Former Congressional candidate Dede Scozzafava has endorsed Democrat Bill Owens over Conservative Doug Hoffman. Her statement read: “In Bill Owens, I see a sense of duty and integrity that will guide him beyond political partisanship. He will be an independent voice devoted to doing what is right for New York. Bill understands this district and its people, and when he … [Read more...] about Scozzafava Endorses Owens
An Endorsement, and a Class Act
The Watertown Times has endorsed Bill Owens, the Democratic candidate to represent New York State's 23rd Congressional district seat: … [Read more...] about An Endorsement, and a Class Act
Democrats Notice They’re Spending Us Into Oblivion
The New York Times notes that there are a lot of nervous Democrats in Washington who have suddenly noticed that the deficit and our national debt have somehow mysteriously spiraled into a range of numbers generally reserved for discussions of the number of grains of sand on the world's beaches. Is it because of some new found concern for the public purse? Apparently not. But … [Read more...] about Democrats Notice They’re Spending Us Into Oblivion
Great Hopes For Obama Fading, Fading…
Too bad about the Obama Administration. It actually seemed to show some promise in its early months. It actually seemed to have a real commitment to change, a desire to see in crises at home and abroad opportunities to strike out in different directions that would lead to a brighter future for Americans and the world generally. But now it's clear. That ain't gonna happen. On … [Read more...] about Great Hopes For Obama Fading, Fading…
White House: NY 23 Shows GOP Becoming More Extreme
It's clear the White House perceives news from New York about a Republican moderate in effect being forced out of a Congressional race by conservatives who felt she was not conservative enough as a sign that the Republican party is officially shifting further to the right -- and comments made by a White House official on ABC this morning indicate this theme that will emerge … [Read more...] about White House: NY 23 Shows GOP Becoming More Extreme
Joe Lieberman
Bob Englehart, The Hartford Courant This cartoon is copyrighted and licensed to run on TMV. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. All rights reserved. … [Read more...] about Joe Lieberman
Italian Police Release Mafia Hit Video: Double Deja Vu?
The issue in the United States of how bystanders react -- or do not react -- to a crime that has unfolded before them has now emerged in Italy, on a somewhat smaller scale in an incident that seems right out of The Godfather, The Sopranos or GoodFellas. Italian police have released this video of an authentic mafia hit. And it's double deja vu: its a scene seemingly copied … [Read more...] about Italian Police Release Mafia Hit Video: Double Deja Vu?
It’s time to think different, and differently
The specific problems we face cannot be solved using the same patterns of thought that were used to create them. -Albert Einstein --- Cross-posted between Random Fate and The Moderate Voice. --- Technorati : Albert Einstein, quotes Del.icio.us : Albert Einstein, quotes Zooomr : Albert Einstein, quotes Flickr : Albert Einstein, quotes … [Read more...] about It’s time to think different, and differently
Abdullah Pulls Out Of Afghan Runoff
Presidential contender Abdullah Abdullah has announced he won't participate in the upcoming runoff election, a move that insures a victory for incumbent Hamid Karzai. It is not clear at this point if he will formally withdraw or if he will simply stop campaigning. Abdullah has accused the vote counting commission of being biased in favor of Karzai and thus unable to run a … [Read more...] about Abdullah Pulls Out Of Afghan Runoff
Global Reaction to Honduran Crisis
I thought it might be interesting -- now that the Honduran government and exiled President Manuel Zelaya have come to an agreement that will restore Zelaya to the presidency until the legal end of his term -- to look back at the reaction around the world when the coup occurred, at the end of June. It's easy now, four months after the events took place, to forget how united the … [Read more...] about Global Reaction to Honduran Crisis
Political Compass
It's been a little while since we've tried this One of the hardest things is to determine your own political position because it is only natural to assume you are the mainstream/center and everyone else should be left or right of you. There are a number of political surveys out there, and they too have some bias, but this one is pretty good at offering evaluation, and if … [Read more...] about Political Compass
Fred Hiatt Praises Agreement to Restore Zelaya to Office
Okay, I'll admit I'm surprised Hiatt decided to go the route of supporting the democratic rule of law and nonviolent conflict resolution -- although he cannot resist a bit of propagandizing about the evil "Chavistas." … [Read more...] about Fred Hiatt Praises Agreement to Restore Zelaya to Office
John Hannah’s Tone-Deaf Political Strategy
John Hannah is being roundly mocked for his NRO piece today in which he complains that Hillary Clinton is doing harm to U.S. interests abroad by contrasting Pres. Obama's foreign policies with those of the previous administration, to the latter's discredit. In her recent trip to Pakistan, Clinton told a group of students that she spent her entire Senate career opposing Bush's … [Read more...] about John Hannah’s Tone-Deaf Political Strategy
The Issue Is Factory Farming, Not Meat Eating
Jonathan Safran Foer (and Michael Pollan) notwithstanding, Nicolette Hahn Niman argues it's factory farming, not meat eating, that wreaks environmental havoc: In contrast to factory farming, well-managed, non-industrialized animal farming minimizes greenhouse gases and can even benefit the environment. For example, properly timed cattle grazing can increase vegetation by as … [Read more...] about The Issue Is Factory Farming, Not Meat Eating
Dede Scozzafava
This is not one of the subjects I've been following closely, since I don't live in New York State, but the response to her decision to drop out of the race is interesting. My understanding is that Scozzafava is a moderate Republican -- she does not hew to the far right position on abortion and marriage equality, for example. But Michelle Malkin, in her post exulting about … [Read more...] about Dede Scozzafava
The Curious Case Of Joe Lieberman
The style book says elected politicians be identified by abbreviations of their political party and state after their names which is why I find it rather amusing that Sen. Joe Lieberman is (I-Conn). That Lieberman is conning progressive Democrats is paramount in their frustration directed at the man selected as their party's vice presidential candidate in 2000. They … [Read more...] about The Curious Case Of Joe Lieberman
Scozzafava Drops Out
It seems like the far right has got it's wish: Republican Dede Scozzafava has suspended her bid in next Tuesday’s NY 23 special election, a huge development that dramatically shakes up the race. She did not endorse either of her two opponents -- Conservative party candidate Doug Hoffman or Democrat Bill Owens. The decision to suspend her campaign is a boost for … [Read more...] about Scozzafava Drops Out
Saturday Radio: Dede loses, Trial Lawyers Win
It's turning out to be an eventful weekend, and Cindy and I will be trying to keep pace with it all on Mid Stream Radio today at 1 pm eastern time. Stop by and join in the chat with your own comments or call in to (646) 595-3963 and give us a piece of your mind! (Well... assuming you have enough to spare, that is.) We'll catch up with the quickly changing NY 23 race and dig … [Read more...] about Saturday Radio: Dede loses, Trial Lawyers Win
Twitter “#trick” or “#treat”?
TechCrunch: Twitter tweeted out a message today about a special Halloween feature if you Tweet “#trick” or “#treat.” It was difficult to figure out at first, but if you tweet either from your Twitter home page (this is key, you can’t enable the feature when you are on a client), your home page background will go “ghoulish” and the … [Read more...] about Twitter “#trick” or “#treat”?
Breaking: Scozzafava Drops Out of NY-23 Race
Per Politico: Republican Dede Scozzafava has dropped out of next Tuesday’s NY 23 special election. She did not endorse either of her two opponents, Conservative party candidate Doug Hoffman or Democrat Bill Owens. Scozzafava's statement here. I think she made the wrong decision, but the statement is pure class. Before this development, the race was neck-and-neck … [Read more...] about Breaking: Scozzafava Drops Out of NY-23 Race