Andrew Sullivan reviews the dim prospects of a reform movement among conservative Republicans on The Daily Dish. His gloomy outlook was reinforced by the Palin impeachment blast. It’s certainly possible, although unlikely, that a Republican could win the presidency in 2016. But what I’d look for in the meantime in the reformicon future is what contribution they could make in … [Read more...] about Reformicons?
The reality of sudden poverty
My boyfriend proposed, and we bought a house. Then, just three weeks after we closed, the market crashed. The house we’d paid $240,000 for was suddenly worth $150,000. It was okay, though — we were still making enough money to cover the exorbitant mortgage payments. Then we weren’t. This is the story of an educated, white, middle-class couple (both employed in journalism, … [Read more...] about The reality of sudden poverty
Idiocracy Think Obama Visited a Mosque on July 4
Idiocracy Think Obama Visited a Mosque on July 4 By Dick Polman It's always fun to punk the trolls. Our saga begins on July 2, when a satirical website, National Report, posted this deadpan dispatch: "White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest announced today that President Obama will be visiting a Washington D.C. area Mosque on the morning of July 4 as a good will gesture … [Read more...] about Idiocracy Think Obama Visited a Mosque on July 4
Death of Bachelorette contestant Eric Hill spurs reality to break out on reality TV show
Death of Bachelorette contestant Eric Hill spurs reality to break out on reality TV show … [Read more...] about Death of Bachelorette contestant Eric Hill spurs reality to break out on reality TV show
Sarah Palin Calls for Obama Impeachment — and for Impeachment Support to be Political Litmus Test
[icopyright one button toolbar] Bad news for the Republican Party: its already D.O.A. blueprint for "rebranding" that was summarily rejected by conservative talkers and Tea Partiers, and hopes that Republicans won't continue to spend their time going after other Republicans now seem more hopeless than ever. Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, a quintessentially political … [Read more...] about Sarah Palin Calls for Obama Impeachment — and for Impeachment Support to be Political Litmus Test
You Say Red, He Says Tight
[icopyright one button toolbar] Chris Mooney has a post on another way to look at the polarization between the states, Forget Red State, Blue State: Is Your State "Tight" or "Loose"? It is obvious to anyone who has traveled around the United States that cultural assumptions, behaviors, and norms vary widely. We all know, for instance, that the South is more politically … [Read more...] about You Say Red, He Says Tight
Democrats now take the lead
[icopyright one button toolbar] Maybe it was the Supreme Court's outrageous political decision, its religiosity, and its paternalism that finally did it, but the Democrats are now in the lead politically as we slide towards November. Political Wire reports on the latest Quinnipiac poll showing 41/39 lead in the "generic House ballot." Democrats like democracy and a … [Read more...] about Democrats now take the lead
Internet Cell Phone Abbreviation Overload
OMG I get a kick out of people who use all the internet and cell phone abbreviations LOL but it has been quite a day I was on the line 45 minutes waiting to talk to Social Security SOS and finally had to hang up BS and then had to order a CD on line but learned Pocket Songs went out of business CRAP and talked to an LA company and the guy I ordered it from had a real attitude … [Read more...] about Internet Cell Phone Abbreviation Overload
Racism in a California coffee shop
[icopyright one button toolbar] Racism in a California coffee shop By Rabbi Ben Kamin ENCINITAS, California -- As I sat at my laptop in a neighborhood Starbucks, working (ironically) on a screenplay about Martin Luther King Jr. and his mysterious Jewish advocate Stanley Levison, the young man tapped on a hardback I had placed next to me. It was Bruce Watson’s painfully … [Read more...] about Racism in a California coffee shop
Who’s to blame for America’s almost chaotic crisis coping? Obama, Congress or the Media?
[icopyright one button toolbar] There seems to be a pattern in the United States' crisis-coping. NBC's First Read nails the multi-fronted problem. The question is which of the likely causes is t-h-e cause. Or as America moves further into a noisier, media and partisan saturated 21st century are we witnessing a series of factors converging that foster damaging constraints … [Read more...] about Who’s to blame for America’s almost chaotic crisis coping? Obama, Congress or the Media?
Good News for Veterans’ Survivors
Here is some good news from that much-maligned Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) -- good news for those who have just lost a veteran spouse at a time when good news is so sorely needed. According to a VA release: New burial regulations effective today will now allow the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to automatically pay the maximum amount allowable under law … [Read more...] about Good News for Veterans’ Survivors
Corporations and the Courts
Are consumers and employees getting a fair shake from the courts when they institute legal challenges against corporations? Many legal scholars would say no, arguing that the justice system has become skewed in favor of corporate interests and that the average American cannot expect to get a fair hearing from the court system when fighting corporate adversaries. This disparity … [Read more...] about Corporations and the Courts
The BBC and science reporting: avoid “false balance”
[icopyright one button toolbar] Update 2: 10:55 am Pacific, 8 July 2014 BBC admonished for giving climate change deniers equal air time BBC staff told to stop inviting cranks on to science programmes Stop Giving Airtime to Crackpots BBC to Censor Scientists that Question Global Warming BBC's "Crank-less" Science Policies May Lead To Censorship BBC strives for … [Read more...] about The BBC and science reporting: avoid “false balance”
NSA’s misguided mission
WASHINGTON -- Even those who believe the National Security Agency's vacuum-cleaner surveillance of electronic communications does not trample privacy rights should be troubled by this practical implication: If you try to know everything, you end up knowing nothing. An investigation by The Washington Post, which examined a cache of intelligence reports provided by … [Read more...] about NSA’s misguided mission
Mike Peters Guest Cartoon: Businesses Respond to Hobby Lobby Decision
Businesses Respond to Hobby Lobby Decision by Mike Peters [icopyright one button toolbar] Of related interest: --Hobby Lobby case empowers millions of businesses to sue government, experts say --Why the Hobby Lobby Decision Is a Stunning Setback for Women's Rights --Will Hobby Lobby decision affect business owners who don't want to serve gay weddings in Oregon? --Too … [Read more...] about Mike Peters Guest Cartoon: Businesses Respond to Hobby Lobby Decision
Legislative Measures Needed To Keep Illegal Wild Elephant Trade At Bay
Legislative Measures Needed To Keep Illegal Wild Elephant Trade At Bay … [Read more...] about Legislative Measures Needed To Keep Illegal Wild Elephant Trade At Bay
Cartoon: Gerrymandering
See great cartoons by all the top political cartoonists at http://cagle.com. To license this cartoon for your own site, visit http://politicalcartoons.com … [Read more...] about Cartoon: Gerrymandering
Our progressive Constitution
WASHINGTON -- You cannot talk for very long to a conservative these days without hearing the words "constitutional" and "constitutionalist." Formulations such as "I am a constitutional conservative" or "I am a constitutionalist" are tea party habits, but they are not confined to its ranks. Many kinds of conservatives contend that everything they believe is thoroughly … [Read more...] about Our progressive Constitution
Israel confronts ‘moral crisis’ after burning death of Arab teen
Israel confronts 'moral crisis' after burning death of Arab teen … [Read more...] about Israel confronts ‘moral crisis’ after burning death of Arab teen
Mine Eyes Have Seen the Gory
The slide towards inevitable armed conflict can be seen from far away. I even predicted it a long ways out (See "The Rush-ians Are Coming, The Rush-ians Are Coming" December, 1994). Now, a Federal Judge discusses the fundamental madness of this Supreme Court's 100+ 5-4 majority, The Alter Boys: Remembering Alexander Bickel's passive virtues and the Hobby Lobby cases RGK … [Read more...] about Mine Eyes Have Seen the Gory