Stephanie Mencimer asks, in an article at Mother Jones, and attempts to answer, the question: "Why do so many people think Elena Kagan is gay?" … [Read more...] about The Meme That Will Not Die
Can California Be Governed As Meg Whitman Ruled EBay?
In California, former EBay CEO Meg Whitman is using her family's estimated $1 billion fortune to buy her way into the governor's office, blanketing the nation's most populated state with millions of dollars in image-repairing television ads. Those slick ads seem to be working. The latest Field Poll, the oldest and most accurate in the state, taken March 17 show Whitman … [Read more...] about Can California Be Governed As Meg Whitman Ruled EBay?
Kagan Must Be Stopped, at Any Cost
Obama and his Democrats are trying to portray Elena Kagan as eminently qualified to become a Supreme Court Justice; as a person who embodies “excellence, independence, integrity, and passion for the law." In other words, a liberal firebrand, a wild-eyed idealist if not a dyed-in-the-wool, card-carrying socialist. Conservatives must dig out “the truth” and stop her … [Read more...] about Kagan Must Be Stopped, at Any Cost
Obama’s Exposed Left Flank
When Barack Obama took the oath of office as America’s president in January of 2009, liberals were just sure he was one of their own. All that campaign talk about bipartisanship and post-partisanship and working from the center was just that, campaign talk. After all, the Republicans had tagged him as the Senate’s most liberal member, hadn’t they? Yes, one of theirs, a … [Read more...] about Obama’s Exposed Left Flank
What’s The Problem With The “Faculty Lounge”?
One of the themes surrounding the nomination of Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court is that she's an academic egghead with no practical experience. While this particular nomination has had the unusual feature of leftist purists being even more brutal towards a Democratic nomination than right-wing purists, the egghead pejoratives are a particular favorite of the right … [Read more...] about What’s The Problem With The “Faculty Lounge”?
Kagan Will Move Supreme Court to the Right (Guest Voice)
Kagan Will Move Supreme Court to the Right by Marjorie Cohn President Barack Obama has chosen Elena Kagan to fill the vacancy left by Justice John Paul Stevens' retirement. Sadly, Kagan cannot fill Justice Stevens' mighty shoes. Obama took the cautious route in nominating Kagan, who, like Harriet Miers, has no record of judicial opinions and no formidable legal … [Read more...] about Kagan Will Move Supreme Court to the Right (Guest Voice)
The Politics of “Drill Baby Drill”
After weeks of the best propaganda that anti-drilling forces could muster from the combination of a devastating oil spill and sensationalist and even hysteria reporting from sympathetic media, polling shows that a clear majority of Americans continue to support offshore oil drilling: 55% say they support drilling to 30% opposed and 15% without an opinion. Republicans … [Read more...] about The Politics of “Drill Baby Drill”
Will Wisconsin Republican Scott Walker Become the New Scott Brown?
First there was Massachusetts' Republican Scott Brown who wooed and won over his state's voters with a message of frugality and a personal narrative. Now Wisconsin's Scott Walker is beginning to impress some GOP bigwigs who think that if he isn't the greatest thing since sliced bread he could be anther Scott Brown. According to ABC's Teddy Davis, two GOPers with good … [Read more...] about Will Wisconsin Republican Scott Walker Become the New Scott Brown?
Depressing Realization of the Day
So David Cameron, it appears, is "the youngest Prime Minister in the 200 year history of British government." I'm older. He was born in late 1966. I was born in early 1965. I think that's a first for me, being older than a prominent, contemporary world leader. Granted, there have been child and teenage heads of state -- eons ago. And maybe some tiny kingdom … [Read more...] about Depressing Realization of the Day
District TMV Update
Since we launched our new comments forum on Saturday, we've received a number of recurring questions. Tyrone offers the following answers. ------------------ Every post on the blog appears in the "Community Boulevard" section of District TMV. In "Community Boulevard" -- CB, for short -- blog posts are typically NOT listed in chronological order. Instead, they are … [Read more...] about District TMV Update
Specter’s Last Hurrah
If yesterday's primary result is any indication, Pennsylvania might have a new senior Senator in January of 2011. In bordering West Virginia, 14-term Representative Alan Mollohan (D-1st) lost his primary fight to State Senator Mike Oliverio. Mollohan's family had held that seat before men landed on the moon and was voting on legislation when the Beatles was still putting out … [Read more...] about Specter’s Last Hurrah
Classic Comedians: Jackie Gleason’s “POW Right in the Kisser!”
