Should the automakers be bailed out or not? In this Guest Voice interview, columnist Bill Steigerwald interviews Dan Ikenson, associate director of the Cato Institute’s Center for Trade Policy Studies, who says no. Guest Voice posts do not necessarily reflect the opinion of TMV or its writers. Don't Bailout The Big 3 by Bill Steigerwald Is the impending collapse of … [Read more...] about Don’t Bailout The Big 3 (Guest Voice Interview)
Obama Interview Gives ’60 Minutes’ Best High Ratings In 9 Years
It still wasn't as big an attraction as football, but CBS' 60 Minutes interview with President Elect Barack Obama got monster ratings and was the best audience the usually high-rated show has gotten in 9 years: Barack Obama's first televised post-election interview gave Sunday night's "60 Minutes" its biggest audience in at least nine years. The CBS News program was … [Read more...] about Obama Interview Gives ’60 Minutes’ Best High Ratings In 9 Years
Variables Working Against a Republican Revival
Recent reports of the GOP’s death may be exaggerated. As one TMV reader put it: … I think it's too early to write the Republicans off. Zell Miller thought he was writing the obituary of the Democrats a few years ago, and boy, was he wrong. But Republican pollster Frank Luntz is not so sure. He has predicted that today’s GOP leaders won’t have three election cycles -- … [Read more...] about Variables Working Against a Republican Revival
Which Language Do You Dream In?
(It has been a rough-and-tumble political season. Nerves are raw. Perhaps it’s time to dream a little bit.) It doesn’t happen that often any more, but there are still times when my English-born wife gently---sometimes not so gently---awakens me in the middle of the night to tell me that I have been talking in my sleep again…in Spanish. Invariably, she will ask me in the … [Read more...] about Which Language Do You Dream In?
More on Outliers: The Story of Success
Malcolm Gladwell's Outliers: The Story of Success is now out and Gladwell himself has been out and about chatting it up... The Guardian notes his timing is good: He is publishing his book at the moment when the destructive disjunction between effort and reward that has dominated the last decade or so - the criminal nonsense of the city bonus economy - is for the first time … [Read more...] about More on Outliers: The Story of Success
Celebrity Fires Consume the Media (Guest Voice)
The big news in California is that fires continue to burn -- and could burn for days. (On a personal note, a show I was supposed to do yesterday was cancelled due to the fires but it would have been iffy getting to the location anyway since some roads near L.A. were closed). Cagle Cartoons owner Daryl Cagle lives in one of the areas impacted by the fires. In this Guest Voice he … [Read more...] about Celebrity Fires Consume the Media (Guest Voice)
Rediscovering America
Michael Kountouris, Greece … [Read more...] about Rediscovering America
Remembering the “Heidi Bowl”
Today is an anniversary which often passes without notice, but in true American style, we should honor it here lest we ever forget. Forty years ago today, on Nov. 17, 1968, the New York Jets were barely leading in a pitched battle with the Oakland Raiders, hanging on to a slim 32-29 lead. There was still 65 seconds left on the game clock, but NBC television executives were … [Read more...] about Remembering the “Heidi Bowl”
What Kind Of Transition Will We Have?
As we move beyond Election Day and President-Elect Obama prepares his transition, the question remains what kind of transition it will be. A look at past history is not particularly encouraging. In 1993 when President-Elect Clinton came into office, the Republican leaders in Congress were marginally polite but did little to back up pledges of bipartisanship. Within a few weeks … [Read more...] about What Kind Of Transition Will We Have?
