07/17/2008 Rhodes Cook on A NEW ELECTORATE IN THE MAKING? Speculation abounds these days about whether this fall's presidential election will produce a dramatically different electoral map than the virtually static one of the last two contests. Will Colorado and Virginia lead an array of longtime Republican states that might be won this time by Democrat Barack Obama? Or … [Read more...] about Sabato’s Crystal Ball: A NEW ELECTORATE IN THE MAKING?
Dick Cheney vs. Congressional Oversight: A Very Privileged Character
When I was a kid back in the Seventies, a favorite sarcastic phrase used to peers who were getting a bit too full of themselves and getting all entitled and snippy about playing fair was: 'What do you think you are -- some kind of P.C.?' 'P.C.' stood for 'Privileged Character.' Dick Cheney is now officially our nation's most privileged character. It seems that Cheney … [Read more...] about Dick Cheney vs. Congressional Oversight: A Very Privileged Character
Obama at the Gym: Yet Another Reason to Despise the Media for Their Abominable Coverage of the Presidential Race
As if it weren't enough that some in the media are turning the election into a referendum on Obama, thereby sparing McCain anything resembling serious scrutiny, and that the media are generally: -- holding Obama to a much higher standard than they are McCain, emphasizing Obama's nuanced policy shifts (and calling them opportunistic flip-flops) while letting McCain get away … [Read more...] about Obama at the Gym: Yet Another Reason to Despise the Media for Their Abominable Coverage of the Presidential Race
Barr on SCOTUS
Bob Barr has penned a promising piece in the Wall Street Journal on the prospect of Supreme Court nominations under the two major party candidates. The idea of a "living Constitution" long has been popular on the political left. Conservatives routinely dismiss such result-oriented justice, denouncing "judicial activism" and proclaiming their fidelity to "original intent." … [Read more...] about Barr on SCOTUS
Captain Kirk
So, you've never heard of Kirk Dillard? Now you have. A very interesting read, indeed -- especially if you respect partisans who dare to say nice things about one of their counterparts across the aisle. … [Read more...] about Captain Kirk
Phil Gramm, Porn Mogul
Well, not quite. He was a small-time investor, not a mogul, but, if nothing else, as Max Blumenthal recounted at HuffPo the other day, Gramm's forays into the porn industry in the '70s were rather amusing. Back in 1973, he tried to invest $15,000 in a soft-core movie called Truck Stop Women ("No Rig Was Too Big For Them To Handle"). With that oversold, he eventually put his … [Read more...] about Phil Gramm, Porn Mogul
McCain Reportedly To Keep Gramm As Adviser And Surrogate
You have to seriously wonder about Republican presumptive Presidential candidate Senator John McCain's grasp of political imagery and desire to win over not just swing voters but Americans who are losing their homes, lost their jobs, and who can barely afford to fill up their gas tanks: according to columnist Robert Novak, McCain plans to keep former Senator Phil aka "mental … [Read more...] about McCain Reportedly To Keep Gramm As Adviser And Surrogate
Is There A Secret Hidden Within John McCain’s Campaign Schedule?
Perhaps....and some think it could be an ominous sign. … [Read more...] about Is There A Secret Hidden Within John McCain’s Campaign Schedule?
Poll: Independent Voters Unenthusiastic About Obama And McCain
This was supposed to be the Presidential year when independent "swing" voters would be excited about having two purportedly less-traditional politicians to choose from -- Democratic Sen. Barack Obama and Republican Sen. John McCain. But a new poll suggests that independent voters are not particularly enthusiastic about either one of them. This political tidbit is noted by … [Read more...] about Poll: Independent Voters Unenthusiastic About Obama And McCain
Photo Op or Listening Tour?
You didn't have to be paying terribly close attention in order to see a bit of a double reverse volley from the McCain campaign this week re: Obama's overseas trip. For some time now, Senator McCain and his surrogates have been hectoring Barack Obama for failing to visit Afghanistan and taking too long between trips to Iraq. As I pointed out in a previous column, I find the … [Read more...] about Photo Op or Listening Tour?
