Could it really be that the Republican Party -- in a year when they are facing one of the most vulnerable Presidents in recent years -- could nominate an ongoing political train wreck named Rick Perry? The latest CRASSSSSSSSSSH we hear is THIS STORY that suggests that Perry, whose poll numbers have zoomed south as debates have revealed him to be an unenergetic, ill-prepared, … [Read more...] about Rick Perry’s Camp Suggests He Plans to Duck Future Debates (UPDATED)
Perry on a Texas Confederate License Plate (UPDATED)
Texas has been toying with the idea of issuing a so-called “vanity” license plate that contains the Confederate battle flag. A vote on this controversial issue could come as soon as next month. A previous vote on this issue this past April ended in a 4-4 tie. “The plate has been proposed by the Sons of Confederate Veterans, an ancestral history group involved in … [Read more...] about Perry on a Texas Confederate License Plate (UPDATED)
The Huffington Post and The Washington Post Serve the Same Demon
At least a dozen demons answer to the name Anonymous. At one time these demons had names, but they've lurked so long under the cloak of anonymity that their names have simply been forgotten. They abide in just about every corner of the blogosphere. Mean spirited comments attached to meaningless user names. Wickedness with a handle. Sin with a disembodied avatar. In the … [Read more...] about The Huffington Post and The Washington Post Serve the Same Demon
Republican Presidential Candidates’ Tax Plans Would (No Surprise) Reward Rich, Screw Poor
IF CAIN BECOMES PRESIDENT, GET READY TO PAY MORE FOR STAPLES I am not an economist nor did I stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night, but I have enough smarts (barely) to understand that the tax proposals being pushed by Republican president wannabes are, for the most part, flapdoodle in service of coddling the rich while further screwing the middle class and poor. That, … [Read more...] about Republican Presidential Candidates’ Tax Plans Would (No Surprise) Reward Rich, Screw Poor
Not Borrowing Big To Improve This Country’s Infrastructure? Absolutely Crazy!
My friend Kay suffers from two afflictions that cause her great difficulties in this political season — common decency and common sense. It was the latter that brought on a very strong reaction the other day while we were driving in Philadelphia, and she noticed a bridge that had just undergone repairs with federal funds. "How can the government not be spending big on … [Read more...] about Not Borrowing Big To Improve This Country’s Infrastructure? Absolutely Crazy!
PETA Sues Seaworld For Slavery
Now I am a big animal right supporter and I am concerned that all animals in captivity are treated properly, but as usual PETA is making themselves look ridiculous. They are asking a federal judge to award constitutional rights to a group of whales. Of course to a degree this is a PR stunt, but I am sure there are people who really think this makes sense... … [Read more...] about PETA Sues Seaworld For Slavery
Rick Perry, the Flat Tax, and the Road to Political Recovery
I've been arguing for some time now that it's way too early to count Rick Perry out. He's still the most formidable conservative in the race, the overwhelming majority of Republicans are anti-Romney, or at least uncomfortable with Romney, and he can certainly rebound off his recent lows and remake himself as the voice, and choice, of the right (and hence of the GOP … [Read more...] about Rick Perry, the Flat Tax, and the Road to Political Recovery
How Amazon Changed My Life — And Yours
NO, NOT THAT AMAZON ! It is hard to believe that Amazon is now 15 years old and keeps on growing. No, make that growing relentlessly as it announced last night that its third-quarter earnings were up a staggering 44 percent to $10.88 billion. I used to feel a bit guilty about spending my dinero at Amazon and not a local mom and pop store, but when you consider that the … [Read more...] about How Amazon Changed My Life — And Yours
Pres. Obama’s Charm Offensive with Jay Leno
WASHINGTON - Several times recently on "Morning Joe," the conversation has veered into why, as Joe Scarborough and others see it, the primary process weens out the best candidates, people like Jeb Bush, Mitch Daniels, Haley Barbour and others. Lamenting the current Republican field, the conversation has often revolved around the amateur hour we're all seeing unfold, however, … [Read more...] about Pres. Obama’s Charm Offensive with Jay Leno
James Carville’s Political Crystal Ball
