You may have seen the viral video of the worst parking job ever. 1,684,803 views since the Thursday Oct. 22 incident. While we gawk and guffaw, the owner of the crushed 2004 Hyundai Elantra (the one in the foreground) had just finished paying off his car loan! The 62 year-old woman driving the BMW was arrested for leaving the scene. The crushed Hyundai owner was left … [Read more...] about Hyundai’s Happy Ending is the Media Industry’s Ticket To Succes
The man who predicted the financial crisis, Part III
I'm not an aggressive consumer of financial journalism, so it has to be something of a coincidence that I've come across three separate items that chronicle the dark predictions of three separate men who warned of an impending financial crisis. The first two are discussed below. The third is Nassim Nicholas Taleb, author of The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly … [Read more...] about The man who predicted the financial crisis, Part III
Congress Set to Delay Health-Care Bill
President Obama may think he's getting a bill to sign soon, or at least this year, but it looks like Congress will postpone legislation until the new year: Senior Congressional Democrats told ABC News [yesterday] it is highly unlikely that a health care reform bill will be completed this year, just a week after President Barack Obama declared he was "absolutely confident" … [Read more...] about Congress Set to Delay Health-Care Bill
Meeting Us in the Middle on Afghanistan
Guest post by Jared Stancombe Jared Stancombe is a 2009 graduate of Indiana University, where his studies focused on peace and conflict studies in Northern Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia. His other academic interests include counterinsurgency and complex military operations. He is currently an analyst for a U.S. government agency responsible for national security … [Read more...] about Meeting Us in the Middle on Afghanistan
Lessons Learned? Well, Maybe
First, I'll send you over to a longer column of mine which was just published over at PJM with some reflections on what we can take, if anything, from yesterday's elections. In addition, though, I find myself pondering the alleged civil war in the GOP. The NY 23 special election was, after all is said and done, an aberration and a train wreck in the making pretty much from the … [Read more...] about Lessons Learned? Well, Maybe
R.I.P. GOP
Eric Allie, Caglecartoons.com This cartoon is copyrighted and licensed to appear on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about R.I.P. GOP
The man who predicted the financial crisis, Part II
In the mid-1990's, Yale economist Robert Shiller predicted the dot-com bubble would burst. In 2005, Shiller predicted the housing bubble would burst. Why? In the wake of the dot-com crash, which helped make Shiller a public figure, Americans turned their financial attention from stocks to real estate. House prices were rising rapidly, and people had begun to see real estate … [Read more...] about The man who predicted the financial crisis, Part II
Maine Marijuana Law Approved; Help Defeat Grassley’s Decriminalization Gag Rule
At the very same time Maine voted to repeal same sex marriage, they approved a bill that expands the state's existing medical marijuana law. With that Maine becomes the third State to License Medical Marijuana Providers: “This is a dramatic step forward, the first time that any state’s voters have authorized the state government to license medical marijuana dispensaries,” said … [Read more...] about Maine Marijuana Law Approved; Help Defeat Grassley’s Decriminalization Gag Rule
Election 2009
David Fitzsimmons, The Arizona Star This cartoon is copyrighted and licensed to appear on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about Election 2009
Going Rogue in Upstate New York
Sarah Palin has upended politics-as-usual again, this time electing a Democratic Congressman in an upstate New York district that has been Republican for over 100 years. In drumming out of the party Dede Scozzafava, a member of the State Assembly with solid GOP credentials in favor of an inexperienced Conservative with a scared-rabbit persona, Palin has once again … [Read more...] about Going Rogue in Upstate New York
Steele: GOP “Transcendent”
Apparently the election last night showed that the GOP was transcendent, at least according to Michael Steele. That's what I've been saying for years! I'm glad that they finally agreed. No word on when they are going to come back down to earth or aim for political ascendancy. Update: I got a hold of some forthcoming book titles coming from the GOP: GOP House, … [Read more...] about Steele: GOP “Transcendent”
Last Night’s Results: Lesson Lost
This morning, I don't entirely understand the crowing and chest-beating from ultra-conservatives, nor the smattering of headlines re: a "wake-up call" for, or "warning" to, Democrats. Sure, governors might comment on federal policy, and they might some day run for federal office. But while governors are governors, they don't cast votes in the Chambers of Congress on a … [Read more...] about Last Night’s Results: Lesson Lost
Too Smart To Succeed
When it comes to the economy, the people running this Administration's policies aren't stupid. No, sir. They're very smart. Too smart, in fact. That's their problem — and the reason the Democrats took such a whacking in yesterday's elections. By virtue of their excessive intelligence, these policy setters have been fixated on "the economy" and not on the economic lives that … [Read more...] about Too Smart To Succeed
The man who predicted the financial crisis, Part I
The weekend edition of the Wall Street Journal profiled John Paulson, whose firm made $15 billion by systematically betting against the value of American homes. Paulson himself took home $4 billion. How'd he do it? Research. Grasping for new ideas, [Paulson researcher Paolo] Pellegrini added a "trend line" that clearly illustrated how much prices had surged lately. He … [Read more...] about The man who predicted the financial crisis, Part I
Forgive Them For They Know Not What They Do
Check out the Colbert video above. Funny, as always, it's a strident mocking of the Mormon Church for a gay kiss incident in Salt Lake City last summer. Police handcuffed and cited a gay couple for “kissing and hugging” on the city's Main Street. That part of the street, it turns out, was bought by the church. Main Street in downtown Salt Lake is church property. Lesbian … [Read more...] about Forgive Them For They Know Not What They Do
Same Sex Marriage Rights Defeated In Maine
A note of caution, I am not an expert on Maine politics and the way the results are being tallied make it a bit harder for me to analyze things. However with 76% of the vote counted the Yes vote is leading by a 52-48 margin which means that once again loving couples are denied basic human rights. … [Read more...] about Same Sex Marriage Rights Defeated In Maine
Garamendi Wins: Let The Games Begin
Not a huge shock given that CA-10 is heavily Democratic but Lt. Governor John Garamendi is headed to Washington. This means that Governor Arnold will get to nominate a successor to the Lt. Governor post but the nominee must be approved by both houses of the heavily Democratic legislature. Obviously the GOP would like a strong candidate in statewide office while the Democrats … [Read more...] about Garamendi Wins: Let The Games Begin
Coming civil war in the GOP
Full results are not in, but it looks right now like Democrat Bill Owens will win NY-23, tarnishing would should have been a solid night for the GOP. Comfortable wins in the gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia seemed likely to serve as appetizers for the real conservative triumph - a victory of Conservative Party nominee Doug Hoffman. The purging of Republican … [Read more...] about Coming civil war in the GOP
Owens Wins
It's time to call the race for Democrat Bill Owens. With 84% of the votes counted the tally is as follows Bill Owens (D): 57,845 or 49.2% Doug Hoffman (C): 53,603 or 45.5% That's a margin of 4,200 votes and based on the trend we only have about 20,000 votes left. For Hoffman to win he would need to beat Owens by 20 points with the remaining voters. As one of my … [Read more...] about Owens Wins
New York 23rd
UPDATE #5: Looking increasingly likely that Owens will win. Almost 80% counted and he leads by 3,600 votes. For Hoffman to pull it he will need to pick up about 4,000 votes and based on current returns there are about 33,000 left to count. It looks like a big loss for the hard right in New York. UPDATE #4: With 71% in Owens still leads 49.1-45.2 or 3.9%. Getting … [Read more...] about New York 23rd