America and The Great Disappointment by Michael Winship I was considering having myself dusted with ash and measured for sackcloth last week, so many are the current predictions of impending apocalypse. There’s the contingent that follows the ancient Mayan calendar and predicts the end of the world on December 21, 2012, some of whom have made bad movies about it. … [Read more...] about America and The Great Disappointment (Guest Voice)
Gallup Poll: Public Says OK to Budget Deal But No Winner and Hands Off Medicare
A new Gallup Poll in effect says neither political party "won" The Big Budget Showdown of 2011 -- but the American public backs the deal. And the poll finds there is little support in either political party for Rep. Paul Ryan's idea of substantially overhauling Medicare: - Six in 10 Americans approve of the 11th-hour federal budget agreement that congressional leaders … [Read more...] about Gallup Poll: Public Says OK to Budget Deal But No Winner and Hands Off Medicare
Up River Into The Republican Heart of Darkness
I felt an intolerable weight oppressing my breast, the smell of the damp earth, the unseen presence of victorious corruption, the darkness of an impenetrable night. ~ "Heart of Darkness," JOSEPH CONRAD It has been over two years since Republicans last "governed," and that term should be used advisedly since the leadership styles of George Bush and Dick Cheney would … [Read more...] about Up River Into The Republican Heart of Darkness
The President’s Human Shields
Like the smart kid beset by schoolyard bullies, Barack Obama is turning to wonkish jocks for protection. Leaks from The Speech reveal he will be relying on his Commission on Deficit Reduction and perhaps Congress' Gang of Six for bipartisan cover but also raise a question: If the President is taking a centrist stance against Republican extremism, who speaks for those who … [Read more...] about The President’s Human Shields
The Result of the Conservative War Against Planned Parenthood
The result of the conservative war against Planned Parenthood: it seems to have backfired. PERSONAL NOTE: To me, the war against Planned Parenthood has been as dismaying as when I arrived in Spain and as a young stringer heard the late Spanish dictator Francisco Franco in his last speech warn thousands of Spaniards in a huge crowd to beware of the Masonic … [Read more...] about The Result of the Conservative War Against Planned Parenthood
Donald Trump: Celebrity Apprentice (Cartoon)
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Bill O’Reilly Debunks Birther Claims and Other Myths About Barack Obama
Fox News' Bill O'Reilly is the highest rated talk show host on cable and arguably Fox News' talk show host flagship. In this segment he debunks the rumors and disinformation about Barack Obama -- including the birtheris' narrative now being spread by Donald Trump with an approving Sarah Palin not far behind. Note how Monica Crowley is still in demonization mode even after … [Read more...] about Bill O’Reilly Debunks Birther Claims and Other Myths About Barack Obama
Loud Bold and Wrong
Loud, Bold and Wrong by Tina Dupuy We must love boisterous blowhards. As Americans, we are fixated on people who make loud, definitive declarations so we can stand behind them waving our oversized number-one foam-fingers chanting: “Go team! Win!” If you take away all the nebbishy number-crunching and bureaucracy - which is most of government – politics is all posturing and … [Read more...] about Loud Bold and Wrong
Ransom Notes From The Republican Revolution (Cartoon)
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Death and Destruction Linger in Africa’s Ivory Coast
While the American new and old media focus on domestic politics and news, a tragedy has been unfolding in the Ivory Coast -- where death and destruction linger: Some more background: And a bit more: … [Read more...] about Death and Destruction Linger in Africa’s Ivory Coast
Rejecting U.S. Drug War is Essential for Mexico’s Survival (La Jornada, Mexico)
Is it time for all sane people to conclude that the "war on drugs" is a failed, self-destructive enterprise? With Mexico descending into drug-fueled anarchy, columnist Jorge Carrillo Olea of Mexico's La Jornada writes that it's time for the Mexican people to rise up and reject U.S. involvement, President Calderon, and the notion that drugs can be eradicated by military force. … [Read more...] about Rejecting U.S. Drug War is Essential for Mexico’s Survival (La Jornada, Mexico)
PPP Poll: House Republicans So Unpopular GOP Could Lose House in 2012
A new PPP Poll brings a double whammy of bad news for Republicans: House Republicans are so unpopular now that the GOP could lose the House in the 2012 elections -- and independents are removing their support from Republicans in droves: PPP's newest national poll finds that after a little more than 3 months in charge House Republicans have fallen so far out of favor with the … [Read more...] about PPP Poll: House Republicans So Unpopular GOP Could Lose House in 2012
Will the Real Barack Obama Please Stand Up?
