I haven't written on this page in a while. In the last year, I was elected as a county GOP chair in blue Maryland, then was forced out by my fellow members of the county Republican Central Committee, who felt I was not fit for the office of county chairman because either they thought I was not conservative enough or because I was the only African-American on an all-white … [Read more...] about Santorum in top 3 in Iowa
Slightly Delayed New Year’s Resolutions
I just finished making my New Year's resolutions. I'm a little late this year because the final games of the regular NFL season were being played over the weekend. I've finally completed this important task, however. So here's my 2012 must-do list: 1. Give up smoking. I make this my first choice every year because I don't smoke and therefore am sure to actually keep this … [Read more...] about Slightly Delayed New Year’s Resolutions
Remember The Bush Warrantless Wiretaps?
Legal challenges are still alive. A long time ago, December 2005, the New York Times broke a story about the Bush Administration monitoring domestic telephone communications without first obtaining a warrant.[1] The affair, which began no later than 2001, became known as warrantless wiretaps. Flash forward six years. As 2011 came to a close, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of … [Read more...] about Remember The Bush Warrantless Wiretaps?
Will Iowa End The GOP Contest And Crown Romney ?
So says Politico writer Roger Simon … [Read more...] about Will Iowa End The GOP Contest And Crown Romney ?
Will This Be The Year That Republicans Have To Capitulate On Tax Hikes For The Rich?
Despite having agreed -- cowardly so, in my view -- to continue Bush Era tax cuts that disproportionately favor the wealthy, it's likely that a component of President Obama's re-election platform will be a call to level the playing field through the so-called Buffet Rule, which would insure that no household making more than $1 million a year pays a lower tax rate than middle … [Read more...] about Will This Be The Year That Republicans Have To Capitulate On Tax Hikes For The Rich?
Iowa Caucuses Made Simple
For those who may be confused by the sophisticated ritual to take place tonight, explains the NY Times Caucus, “the process requires a commitment of several hours for a voter. And it encourages campaigns to have a level of organizational sophistication that often helps separate candidates who can go the distance from those who cannot... “Once voters show up at their caucus … [Read more...] about Iowa Caucuses Made Simple
The Party’s Over
WASHINGTON - There's a reason Obama reelect doesn't have a slogan. All they've got is a question: Are you in? Symbolic of this problem is what happened to Elizabeth Warren when her rise was met by Tim Geithner's foot, and why Ron Suskind's book Confidence Men made the Administration queasy. It's seen in Wall Street firms earning more in Pres. Obama's first years than in … [Read more...] about The Party’s Over
Mission Impossible: Humanizing Eric Cantor
No matter who faces him for the White House, Barack Obama starts 2012 with one advantage against the GOP—-the poster boy for intransigence, Eric Cantor, who proves again on 60 Minutes that there is no way to “humanize” him. In an interview, the usually genial Lesley Stahl starts by saying flatly, “President Obama's nemesis throughout the year was 48-year-old Congressman Eric … [Read more...] about Mission Impossible: Humanizing Eric Cantor
The Duggars Endorse Santorum
Well I'm not sure if this is news or not but it is a funny image. … [Read more...] about The Duggars Endorse Santorum
Paul Or Romney In Iowa ?
Although you should never make too many assumptions in Iowa most current polling suggests that the winner in Iowa will be either Romney or Paul with Santorum likely to come in 3rd. My guess is that Romney will come out on top because the latest polls seem to suggest that the undecided are not ideologues but pragmatists wanting the candidate who can win. Given a choice … [Read more...] about Paul Or Romney In Iowa ?
Ethics and Politics in a Centrist Third Party
“If there be no penalty annexed to disobedience, the resolutions or commands which pretend to be laws will, in fact, amount to nothing more than advice or recommendation.” -- The Federalist Papers, Number 15, Alexander Hamilton In a recent dialogue in the New York Times on the need for a centrist third party, I listed ethical conduct as one of the necessary hallmarks of … [Read more...] about Ethics and Politics in a Centrist Third Party
Chart of the Day: China’s Historical GDP
Imagine what the world might be like had China not entered into a protracted war with Great Britain in the 1800s ... a war that resulted from Great Britain's smuggling opium into the country: Ordinary wars of conquest are to me far less wicked, than to go to war in order to maintain smuggling, and that smuggling consisting in the introduction of a demoralizing drug, which … [Read more...] about Chart of the Day: China’s Historical GDP
Truly Heartbreaking But So Hopeful
I will be haunted for a long time by this. On the other hand, it gave lots of hope. FOOTNOTE: My father had an experience like this about three years before he died. … [Read more...] about Truly Heartbreaking But So Hopeful
Iowa Caucus Craziness and Israel
A post to We Are For Israel by my friend Rabbi David Jay Kaufman of Des Moines IA: So here we are with the Iowa Republican Caucus tomorrow. Friday night, we hosted Shmuel Rosner, who is in town for the Caucus and spoke about the Arab Spring at my congregation. Yesterday, I was among about forty Jews, hosted by the Chabad rabbi and a Conservative Jewish supporter of Gingrich, … [Read more...] about Iowa Caucus Craziness and Israel
“Moderate” Is Big Dirty Political Word to Some In the GOP
Warning to the GOP: The way rhetoric is being used in the Republican primary campaign, there may come a point where moderates may simply decide they cannot vote for a Republican candidate. No, this isn't just a personal reaction. You can bank on this being a problem if trending continues. Why would moderates vote for a political party that has increasingly used the word … [Read more...] about “Moderate” Is Big Dirty Political Word to Some In the GOP
With Mitt Romney It’s “Meet the (Liberal) Press”
Conservatives on talk radio and on the web have noted that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is starting to be more accessible to thne mainstream news media and liberal infooutlets. The Daily Caller reports: Mitt Romney is running for president as a Republican, but his recent media strategy includes granting exclusive interviews to news outlets that cater to a … [Read more...] about With Mitt Romney It’s “Meet the (Liberal) Press”
The Real Housewives Of Iowa
The Real Housewives Of Iowa by Cliff Schecter This year we've seen it all. Protest movements have swept the world, as people from Cairo to Cleveland have stood up against oligarchy and its kissing cousin venality. Osama bin Laden, the murderous mastermind of the 9/11 attack and many others like it, at last met his Waterloo. And finally, with reality TV stars, … [Read more...] about The Real Housewives Of Iowa
Quote of the Day: Iowa Caucus Myths and Realities
CNN independent analyst John Avlon gives us our political Quote of the Day on the myths versus reality of tomorrow's Iowa caucus. This must-read-in-full article gives us this chunk at the end: One of the real questions in this caucus is whether retail politics matters as much as it used to. Mitt Romney basically dissed the state for the first 10 months of 2011, still … [Read more...] about Quote of the Day: Iowa Caucus Myths and Realities
Five Ways to Look at the Most Recent Iowa Poll
So what should we make of the most recent Iowa poll as the political world gets ready for tomorrow's big event? Here are five ways to look at it. … [Read more...] about Five Ways to Look at the Most Recent Iowa Poll
Ron Paul, Mitt Romney & Rick Santorum Headed for Photo Finish in Iowa Caucus
Latest poll results show Ron Paul leading at 20%, Mitt Romney 19% and Rick Santorum at 18% in a dead heat, as Newt Gingrich fades fast, in home stretch for lily-white Iowa caucus. The latest Public Policy Polling survey in Iowa shows the three leading contenders all within two points or less of each other -- Ron Paul leads at 20%, followed by Mitt Romney at 19%, and Rick … [Read more...] about Ron Paul, Mitt Romney & Rick Santorum Headed for Photo Finish in Iowa Caucus