Leave it to Stephen Colbert to say something about Donald Trump that is both obvious and so unsettling as to make most of us do our best to ignore it. "There's a populism to Trump that I found very appealing," Colbert told "Face the Nation" moderator John Dickerson in an interview that will be broadcast this Sunday. "The party elders would like him to go away but the people … [Read more...] about The Downside of Democracy
Cartoon: Trump the Schlong
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: Trump the Schlong
Trumpy Christmas (Guest Voice)
Trumpy Christmas by Michael Reagan Merry Trump. Happy Trump Year. Everywhere you look it's not Christmas, it's Trump, Trump, Trump. The billionaire who's blown up the Republican primary process has supplanted Christmas. He's supplanted New Year. At Donald's house, instead of a Christmas tree, I wouldn't be surprised if there's a Trump Tree. How can Carly … [Read more...] about Trumpy Christmas (Guest Voice)
Politifact Puts Trump in Perspective
In its Lie of the Year post fact-check website Politifact.com puts the Trump campaign in perspective. Norman Ornstein, a scholar at the conservative American Enterprise Institute, sees a couple of forces that have been at play for years when it comes to Trump: the desensitization to inflammatory rhetoric, the assault on science and expertise, and the increasing reliance on … [Read more...] about Politifact Puts Trump in Perspective
Why Aren’t Trump’s Poll Numbers Higher?
Ezra Klein ponders the question on vox.com. According to the latest CNN/ORC poll, 39 percent of Republican voters favor Donald Trump — that's up from 27 percent in October, 24 percent in August, and 12 percent in June. But it's not the most interesting part of the poll. There's a persistent argument that Trump's support is pure celebrity. Republicans like him because they … [Read more...] about Why Aren’t Trump’s Poll Numbers Higher?
UPDATE: Our Military This Christmas: “Doing the Noblest Thing…”
Update: There is a real neat site with the “simple” mission statement, “To help service members and veterans lead more successful and fulfilling lives.” It is called RallyPoint and it more than lives up to its mission statement. Founded by two military veterans and backed up by two of the US military's recent Joint Chiefs of Staff, RallyPoint “connects its members … [Read more...] about UPDATE: Our Military This Christmas: “Doing the Noblest Thing…”
How To Stop Islamic State’s Escalation Dominance (Guest Voice)
F-18 taking off to strike Syria While President Barack Obama’s declared both that the U.S. is hitting the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria “harder than ever” and that progress in the campaign to degrade and defeat the group “needs to keep coming faster,” he revealed clearly that the administration is in a race against time.… … [Read more...] about How To Stop Islamic State’s Escalation Dominance (Guest Voice)
Video Magic: Michael Buble sings White Christmas “with” Bing Crosby (Video)
Contemporary singer Michael Buble, with some tech magic, sings White Christmas with Bing Crosby on Crosby's 1971 Xmas special (this ran on Buble's Christmas special. He does some excellent renditions of Sinatra classic, using orchestration close to or matching the originals in his own easy style). I love this (from Buble's Christmas special): The Canadian born Buble has a … [Read more...] about Video Magic: Michael Buble sings White Christmas “with” Bing Crosby (Video)
Success! TMV Fundraising goal reached (contributions still welcome)
Many thanks! Gracias! TMV's fundraising goal of $2500 has now been reached with a total $2519. A million thanks to all of you who help TMV thrive and survive and have helped pay off the bill for the redesign -- and another debt that was due. TMV now enjoys a modest reserve, but we are hoping that in 2016 with the new design we can finally add some new advertising so the … [Read more...] about Success! TMV Fundraising goal reached (contributions still welcome)
Ben Carson to Shake-Up Staff, Wake-Up Audiences
Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson plans to shake-up his staff and wake-up his audiences in coming days -- but not until after the Iowa caucuses, perhaps after New Hampshire, “or perhaps not.”* Struggling to stay awake during an interview on Wednesday, Carson blamed his steep drop in the polls on his staff. “The speeches they write for me are so dull and … [Read more...] about Ben Carson to Shake-Up Staff, Wake-Up Audiences
Poll: Donald Trump remains way ahead of the rest of the Republican Presidential Pack
