The stock market is on a tear. It has had one of the biggest four-week advances ever. Like episodes of Seinfeld, however, this surge is pretty much about nothing. Street watchers, of course, are obliged to assign a reason for the inherently silly or foolish gyrations that often seize hold of the professional traders who handle so much of other people's money. And they have … [Read more...] about Market Recovering. Economy Not. A Problem?.
Queen Elizabeth Wasn’t Upset At All By Michelle Obama’s “Breaking Protocol”
Darn! Just when you think there's a great new topic to use to score points with a negative, it's yanked away from you! It turns out that -- despite what some pundits have been proclaming -- there was a bit more to First Lady Barack Obama breaking protocol with the Queen of England. Like...the Queen broke it, too: Michelle Obama's meeting with Queen Elizabeth II began with … [Read more...] about Queen Elizabeth Wasn’t Upset At All By Michelle Obama’s “Breaking Protocol”
Are You an “Optimist” or an “Optimalist” About the Economy?
I passionately want the President of the United States to succeed and our economy to recover. As I have mentioned before, in this respect I am an optimist, and I celebrate every gain by our markets, "regardless of how small or fleeting," and I look for every sign, no matter how miniscule, that our economy is in fact improving. That is the reason I am exuberant today. … [Read more...] about Are You an “Optimist” or an “Optimalist” About the Economy?
Double Takes
Double Take #1: Despite trying, Andrew Sullivan can't seem to quite get out of the "makers and takers" hole he dug. And it probably doesn't help matters when his readers keep knocking him down a notch or two. That's the funny thing about readers: They insist on keeping writers honest. Double Take #2: Columnist Froma Harrop was motivated enough by my ignorance of her … [Read more...] about Double Takes
Obama’s Paradox: Love Him; Hate American Capitalism: Liberation of France
PHOTOGRAPHER: 'EH … I DON’T SEE THE REST OF THE 20? OBAMA: 'WHAT 20? Continental Europe today is torn: How can it reconcile its ecstatic Obama-mania with the president's resistance to creating a global institution to oversee financial markets and his favor for bigger deficit-funded stimulus packages to boost consumption? Francois Sergent of France's Liberation writes in … [Read more...] about Obama’s Paradox: Love Him; Hate American Capitalism: Liberation of France
The U.S. Mexico Border: End Of A Shattered Dream?
During the late 20th century, Americans and Mexicans on both sides of the border dreamed of a region where people of both countries could go back and forth legally and easily....where tourism on both sides would flourish as each others' citizens flocked to the other country....and where the countries' two economies would increasingly flourish as they became greater intertwined … [Read more...] about The U.S. Mexico Border: End Of A Shattered Dream?
Court Moves Closer To Naming Minnesota Senator
It may be hard to believe, but Minnesota still has only one U.S. Senator, Amy Klobuchar. That said, Democratic challenger Al Franken has moved a step closer to unseating Republican Norm Coleman. Tuesday, after a seven-week trial, the Minnesota elections court unanimously decided to re-examine another 400 rejected absentee ballots in open court on Tuesday April 7. However, … [Read more...] about Court Moves Closer To Naming Minnesota Senator
Moral Clarity in Foreign Policy
With Obama's recent Af-Pak announcement, I thought it might be a good time to pull my musings around moral clarity and foreign policy back out of the closet and dust them off to have another look. When last I ruminated on this topic, it was over at my home digs at the League of Ordinary Gentlemen where co-blogger E.D. Kain had expressed perfectly reasonable concern over basing … [Read more...] about Moral Clarity in Foreign Policy
Flight to Neverland
Petar Pismestrovic, Kleine Zeitung, Austria This cartoon is copyrighted and licensed to appear on TMV. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. … [Read more...] about Flight to Neverland
‘Be Very Nice to the Blue Dogs’
The Cagle Post identifies her as "an independent and witty voice." The bio at her blog informs us that, per Media Matters for America, she's among the top-20 syndicated columnists. Yet I had never heard of Froma Harrop until I read her RCP column today -- an oversight that suggests either (a) it's increasingly difficult to achieve broadscale name recognition in this country, … [Read more...] about ‘Be Very Nice to the Blue Dogs’
G20 Leaders: Tighter Rules, Stimulus And More IMF Funds Amid The Smiling Faces?