Little Iraqi Madonna: What Reality the News Media Suppresses When It Only Says “15 People Killed by Car Bomb Outside of Baghdad, November 16, 2008”
The innocent; the children, the old people, the young policemen lying in their own blood, the relatives made instantly insane with grief. Seeing/ knowing of these events, I'd like to humbly suggest an exhortation for us all. The exhortation starts with "Never never never never ever ever ever ..." then, you please personally fill in the blank with whatever will preserve your … [Read more...] about Little Iraqi Madonna: What Reality the News Media Suppresses When It Only Says “15 People Killed by Car Bomb Outside of Baghdad, November 16, 2008”
Obama After Football: Will Close Guantanamo, Break the Addiction to Oil
Delayed 30 minutes on the east coast by the confused ending of the Pittsburgh-San Diego game (the only 11-10 score in NFL history), the first post-election interview of Barack and Michelle Obama aired on 60 Minutes. On the economy Obama said "for the auto industry to completely collapse would be a disaster" but assistance "can't be a blank check." He was generous … [Read more...] about Obama After Football: Will Close Guantanamo, Break the Addiction to Oil
GOPers Jindal And Gingrich: Republican Party Must Change
Bob Schieffer had Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich on CBS's Face the Nation -- and both indicated that the Republican party must change if it wants to rebound. Jindal shows why he is a rising Republican star (excellent on television and issue-oriented) and stresses that the Republican party must be more than "the part of 'no.'" Gingrich is … [Read more...] about GOPers Jindal And Gingrich: Republican Party Must Change
There Will Be Some O’s Missing In The White House When The Bushies Leave
In my hometown newspaper this morning, a letter writer debunked the myth that President Clinton's staff "vandalized" the executive offices and the White House, before Bush staffers moved in, including the allegation that many computer keyboards were missing the W key---as in President Bush's middle initial. It turned out that the "vandalism" reports were false or grossly … [Read more...] about There Will Be Some O’s Missing In The White House When The Bushies Leave
Celebrity, Fires and the Media
Daryl Cagle, MSNBC.com … [Read more...] about Celebrity, Fires and the Media
A Hiatus for Honest Abe
News flash for the punditocracy: Barack Obama is not a YouTube reincarnation of Lincoln. Despite their common Illinois roots and the reverberations over race, pace Doris Kearns Goodwin, it's time to put aside Obama-Lincoln comparisons and be realistic about what the new president is facing in a 21st century world. Evan Thomas at Newsweek obviously did not get the memo and in … [Read more...] about A Hiatus for Honest Abe
What People Are Forgetting About Bailouts
Jerry Remmers recently had a guest post on TMV that summarized what is at stake in the Big Three Bailout. I think he did an excellent job of summarizing the situation, and would just say that the comments add in the important piece that bankruptcy might work in an unexpected way. Still, I am quite conflicted about whether I personally support the bailout. I wish to take this … [Read more...] about What People Are Forgetting About Bailouts
Really Big Earthquake Hits Eastern Indonesia; Tsunami Warning Issued
UPDATE: Tsunami alerts have been canceled. AP via MSNBC: JAKARTA, Indonesia - A local geological agency official says a powerful 7.7-magnitude earthquake has struck eastern Indonesia. A tsunami warning was immediately issued. The official, Fauzi, said the underwater quake hit off Sulawesi island. He did not have any immediate reports about damage or injuries. The … [Read more...] about Really Big Earthquake Hits Eastern Indonesia; Tsunami Warning Issued
The Blackberry Presidency?
Today, James Joyner takes a look at how Barack Obama may soon have to give up his Blackberry, a difficult task for an avowed technophile. The chief problem here is the Presidential Records Act. In addition to concerns about e-mail security, he faces the Presidential Records Act, which puts his correspondence in the official record and ultimately up for public review, and … [Read more...] about The Blackberry Presidency?
Nepal’s Maoist Government Moves To Phase Out Private Schools
These are troubled times in Nepal these days -- as the recently elected Maoist government moves to in-effect phase out private schools within two years, reports Christian Science Monitor correspondent Bikash Sangraula: The massive election win last April by Nepal's former rebel Maoists put them in the position to set the government agenda, and bring about drastic changes … [Read more...] about Nepal’s Maoist Government Moves To Phase Out Private Schools
Comparing Struggles: Gay vs Black
The comparison is getting much attention in light of the passage of California's Prop 8, which banned gay marriage. Is the comparison a valid one? A roundup HERE. … [Read more...] about Comparing Struggles: Gay vs Black