Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle's announcement that he was withdrawing his name to be to be President Barack Obama’s Health and Human Services secretary amid growing controversy over past tax problems raises several vexing questions: 1. He's a political pro: was he dense? How could someone who had been Majority Leader, demonized by Republican activists and talk … [Read more...] about Vexing Questions Raised By Daschle’s HHS Crash And Burn
Newman To Replace Gregg ?
According to Politico.com the newest US Senator from New Hampshire will be Bonnie Newman, a longtime moderate Republican who endorsed Democrat John Lynch in 2004. The appointment is set to be announced around 4:30pm this afternoon in New Hampshire. If true, this is an interesting choice since Newman is only 63 and thus could be a candidate for re-election in 2010. Many had … [Read more...] about Newman To Replace Gregg ?
Daschle’s Out
MSNBC announced that Tom Daschle has withdrawn his nomination for HHS Secretary. An analysis from earlier today about how Killefer's problems hurt Daschle: The Fix: How Killefer Hurts Daschle … [Read more...] about Daschle’s Out
Denny’s Free Super Bowl Breakfast = Denny’s LONG Waiting Line (At 5:55 a.m.)
Last night the teens at my house wanted to get up super early before school because they had heard that Denny's was giving a free Grand Slam breakfast as part of its Super Bowl promotion to all and sundry who came in between 6 a.m and 3 p.m. A free breakfast! A Grand Slam! A great concept, right? Not exactly. Everyone was up by 5:30 am and we drove the 4 minutes down San … [Read more...] about Denny’s Free Super Bowl Breakfast = Denny’s LONG Waiting Line (At 5:55 a.m.)
The New GOP Leadership: Limbaugh-Palin
Over at Salon, Joan Walsh writes about "The leaderless GOP," and commiserates with Michael Steele about it: Sorry, Michael Steele, but it's going to be a while before you're anything more than the figurehead frontman of a shipwrecked Republican National Committee. Sarah Palin and Rush Limbaugh remain the leaders of your party, and most Republicans are happy that way. … [Read more...] about The New GOP Leadership: Limbaugh-Palin
Fairness as Bipartisan Impulse
I watched the Super Bowl Sunday evening with two of my best and most conservative friends. Four-plus years ago, I would have agreed with 90 percent or more of what they said. Now, our consensus-ratio is closer to 50 percent, although Sunday night, that 50 percent became 51 percent as we voiced our collective outrage at Wall Street's use of taxpayer bailout funds to pay its … [Read more...] about Fairness as Bipartisan Impulse
Poll: Stimulus Supported Amid Growing Partisanship And Desire For Changes
A new Gallup poll finds that President Barack Obama's stimulus package enjoys strong support -- but Americans are rapidly returning to their traditional (and predictable) partisan positions and want the plan to be changed...bigtime. And a new Rasmussen Reports poll finds that support for the plan is slipping. The reason: the plan is starting to lose independent voter … [Read more...] about Poll: Stimulus Supported Amid Growing Partisanship And Desire For Changes
Another Obama Nominee Sunk Due to Taxes
Nancy Killefer, Chief Performance Officer Designate … [Read more...] about Another Obama Nominee Sunk Due to Taxes
The Republicans Have Nothing to Party About
by Walter and Rosemary Brasch Every House Republican and 11 Democrats voted against President Barack Obama's $819 billion stimulus package. It still passed by a vote of 244 to 188. There are enough votes in the Senate to pass the bill, but the obstructionist Republican minority, still nursing the wounds inflicted by the public in the November election, can block it by … [Read more...] about The Republicans Have Nothing to Party About
Helping Softer Voices Get Louder On A Noisy Big Mouth Dominated Internet
It's difficult to develop a readership and even more difficult than ever due to a growing number of websites -- and blogs. Many blogs can't get links to expand their readership because they're smaller than bigger blogs, run into some big blog owners who may exhibit snobbism (most blog owners do NOT) or -- most importantly -- they're not ideologically pure enough to get linked … [Read more...] about Helping Softer Voices Get Louder On A Noisy Big Mouth Dominated Internet
Michael Steele Opening Up the Bigger Tent?
