Kevin McCarthy, regarded as a shoo-in to replace John Boehner as House Speaker just a week ago, has withdrawn from the race, leaving the Republican House majority in disarray. The Republican nominating meeting to replace Boehner has been postponed without a new date set. Word from the room was that no representative currently in the race could garner the 218 votes needed to … [Read more...] about McCarthy Withdraws From Speaker’s Race
Are Democrats Finally Waking Up To Reality?
The effort to recruit Joe Biden to run for POTUS demonstrates that Democrats are waking up to a particular reality: Hillary Clinton isn't the innocent person that her supporters make her out to be. That reality is reflected in the latest Quinnipiac University poll. That poll pertains to the states of Florida, Ohio and Pennsylvania. Here are excerpts from the poll … [Read more...] about Are Democrats Finally Waking Up To Reality?
French Train Attack Hero Spencer Stone “Repeatedly” Stabbed: in critical condition in non-terrorist incident (UPDATE 2)
French train attack hero Spencer Stone has been stabbed, according to news reports now coming in. The details on what specifically occurred are sketchy so far, but one report says he was trying to help a friend after a bar right. Reports put him in either stable or critical condition. UPDATE 2: The latest is that police are saying this was not an event involving terrorism. … [Read more...] about French Train Attack Hero Spencer Stone “Repeatedly” Stabbed: in critical condition in non-terrorist incident (UPDATE 2)
Mass Murders are Good for Business
Shortly after the mass murders at Umpqua Community College near Roseburg, Ore., President Obama predicted the extreme right wing would crank out press releases declaring the nation needs fewer gun control laws and more guns. The pro-gun lobby didn’t disappoint him. Shortly after the mass murders in a Charleston, S.C., church in June, NRA board member Charles Cotton, an … [Read more...] about Mass Murders are Good for Business
First Blood: A humbling surprise
(Taken from the Chocolate Films blog) I made a huge mistake waiting so long to watch Rambo: First Blood - this film is one of the best I have ever seen. I thought First Blood would be your stereotypical 80's over the top action film - that is why I avoided it for so long. Every time I heard people talk about the Rambo franchise, it reinforced this view. But First Blood is … [Read more...] about First Blood: A humbling surprise
What the heck is (or was) Safe Harbor? And why should you care?
A European Court decision has probably strained diplomatic relations between the United States and the European Union. Until this week, the Safe Harbor agreement (2000) allowed U.S. companies to transfer and store European citizen personal data to the United States. Because the U.S. does not have a general data protection law, Safe Harbor was needed to bypass strict … [Read more...] about What the heck is (or was) Safe Harbor? And why should you care?
Let’s focus on the gun makers
WASHINGTON -- It's not just Congress that fails to respond after another massacre briefly focuses attention on the irrationality and permissiveness of our country's firearms statutes. Those of us seeking change also regularly fall down on the job. We express outrage and move on, leaving the debate exactly where we found it. Opponents of the big gun interests are often … [Read more...] about Let’s focus on the gun makers
The Times: Disband Benghazi Committee or at Least Rename It ’the Inquisition of Hillary Clinton’
The editorial board of a national newspaper that has not been all that supportive of Hillary Clinton, on Wednesday called for the House Select Committee on Benghazi to be disbanded, or “at the very least [to] rename their laughable crusade, which has cost taxpayers $4.6 million, 'the Inquisition of Hillary Rodham Clinton.'” Citing GOP Representative Kevin McCarthy's … [Read more...] about The Times: Disband Benghazi Committee or at Least Rename It ’the Inquisition of Hillary Clinton’
How Negative Will Clinton Go Against Sanders and Biden?
Considering how dirty her 2008 campaign was against Obama, there has been speculation as to how negative Hillary Clinton will get against Bernie Sanders, and against Joe Biden if he decides to run. The New York Times notes that Clinton must be cautious in debating Sanders: Over the next week, Mrs. Clinton and her aides will look for the best way to explain to viewers why she … [Read more...] about How Negative Will Clinton Go Against Sanders and Biden?
Eating One’s Words — or Column.
I like a man with convictions and determination: a man who will put his money where his mouth is; a man who -- if a journalist -- will put his column were his mouth is or, even better, a man who will eat his column if he is proven wrong. Such a man is Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank. In a Sunday column at the Post Milbank -- like many of us -- expresses his … [Read more...] about Eating One’s Words — or Column.
