There was a fascinating article about Rep. Eric Cantor in yesterday's Washington Post. Cantor is the leader of the Tea Party clique in Congress that has turned a standard, non-controversial debt ceiling increase, one done more than 70 times over the years, into a mechanism to push an ultra-conservative fiscal agenda. Cantor, this Post article also notes, is a long time defender … [Read more...] about Populism, Right And Left, In Present Day American Politics
What In The Name Of God Is Going On With American Politics?
Politicians have been invoking the name of God since forever, but in an era when a substantial portion of the Republican base is hard-core Christianist -- true believers who openly disparage Islam and other faiths -- the practice has become particularly tiresome. And troublesome when you consider the number of homegrown incidents in which Christianists have backed up their … [Read more...] about What In The Name Of God Is Going On With American Politics?
Debt Ceiling
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To The Norwegians: A Tiny Nation of Stalwart Hearts… and Stalwart Trees
Dear Souls of Norway: I looked for a picture of something of Norway and her people that might represent this time. I found this picture of a beautiful Norway Pine, one who is limber and leans to the side, and yet remains strong. Like you. This tree belonging to you, is literally called "weeping Norway spruce," like our "weeping willow" trees here in the USA are named too, for … [Read more...] about To The Norwegians: A Tiny Nation of Stalwart Hearts… and Stalwart Trees
On Crime and Punishment: Shining A Light On Norwegian Prison Sentences
It's the outrage du la semaine: Twitter, Facebook and mainstream news sites remain a virtual maelstrom of people who are beside themselves because Norway reportedly has a maximum prison sentence of "only 21 years." In holier than thou fashion, many of these folks believe that they know best how Norway should treat Anders Behring Breivik, the 32-year-old man charged with killing … [Read more...] about On Crime and Punishment: Shining A Light On Norwegian Prison Sentences
Children on Their Summer Vacations
In Norway, a blond young man who might have stepped out of a Calvin Klein ad kills scores of people, most of them kids at a lakeside camp, to call attention to his 1500-page online rant, some of it plagiarized from the Unabomber. His politics are beside the point, as were those of the lunatic who shot Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in the head last January, killing six in Tuscon, … [Read more...] about Children on Their Summer Vacations
The Kochtopian Nerve Seems to have been Struck
WARNING: VIDEO AT THE END OF THIS PIECE MAY BE DISTURBING TO SOME VIEWERS. Something about my Nick Gillespie post (appearance on Bill Maher's Real Time on HBO this weekend) struck a nerve among "libertarians" on YouTube. What's the big deal? Aren't the Kochs our benefactors? This is nonsense! Harrumph. Harangue. Harass. But there IS something fundamental in not revealing … [Read more...] about The Kochtopian Nerve Seems to have been Struck
Norwegian Tragedy: Is Anders Behring Breivik Alone To Blame?
Was this tragedy waiting to happen? Are Anders Behring Breivik's murders another brutal manifestation of the hysteria that started building up post 9/11? George W. Bush and his team in the White House began an era of hatred and revenge, and have added enough fuel to create confusion and fire to last a few decades. We can still see widespread smoke, if not flames, in the West … [Read more...] about Norwegian Tragedy: Is Anders Behring Breivik Alone To Blame?
The Debt Ceiling Limit: An Outsider’s View from the Water Cooler
In a rebuttal to the President tonight the Speaker of the House, John Boehner at one point said a “serious bipartisan committee of Congress would begin the hard work necessary of dealing with the tough challenges our country faces.” He went on to say “The individuals doing this work will not be outsiders, but elected representatives of the people.” Boehner also continued to … [Read more...] about The Debt Ceiling Limit: An Outsider’s View from the Water Cooler
Don’t Tread on Who?
