Having focused on our bitterly fought presidential campaign, I feel somewhat guilty and remiss that I have not paid adequate attention to my own state and local political campaigns---to “grass roots” issues and campaigns. Fortunately, and albeit by chance and in a different state, I had the privilege of witnessing firsthand some truly grass roots campaigning one morning a … [Read more...] about Oklahoma’s Rice vs. Inhofe — David vs. Goliath?
Colored by Race
My McCain Mob post yesterday was more inflammatory than is usual for me. And the reaction here and elsewhere has been something along the lines of "your side does it too." In a comment, a casual observer points to the story of a pair arrested for torching a McCain sign in Oregon. And with that I suppose I lose. Certainly I condemn the torching. But my mistake was in … [Read more...] about Colored by Race
Barack Obama’s Secret Weapon
Andrew Sullivan nails it on Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama's secret weapon -- less what he does to Republican Sen. John McCain then what he holds back on doing and provokes McCain to do: Obama's not-so-secret weapon in an international crisis: his calm. McCain's not-so-secret liability in a tense election: his hotheadedness. This race is about policy and … [Read more...] about Barack Obama’s Secret Weapon
Let’s Talk About Bill Ayers for a Moment
Over a number of years in the blogging game, my favorite Chicago columnist has been John Kass. We exchanged some e-mails in 2005 about earthworms, (I won't go into it now) but he's always struck me as one of the truly genuine observers of politics in Chi-Town. Some may consider him "one of those conservatives" and might assume that he has an ax to grind with Obama, but I've … [Read more...] about Let’s Talk About Bill Ayers for a Moment
Gallup Daily: Obama Leads By 7 Percent As McCain Narrows Gap
In a weekend of largely bad polling news, Republican Presidential candidate Sen. John McCain has now gotten some good news from Gallup: there are signs now that the race may be tightening as Democratic Sen. Barack Obama's lead over McCain is down three points, to 7 percent: The latest Gallup Poll Daily tracking report finds registered voters preferring Barack Obama (50%) … [Read more...] about Gallup Daily: Obama Leads By 7 Percent As McCain Narrows Gap
Web Kidz Don’t Stop Believing (afterward)
More from the LATimes' Michelle Quinn on overanalyzing the Web 2.0 crew's video, “20 world Internet citizens met in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus in October of 2008 for a week of reflections on life, love, and the Internet”. The Vimeo version was locked down on Friday: The online record of the trip was discovered -- and spread widely -- during a week in which … [Read more...] about Web Kidz Don’t Stop Believing (afterward)
Lessig in Defense of Piracy
Larry Lessig, a professor of law at Stanford Law School and co-founder of Creative Commons, has a new book coming out. Remix is to be published by The Penguin Press this week. In it he argues that digital technology has made it easy to create new works from existing art, but copyright law has yet to catch up. And that the criminalization of our kids is "corrupting of the … [Read more...] about Lessig in Defense of Piracy
Obama: The Great Moderate-Conservative Hope?
One of the things that has been astounding me as of late is the abandonment by moderates and conservatives of John McCain. Many of them are jumping ship and going over to Obama, even though the Senator doesn't share share their values at all. They talk on and on about how John McCain isn't the McCain of old and that he's become mean and nasty. While I will agree that the … [Read more...] about Obama: The Great Moderate-Conservative Hope?