Hillary’s New Fairy Tale
Hillary Clinton is so brilliant that she has come up with a solution to a non-existing problem. In a quest to capitalize on the recent mass shooting in Oregon, Hillary is now telling a new fairy tale: "If I am elected, then I will close the gun-show loop hole." There is just one problem with her claim. As Sean Davis points out in a commentary for The Federalist, no such … [Read more...] about Hillary’s New Fairy Tale
The Majority of Presidential Candidates are Captives of the Military Industrial Complex
Most of the presidential candidates are at best neocon lite. That includes Hillary Clinton. The possible exceptions are Bernie Sanders and occasionally Rand Paul. As usual Daniel Lairison has a good analysis. It is hard to believe that Clinton would think that endorsing the insanity of a “no-fly zone” in Syria improves her chances of winning the nomination. To the extent … [Read more...] about The Majority of Presidential Candidates are Captives of the Military Industrial Complex
RINOs
RINOs stand for Republicans In Name Only and is currently used as a pejorative term by extreme right-wing conservatives describing other Republicans whom they do not consider conservative enough. The sobriquet has probably been in use for the past century but has only gained in popularity during the last two to three decades as the conservative wing of the GOP has gained in … [Read more...] about RINOs
Politix Update: Bush v. Gore & The Tarnished Legacy Of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor
Should Yogi Berra's long baseball career be judged by his error in a crucial 1951 game that deprived the New York Yankees' Allie Reynolds of a no-hitter against the Boston Red Sox? Or Dustin Hoffman's long film career judged by the 1987 cinematic bomb known as Ishtar? Of course not. But what about judging the long judicial career of Sandra Day O'Connor based on her casting … [Read more...] about Politix Update: Bush v. Gore & The Tarnished Legacy Of Justice Sandra Day O’Connor
The World Ends Today (They Say)
An online Christian organization based in Philadelphia warned the world will end Wednesday, the Guardian reported. The apocalyptic prediction comes just one week after the blood moon had people forecasting the end was near. The eBible Fellowship previously predicted the end of the world would be May 21, 2011, but is now certain civilization will be… … [Read more...] about The World Ends Today (They Say)
The Scandalous Suppression of Gun Violence Research
The Scandalous Suppression of Gun Violence Research By Dick Polman In the midst of President Obama's denunciation of gun violence - if you've lost track, the latest massacre was on Friday - he lamented Washington's ongoing inertia and said that, in fact, "we have a Congress that explicitly blocks us from even collecting data on how we could potentially prevent gun … [Read more...] about The Scandalous Suppression of Gun Violence Research
The Syrian disaster just got even worse (Guest Voice)
It is not hard to understand what Russian President Vladimir Putin is trying to do in Syria. It will be very hard to stop him from succeeding. It did not need to be this way. First, the facts on the ground: Russia is building up military power in the vicinity of Latakia and Tartus, Syrian coastal… … [Read more...] about The Syrian disaster just got even worse (Guest Voice)
Bernie Sanders Doing Better Than Clinton Against Republicans In New Hampshire And Iowa
Hillary Clinton has been doing poorly in the battle ground states and among independents, while Bernie Sanders has been doing unexpectedly well. The latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal/Marist polls of Iowa and New Hampshire show Sanders doing better than Clinton in head to head match-ups against Republican candidates: In Iowa, Republican Jeb Bush leads Clinton by 10 points in … [Read more...] about Bernie Sanders Doing Better Than Clinton Against Republicans In New Hampshire And Iowa
Political Death By Non-debate? Let’s Hope So.
Could the criteria for the next GOP presidential debate result in a few GOP contenders dropping out of the race? Hopefully yes. In a commentary published by the Fox News website, media analyst Howard Kurtz writes the following. Could CNBC knock several presidential candidates out of the race? . . . That sounds apocalyptic, but the network’s threshold for its debate this … [Read more...] about Political Death By Non-debate? Let’s Hope So.
France Train Heroes Will Travel to Roseburg in Show of Support
President Obama will be traveling to Roseburg, Ore. on Friday to meet privately with the families of victims of the mass shooting at Umpqua Community College, according to USA TODAY. Also traveling to Roseburg will be the three American “train heroes” who -- along with three others -- stopped a terrorist attack on a Paris-bound train on August 21. The Washington … [Read more...] about France Train Heroes Will Travel to Roseburg in Show of Support