I have long thought the question of a politician's "likeability" or "relateability" to be overblown factors in determining how they'll do with the electorate. For the record, I don't want to have a beer with any of them, unless they happen to be someone I already know and like. Maybe voters make choices based on things as silly as how cool they think a candidate is, or how … [Read more...] about New Clinton ad: Competence vs. foolishness
Cartoons: Trump Veep Pick
See great cartoons by all the top political cartoonists at http://cagle.com. To license this cartoon for your own site, visit http://politicalcartoons.com … [Read more...] about Cartoons: Trump Veep Pick
A tragedy beyond color
WASHINGTON -- Black lives matter. Blue lives matter. Both statements must be made true if the heartbreaking loss of life in Dallas is to have any meaning. The killing spree that left five police officers dead and seven others wounded should be classified as an act of domestic terrorism. The shooter, identified as 25-year-old Micah Xavier Johnson, apparently believed he … [Read more...] about A tragedy beyond color
The Democrats Ignore the 500-Pound Lobbyist in the Room (Guest Voice)
The Democrats Ignore the 500-Pound Lobbyist in the Room by Michael Winship In all of the 35 single-spaced pages of the Democratic Party’s platform draft, there is just one mention of lobbying. One. Oh, it says some fine uplifting things about voters lacking a proper voice in government, about money and politics and the need to overturn Citizens United and Buckley … [Read more...] about The Democrats Ignore the 500-Pound Lobbyist in the Room (Guest Voice)
Five tips on how to deal with trauma and the news
How do you actually take care of yourself in traumatic situations? And how do you take care of yourself when you are being bombarded with gruesome images? There's a program at Drexel University in Philadelphia that answers those questions daily. It's called Healing Hurt People. It's an organization that works to undue the impacts of violence… … [Read more...] about Five tips on how to deal with trauma and the news
More professionalism needed from cops and reporters (Guest Voice)
More professionalism needed from cops and reporters by Jordan Cooper Our news programs are not supposed to show for public viewing dead bodies before the deceased family gets the chance to see their family member. Blacks shot by the police are displayed like school lunch menus for the week on many television channels. Nobody wants their dead body broadcasted to the … [Read more...] about More professionalism needed from cops and reporters (Guest Voice)
Faced with Trump and Clinton, Americans yearn for a third choice, Reuters/Ipsos poll
By Chris Kahn NEW YORK (Reuters) - Americans' demand for an alternative to the two main presidential candidates has surged since the last election, a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll shows, underscoring the unpopularity of Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Hillary Clinton. Based on 2,153 interviews, Friday's poll results suggest a strong potential for a third-party candidate … [Read more...] about Faced with Trump and Clinton, Americans yearn for a third choice, Reuters/Ipsos poll
Ornstein and Mann Updated
Non-partisan Congressional scholars Norm Ornstein (American Enterprise Institute) and Thomas Mann (Brookings Institute) update their diagnosis of government dysfunction in The Washington Post. Fast forward to 2016. Incredibly, Republican destructiveness is even worse than it was four years ago — and the party is paying for it with a surge of anti-establishment populism that … [Read more...] about Ornstein and Mann Updated
Plenty Of Blame To Go Around
There is a long history of race hatred in the United States. Last week added a particularly horrific chapter to that history. Most tragically, the party which was born out of opposition to that history has become its modern home. Paul Krugman writes: To put it bluntly, the modern Republican Party is in essence a machine designed to deliver high after-tax incomes to … [Read more...] about Plenty Of Blame To Go Around
Jimmy, Fritz and the Modern Vice Presidency
Jimmy, Fritz and the Modern Vice Presidency by Evan Sarzin My wonderful wife got me a ticket to see former Vice President Walter “Fritz” Mondale. He was taking part in a discussion following Professor Joel Goldstein’s book-tour talk about the modern Vice Presidency. The event was hosted by the University of Minnesota’s Humphrey Center for Public Affairs. The talk was … [Read more...] about Jimmy, Fritz and the Modern Vice Presidency
