The Reagan-Clinton rule is something I developed as a way to try and keep myself honest when it came to political discourse and my opinions about political figures. I use the terms Reagan and Clinton because they fit into my generation but any names can be used. The basic idea is to select on person who you generally agree with and who you generally find to be a good person … [Read more...] about The Reagan-Clinton Rule
Romney’s Smile and Obama’s Frown: Lingering Images from the First Debate
Hard to believe (isn't it?) that as I write these words, less than a week has passed since the first debate between Mitt Romney and the embattled occupant of the White House. Hard to believe that less than a week ago, the Romney campaign appeared to be imploding. The Mittster's notorious "47 percent" remark, uttered behind closed doors to a group of supporters and promptly … [Read more...] about Romney’s Smile and Obama’s Frown: Lingering Images from the First Debate
Romney: Obama ‘Has Failed to Lead’ in Syria, Middle East
Romney: Obama 'has failed to lead' in Syria, Middle East (via AFP) US President Barack Obama has "failed to lead in Syria" and the broader Middle East, and strains between his administration and ally Israel are emboldening Iran, White House hopeful Mitt Romney warned Monday. Making the case in a major foreign policy speech that the United States and the Middle … [Read more...] about Romney: Obama ‘Has Failed to Lead’ in Syria, Middle East
Campaign Promises and Anti-Competitive Jobs Policies
Reposted from Aspenia Online. As the US Presidential election enters its final month, both candidates are emphasizing how their policies will create more jobs for Americans, while at same time criticizing their opponent for either not creating enough jobs or actually destroying them. President Obama criticizes Mitt Romney for having fired workers or having outsourced jobs … [Read more...] about Campaign Promises and Anti-Competitive Jobs Policies
Is Mitt Romney Now the Favorite to Win Presidential Election 2012?
Is Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney now the favored candidate to win the 2012 Presidential election over incumbent President Barack Obama? There are many analyses out there that do a political ballet on the issue, but Andrew Sullivan has a MUST READ -- so MUST READ that we will not quote from it but suggest you read it in full yourself. I agree with Sullivan. I … [Read more...] about Is Mitt Romney Now the Favorite to Win Presidential Election 2012?
Obama for America Accused of Corruption Over Foreign Campaign Donations
Here we go again.....First the right wing resurrected Jeremiah Wright and comments Obama made during a speech at Hampton University, which ultimately imploded in their faces -- specifically Matt Drudge, Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson. Now they are back with another "bombshell" that the Obama campaign may have violated election laws by soliciting foreign donations via social … [Read more...] about Obama for America Accused of Corruption Over Foreign Campaign Donations
Gallup: Romney Narrows Vote Gap After Historic Debate Win So He’s Tied With Obama (UPDATED)
Gallup reports that Republican Presidential nominee Mitt Romney's widely acknowledged debate victory over what many perceived as an ill-prepared and/or hapless President Barack Obama has now brought the race to a dead heat -- erasing a five-point lead Obama had before what has come to be known as Obama's Debacle in Denver. Gallup also says Romney's win is "historic": the most … [Read more...] about Gallup: Romney Narrows Vote Gap After Historic Debate Win So He’s Tied With Obama (UPDATED)
Senate Candidate Claims Legitimate Rape Responsible for Global Warming
Oklahoma G.O.P. Senate candidate Ian M. Hurt caused an uproar last night when he asserted that legitimate rape is responsible for global warming and not fossil fuels. In response to a question on climate change on a local radio interview show in Tulsa, Hurt said that the emphasis by liberals and moderates on fossil fuels as the cause of warming is “dead wrong.” According to … [Read more...] about Senate Candidate Claims Legitimate Rape Responsible for Global Warming
India’s 50,000 Missing Children
India's 50,000 missing children (via AFP) Thirteen-year-old Shivam Singh promised his mother he would be back to do his homework as he ran to get some sweets. He never returned, becoming one of the 50,000 children who go missing every year in India. "My son left his books open, put on his sandals, combed his hair and ran out," Pinky Singh… … [Read more...] about India’s 50,000 Missing Children
Should We Now Call Her “Lady Gaggag?” (Video)
Should we now call her "Lady Gaggag?" Lady Gaga appears to vomit several times on stage during a dance number. Usually it's the critics who do that. … [Read more...] about Should We Now Call Her “Lady Gaggag?” (Video)
A Realistic Perspective of a 47%’er by Robert P. Coutinho, (Guest Voice)
By: Robert P. Coutinho (guest voice) I recently received a request by popular demand that I tell my 47% story (okay, honestly, Dr. E. asked me to, after seeing one of my comments—Rcoutme is my pseudonym). What follows are some of the things that have happened to me in my life. Initially I started writing a short-story autobiography. That won't work here, so I will … [Read more...] about A Realistic Perspective of a 47%’er by Robert P. Coutinho, (Guest Voice)
Thirty Days of Disbelieving Everything
A month before they vote, Americans can’t believe anything they see or hear. Truth is malleable, figures are fungible, everything is subject to cuckoo conspiracy claims. As the President basks in a lower jobless rate, Jack Welch rises from the publicity dead to assert the numbers were cooked. No evidence, of course, but attention is back on a former GE CEO known as Neutron … [Read more...] about Thirty Days of Disbelieving Everything
Mr. Netanyahu: Squandering the Last Good Will of Many non-Israelis toward Israel?