Here's one of those stories which seems to have slipped through the cracks and not shown up on any of the larger conservative blogs I read. If it had, I'm not sure what sort of reception it would have received. The new chairman of the RNC, Michael Steele, sat down this weekend for a chat with Chris Wallace on Fox News. During his discussion of the future of the GOP, he let … [Read more...] about Michael Steele Opening Up the Bigger Tent?
The Potato Peeler: A NY Legend Passes
When I shot tourist video of him in 2006 he was proud to be featured in Vanity Fair, "Julia Roberts on the cover and me in the middle!" Joe Ades died Sunday. An appreciation is in today's NYTimes: Somehow, Joe Ades got people’s attention as the crowds swirled by at the Union Square Greenmarket, on their way to eyeing and buying the produce. He was the white-haired man with the … [Read more...] about The Potato Peeler: A NY Legend Passes
Human Feelings & Universal Truths: The Timelessness Of Bob Marley’s Exodus
By SHAUN MULLEN GUEST VOICE It had been at least a couple of years since I played Exodus, the seminal Bob Marley and The Wailers reggae album. There was about a foot of snow on the ground and it was a most un-tropical four below zero outside the mountain retreat, but the coal stove was chug chugging away and the DF&C and I were plenty cozy as the living room filled with the … [Read more...] about Human Feelings & Universal Truths: The Timelessness Of Bob Marley’s Exodus
The You’ve Got To Be Kidding Department
I mean REALLY.... (Please Mommy, please make them stop...please let the man who keeps jumping in the spotlight go away and also make the people who are using him for things stop. Oh, please, Mommy.. I promise won't be bad anymore -- just please make them STOP!) … [Read more...] about The You’ve Got To Be Kidding Department
Davos 2009: ‘The Vampires’ Ball’ – Les Dernieres Nouvelles d’Alscace of France
It probably won't surprise Moderate Voice readers that this year's World Economic Summit in Davos is being written of with some derision by the world's columnists, the chief target of the flying tomatoes being the United States. This editorial from Les Dernieres Nouvelles d'Alsace of northwestern France tackles the 2009 'festivities' with great French panache. The … [Read more...] about Davos 2009: ‘The Vampires’ Ball’ – Les Dernieres Nouvelles d’Alscace of France
Gregg For Commerce
According to 'inside sources', President Obama will name New Hampshire Senator Judd Gregg to be Secretary of Commerce, making him the third Republican in the administration. Reports also suggest that one of the conditions for acceptance was that he would be replaced by a Republican even though New Hampshire has a Democratic Governor. Sources in Governor Lynch's office … [Read more...] about Gregg For Commerce
Newspapers at Obama’s Breakfast Table
I translate Dutch and Spanish articles for "Watching America" (watchingamerica.com). Dutch is quite difficult to translate, mainly because the word order is somewhat different from that in the English language, especially when it comes to the placement of the second verb (the one after the finite verb) in a clause or sentence. This verb is generally buried about a mile down … [Read more...] about Newspapers at Obama’s Breakfast Table
I Guess Republicans Do Have An Idea Other Than Tax Cuts
...and it is about the worst I've ever heard. Requiring banks to provide insanely low interest loans and then having them sell them to the government? That is partially what got us into this mess, except they want to raise the bar for conforming to $625k and also give a $15k tax credit. It is the bad housing policies of the past 8 years on steroids and is a misguided attempt to … [Read more...] about I Guess Republicans Do Have An Idea Other Than Tax Cuts
Arrest Warrant Issued for “Girls Gone Wild” Founder
In LA a couple hours ago. Wondering why? Some background from Claire Hoffman writing in the LA Times Magazine in the summer of 2006: Joe Francis, the founder of the "Girls Gone Wild" empire, is humiliating me. He has my face pressed against the hood of a car, my arms twisted hard behind my back. He's pushing himself against me, shouting: "This is what they did to me in … [Read more...] about Arrest Warrant Issued for “Girls Gone Wild” Founder
Cults of Personality: Obama vs. Palin
While many in the GOP are engaged in serious discussions of the Party's path out of the wilderness, others seem to be doubling down on bets which have previously failed to pay off. Eric Kleefeld of Talking Points Memo discusses the curious results of a recent poll in which a majority of Republicans seem to feel that the party needs to be more like Sarah Palin. A new … [Read more...] about Cults of Personality: Obama vs. Palin