In talking with a younger person about comedy today he mentioned that he had seen one of the classic "The Honeymooners" DVDs with episodes from the 50s and loved it. I explained to him how (literally and figuratively) big Gleason was, right up until his death in the early 80s. And how he was the inspiration for Fred Flintstone. Now a catch phrase of his has had a second life … [Read more...] about Classic Comedians: Jackie Gleason’s “POW Right in the Kisser!”
Plenty Of Blame To Go Around
At the Congressional hearings about the Gulf oil spill today about all we heard was it's the other guy's fault. The one exception was the unadulterated hubris of BP. With an estimated 4m gallons of oil polluting the gulf from the ruptured well, Lamar McKay, the chief executive of BP America, said the company had adequately anticipated the potential scale of any spill and … [Read more...] about Plenty Of Blame To Go Around
Verizon & Google Developing An iPad Rival
Without mentioning a name, manufacturer, date or operating system -- I'm betting on Chrome [LATER: wrong! It's Android] and hoping for BumpTop integration as part of the OS -- the WSJ quotes Verizon's CEO: "What do we think the next big wave of opportunities are?" Mr. McAdam said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. "We're working on tablets together, for example. … [Read more...] about Verizon & Google Developing An iPad Rival
So Who’s to Blame for the Oil Spill?
At Congressional hearings today on the oil spill there was a lot of fingerpointing -- mainly by British Petroleum and Halliburton pointing to each other. CBS' report: Watch CBS News Videos Online … [Read more...] about So Who’s to Blame for the Oil Spill?
A Sign That Some Americans Will Believe Whatever Rush Limbaugh Says
Here's proof that some Americans will believe whatever Rush Limbaugh says: 10 percent in a new poll think environmentalists intentionally caused the oil spill. … [Read more...] about A Sign That Some Americans Will Believe Whatever Rush Limbaugh Says
Geezer Robs 8th Bank And Counting
The Special Agent in charge of the FBI San Diego office just might become the poster boy of the bureau. I can imagine Most Wanted posters hung on his wall of an old white guy, wearing a baseball cap, as the agent reviews taped security cameras of the old buzzard robbing banks. The "Geezer Bandit," as he is called struck again Tuesday for at least the eighth time since last … [Read more...] about Geezer Robs 8th Bank And Counting
GOPers Jeff Sessions and Orrin Hatch Distance Themselves from RNC Attack On Kagan
Sometimes some partisans will not join in an over-the-top partisan attack and go over the top with the party hierarchy. Just look at GOPers Orrin Hatch and Jeff Sessions... … [Read more...] about GOPers Jeff Sessions and Orrin Hatch Distance Themselves from RNC Attack On Kagan
Investors Riled Over 60% Rule Of Stock Market Glitch
Executives for the New York Stock Exchange Euronext and Nasdaq told a House Finance Committee Tuesday it canceled more than 10,000 trades May 6 when automatic electronic trading computers created chaos during a brief 20-minute gyration. They said those trades were "clearly erroneous" when their values declined or increased by as much as 99% in value. Nasdaq Executive Vice … [Read more...] about Investors Riled Over 60% Rule Of Stock Market Glitch
Blaming Instead Of Governing
More than three years after seizing control of Congress with a claim of sweeping mandate, Democrats in Congress still seem unable to respond to charges of Congressional overspending without merely pointing their fingers at Republicans and running away from the issue. With annual deficits projected in excess of $1 trillion per year as far as the eye can see, this is an … [Read more...] about Blaming Instead Of Governing