Cain Proves Power of ideas in Republican Race by Floyd and Mary Beth Brown America's media is obsessed with every tick of every poll. The reason they cover polls is because they don't want to cover ideas. Republicans should resist being sucked into this reality show mentality and focus instead on the candidate's ideas. Herman Cain used this to great effect in the Florida … [Read more...] about Cain Proves Power of ideas in Republican Race (Guest Voice)
Refuting Straw Liberals
WASHINGTON -- It's not often that a sound bite from a Democratic candidate gets so under the skin of my distinguished colleague George F. Will that he feels moved to quote it in full and then devote an entire column to refuting it. This is instructive. The declaration heard 'round the Internet world came from Elizabeth Warren, the consumer champion running for the U.S. … [Read more...] about Refuting Straw Liberals
Final Solution
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Making Sense of the Stimulus
In this political climate of loud no’s and yesses, good journalism is vital to disentangle all the maybes and what if’s. As Republicans brand the 2009 stimulus of $787 billion a total failure and Democrats defend it as keeping the recession from getting worse, Ezra Klein of the Washington Post reports what economists and politicians were actually thinking and doing back … [Read more...] about Making Sense of the Stimulus
Fame as Disease; Celebrity as Illness (part i)
"A pretty girl is like a malady," quoth the poet. Celebrity and its handmaiden, Publicity, have been with us ever since P.T. Barnum perfected the art and artifice, and Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr. learned how to create ticket sales for a "celebrity" who nobody'd ever heard of, Anna Held, whom he stole from the Folies Bergere in Paris: The 1896 Broadway revival of A Parlor Match … [Read more...] about Fame as Disease; Celebrity as Illness (part i)
The New Cyberia: The Dark Side of Steve Jobs’ Extraordinary Legacy
Millions of people claim they were at Woodstock despite the fact there were only 400,000 or so. And with the passing of Steve Jobs, millions will claim that they bought the 128K, the first Apple computer, 25 years ago before the brand became the standard by which all other computers are compared. No matter. I myself finally escaped the clutches of Bill Gates and his evil … [Read more...] about The New Cyberia: The Dark Side of Steve Jobs’ Extraordinary Legacy
China’s Veto on Syrian Sanctions is a Turning Point for UN Security Council
NATO’s apparent victory in Libya, led by France and Britain with full US support, unveils a defining moment for NATO cooperation to protect civilians from massacre by a tyrant. But it is not one that the Obama administration can welcome without reserve. It seriously eroded American influence by causing China to join Russia, which Beijing leaders distrust and despise, in … [Read more...] about China’s Veto on Syrian Sanctions is a Turning Point for UN Security Council
Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz on CNN: 150 CEOs So Far Agree to Withhold Campaign Contributions
Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, an interview with CNN's Fareed Zakaria GPS, says 150 CEOs have heeded his call to withhold campaign contributions from politicians of both parties, He stressed that this isn't aimed at President Barack Obama, said the country sorely needs bipartisan cooperation and gave his ideas -- which don't have a talk show political culture tone to them as do … [Read more...] about Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz on CNN: 150 CEOs So Far Agree to Withhold Campaign Contributions
The Silent Majority, 2011
This weekend, GOP presidential candidates are groveling at the “Values Voters Summit” in Washington, a noisy minority with frontrunner Mitt Romney defending his faith from attacks as “a cult.” All this is reported with a straight face by media large and small, who a generation ago would have dismissed such fringe doings as a crackpot sideshow. Today, the Tea Party and the … [Read more...] about The Silent Majority, 2011
Several Republican Presidential Candidates Parse Words on Attack on Mitt Romney’s Reigion
You've heard about the JFK book "Profiles in Courage?" This could be the inspiration for a book "Profiles in Political Jellyfish": several Republican Presidential candidates are carefully parsing their words on the attack on former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney's religion and whether that rules him out for the Oval Office. They clearly don't want to lose ANY voters so why … [Read more...] about Several Republican Presidential Candidates Parse Words on Attack on Mitt Romney’s Reigion
