WASHINGTON -- I wish Mitt Romney's cavalier dismissal of poverty in America could be chalked up as just another gaffe, but it's much worse than that. The Republican front-runner seems dangerously clueless about the nation he seeks to lead. When I first heard the now-famous quote -- "I'm not concerned about the very poor" -- I thought it might be fodder for a snarky … [Read more...] about Romney’s Indifference to the Poor
Microblogging in China: Unstoppable!? (Guest Voice)
Microblogging in China: Unstoppable!? by Stephanie Kopf There is a special beauty to blogging. It unleashes a feeling almost akin to reverence. We live for exchange and communication, for feeling connected. Now maybe more than ever before. Each in our different ways, but still, I do believe it’s there in everyone. There is something indescribably thrilling about this mix … [Read more...] about Microblogging in China: Unstoppable!? (Guest Voice)
Talking Taxes: Warren Buffett, His Secretary, and the Grocer (Jornal De Negotios, Portugal)
Warren Buffett's complaint about his secretary paying more in taxes than he does is having a global ripple effect. According to columnist Helena Garrido of Portugal's Jornal De Negotios, the debate on tax fairness in the United States should be food for thought in Portugal, where the economy is in a tailspin and thanks to widespread tax evasion and tax avoidance, tax revenue … [Read more...] about Talking Taxes: Warren Buffett, His Secretary, and the Grocer (Jornal De Negotios, Portugal)
Susan G Komen
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. … [Read more...] about Susan G Komen
Further On Down The Road: Your Week In Republican Politics
The conventional wisdom has it that Mitt Romney mopped the floor with Newt Gingrich in Florida, and while I do not share the view that his was a come-fr0m-behind victory, Gingrich's collapse was pretty amazing. But the victory in the fourth primary-caucus go round of the year further confirms that Romney is a candidate at odds with himself and very much at odds with the … [Read more...] about Further On Down The Road: Your Week In Republican Politics
The Donald: Another Coveted Endorsement for The Newt? (Nope, SURPRISE!) UPDATES
FINAL (SURPRISE) UPDATE: Well, the Huckster -- as my favorite talk show host refers to him -- has endorsed Mitt Romney saying that Romney is ”not going to allow bad things to continue to happen to this country we all love." According to Seattlepi.com: Romney said he was honored to receive the endorsement, but hoped even more to win the endorsement of Nevada voters. … [Read more...] about The Donald: Another Coveted Endorsement for The Newt? (Nope, SURPRISE!) UPDATES
And What Will Duke Do About Brinker from “Komen for the Cure”
UPDATE: See posts atop the fold about Komen rescinding their decision to withdraw funding and future applications for funding from Planned Parenthood, dateline Feb 3, 2012) Duke, a progressive university with a strong med school may have 'a problem, Houston." They've invited Brinker along with four other notable people to do 2012 commencement. Problem may rise up with parts … [Read more...] about And What Will Duke Do About Brinker from “Komen for the Cure”
The Koman-Planned Parenthood Debacle: Don’t Just Get Mad, Get Even
NANCY BRINKER KOMEN The Susan Komen-Planned Parenthood debacle is a defining moment for women's rights in America. As Taylor Marsh writes, it is an egregious example of liberals being asleep at the wheel, but it is much, much more: It is a watershed event in the politicization of women's reproductive rights in an era in which the Republican Party is doubling down on … [Read more...] about The Koman-Planned Parenthood Debacle: Don’t Just Get Mad, Get Even
Don Cornelius Battled Significant Demons
Soul Train creator and television pioneer Don Cornelius died by suicide yesterday at the age of 75. Why? Some close to the smooth-voiced television host described a man hurt and distraught by bad business decisions, poor health, and an ugly divorce that took hundreds of thousands of dollars from his children and other family members.... In 1982, he underwent a 21-hour … [Read more...] about Don Cornelius Battled Significant Demons
What Ron Paul Is Up To
Changing the Republican party from within. That's what he's up to. Paul's political ambitions become clearer on the ground in Nevada where his supporters have managed to work among the leaders of the state's Republican party establishment. Four years ago, an angry and dispirited educational database expert named Carl Bunce walked out of Nevada’s state Republican … [Read more...] about What Ron Paul Is Up To
Sabato’s Crystal Ball: How Long Is Mitt Romney’s Road to the Republican Nomination?
