Via Nerdwallet. An infographic on who Obama will pick: Via: NerdWallet … [Read more...] about The Presidential Cabinet: Who Will Obama Pick? [Infographic]
Homeless Boy Steals Talent Show (Video)
A controversy (what else?) rages on parts of the Internet. Is this real or "fake" (his hair was too good, etc.). From Korea's version of "America's Got Talent": a homeless boy steals the talent show. It is an uplifting piece: … [Read more...] about Homeless Boy Steals Talent Show (Video)
Syria and Chemical Weapons: An Unmovable Line in the Sand?
Are we seeing the beginning of the end of Syria's detestable Bashar-al Assad regime -- or the beginning of a new international crisis swirling around it? Or both? A new line in the sand is being sternly drawn by American officials over the Assad regime using chemical weapons, but the question is whether this will be an enduring line in the sand. Abraham Lincoln once said: … [Read more...] about Syria and Chemical Weapons: An Unmovable Line in the Sand?
Tea Party Purges and Departures
“History repeats itself,” Karl Marx proclaimed, “first as tragedy then as farce.” The Tea Party is now acting out a pathetic parody of Communism’s Great Terror of the 1930s in the name of ideological purity and for the same reason, paranoid fear of losing control over true believers. In the fiscal cliff’s shadow, House Republicans remove from key committees two … [Read more...] about Tea Party Purges and Departures
Dysfunction and Lies: Senate Vote Beyond Shameful
Updated. This is why Congressional approval rating is in the doldrums. There was a Republican in the White House when Congress passed the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990. And a Republican, Bob Dole (KS), who helped push it through. It was the culmination of a legal movement that got national purchase with Section 504 of the 1973 Rehabilitation Act. On … [Read more...] about Dysfunction and Lies: Senate Vote Beyond Shameful
Israel Faces Lowest Point in Europe Relations in Decades (Guest Voice)
Israel faces lowest point in Europe relations in decades (via The Christian Science Monitor) The unusually strong European rebuke of Israel’s plans to tighten its grip on land sought for a Palestinian state marks at least a 30-year low point in relations, say Israeli foreign policy scholars. While the nature of Europe’s complaint is not new, the tone reflects both … [Read more...] about Israel Faces Lowest Point in Europe Relations in Decades (Guest Voice)
Ailes: Buh-Bye for Now to Karl Rove and Dick Morris on Fox News
If you ever had any doubt that Fox News maven Roger Ailes was a smart businessman who tries to protect his brand, this news erases it: New York Magazine reports that Ailes has ordered until-this-election-considered-a-political-genius Karl Rove and the-most-reliably-wrong-pundit-on-the-air Dick Morris kept off the air -- or at least not put on the air unless producers get … [Read more...] about Ailes: Buh-Bye for Now to Karl Rove and Dick Morris on Fox News
Wish List (Cartoon)
LEGAL NOTICE ON CARTOON: This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Reproduction elsewhere without licensing is strictly prohibited. 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 Wish List (Cartoon)
Furor Over Picture of New York Subway Death
Furor over picture of New York subway death (via AFP) A New York Post front page picture of a man about to be killed by an oncoming subway train provoked fury Tuesday from readers left wondering why nobody, particularly the photographer, tried to pull the victim to safety -- and why the tabloid published the image. Police say the victim was thrown onto… … [Read more...] about Furor Over Picture of New York Subway Death
PPP Poll: Republicans Not Handling Election Results Well (AT ALL)
Whatever happened to the good, 'ol days when partisans on the losing side of an election would try to find out what went wrong, then get to work to do better next time -- rather than seeking fictional scapegoats or talking about pulling out of the United States since their side won? Apparently, we're not quite in those days anymore: PPP's first post election national poll … [Read more...] about PPP Poll: Republicans Not Handling Election Results Well (AT ALL)
GOP Should Moderate Social Platform to Win Over Fiscally Conservative Youth (Guest Voice)