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President Barack Obama’s and John Boehner’s Televised Speeches on Debt Ceiling Limit Crisis (VIDEO)
Here's a complete video of President Barack Obama's televised comments tonight on the debit ceiling limit crisis. Rather than tell you what we thought it meant, watch it for yourself and draw your own conclusions. And feel free to leave them in comments: Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy Here's the text of the speech as prepared for … [Read more...] about President Barack Obama’s and John Boehner’s Televised Speeches on Debt Ceiling Limit Crisis (VIDEO)
DoD Panel Calls for Sweeping Overhaul of Military Retirement System
The Air Force Times is reporting today on a sweeping proposal by the Defense Business Board---“the wellspring for many cost-saving initiatives adopted by the Defense Department in recent years”---that would drastically overhaul the military retirement system and could affect today’s troops. The new plan “would give some benefits to all troops and phase out the 20-year cliff … [Read more...] about DoD Panel Calls for Sweeping Overhaul of Military Retirement System
Tea Party Rejects John Boehner’s Debt Ceiling Limit Plan
The Tea Party says thumbs down...so consider it dead. This is the way laws are made in the United Tea Party States of America these days. … [Read more...] about Tea Party Rejects John Boehner’s Debt Ceiling Limit Plan
Tonight: Dueling Barack Obama John Bohener Televised Speeches
And so the partisan divide continues even on a Presidential speech. President Barack Obama will address the nation on the debt ceiling limit situation tonight 9 p.m. and he'll be followed by a televised speech by Majority Leader John Boehner. Meanwhile, Boehner's proposed debt ceiling limit plan is already being rejected by a leading conservative, The Hill reports: The … [Read more...] about Tonight: Dueling Barack Obama John Bohener Televised Speeches
Voter Suppression in Wisconsin
The sound you hear may be of a)independents distancing themselves from the GOP due to the debt ceiling crisis at the same time that you see b)a mobilization of the Democratic party base even though they are not happy with President Barack Obama. On (b) here's an example of something that will mobilize Democrats in 2012: in Wisconsin there was controversy over a voter ID law … [Read more...] about Voter Suppression in Wisconsin
The Norway Tragedy: “We cannot focus on a single ideology.”
As we have seen occur repeatedly over the weekend, the tragedy in Norway sparked a deluge of premature accusations, finger pointing and instant analyses---sometimes followed by retractions and apologies, sometimes not---as journalists and bloggers blamed Islamic militants, religious groups and even "leftist" political thought, movements and parties for the carnage in … [Read more...] about The Norway Tragedy: “We cannot focus on a single ideology.”
Department of “Oh Yeah?”
From Talking Points Memo: But there remains a general sense -- one the markets seem to share -- that Washington really can't be so dumb as to let default actually happen. File that in your "Oh Yeah?" file. … [Read more...] about Department of “Oh Yeah?”
Quote of the Day: Republicans Poised for Victory and/or Disaster on Debt Ceiling Crisis (UPDATE 2)
Our political Quote of the Day is actually several Quotes of the Day that underscore a growing consensus that the Republicans are poised for victory on the Debt Ceiling Limit by getting far more than the Democrats sought to give - but risk political disaster by not accepting their victory and pushing the United States either over the brink to default or negatively impacting the … [Read more...] about Quote of the Day: Republicans Poised for Victory and/or Disaster on Debt Ceiling Crisis (UPDATE 2)
The Real Reason MSNBC Replaced Cenk Uygur With Al Sharpton?
So what was the real reason MSNBC replaced Cenk Uygur with Al Sharpton? THIS most assuredly makes sense. Key quotes (read it all): For many, to know him is to loathe him. He's enraging, he's nutty -- and worse, he's blow-dried, dandified and politicized. He's also very funny. In other words he is all the things that make the right-wing phenoms of talk TV so … [Read more...] about The Real Reason MSNBC Replaced Cenk Uygur With Al Sharpton?
Sarah Palin Documentary Fizzles: Going To Pay Per View
Despite some proclamations that the documentary about Sarah Palin was really a huge success in the face of some early reports that it was not pulling in a huge audience, it now turns out that it has fizzled rather than sizzled and is going to Pay Per View. Another Harry Potter or Captain America it wasn't. With its Sarah Palin documentary "The Undefeated" increasing its … [Read more...] about Sarah Palin Documentary Fizzles: Going To Pay Per View