Rev. Al Sharpton, Professor Question Herman Cain’s “Black Authenticity” & Slams His Comments About Unemployment & Poverty by Saying “Start with Your Mama”
Rev. Al Sharpton and a professor recently debated the "blackness" of GOP presidential hopeful Herman Cain. Sharpton tore into Cain, saying "how could anyone in their right mind that grew up in the South and saw what they saw, sat up there and act like everybody that is unemployed and not rich did it to themselves." "Start with your Mama," Sharpton said. Tough words coming from … [Read more...] about Rev. Al Sharpton, Professor Question Herman Cain’s “Black Authenticity” & Slams His Comments About Unemployment & Poverty by Saying “Start with Your Mama”
SNL Skewers Fox and Friends and Hank Williams Jr. Comparing Obama to Hitler
SNL skewered Fox & Friends and Hank William's Jr.'s controversial comparisons of Barack Obama to Adolf Hitler: And here's the original for- real segment that got Hank Williams, Jr. axed from ESPN: The original almost plays like an SNL skit. I haven't blogged on this, but the (hideous, reprehensible) analogy apart, Williams made the mistake that some … [Read more...] about SNL Skewers Fox and Friends and Hank Williams Jr. Comparing Obama to Hitler
Herman Cain to Unemployed: Drop Dead (Guest Voice)
"Don't blame Wall Street. Don't blame the big banks. If you don't have a job and you're not rich, blame yourself." Herman Cain OK, Herman Cain never told the nation's 14 million unemployed or underemployed Americans to drop dead. Neither, for that matter, did President Ford tell New York City to drop dead — as a famous headline in the New York Daily News proclaimed … [Read more...] about Herman Cain to Unemployed: Drop Dead (Guest Voice)
Blame Wall Street, Not China, for Job Losses (Guest Voice)
Blame Wall Street, Not China, for Job Losses by Jan Ting As the recession continues, the hunt for a scapegoat intensifies. No one in Washington wants to hold Wall Street accountable for its mega-profits from unregulated credit default swaps, packaged subprime liar loans, and incompetent credit ratings. Despite the resulting housing, banking and market collapse, and … [Read more...] about Blame Wall Street, Not China, for Job Losses (Guest Voice)
Protesting Wall Street
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Presbyterian Church Ordains Gay Minister
Good to see that they are willing to accept that God loves everyone. Sad that some feel the need to hate (I have no issue with those who have sincere difference of opinion as to Biblical position on homosexuality but some just hate.) … [Read more...] about Presbyterian Church Ordains Gay Minister
Raising Cain: Ron Paul Wins Values Voter Summit Straw Poll But Cain Strong, and Perry and Romney Weak
Former Godfather's Pizza CEO Herman Cain continues to rise and soon he'll probably get a lot of dough. Campaign contributions, that is. The latest: his strong showing in the Values Voter Summit straw poll which was another win for Rep. Ron Paul -- but the real focus will be on Cain, since Paul increasingly seems like too much of a niche candidate to go beyond a certain degree … [Read more...] about Raising Cain: Ron Paul Wins Values Voter Summit Straw Poll But Cain Strong, and Perry and Romney Weak
Occupy Wall Street Protests Spread to Canada? Here They Come
The Occupy Wall Street Protests are moving north. Under the banner "Occupy Toronto," protesters are due to take to the streets on October 15th. It's easy to dismiss these folks -- as many have -- as simply lazy kids with nothing better to do. But, as Tom Walkom writes in the Toronto Star, that would not be wise: While the aims of the Wall Streeters remain … [Read more...] about Occupy Wall Street Protests Spread to Canada? Here They Come
Americans and Execution: A Nation United By Vengeance (Le Nouvel Observateur, France)
Is the way America administers the death penalty about exacting justice, or just winning the next election? And does it live up to the ideals Americans say they hold dear? For France's Le Nouvel Observateur, Sandrine Ageorges-Skinner, one of the world's most tireless anti-death penalty campaigners, outlines the mind-numbing injustice of how execution is imposed in the United … [Read more...] about Americans and Execution: A Nation United By Vengeance (Le Nouvel Observateur, France)
How Do You Say “You’re Supposed to Stop at the Border” in Spanish? (Guest Voice)
How Do You Say “You’re Supposed to Stop at the Border” in Spanish? by John T. Johnson, III With 60,000 illegal immigrants giving birth to children in Texas each year; with thousands of illegal immigrants being sent to our prisons each year; with thousands receiving free medical care at our county hospitals each year; with the cost to educate … [Read more...] about How Do You Say “You’re Supposed to Stop at the Border” in Spanish? (Guest Voice)