2012 election
THE FIGHTER, IN TRANSIT
I absolutely love this photo of Hilary Clinton, taken by Diana Walker for Time magazine. Clinton was on a C-17, on her way to meet with rebel leaders in Tripoli. Despite her stated refusals, I think it’s likely she will be Barack Obama‘s running mate in the 2012 election. She not only will help him …
LIQUIDATE, LIQUIDATE, LIQUIDATE!
In an interview with the editorial board of the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Mitt Romney said that he doesn’t support foreclosure relief for the millions of Americans struggling with underwater mortgages, untold numbers of which have been the victims of fraudulent lending or foreclosure practices. “Don’t try to stop the foreclosure process,” said Romney. “Let it …
THE METAPHOR AMERICA NEEDS
More than two months ago, Drew Westen, a professor of psychology at Emory University, wrote a piece for the Times in which he criticized President Obama‘s failure to seize the narrative of the political issues of our times. Well, the president has made a lot of appearances in that time, but he still has yet …
A PLATFORM EMERGES
In Rolling Stone, Matt Taibbi recommends five demands that the Occupy Wall Street protesters ought to set as their agenda: “1. Break up the monopolies. The so-called “Too Big to Fail” financial companies – now sometimes called by the more accurate term “Systemically Dangerous Institutions” – are a direct threat to national security. They are …
THIRD PARTY? NO, TWO COMPETITIVE PARTIES
In The Washington Post today, Matt Miller argues for the need for a third party. “There’s a staggering void in the debate,” he writes. “The parties act this way because their core constituencies have a stake in a failed status quo. But where does that leave the majority of us who are not in the …
“NOBODY GOT RICH ON HIS OWN”
Preach it, Sister Elizabeth Warren, preach it!
`JOB CREATOR’: THE REPUBLICAN EUPHEMISM DU JOUR
Paul Ryan, the House Budget Committee Chairman, doesn’t like the Buffet Rule because “It will attack job creators.” John Boehner, the Speaker of the House, says that the administration should stop threatening to raise taxes, and thus “end the uncertainty plaguing job creators.” Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, while opposing tax hikes, says that “The …
A KIND OF A DEATH PANEL
Last week, Pat Robertson, the sanctimonious, judgmental TV witch doctor, made news in which he condoned the right of a husband or wife to leave a spouse who is afflicted Alzheimer’s disease. His comments instigated an angry backlash, especially among other evangelical Christians. As Rene Lynch reported in the Los Angeles Times: “The controversy stems …
LET ME GET THIS STRAIGHT. . .
At the CNN/Tea Party Express Republican debate the other night, Wolf Blitzer asked Ron Paul a hypothetical question about health insurance: What should happen if a healthy 30-year-old man who can afford insurance chooses not to buy it—and then becomes catastrophically ill and needs intensive care for six months? In the face of one of …