So if you strip away all of the partisan and ideological analysts and their political self-interest they often inject inf their analysis, and look at the cold, hard political facts in political science terms, how likely is it that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney can be taken off his apparent course to the 2012 Republican Presidential nomination -- and how long will it … [Read more...] about Sabato’s Crystal Ball: How Long Is Mitt Romney’s Road to the Republican Nomination?
Mitt’s Bain Math About the Poor
After spending all that money to win Florida big, the $21.7 million-a-year man takes a victory lap and disgorges a perfect line for attack ads on him in the future. “I’m not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there,” he tells CNN. “If it needs repair, I’ll fix it. I’m not concerned about the very rich, they’re doing just fine. I’m concerned about the very … [Read more...] about Mitt’s Bain Math About the Poor
President Obama Finally Admits to the Obvious: Murderous Drone Attacks (The Nation, Pakistan)
Yesterday, in a YouTube/Google Plus town hall, President Obama finally admitted to what the world has known for years: that the United States has been using drone aircraft to kill militants in among other places, America's supposed ally, Pakistan. This editorial from Pakistan's The Nation welcomes this admission of the obvious, but wonders how the president could claim that … [Read more...] about President Obama Finally Admits to the Obvious: Murderous Drone Attacks (The Nation, Pakistan)
Newt Gingrich Keeps Hitting the Reliable Anti-Media Hot Button
The South Carolina and Florida Republican presidential debates will be pointed to as turning points for former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich's campaigns. But they'll also be remembered for two moments underscoring the uneasy relationship between the news media and politicians who often seek to control, intimidate or politically use the … [Read more...] about Newt Gingrich Keeps Hitting the Reliable Anti-Media Hot Button
Romney Does Another Rich-Guy-Without-A-Clue Number
During an interview with CNN's Soledad O'Brien, Mitt Romny offered this observation: "I'm not concerned about the very poor. We have a safety net there. If it needs repair, I'll fix it. It was not the first part of this shabby comment that I found so odd. Why, after all, would a Republican candidate for president be concerned about the very poor? It was the part about … [Read more...] about Romney Does Another Rich-Guy-Without-A-Clue Number
Latin America Must End British Colonialism and U.S. Imperialism (Opera Mundi, Brazil)
For those who may have been distracted by the Republican nomination race, the first potentially armed conflict since the Thatcher years between Britain and Argentina over the Falkland Islands - known by Latin Americans as the Malvinas - is brewing. Unfortunately, according to columnist Gilson Caroni Filho of Brazil's Opera Mundi, the United States, even if it doesn't recognize … [Read more...] about Latin America Must End British Colonialism and U.S. Imperialism (Opera Mundi, Brazil)
Mitt Romney’s Gift To Democrats: “Not Concerned About the Poor” Gaffe
One day after his massive -- and massively purchased -- victory over chief rival for the 2012 Republican nomination former House Speaker Newt Gingrich in Florida, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney cut short the positive news spin on his victory by making a gaffe that is a Chistmas, Hanuka, Kwanza, Easter, Birthday gift to Democrats: a gaffe fitting right into the narrative … [Read more...] about Mitt Romney’s Gift To Democrats: “Not Concerned About the Poor” Gaffe
Speaker of the House
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. … [Read more...] about Speaker of the House
This Just In: Who Cares So What ALERT
This just in! Here's a "who cares so what alert": Donald Trump has called a press conference for tomorrow. Informed speculation: he'll endorse Newt Gingrich. (Ahh, he's just doing it because if Gingrich wins he gets to build a casino on the moon." … [Read more...] about This Just In: Who Cares So What ALERT
How Romney Won and Lost
WASHINGTON -- Mitt Romney can argue that winning ugly is still winning, especially in a contest he could not afford to lose. But Romney's decisive victory in Florida came at a price. He aggravated Newt Gingrich's hostility to him, with all the trouble that could entail, and left behind a dispirited Republican electorate in a state the GOP needs to win this fall. At … [Read more...] about How Romney Won and Lost