What more can you say about the G20 meeting at a time of grave international economic crisis than this photo that is quickly making the rounds in various incarnations on websites and print media throughout the world? Clearly, these G20 world leaders know how to project a sense that they're not throwing up their hands or being immobilized by the history-making challenges facing … [Read more...] about G20 Leaders: Tighter Rules, Stimulus And More IMF Funds Amid The Smiling Faces?
The State of the Country
Is it just me, or are those lines getting awfully close to each other? … [Read more...] about The State of the Country
Fun things I learn from Wikipedia: Hungary’s Pengo and Hyperinflation
As a college professor I'm supposed to look down on Wikipedia. After all, anybody can post things to it. And it just substitutes for good old-fashioned research. Well, I certainly don't accept students citing Wikipedia in their essays and I insist they use it only as a first - not last - source. Still, there are times when the Wikipedia entry is just so informative and … [Read more...] about Fun things I learn from Wikipedia: Hungary’s Pengo and Hyperinflation
Political Troubles Mount For Sarah Palin
Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's string of unflattering or unhelpful political news is continuing. Her problem: it's projecting an image of disarray, defensiveness and weakness. The Alaska state Democrats have nixed her pick of an aide for state Senate, -- and a new magazine article has come out in which her husband blames the fuss over her expensive campaign wardrobe … [Read more...] about Political Troubles Mount For Sarah Palin
The Sanctity of Every Human Life
From The Week (emphasis mine): Some people think they're "more Catholic than the pope," said the Los Angeles Times in an editorial. Conservatives are lobbying to rescind an invitation to President Obama to speak during commencement next month at Notre Dame, the nation's best-known Catholic university. They reason that Obama's views on abortion are incompatible with those of … [Read more...] about The Sanctity of Every Human Life
April Fools with The Capitol Steps!
I'm listening to it now on one of my local NPR stations. April Fools Day 2009 with The Capitol Steps! LISTEN: April Fool's Day 2009 Edition: Politics Takes A Holiday! Recorded live at the Ronald Reagan Building in DC. (One half hour: 4.5 MB) Download individual weekly clips! … [Read more...] about April Fools with The Capitol Steps!
Europeans and Obama: As Though ‘Friendship Were a One-Way Street’ – Financial Times Deutschland
There has been so much international coverage of Obama's first day in Europe that it's hard to know where to begin. Just for the sake of levity, here are some of the headlines of what we've been posting over at WORLDMEETS.US Again - most of the action today has been in the Europe section: Financial Times Deutschland, Germany: Europeans and Obama: As Though 'Friendship Were a … [Read more...] about Europeans and Obama: As Though ‘Friendship Were a One-Way Street’ – Financial Times Deutschland
The Anti-Economic Recovery Plan
It seems that even ardent right-wingers in blogtopia are, perhaps, a bit hesitant to come right out and defend the GOP's "alternative budget" plan, as presented by Paul D. Ryan on the op-ed page of the Wall Street Journal today. Because, as of this writing, there is quite a lot of buzz going on at Memeorandum over the proposal, but very little of it is coming from … [Read more...] about The Anti-Economic Recovery Plan
Revisionist Mount Rushmore
RJ Matson, The New York Observer This cartoon is copyrighted and licensed to appear on TMV. All Rights Reserved. Unauthorized reproduction prohibited. … [Read more...] about Revisionist Mount Rushmore
66 For 44 (Guest Voice)
66 for 44 by Dalitso Njolinjo I am going to start of by stating that Barack Obama is the smartest American politician since Ronald Reagan. Democrats searched years to find their own Gipper, the go to guy for pressing home their liberal message, Obama is it. Since his inauguration you have seen the Republican machine try their very best to undermine and smear the … [Read more...] about 66 For 44 (Guest Voice)