Deconstructing Dallas: not triangulation but a lone shooter
One of the nine points that OnTheMedia makes in its Breaking News Handbook is this: 4. There’s almost never a second shooter. For most of Thursday evening and into Friday morning, news reports directly contradicted this claim. So much so that at the end of the day, I was wondering if it would be proved wrong. The word leading the narrative was "triangulation." Police … [Read more...] about Deconstructing Dallas: not triangulation but a lone shooter
Cartoon: What’s the matter with us
See great cartoons by all the top political cartoonists at http://cagle.com. To license this cartoon for your own site, visit http://politicalcartoons.com … [Read more...] about Cartoon: What’s the matter with us
America has gone mad and there’s no place to hide (Guest Voice)
"What sort of people are we, we Americans? ... Today, we are the most frightening people on this planet." — Historian Arthur Schlesinger As these words are written, I am on a cruise ship pulling into the harbor of the Greek island of Crete. All around me, the morning sparkles. The water is placid, the sky… … [Read more...] about America has gone mad and there’s no place to hide (Guest Voice)
Cartoon: American shootings
See great cartoons by all the top political cartoonists at http://cagle.com. To license this cartoon for your own site, visit http://politicalcartoons.com … [Read more...] about Cartoon: American shootings
Dallas Shooting and Gun Control
It was inevitable that someone would use the recent Dallas shooting as an excuse to push for more gun control. From Fox News: President Obama renewed his push for gun control measures Friday as he condemned the “senseless murders” of five Dallas police officers in a coordinated sniper attack overnight. . . “We also know that when people are armed with powerful weapons, … [Read more...] about Dallas Shooting and Gun Control
Military Weekend: Reaching for the Stars
A few weeks ago we read a guest article about the majesty of stars -- specifically those in the Milky Way -- and how light pollution makes it hard for us to fully experience such beauty. Several readers described their own “starry night” experiences. And true, there is nothing more peaceful, even spiritual, than gazing at the stars on a crisp, clear night, away from the … [Read more...] about Military Weekend: Reaching for the Stars
Trump, The Great Emancipator?
Could Donald Trump be the Republican party’s second Great Emancipator? Strangely, yes. Oddly, it is his serial embrace of mouthbreather conspiracy theories that may liberate the party. For the moment, put aside Trump’s preposterous and embarrassing views about President Obama’s birth, Vince Foster’s death, the vaccination-autism nexus, the murder of Justice Scalia, the … [Read more...] about Trump, The Great Emancipator?
PRAYER FOR ALL THE INNOCENTS SHOT DOWN
Dear Brave Souls: PRAYER FOR ALL THE INNOCENTS SHOT DOWN: I ask for your peaceful prayers and helping comments. No rants. Most are well and painfully aware of the issues, as am I. Consider this space for now, a temenos made for you, what I write about to you many times, my "Little Red Chapel of the Heart." It is right here, right now. Consider we are in that quiet place, … [Read more...] about PRAYER FOR ALL THE INNOCENTS SHOT DOWN
The return of Clinton Derangement Syndrome
It's baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack. But, then, in various forms it never left. Forget about the rapidly spreading Zika virus, Faster than you can say "political demonization," Clinton Derangement Syndrome is whipping across our polity, in parts of the mainstream news media, social media and among some of Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' most die-hard supporters. No, this isn't saying … [Read more...] about The return of Clinton Derangement Syndrome
After Dallas: ‘This Is War. Watch Out Obama. Real America Is Coming After You.’ (UPDATED)
How fitting, in the grotesque sort of way that American society predictably moves from carnage to carnage and outrage to outrage, that the sniper attacks on Dallas police officers took place a short stroll from the most famous sniper attack in history. Texas is indeed the epicenter of all that is wrong in these gun-sick United States, but what is more important at this … [Read more...] about After Dallas: ‘This Is War. Watch Out Obama. Real America Is Coming After You.’ (UPDATED)