So how does Bill Clinton's former -- and stellar --- political strategist see 2012 as shaping up? Can Herman Cain get the nomination? What does he think of Rick Perry? Mitt Romney? Who does he think will be the GOP nominee in the end? He recently talked with a conservative talk show host and gave THESE answers. … [Read more...] about James Carville’s Political Crystal Ball
Quote of the Day: The Shame and Political Negligence of Rick Perry
Our political Quote of the Day comes from the Washington Post's Jennifer Rubin who notes how Texas Gov. Rick Perry smothered his own flat tax proposal with his goodbye-independent-voters comments on CNBC gleefully saying how using the birther issue against Barack Obama is politically useful and "fun." She also notes that he has also been denounced by some conservatives. It is … [Read more...] about Quote of the Day: The Shame and Political Negligence of Rick Perry
RSAnimate: McGilchrist on the Divided Brain
Kathy Gill points to RSAnimate on the book I'm reading now, The Master and His Emissary: The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World... In this new RSAnimate, renowned psychiatrist and writer Iain McGilchrist explains how our 'divided brain' has profoundly altered human behaviour, culture and society. Taken from a lecture given by Iain McGilchrist as part of the … [Read more...] about RSAnimate: McGilchrist on the Divided Brain
Flat Tax or Flat-Out Dead (Guest Voice)
Flat Tax or Flat-Out Dead by Michael Reagan Despite the recent chatter about a flat income tax -- a tax that every income earner pays regardless of their level of income -- the idea is dead unless its supporters figure out a way to get together and support the idea that a flat tax is a fair tax. I believe we can unite. In a system of flat taxation there is only one … [Read more...] about Flat Tax or Flat-Out Dead (Guest Voice)
Too Big Too Fail Business
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. … [Read more...] about Too Big Too Fail Business
The Piteous State Of These United States
Asked recently if the U.S. could build the Hoover Dam today, historian Michael Hiltzik doesn't hesitate to say that it probably could not. The Hoover Dam, of course, was built at the depths of the Great Depression, a magnificent monument to modern engineering, the bravery of its fearless hardhat builders and the "Can Do" ethic that not even the depression could vanquish. … [Read more...] about The Piteous State Of These United States
Scariest Political Commercial Ever
It ran only once 47 years ago, but a one-minute effort for LBJ’s 1964 reelection campaign was still being parsed this week at a college symposium as “the most negative political ad in American history.” During the network airing of a Hollywood biblical epic back then, amid cheery product pitches, suddenly there was the image of a little girl pulling petals from a daisy and … [Read more...] about Scariest Political Commercial Ever
Herman Cain’s Unusual (?) Stunning (?) Ad (NOT!)
I honestly don't see what the media hype swirling around this Herman Cain ad is all about. It features a boring blurb by Chief of Staff Mark Block that is unlikely to make one voter who doesn't want to already support Herman Cain decide to support Herman Cain. And monitoring the cable and broadcast talkers yesterday on XM radio (A MUST if you travel extensively by car as I am … [Read more...] about Herman Cain’s Unusual (?) Stunning (?) Ad (NOT!)
Mutinies Abound in the Republican Party
You’ve heard of the winter of discontent? Welcome to the autumn of mutinies. In the United States and beyond rebellion is in the air and those who aren’t rebellious enough could be forced to walk the political plank. The Republican Party is facing a mutiny and a counter mutiny. It’s 2011 Cain mutiny is led by Godfather Pizza’s likable former CEO, conservative Herman Cain, … [Read more...] about Mutinies Abound in the Republican Party
Eight Wheels & Eight Paws: What A Way To Go
PERCY, REX, NICKY & JACK AT THE MOUNTAIN RETREAT -- Having installed a passive solar power system at the mountain retreat that is paying dividends because our local utility has to buy our surplus electricity and we've got gobs of it, the next logical step in managing our lives more economically and environmentally friendly was to buy a hybrid vehicle. And so the DF&C … [Read more...] about Eight Wheels & Eight Paws: What A Way To Go
The Tale Of Two Swedish Meatballs
VOLVO 188ES: THE MOST BEAUTIOUS CAR EVAH My newborn children came home from the hospital in Volvos. I put 262,000 miles on one of them and it never failed to start, including one morning when the temperature had dipped below zero. It's marvelous four-cylinder turbo could really crank, and in the late 70s I once did 125 miles an hour on a long straightaway in the middle of … [Read more...] about The Tale Of Two Swedish Meatballs