Will the real Barack Obama please stand up? Last week’s budget melodrama that nearly led to a government shut down ended with this truth about Obama: neither his liberal base nor Republicans fear him. Both sides feel he is someone who eventually “caves.” The word “caves” is now as tiresome as the phrases “false equivalency,” “just don’t get it,” or “defining moment.” In … [Read more...] about Will the Real Barack Obama Please Stand Up?
UK Report Shines Bright Light On Mobile Phone Costs
Oxford mathematicians have developed a tool that allows British consumers to analyze their mobile phone bills and figure out the most affordable subscription plan. Their analysis suggests that shifting to the right plan (one more atune to actual usage) would save British consumers £4.899 billion annually. That's $8 billion. (If the comparison were one-to-one, that would be … [Read more...] about UK Report Shines Bright Light On Mobile Phone Costs
Question: How Are The Federal Reserve Programs Different Than ‘Just Handing Rich People Money?’ Answer: It’s Not
So says Matt Taibbi, "It is as though someone sat down and made a list of every individual on earth who actually did not need emergency financial assistance from the United States government, and then handed them the keys to the public treasure." Maybe we should just use non-recourse 0% interest loans from the Federal Reserve to balance the budget? We could use 1% of the … [Read more...] about Question: How Are The Federal Reserve Programs Different Than ‘Just Handing Rich People Money?’ Answer: It’s Not
Arizona’s SB 1070 One Step Closer To The Supreme Court
Sometimes referred to as the “Papers Please” law, Arizona’s SB 1070 is the state law that requires local officials to check immigration status where reasonable suspicion exists that a person might be an illegal alien. Federal District Court Judge Bolton found that four provisions of the law violated the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution, Article VI, section 2. … [Read more...] about Arizona’s SB 1070 One Step Closer To The Supreme Court
Mitt Announces the Day Before ‘RomneyCare’ Anniversary
I don’t think Barack Obama will have a hard time defeating his Republican opponent in 2012, barring a financial meltdown or a major foreign crisis. It’s a Democratic opponent he should worry about. [...] As for Mitt Romney, who, if you stretch things a bit, is a semi-celebrity, he has a shot at the presidency only if the economy falls apart and Americans really think a … [Read more...] about Mitt Announces the Day Before ‘RomneyCare’ Anniversary
Budget Priorities (Cartoon)
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Tax Time Miseries (Guest Voice)
Tax-Time Miseries by Tom Purcell Boy, are accountants going through a rough patch now -- even rougher than we taxpayers are. Despite software that has greatly simplified tax preparation, American accountants suffer a host of daily aggravations. They're responsible for filing on behalf of some 82 million U.S. taxpayers and for understanding the U.S. tax code's 5,600 … [Read more...] about Tax Time Miseries (Guest Voice)
Obama’s Next Great Speech (Ho-Hum?)
The familiar pattern emerges: Aides spin a preview, he delivers an admirable speech, nothing changes. How did Barack Obama morph from an inspiring orator to a professorial President without the power to lead? Yes, yes: a crashing economy, wall-to-wall GOP resistance, Tea Party insanity... Granted, but there must be more. "I'd rather be a really good one-term president," … [Read more...] about Obama’s Next Great Speech (Ho-Hum?)