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
So Much for Tort Reform
As we dig deeper into the behemoth House health care bill, the blatant honesty of Howard Dean shines through the extensive document. You may recall when the former DNC chair said, "the reason why tort reform is not in the bill is because the people who wrote it did not want to take on the trial lawyers in addition to everybody else they were taking on, and that is the plain and … [Read more...] about So Much for Tort Reform
Do We Really Want Independents To Control Congress?
Senator Lieberman of Connecticut has angered Democrats in his opposition to the “public option” for healthcare reform. Well this is not the first time he has gone his own way. It is perfectly understandable because he is officially an independent and thus he has no duty to the Democratic Party. He answers only to his constituents and himself. Just because he caucuses with … [Read more...] about Do We Really Want Independents To Control Congress?
Does This Sound Familiar?
There are questions in France about why, two years after stepping down as president of his country, Jacques Chirac is standing trial for corruption charges stemming from his time as mayor of Paris in 1977 to 1995. But the questions seem to have less to do with the substance of the charges than with an apparent French tendency to overlook bad behavior on the part of prominent … [Read more...] about Does This Sound Familiar?
Pat Robertson Is Not Happy About Hate Crimes Bill
Another freedom has been taken away from him: … [Read more...] about Pat Robertson Is Not Happy About Hate Crimes Bill
Good for Medvedev
Liz Cheney: Obama Should Not Have Gone to Dover
Fox News Radio host John Gibson asked Liz Cheney for her thoughts on Barack Obama's recent trip to Dover Air Force Base to witness the arrival of the bodies of U.S. troops who died in Afghanistan. Here is her response, via TPMDC: … [Read more...] about Liz Cheney: Obama Should Not Have Gone to Dover
Say Hello To Governor Brown Part II
News breaking that SF Mayor Gavin Newsom is dropping out of the California Governor's race. This pretty much clears the field for former Governor and current AG Jerry Brown. Given the generally Democratic nature of the state it means we will be back in the 70's again. … [Read more...] about Say Hello To Governor Brown Part II
Agreement Reached in Honduras to Restore Status Quo Ante
The ongoing negotiations between Honduras's coup leaders and president-in-exile Manuel Zelaya have borne fruit: … [Read more...] about Agreement Reached in Honduras to Restore Status Quo Ante