo, I apologize for the duplication. But in my all-too-frequent mode of being late to the party, I just discovered these articles, and I found them quite impressive and compellingly thorough — and I wanted to share the link with anyone else who suffers from a similar “hey, I didn’t know that was there” syndrome. My man McCain is...

Once again, for the record, we need a new crop of Republicans in Washington — Republicans who recognize the moral imperative of complying with the Geneva Conventions. John Cole has details.

Assorted writers who attempt to strike a balanced note on current affairs or improve our ability to find our own sense of balance by exposing us to new information and different points-of-view ————————– Jim Manzi revisits his argument against a carbon tax. [H/t Andrew Sullivan.] Rick Moran tackles an enduring question: Does hate speech induce hateful (even murderous) actions? Sean Aqui rebuts the “easy” argument against global climate-change...

For the second installment in this occasional series (do two installments a series make?) … we draw your attention to Steve Benen, who gives props to John McCain for the latter’s comment about global warming during yesterday’s (by all reports, exremely boring) GOP debate: John McCain actually had a really good answer about climate change: “Suppose that climate change is not real, and all we do adopt green technologies, which our economy and our technology is perfectly capable...

You will be hard pressed to find subjects on which Rev. Robertson and I agree. Even on the subject of this post, my agreement is less with what he said in early November to justify his endorsement of Rudy G., more with what he implied. He said: “… the overriding issue before the American people is the defense of our population from the blood lust of Islamic terrorists” … other issues “pale into insignificance.” Translation: Foreign policy is more important than culture policy...

As some of you know by now, Andrew Sullivan has written an absolutely fascinating essay on the potential transformative power of an Obama presidency, published in the December 2007 edition of The Atlantic. [Note: Shaun Mullen offered his take on this essay a month ago; reference here. My belated take follows. Ironically, while I failed to read Shaun's commentary prior to drafting mine, we reached a remarkably similar conclusion about Obama's prospects in 2008, albeit for different reasons.] In...

I understand the value of Iowa and New Hampshire, the up-close-and-personal politics they require. But really, folks, isn’t it time to move on? Mob mentality is rarely, if ever, a good thing. Yet we continue to elect our Presidents largely on that basis. Why? Ben Smith has more.

Assorted writers who attempt to strike a balanced note on current affairs or improve our ability to find our own sense of balance by exposing us to new information and different points-of-view ————————– Joel Kotkin and Fred Siegel believe the Democrats have lost their historic focus on the concerns of middle-class Americans, an error-in-judgement about which Sen. Schumer already warned his party. (H/t McQ.) Speaking of the middle class, Michael...

Though this news is not surprising, I experienced a mild bout of inexplicable melancholy upon reading it, recognizing that yet another a slice of nostalgia will soon be relegated to the dusty corners of our museums and memories. AT&T Inc. plans to exit the pay-phone business by the end of 2008, company officials said Monday. The largest telephone company in the United States is pulling out of the market at a time when consumers are relying more heavily on alternatives, such as wireless phones....

Even if you don’t care about the scuffle between the NFL Network and major cable companies, the chances are pretty good that you’ve heard at least something about it. Because I work for a major cable company, I’m not going to offer a direct opinion on this subject, although you can probably divine my thoughts on the matter based on the two linked sources below. The first is an editorial by prominent Dallas sportscaster Dale Hansen, aired last week, prior to the NFC showdown between...

Some of you will remember “The Letter,” my attempt to amplify the voice of moderate Republicans and Independents. Around the middle of June this year, I launched the signature drive. Today, we have 40 names, collected at an average pace of eight a month, two a week. On the one hand, considering a country of some 200 million voting-age adults (of which an estimated 80 million are Republicans and conservative Independents) — who really cares what 40 people think? On the other hand,...

Ben Smith has the details.

“Live in such a way that you would not be ashamed to sell your parrot to the town gossip.” – Will Rogers ——————- OK, I know, that one reaches way, way back. And I also have to confess that I found it today on a source so pedestrian I’m almost embarrassed to admit it, but I will anyway: Google’s “Quote of the Day” feature. But hey, it’s still a great quote, and one that suggests a standard so incredibly high I doubt...

Assorted writers who attempt to strike a balanced note on current affairs or improve our ability to find our own sense of balance by exposing us to new information and different points-of-view ————————– Expat Teacher gets us started today by thinking ahead to the time when any one of the leading (read: debate-participating) Democratic contendors for the White House might actually be in the White House, and then asking himself: “What type...

Granted, I might be the last remaining McCain fan among TMV’s authors and readers, but I still believe there’s something to be said for the elegant simplicity of his latest campaign ad, including its marked focus on his record rather than his opponents’ flaws. Then again, I’m not sure even I want a candidate proficient at angering people. Yes, I think we need a President with McCain’s integrity, but we also need one (desperately) who can be an effective bridge builder....

Earlier this month, Comcast — the nation’s largest cable broadband company — was caught doing what any good Internet Service Provider (ISP) should do, i.e., manage its network to ensure that the online activities of the few don’t interfere with the online activities of the many, or in the words of Comcast EVP David Cohen: Comcast does not, has not, and will not block any Web sites or online applications, including peer-to-peer services, and no one has demonstrated otherwise. We...

This report suggests we may effectively know the winner of the GOP nomination before we know the winner of the Super Bowl … unless of course the age requirement in the Constitution is magically waived in the next couple of months, prompting Patriots QB Tom Brady to seek the Presidency as a Republican — a mythical scenario that only St. Louis Rams fans (still perplexed by Brady’s summary dismissal of their club in 2002) would think possible.