Yesterday over on Facebook, Ohio's outgoing Secretary of State, Jennifer Brunner, posted a link to a new Zogby Poll. Brunner, a progressive Democrat, understandably highlighted Zogby's finding that, in spite of the "shellacking" that Democrats took in the 2010 midterm elections a few weeks ago, voter majorities still favor government spending on infrastructure in order to … [Read more...] about What the Latest Zogby Poll Could Tell Us
Watch Out for Beijing
Charles Krauthammer is no fan of President Obama, but he had no use for the silly (and largely misinformed) carping over the cost of the president's recent trip to Asia. I agree with Krauthammer. It's important for Presidents of the United States to go abroad for these diplomatic missions. The president is America's diplomat-in-chief. When presidents take such trips, it is in … [Read more...] about Watch Out for Beijing
More Blue Dogs?
I never did understand the Joe Miller campaign in Alaska. There is no state in the union that depends on the Federal Government more than Alaska. For every dollar Alaskans pay in Federal income tax they get five dollars back. One third of the jobs in Alaska depend on funding from the Federal government. This has always been a grudge match between Sarah Palin and Lisa … [Read more...] about More Blue Dogs?
Cindy McCain Betrays LGBT Americans, and Herself
It's hard to say which is worse, but betraying her own principles (if that's what they were) is, in my opinion at least, the most pathetic part of this: … [Read more...] about Cindy McCain Betrays LGBT Americans, and Herself
TSA Body Scans Rubs Passengers the Wrong Way
When it comes to TSA's full-body scans and pat-downs, many passengers are not willing to turn the other cheek: A growing pilot and passenger revolt over full-body scans and what many consider intrusive pat-downs couldn't have come at a worse time for the nation's air travel system. Thanksgiving, the busiest travel time of the year, is less than two weeks … [Read more...] about TSA Body Scans Rubs Passengers the Wrong Way
My Emotional Chaos is Nothing to Hide
Sometimes I feel like I’m an emotional ball of nerve endings waiting to be poked by a not so gentle stick. There is most likely a psychological term for this feeling. Even so, I am not yet willing to fork out the necessary copay to label my neurosis. So for now, I use less scientific sounding terms to describe this frequent state of unease. Sometimes I call it worry, fear, … [Read more...] about My Emotional Chaos is Nothing to Hide
Gallup: Sarah Palin’s Unfavorable Rating Hits New High
Apparently for many Americans who are not avid listeners of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Glenn Beck or Tea Party movement members to see, read or listen to Sarah Palin is apparently not to love her. According to Gallup her unfavorable ratings are at an all time high: More than half of Americans, 52%, now view Sarah Palin unfavorably, the highest percentage holding a … [Read more...] about Gallup: Sarah Palin’s Unfavorable Rating Hits New High
Kangaroo Courts and Retroactive Legality
What if you robbed a bank and got caught? You then used some of your ill gotten gains to buy enough lawmakers and they passed a law to make your crime legal. That's exactly what the banks themselves are doing in an attempt to save their hides from mortgage/foreclosure fraud. Matt Taibbi has an article explaining how the Florida Kangaroo Courts known as "rocket dockets" … [Read more...] about Kangaroo Courts and Retroactive Legality
Are Republicans Set Now For A Big Political Fall?
To those of us who are lifelong political junkies, the narratives are familiar. The Republican Party is dead and will never be a majority party again (1964 after LBJ's landslide against Goldwater and whopping GOP defeats)...The Democratic Party is decimated and the beginning of a new, long Republican era has begun (after Bill Clinton faced huge Democratic losses in his party's … [Read more...] about Are Republicans Set Now For A Big Political Fall?
The Rich Get Going
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about The Rich Get Going
Catholic Bishops: We Need More Exorcists
Apparently the handful of priests in the U.S. who are trained exorcists have been overwhelmed with requests from people who fear they are possessed by the Devil. The NYTimes: American bishops are holding a conference on Friday and Saturday to prepare more priests and bishops to respond to the demand. The purpose is not necessarily to revive the practice, the organizers say, … [Read more...] about Catholic Bishops: We Need More Exorcists
Aung San Suu Kyi: Legendary Burmese Leader Is Free
Ms Aung San Suu Kyi, 65, described as Burma's Mandela, is no longer under house arrest. The Burmese military junta set her free on Saturday and she was greeted by thousands of her supporters. "I'm very happy to see you all again," she told the crowd gathered near her lakeside home in Yangon, the capital of Myanmar. (See video here...) U.S. President Barack Obama said: "I … [Read more...] about Aung San Suu Kyi: Legendary Burmese Leader Is Free
The Roller In The White House
Some presidents rock. Some presidents roll. Our present chief executive is a world class roller. He's in the process of rolling today when it comes to extending lower tax rates for America's top 2 percent earners. It's just the latest of his seemingly endless rollovers. He's rolled for Natanyahu, for Karzai, for Patraeus and the gang at the Pentagon, for every senator with a … [Read more...] about The Roller In The White House
Rethinking The Federal Budget Mess: Part 1, Social Security
Part 1, Social Security : Part 2, Taxes : Part 3, Defense Spending In the wake of the deficit commission post-election bombshell about the nation's budget woes, partisans from all fronts are coming out of the woodwork with their talking points. But everyone is doing the nation a disservice by talking about "the budget" as though it were a single unit. It's not. It's … [Read more...] about Rethinking The Federal Budget Mess: Part 1, Social Security
Doing the Crazy
Reading through the news headlines these days is like picking cards out of a pack of jokers. … [Read more...] about Doing the Crazy
Something You Don’t See Too Often
A leader of the opposition (Eric Cantor) goes to visit a foreign country and in essence undermines a sitting administration and its Secretary of State. Another sign today all is fair in the name of partisanship. If you see an example as blatant as this -- not just someone criticizing US policy from abroad but actually going to a foreign government - give the info in comments. … [Read more...] about Something You Don’t See Too Often
Heroes
This copyrighted cartoon is licensed to appear on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about Heroes
Diminishing Marginal Returns on Bashing Obama
We're approaching it, if we haven't already gone past it. And those who ignore this, do so at their own peril. There's little more amplification that can be done on the tactic of blamming the President for this, that and the other thing. It's not just piling on, it's making people turn away and tire. It's fill in the blank headline time - who even bothers to read the articles … [Read more...] about Diminishing Marginal Returns on Bashing Obama
Riding the Rails, Looking for Work (Guest Voice)
Riding the Rails, Looking for Work by Michael Winship Now that an entire week or so has passed, it’s possible to make a cool, complete and objective assessment of the meaning of the 2010 vote. Thus, ladies and gentlemen, it becomes clear what this election was all about: jobs. I mean, just look at Monday’s Washington Post: “The record-breaking campaign … [Read more...] about Riding the Rails, Looking for Work (Guest Voice)
Cindy McCain Takes Part in Anti-Bullying Video
The video is specifically targeted at bullying of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered teenagers, and in addition to pointing out the suicide statistics for LGBT youth as a result of bullying and all the other forms of persecution and discrimination against people on the basis of sexuality, it takes on Don't Ask, Don't Tell. More specifically, one of the dozen or so … [Read more...] about Cindy McCain Takes Part in Anti-Bullying Video