And that is why Olympia Snowe wants to keep it out of the Obama administration's health care reform bill. Chris Bowers quotes from an AP article published in the Baltimore Sun: … [Read more...] about A Public Health Care Option Would Save Consumers Money
As the Bush-Cheney Agreement Is Implemented in Iraq, more Criticism from Cheney’s Camp
An Op-Ed piece in yesterday's Los Angeles Times by John P. Hannah, who served as Vice President Dick Cheney's national security advisor from 2005-2009, got my attention and my dander up. On the eve of U.S. troops leaving Iraqi cities in accordance with a formal U.S.-Iraq agreement, Hannah seems to lament--almost as much as his ex-boss does--the implementation of the very … [Read more...] about As the Bush-Cheney Agreement Is Implemented in Iraq, more Criticism from Cheney’s Camp
Michael Jackson In Heaven
RJ Matson, The New York Observer This cartoon is copyrighted and licensed to run on TMV. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. … [Read more...] about Michael Jackson In Heaven
Another Circus Looming In California
In one of the quieter news stories of the week Congresswoman Tauscher (D-CA) was confirmed to serve as Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security. Her departure sets up a special election which will occur later this year, probably in the early fall. One of the leading candidates in the race is Lt. Governor John Garamendi and if he wins that would … [Read more...] about Another Circus Looming In California
Greener Than Thou
You love your planet but do you love it enough? … [Read more...] about Greener Than Thou
Be Careful What You Wish For
So with the victory of Al Franken in Minnesota today we now have, at least in theory, absolute one party rule for the first time in more than thirty years. For those who are going to correct me I would point out that by one party rule I mean where one party had a filibuster proof majority in the Senate, a 50 plus seat majority in the House and control of the White House. The … [Read more...] about Be Careful What You Wish For
Thanks for Sharing, Governor. Now Shut Up.
Gov. Mark Sanford and Maria Belen Chapur slept with each other more times than he had previously said. Actually, if he's going to be honest, she is his soul mate. He does promise, though, that he will try to "fall back in love" with his wife. … [Read more...] about Thanks for Sharing, Governor. Now Shut Up.
The Sanfords’ Disparity in Marital Smarts
That new soap opera, "The Sanfords of South Carolina," revives interest in a subject that intrigued me over decades of editing women's magazines--the sexual politics of two-career marriages. Working with ambitious women in their twenties and thirties, I was struck by how different their lives were from the Father-knows-best ethos of earlier generations. They weren't holding … [Read more...] about The Sanfords’ Disparity in Marital Smarts
Franken vs. Coleman: Numbers Don’t Lie
(UPDATE: Republican Norm Coleman has now officially conceded in the hotly contested and litigious battle for Minnesota's Senate seat.) As an ex-mathematician, I like digits, numbers. While statistics can be made to lie, I don't believe pure numbers do, except when manipulated by Rush Limbaugh, as in the recent Supreme Court decision involving Sotomayor. Numbers haven't … [Read more...] about Franken vs. Coleman: Numbers Don’t Lie
Minnesota Supreme Court Rules for Franken
The Washington Post has just reported that the Minnesota Supreme Court has ordered that Democrat Al Franken be certified as the winner of the state's long-running Senate race, and rejected a legal challenge from Republican Norm Coleman, "whose options for regaining the Senate seat are dwindling." However, "Coleman hasn't ruled out seeking federal court intervention." … [Read more...] about Minnesota Supreme Court Rules for Franken
Breaking News: MN Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Al Franken
Minnesota Public Radio is reporting that the Minnesota Supreme Court has ruled unanimously in favor of Democrat Al Franken in the disputed 2008 Senate election case. Below is a summary of the court's findings: 1. Appellants (Norm Coleman) did not establish that, by requiring proof that statutory absentee voting standards were satisfied before counting a rejected absentee … [Read more...] about Breaking News: MN Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Al Franken
Update: U.S. Troop Pullback in Iraq—Cheney’s Dark Words and Thoughts
The day marking the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraqi cities and towns has been declared a national holiday, and Iraqis are celebrating. Of course everyone is hoping that the pullback and the eventual withdrawal of all 130,000 U.S. troops from Iraq will not lead to more violence, or worse. Sadly, The New York Times already reports: As if on cue, a car bomb … [Read more...] about Update: U.S. Troop Pullback in Iraq—Cheney’s Dark Words and Thoughts
Visions of Elections to Come
It seems that the GOP is setting its sights on some first and second term House Democrats who they see as being vulnerable. In particular, they're looking at the new members in traditionally red districts who voted for the energy bill. The National Republican Congressional Committee is planning to air TV and radio commercials and unleash robocalls against Democrats who hail … [Read more...] about Visions of Elections to Come
Wikipedians May Not Be Such Sourpusses After All
John Timmer at ArsTechnica raises good questions about the study I pointed to on Saturday. Says Timmer: The results need to be interpreted very cautiously, as they were based on only 69 contributors from a single nation [Israel], a tiny drop in the Wikipedian ocean. ... Wikipedia's own survey of its contributors racked up roughly 12,000 original contributors (and another … [Read more...] about Wikipedians May Not Be Such Sourpusses After All
Brooks, Bowers, Baker Berate Obama’s Prudence
In the July issue of Harper's, Kevin Baker compares Barack Obama to Herbert Hoover, a "very good man ... moving prudently, carefully, reasonably toward disaster." In other words, while top Republicans and their backers blast the President for being too radical, Baker blasts Obama for not being radical enough. Yesterday, Chris Bowers voiced a similar frustration. While he … [Read more...] about Brooks, Bowers, Baker Berate Obama’s Prudence
Poll: Americans Don’t Want To Intervene In Iran And Approve Of Obama Comments
A new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll provides yet another example of how the talk radio political culture is outside the country's emerging political center: it basically finds strong support for the Obama administration's non-intervention stand in the Iranian election as well as President Barack Obama's comments that have been soundly blasted by conservatives and on … [Read more...] about Poll: Americans Don’t Want To Intervene In Iran And Approve Of Obama Comments
Billy Mays RIP
Brian Fairrington, Cagle Cartoons This cartoon is copyrighted and licensed to run on TMV. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. … [Read more...] about Billy Mays RIP
McCain’s Campaign Team Disses Sarah Palin In Vanity Fair Piece
Members of Arizona Senator John McCain's 2008 Presidential campaign team have dissed McCain's former running mate Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin in an upcoming issue of Vanity Fair, the New York Daily News reports -- and in a big way: In an expansive story in the August edition of Vanity Fair, a slew of senior members of McCain's campaign team told reporter Todd S. Purdum that … [Read more...] about McCain’s Campaign Team Disses Sarah Palin In Vanity Fair Piece
Obama’s IT Dashboard Unveiled By US CIO At PdF09 In NYC
I'm liveblogging the Personal Democracy Forum all day today and you can follow the current session below. Vivek Kundra is the administration's Chief Information Officer and has demonstrated the beta version of the IT Dashboard which lets us access government data in an unprecedented way (whether that's good or bad, you decide). If you'd like to follow all the live-blogs … [Read more...] about Obama’s IT Dashboard Unveiled By US CIO At PdF09 In NYC
TV News And The Fairness Doctrine
TV News and the Fairness Doctrine by Martha Randolph Carr Let’s bring back the Fairness Doctrine that required television journalists to at least attempt to be fair. That’s right, there was a magic time in America when the suits at the three main networks, ABC, NBC and CBS had to set aside a certain amount of air time devoted to controversial topics or current affairs and … [Read more...] about TV News And The Fairness Doctrine