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)
When news is “breaking”, think before sharing
It has not been a good week. Tuesday: Baton Rouge Wednesday: St. Paul Thursday: Dallas https://twitter.com/KristineRusch/status/751300304570716160 https://twitter.com/mattizcoop/status/751250124999782400 One thing these tragic events have in common, besides their being shootings: on-the-scene cellphone … [Read more...] about When news is “breaking”, think before sharing
The Ahab caucus returns to port empty-handed, again
WASHINGTON -- Next to the word "overreach" in the dictionary should be a group picture of the House Republican caucus. Once again, in their Ahab-like pursuit of Hillary Clinton, they have managed to make themselves look desperately partisan and woefully incompetent. What were they thinking when they hauled FBI Director James Comey to Capitol Hill to challenge his … [Read more...] about The Ahab caucus returns to port empty-handed, again
Cartoon: Trump’s dictator love
Trump's Dictator Love by Clay Jones Donald Trump had high praise for Saddam Hussein yesterday in saying the man was great at killing terrorists. Apparently he loves the way Saddam’s Iraq lacked our judicial process. It’s not the first time he’s praised Saddam, or other dictators. He bragged about how he’d get along with Russian president Vladimir Putin after there were … [Read more...] about Cartoon: Trump’s dictator love
Confronting both nostalgia and amnesia
WASHINGTON -- The haunting U2 lyric, "I still haven't found what I'm looking for," captures what many Americans seem to feel about politics in 2016. And a lot of us are looking backward. Donald Trump's pledge to make our country great again captures the longing of some of his supporters for a time when our country was less diverse -- and when a less open global market … [Read more...] about Confronting both nostalgia and amnesia
Four Dallas police officers killed by snipers amid protests UPDATE: 11 cops shot
DALLAS (Reuters) - Four Dallas police officers were killed by snipers on Thursday as protests were being held in the downtown area over the fatal police shootings of black men in Minnesota and Louisiana this week, the police chief said. Dallas Police Chief David Brown said in a statement two snipers shot 10 officers, three of whom were killed. Two officers were in surgery, … [Read more...] about Four Dallas police officers killed by snipers amid protests UPDATE: 11 cops shot
Republican Overreach
Matthew Yglesias takes apart the inability of the GOP to settle for a win on vox.com. If you ever find yourself wondering how it is that Bill Clinton was caught having had a sexual affair with a White House intern and came out more popular than ever, here’s the answer — just as the Clintons and the media are locked in a pointless, toxic cycle of scandal and cover-up, the … [Read more...] about Republican Overreach
Cartoon: No one to vote for
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: No one to vote for