Happy 90th Birthday To Nelson Mandela
FORBEARANCE, HUMILITY AND GREATNESS PERSONIFIED … [Read more...] about Happy 90th Birthday To Nelson Mandela
Laugh Factory Owner Says Jackson Should Pay Fine For N Word
Poor Jesse Jackson. It's tough enough being caught with your verbal pants down in an unscripted moment using bad language about Democratic presumptive nominee Sen. Barack Obama, and then apologizing for it. And it's even more of a downer when it later leaks out that, in an un-aired part of the off-the-air tape, you used the hated "N word" that you campaigned against anyone ever … [Read more...] about Laugh Factory Owner Says Jackson Should Pay Fine For N Word
The Real FISA Issue
I was skimming through this litany of complaints over the revised FISA legislation in The Indypendent and giving fresh thought to some of the major privacy concerns which occupy our national debate on the subject. We live in an era where advancements in technology give rise to fears that our government can now track our movements through our cell phones and, increasingly, the … [Read more...] about The Real FISA Issue
‘It’s Time for Some Campaignin’: JibJab’s Viral Video
Who doesn't love JibJab? This has got something for everyone: Send a JibJab Sendables® eCard Today! People who can bear a trip down nostalgia lane will enjoy the Bush/Kerry version of Woody Guthrie's 'This Land.' My favorite line: 'You can't say 'nuclear'/That really scares me...' … [Read more...] about ‘It’s Time for Some Campaignin’: JibJab’s Viral Video
Budweiser: Good Riddance To Bad Beer
You can't be a real country unless you have a beer and an airline. It helps if you have some kind of football team, or some nuclear weapons, but at the very least you need a beer. -- FRANK ZAPPA While I suppose that red-meat Americans should be up in arms over the impending sale of venerable Anheuser-Busch for 52 billion large to Belgian-Brazilian brewer InBev, it certainly … [Read more...] about Budweiser: Good Riddance To Bad Beer
Sabato’s Crystal Ball: DOES OBAMA HAVE A PROBLEM WITH WHITE VOTERS?
07/17/2008 Alan I. Abramowitz on DOES OBAMA HAVE A PROBLEM WITH WHITE VOTERS? "Poll Finds Obama's Run Isn't Closing Divide on Race," reads the headline on the front page of the July 16th New York Times. The article beneath the headline observes that despite Barack Obama's candidacy, the results of a new CBS/New York Times Poll show that American society is still deeply … [Read more...] about Sabato’s Crystal Ball: DOES OBAMA HAVE A PROBLEM WITH WHITE VOTERS?
Le Figaro Editorial: ‘Bush’s About-Face On Iran’
Is the Bush plan to meet with Iran's nuclear negotiator a significant change in policy? And if so, why - and why now? Say what one will about the French - they are no strangers to political intrigue and bureaucratic gamesmanship. According to this Le Figaro editorial by Pierre Rousselin, this was a major change in policy - not the minor adjustment claimed by the White … [Read more...] about Le Figaro Editorial: ‘Bush’s About-Face On Iran’
GOP sends CafePress cease and desist over logo on shirts & stickers
Wired's David Kravets: Sean Cairncross, the party's chief counsel, wrote (.pdf) the Foster City, California online vendor that the GOP "takes infringements upon its trademarks seriously." "Please cease and desist from allowing vendors to utilize the federally registered trademarks of the RNC or we will be forced to consider a legal remedy," Cairncross wrote … [Read more...] about GOP sends CafePress cease and desist over logo on shirts & stickers
Obama’s Letters from Home
Having been raised in New York I'm familiar with the way politicians coming out of some big city environments can have a few skeletons in their closet, either large or small. But when you run for President, it seems that every last bone will eventually come sliding out onto the dinner table. (Which can really ruin the appeal of your centerpiece, according to Martha.) It seems … [Read more...] about Obama’s Letters from Home
It’s Still the Economy, Stupid (Guest Voice)
This is a Guest Voice post by journalism professor and author Walter Brasch who is also a syndicated newspaper columnist and radio commentator, and president of the Pennsylvania Press Club. Guest Voice posts do not necessarily reflect the opinion of TMV or its writers. It’s Still the Economy, Stupid by Walter Brasch George W. Bush looked into the TV … [Read more...] about It’s Still the Economy, Stupid (Guest Voice)