Donald Trump continues to zoom in the polls -- leaving his Republican competitors for the 2016 Republican Presidential nomination way behind. Unless there's some break in this trend, it seems Trump could indeed be the Republican nominee and become the face of the 21st century Republican Party: Donald Trump seems set to end 2015 as the dominant force in the race for next … [Read more...] about Poll: Donald Trump remains way ahead of the rest of the Republican Presidential Pack
Astronomers find closest alien planet in the ‘habitable zone’
Lola Gayle, STEAMRegister.com Astronomers have discovered a potentially habitable planet orbiting a red dwarf star called Wolf 1061, a relatively cool and stable star which is located 14 light years away. The planet is more than four times the mass of the Earth and one of three found orbiting Wolf 1061 by a team of UNSW… … [Read more...] about Astronomers find closest alien planet in the ‘habitable zone’
Donald Trump Wins Politifacts’ Top Lie Of The Year Award
Both PolitiFact and Factcheck.org agree that Donald Trump was the biggest liar of the year. PoltiFact awarded Trump the Top Lie of the Year Award. Factcheck.org listed misstatements from multiple candidates. Trump was out in front, beating Hillary Clinton who also had a quite long list of lies. PolitiFact couldn’t decide on a single lie of the year, with Trump telling so … [Read more...] about Donald Trump Wins Politifacts’ Top Lie Of The Year Award
Making Sense of the GOP Presidential Nomination
Going into last week’s GOP debate in Las Vegas, Charlie Cook, one of those people others look to to make sense of electoral politics, offered a few insights on where we are right now with the Republican presidential nomination and what it all means. A few comments stood out. The first is his contention that the Iowa caucuses on February 1st and the New Hampshire primary … [Read more...] about Making Sense of the GOP Presidential Nomination
Oy vey! Enough of Donald Trump
Oy vey! Enough of Trump by Dana Milbank Washington Post Writers Group Columnist WASHINGTON -- Zei Gezunt, Lindsey Graham. The Republican senator from South Carolina had good reasons to quit the Republican presidential race, as he did this week. He had succeeded in his goal of making the rest of the field more hawkish. He avoided an embarrassing defeat in … [Read more...] about Oy vey! Enough of Donald Trump
Lifting the Ban on Oil Exports
The recent budget deal lifts the ban on exporting US crude oil. This comes at a time when there may simply be no buyers. West Texas Intermediate(WTI) closed higher than Brent Crude for the first time in years. Several tankers trying to deliver crude from the mid east to Great Briton turned around when they could find no buyers. Several tankers are anchored in the Gulf of … [Read more...] about Lifting the Ban on Oil Exports
Christmas Song Classic: Nat King Cole “The Christmas Song” Done On Live TV (Video)
A classic Christmas song done live on TV by one of the classiest singers ever -- the late Nat King Cole doing his famous "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts roasting on an open fire..."). A MUST VIEW video to see him perform it live, savor the lyrics, the music and the performance: He was an incredible singer and had a superb variety show which in the end couldn't get … [Read more...] about Christmas Song Classic: Nat King Cole “The Christmas Song” Done On Live TV (Video)
Swans on The Isar
This picture is great because of it's contrast. The snow and ice on the shore of the Isar river in Munich and the white swans in the dark river. I took this picture near Christmas in 1970. I was far from my family but very near my friends in Munich. Happy Holidays to all of my TMV friends . … [Read more...] about Swans on The Isar
Hillary will be ready
Things can always change, but for now we might have to admit that the process currently underway to pick the Democratic nominee for president is deadly dull, and not just in comparison to whatever one wants to call the Republican contest. This point was brought home to me as I read The Economist's description of the most recent Democratic debate: Neither Mr. O’Malley’s … [Read more...] about Hillary will be ready
African Lions Granted Protection Under New American Law That Limits Hunters
The Obama administration implemented new measures to protect African lions, placing them on the Endangered Species List in order to curtail the loss of animals from American sport hunters traveling to the continent. The lion's new designation gives American officials the go-ahead to ban the importation of any hunting trophies, such as lion skins, that would… … [Read more...] about African Lions Granted Protection Under New American Law That Limits Hunters