Dean Baker, one of the few experts to predict the last housing slump says that those who think that things are picking up are ignoring reality. He calls for continued slow markets and even a new slump in 2011. Not the best of news but this guy called it once and might well be doing so again. … [Read more...] about Expert Says Housing Will Remain Soft
Charlie Crist Now Says No Refunds
Just recently Florida's now-independent candidate for Senate Charlie Crist said he'd give refunds back to Republicans who demand their money back now that he's not going to run as a GOPer. But now the new policy is: No refunds. … [Read more...] about Charlie Crist Now Says No Refunds
China Stunned by Series of Murders of Schoolchildren: Seven Kids Die in Latest Meat Cleaver Attack
Exactly what is going on in China?? A rash of bloody, knife and meat cleaver murders of small school kids by adults have stunned China, a country where children are treasured. It seemingly matches the inexpicable killing sprees that peppered American history over the past few decades. The question is "why." And the answer so far is: "no one knows" -- but a lot of parents now … [Read more...] about China Stunned by Series of Murders of Schoolchildren: Seven Kids Die in Latest Meat Cleaver Attack
Mideast Groundhog Day
Hamid Karzai is in Washington this week for another round of coddling an "ally" in the War of Terror who is conning us out of lives and money to preserve a shaky, corrupt regime. Afghanistan's Caped Crusader will try to talk the Obama Administration out of diluting his stranglehold on the country by its emphasis on "empowering those at the provincial and district level," as … [Read more...] about Mideast Groundhog Day
Ahmadinejad Unveils His Grand Strategy: A Nuclear Defensive Umbrella for Aggression (Guest Voice)
Ahmadinejad Unveils His Grand Strategy: A Nuclear Defensive Umbrella for Aggression by Barry Rubin Whatever you think of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad he is not a stupid man. And he's also not acting like an intimidated one. During the latest UN meeting on nuclear issues, when the new International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)director-general urged Iran to … [Read more...] about Ahmadinejad Unveils His Grand Strategy: A Nuclear Defensive Umbrella for Aggression (Guest Voice)
Countering Purists
It is really easy to find conservatives calling out other conservatives for over-the-top characterizations about the nomination of Elena Kagan for the Supreme Court. Why is it so hard to find progressives calling out the progressives that are going over the top? Could it be that the meme that Republicans and conservatives have an exclusive lock on intolerance and purism is … [Read more...] about Countering Purists
The Meme That Will Not Die
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