GOP should moderate social platform to win over fiscally conservative youth (via The Christian Science Monitor) Though the presidential election is now weeks past, Republicans continue to soul-search about the best path forward. With the fiscal cliff looming, some Republicans have worried publicly that their party will be perceived as protecting the wealthy if … [Read more...] about GOP Should Moderate Social Platform to Win Over Fiscally Conservative Youth (Guest Voice)
US Senate Fails to Ratify UN Treaty on Disabilities
US Senate fails to ratify UN treaty on disabilities (via AFP) The US Senate on Tuesday failed to ratify the UN convention protecting the rights of the disabled, a treaty whose approval would create no change in US law but encountered Republican resistance. Lawmakers voted 61-38 in favor of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, but fell … [Read more...] about US Senate Fails to Ratify UN Treaty on Disabilities
College Removes “Men Working” Sign As Sexist
I think somebody is overreacting just a little bit here … [Read more...] about College Removes “Men Working” Sign As Sexist
The Military Mission and Budget Talks
A couple of days ago I lamented that cuts in the Defense Budget seemed to be absent in the budget discussions. But it goes much deeper than that. What we really need is a discussion of foreign policy goals and the mission of military. While I never approved of the United States being the World's policeman it should be obvious to anyone not living in a bubble we can no longer … [Read more...] about The Military Mission and Budget Talks
Boehner Plays a Weak Hand
WASHINGTON -- How dare he? President Obama, I mean: How dare he do what he promised during the campaign? How dare he insist on a "balanced approach" to fiscal policy that includes an teensy-weensy tax increase for the rich? Oh, the humanity. Republicans are having conniptions. Witness the way House Speaker John Boehner reacted when Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner … [Read more...] about Boehner Plays a Weak Hand
Poll: Republicans Losing Glame Game on Fiscal Cliff
You have to start seriously asking yourself whether Republicans area actively working to turn their party into a minority party, a demograpic for Fox News advertisers and Rush Limbaugh rather than a party that seeks to garner more votes than Democrat. Especially when you see a poll like this: A majority of Americans say that if the country goes over the fiscal cliff on … [Read more...] about Poll: Republicans Losing Glame Game on Fiscal Cliff
West Warns Damascus on Chemical Weapons
West warns Damascus on chemical weapons (via AFP) Western powers warned Damascus Tuesday there would be an immediate reaction to any use of chemical weapons as NATO prepared to approve a Turkish request for missiles to protect its border with Syria. "The possible use of chemical weapons would be completely unacceptable to the whole international community… … [Read more...] about West Warns Damascus on Chemical Weapons
Corporate Political Activism May Not Be Good for Companies’ Bottom Lines
That's suggested by data featured in today's Harvard Business Review Daily Stat: Big U.S. corporations that created political action committees and made other forays into politics bounced back with less bounce from the financial crisis, according to a study of S&P 500 firms by John C. Coates IV of Harvard Law School. The post-2008 increase in these companies' … [Read more...] about Corporate Political Activism May Not Be Good for Companies’ Bottom Lines
Who Appointed Grover Norquist America’s Financial Watchdog?
As America faces the fiscal cliff with time running short, the specter of Grover Norquist looms over the negotiations, with the vast majority of Republicans who signed his no-tax pledge reluctant to consider raising taxes. While a few GOP dissidents have broken with him, most of the signatories to his pledge continue to hold the line. Who is Grover Norquist and who gave this … [Read more...] about Who Appointed Grover Norquist America’s Financial Watchdog?
The Beginning of Boehner’s Long Goodbye
All this has to end with tears, the Speaker’s tanned face crinkling with self-pity as he steps down from high office never imagined by a boy who swept out his grandfather’s saloon. Unlike his GOP predecessor Tom DeLay, John Boehner will be brought down not by corruption but ideological crossfire between a now-liberated President and an immovable Tea Party caucus led by his … [Read more...] about The Beginning of Boehner’s Long Goodbye