I finished the Open Yale Course on The Civil War and Reconstruction Era, 1845-1877 today. From the last of the 27 lectures, Legacies of the Civil War: Everything in history has a legacy. We use the term all the time, the legacies of this; the legacies of that; the legacies of that event; what are the legacies of World War Two? What are the legacies of the Civil Rights … [Read more...] about Of Legacies, Reconciliation & Beer
Washington a Key ‘Villain’ in Crisis Facing Honduras: La Prensa, Honduras
In seeking to return ousted Honduran President Manuel Zalaya to office, is the United States doing the right thing? The Honduran Congress and military, who ousted Zalaya for violating that nation's constitution by seeking another term, certainly have tremendous support. And according to columnist Gloria Leticia Pineda from La Prensa of Honduras, those who support the new … [Read more...] about Washington a Key ‘Villain’ in Crisis Facing Honduras: La Prensa, Honduras
Sotomayor Vote Tracking And Pool (Bumped/Updated)
Now that members are beginning to announce their votes we can start tracking the total votes. The current count of yes and no votes are as follows, the remainder being undecided. Obviously we can assume most or all Democrats will vote yes but until they announce I won't list them. We've also got a pool going in the replies. Feel free to chime in. YES: 22 votes (16D, … [Read more...] about Sotomayor Vote Tracking And Pool (Bumped/Updated)
Will a “Sotomayor Test” on the Next Supreme Court Nominee Work?
Dahlia Lithwick, a contributing editor to Newsweek and senior editor at Slate, is a brilliant Constitutional lawyer and scholar who has written extensively on the United States Supreme Court and on the Court's cases and opinions. No wonder she has been intensely focused on what impact the recent elections will have on the composition of our country's highest court. In … [Read more...] about Will a “Sotomayor Test” on the Next Supreme Court Nominee Work?
Boston Policeman Suspended For Using Slur To Describe Harvard’s Gates
It may well have been a "teachable moment," but perhaps some folks learned the wrong things: A Boston police officer has been suspended and could be fired for a mass e-mail in which he used a racial slur to describe black Harvard professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. Commissioner Edward Davis put 36-year-old Justin Barrett on administrative leave pending a termination … [Read more...] about Boston Policeman Suspended For Using Slur To Describe Harvard’s Gates
Poll: Numbers On Obama’s Approach To Health Care And Personal Ratings Go South
Barack Obama's poll numbers on health care and his approval ratings are moving south just as assuredly as elderly New Yorkers go south to Florida for the winter, NBC News reports: Despite his public-relations blitz over the past two weeks to promote his plans to reform the nation's health-care system -- including holding two town halls on Wednesday -- President Barack … [Read more...] about Poll: Numbers On Obama’s Approach To Health Care And Personal Ratings Go South
Unintended Collateral Damage Of Racist Remarks
I normally don't pay much attention when high-profile conservatives such as Glenn Beck and Michelle Malkin label President Obama a racist for sparking the national debate over the black Harvard professor arrested by Cambridge police. That is, until I read a story that made me wonder if there really is a cause and effect between what people as Beck and Malkin propagate and the … [Read more...] about Unintended Collateral Damage Of Racist Remarks
Nate Silver Explains How to B.S. America on Obamacare
As we've discussed in the past, Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEight.com has proven himself to be a political prognosticator of extraordinary skills since his debut on the scene. This may only come in second to his abilities in scoring major league baseball. Of course, when he wanders off into other areas, such as global warming, his platform as an analyst can go a bit pear shaped, … [Read more...] about Nate Silver Explains How to B.S. America on Obamacare
Let’s End The Score-Settling
WASHINGTON -- The problem with "teachable moments" is that the term sets up one group of people as teachers while another group is consigned to the role of pupils. In a democracy, that's troublesome. In the conflict between Henry Louis Gates Jr. and police Sgt. James Crowley over Gates' arrest at his own home, all parties in the national conversation believe they … [Read more...] about Let’s End The Score-Settling
Obama vs. Baucus for Health Care
In a defining moment for the politics of Change, the President is facing a fight-or-flight choice against a coalition led by a powerful member of his own party. "Sometimes I get a little frustrated," Barack Obama told a town hall yesterday, "because this is one of those situations where it's so obvious that the system we have isn't working well for too many people, and that … [Read more...] about Obama vs. Baucus for Health Care
Now, Isn’t This Interesting
Matthew Yglesias has some interesting graphics up which show that Americans who actually have public health care plans (aka Medicare and Medicaid) have higher levels of satisfaction with them than do Americans who are privately insured. … [Read more...] about Now, Isn’t This Interesting
Recent Poll Shows 76% of Americans Want Public Option
The poll is from mid-June, and was discussed by Sam Stein at The Huffington Post: … [Read more...] about Recent Poll Shows 76% of Americans Want Public Option
Shiva Limbo
Shiva Limbo by Brian Blum The most disconcerting thing about my trip to the U.S. for my father’s funeral was the “pre-shiva” period (known in Hebrew as aninut). Shiva is the seven days stipulated by Jewish tradition for mourning following burial. My father died on a Sunday. But the funeral didn’t take place until Wednesday. The official reason was that it took time … [Read more...] about Shiva Limbo
Selling Out Healthcare for GOP Votes
Here is one blogger's take on the effectiveness of local or regional nonprofit insurance cooperatives, which is the alternative the Gang of Six are touting to a full-throated public option: … [Read more...] about Selling Out Healthcare for GOP Votes
Just When You Thought Partisan Demonization Can’t Go Any Lower
We may as well copy this headline and this first short paragraph (and we will) since we will likely have to use it again and again -- as the political bar with what constitutes debate in our country goes lower and lower: It DOES. Details here. … [Read more...] about Just When You Thought Partisan Demonization Can’t Go Any Lower
The Point Is Health Care Reform, Not GOP Support
Health care reform is about to die because Democrats cannot handle being the majority in Congress, or having a filibuster-proof majority in the Senate: … [Read more...] about The Point Is Health Care Reform, Not GOP Support
Sue & Sue Again
Legal briefs... Overlawyered's Walter Olson: Former tenant Amanda Bonnen had just 22 followers on Twitter when she commented in a strongly negative way about Horizon Realty of Chicago. And here’s what a spokesman for Horizon is quoted as saying about its lawsuit: We’re a sue first, ask questions later kind of an organization. ArsTechnica has more on that. And this: A … [Read more...] about Sue & Sue Again
Is The Healthcare Reform Public Plan Option DOA?
Is the public plan option DOA in the ongoing Congressional discussions on President Barack Obama's stalled healthcare reform plan? Several reports suggest it could well be. The best summary comes from Bill Press, writing on The Hill's Pundit Blog: Don’t look now, but Democrats are about to abandon their commitment to a public plan option, if they haven’t already done … [Read more...] about Is The Healthcare Reform Public Plan Option DOA?
Quote of the Day: Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton
Our political quote of the day is the final two paragraphs of Maureen Dowd's must-read column contrasting Secretary of State Hillary Clinton with former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin: As McCain pal and Republican strategist Mike Murphy so sagely observed recently: “If Sarah Palin looked like Golda Meir, would we even be talking about her today?” Sarah should follow her own … [Read more...] about Quote of the Day: Sarah Palin and Hillary Clinton
White House Beer
RJ Matson, The St. Louis Post Dispatch This cartoon is copyrighted and licensed to run on TMV. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. … [Read more...] about White House Beer