A Prized Selection
Barack Obama was endorsed today in an especially cogent editorial by the newspaper that is a monument to Joseph Pulitzer, who funded the prizes for excellence in American culture and established the Columbia School of Journalism. Obama, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch declares, "is right on the issues. He was right on the war in Iraq. He is right that all Americans deserve … [Read more...] about A Prized Selection
Mail Goggles: To Prevent E-Mail Regrets
Maybe they should build a version for bloggers... AP: If you're the kind of person who types tipsy and regrets it in the morning, Google's "Mail Goggles," a new test-phase feature in the free Gmail service, might save you some angst.... The feature requires you to solve a few easy math problems in short order before hitting "send." If your logical thinking skills are … [Read more...] about Mail Goggles: To Prevent E-Mail Regrets
Quote of the Day: Conservative Wick Allison Comes Out For Obama
Our political quote of the day comes from conservative Wick Allison, former publisher of the National Review, who has come out for Democratic Sen. Barack Obama for President. In this piece he explains why he feels he must as a conservative. Here's a key section: Liberalism always seemed to me to be a system of “oughts.” We ought to do this or that because it’s the right … [Read more...] about Quote of the Day: Conservative Wick Allison Comes Out For Obama
Philly Rolls Out Red Carpet For Sarah Palin
Some people seemed genuinely shocked that the world's most famous hockey mom has joined Santa Claus and Mike Schmidt, among other celebs, in being roundly-booed by Philadelphia sports fans. Despite pleas from the scoreboard at the Bailout . . . er, Wachovia Center for fans to make nice, they predictably showed the back of their hands to Sarah Palin, and would have mooned her … [Read more...] about Philly Rolls Out Red Carpet For Sarah Palin
Reuters C-SPAN Zogby Poll: Obama Widens Lead To 6 Points Over McCain
A new Reuters/C-SPAN/Zogby poll finds that Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama has widened his lead over Republican Sen. John McCain to six points which is outside the margin of error - -the latest in a series of polls showing McCain increasingly trailing the Illinois Senator: Democratic Party presidential nominee Barack Obama took a step into rarified air … [Read more...] about Reuters C-SPAN Zogby Poll: Obama Widens Lead To 6 Points Over McCain
Pro-Military, Pro-Obama
Toward the end of my Oct. 6 post -- which spelled out the reasons I've decided to back Sen. Obama for President -- I acknowledged that this decision would likely anger some of my family because they believe McCain is the more pro-military candidate, and we happen to have a cherished member of our family in the military. I only hope those family members take time to consider … [Read more...] about Pro-Military, Pro-Obama
Michael Pollan: Dear Farmer-in-Chief
In a long and serious article on food policy in today's NYTimes Magazine, Michael Pollan writes that the era of cheap and abundant food is coming to a close. He says the next American president, no matter which man is elected, is going to find that the health of our nation’s food system is a critical issue of national security. His argument is that, unless we address the … [Read more...] about Michael Pollan: Dear Farmer-in-Chief
John McCain Can Still Win The Presidential Campaign (Guest Voice)
With reports of yet moe tactical shifts and polls -- and Wall Street -- continuing to bring bad news, the growing conventional wisdom is that Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain is headed to defeat. In this Guest Voice interview, columnist Bill Steigerwald interviews writer-columnist Pat Buchanan, who makes the case that McCain can still win. TMV runs Guest … [Read more...] about John McCain Can Still Win The Presidential Campaign (Guest Voice)
Some Edgy Yin and Yang
The more radical elements of the Republican base have been getting a lot of attention lately -- and not without reason. They really do sound pretty nuts. But they're hardly alone in the wilderness. In fact, there's a sort of beautiful balance to this whole thing. … [Read more...] about Some Edgy Yin and Yang
McCain-Palin: What the Future Holds
Count me as still among those who feel that 23 days is still a lifetime in politics, and it's far too early to begin dancing on the political graves of John McCain and Sarah Palin. But, with that said, the outlook is growing fairly bleak. Assuming that the "conventional wisdom" turns out to be correct for a change and the Obama-Biden ticket carries the day on November 4, what … [Read more...] about McCain-Palin: What the Future Holds
Book Review: The Man Who Unlocked The Mysteries of China’s Middle Kingdom
1281: Chinese throw gunpowder bombs at charging Japanese Chinese claims that they were responsible for hundreds of mankind's most familiar inventions -- including explosives, printing, the compass, hydraulics, ceramics, suspension bridges and even toilet paper -- were long viewed with skepticism by Westerners who were smugly certain that these ancient people were incapable … [Read more...] about Book Review: The Man Who Unlocked The Mysteries of China’s Middle Kingdom
McCain Palin and the Economy
Daryl Cagle, MSNBC.com … [Read more...] about McCain Palin and the Economy