Understand Netanyahu is anxious to secure US support. There has been much aggression in the Mideast, and people whose loved ones have been killed or maimed, whose homes have been torn down, who have been forced to refugee camps, have long memories. My father Jozsef who witnessed many wars in his time in E. Eu, said that memory of those killed and harmed in war, soldiers and … [Read more...] about Mr. Netanyahu: Squandering the Last Good Will of Many non-Israelis toward Israel?
Is Big Bird a Member of the Tea Party?
Is Big Bird a member of the tea party? You might well ask. The morning after the debate, "Big Bird" showed up in Washington -- in the production offices of public radio's WAMU, the public radio station on the American University campus and, for all I know, also a transmitter of public television. "Big Bird" said he was looking for a new job. General hilarity all around. … [Read more...] about Is Big Bird a Member of the Tea Party?
Chavez Re-elected in Venezuela: Partial Results
Chavez re-elected in Venezuela: partial results (via AFP) Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez was re-elected to another six-year term after seeing off a stiff challenge from youthful opposition leader Henrique Capriles, partial results showed. Chavez on Sunday took 54.42 percent of the vote compared to 44.97 percent for his opponent, the National Electoral … [Read more...] about Chavez Re-elected in Venezuela: Partial Results
America’s Most Dangerous Organized Crime Family — The Republican Party: Report From 20 Paws Ranch
There is no better example of the depths of deceitfulness to which the Republican Party has sunk than its efforts to suppress the vote by ramming through laws based on bogus claims of voter fraud that disenfranchise Democratic voters while it engages in systematic fraud itself. This outrage was on offer in Florida, where suspicious voter registration forms were found in … [Read more...] about America’s Most Dangerous Organized Crime Family — The Republican Party: Report From 20 Paws Ranch
Mitt Romney to Lay Out Foreign Policy, National Security Agenda
Mitt Romney to lay out foreign policy, national security agenda (via The Christian Science Monitor) When Mitt Romney gives what’s being billed as a major foreign policy speech at the Virginia Military Institute Monday, it’ll be a chance for the Republican challenger to demonstrate his bona fides as would-be leader of the free world and US commander-in-chief. And, … [Read more...] about Mitt Romney to Lay Out Foreign Policy, National Security Agenda
The Campaign’s Moral Hole
WASHINGTON -- Does our presidential campaign lack a moral core? The question arises in the wake of last week's presidential debate. However you analyze it in electoral terms, the exchange between President Obama and Mitt Romney was most striking as a festival of technocratic mush -- dueling studies mashed in with competing statistics. In many ways, the encounter … [Read more...] about The Campaign’s Moral Hole
Creative Political Videos and Animations Galore in Campaign 2012 (Videos)
Political videos and animations are taking off bigtime in campaign 2012. Here's a small sampling of them. Here's "Why Obama Now" by Simpsons / Family Guy animator Lucas Gray Next Media Animation's video on Mitt Romney clobbering Barack Obama in the debate: Outrageous Animation's South Park-like Paul Ryan's "Bleed to Death Medical Plan" And Rowdy House's … [Read more...] about Creative Political Videos and Animations Galore in Campaign 2012 (Videos)
How to Lie With Statistics: Fact-Checking The Soundbites
There are lies, damn lies and statistics, and the political season means that the lines between them are frayed and worn, like an electrical cord that is almost ready to short out. Three memes beloved of the conservative right were front-and-center this week, either during the presidential debates, the rumble between Jon Stewart and Bill O'Reilly, or both. Health care … [Read more...] about How to Lie With Statistics: Fact-Checking The Soundbites