This week, two House Democrats wrote to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, calling for an investigation into CPB Chairman Ken Tomlinson’s efforts to move PBS to the right. “Recent news reports suggesting that the CPB increasingly is making personnel and funding decisions on the basis of political ideology are extremely troubling,” Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) […]
About two weeks ago, congressional negotiators agreed to a proposal from Sen. Robert Byrd (D-W.Va.) to prohibit the Bush administration from issuing “video news releases” (i.e., fake-news segments) that do not clearly identify the government as the source. There was, however, a catch: the ban expires at the end of September. To get a permanent […]
Matt Yglesias recently suggested that LA Times editor Michael Kinsley intentionally hires dim-witted conservatives to write painfully dumb op-ed columns to help make the right look ridiculous. I was skeptical, but thanks to David Gelernter’s latest piece, I’m largely convinced that Yglesias was on to something. Discussions of school choice and vouchers nearly always assume […]
Every news outlet has a story today about the American Conservative Union’s shindig for Tom DeLay and each point to the predictable palaver from the right-wingers on hand — Republicans are saints, Dems are sinners, yadda yadda yadda. The important thing to remember, however, is that while hundreds of right-wing activists may have cheered for […]
That didn’t take long. Capt. MeLinda Morton, who saw first hand the system of harassment and discrimination against religious minorities at the Air Force Academy, has been fired. An Air Force chaplain who complained that evangelical Christians were trying to “subvert the system” by winning converts among cadets at the Air Force Academy was removed […]
The Weekly Standard’s Hugh Hewitt this week: When the word “impeachment” was uttered in March and April as an option for dealing with renegade judges, the guardians of conventional wisdom were quick to denounce “ideologues,” who, in the words of the New York Times editorialists, “are trying to bully judges into following their political line.” […]
A couple of weeks ago, Jonathan Cohn wrote an excellent piece in The New Republic on Plan B — better known as the “morning-after pill” — which can prevent unwanted pregnancies. Cohn detailed why progressives should enthusiastically embrace Plan B’s availability, in part because it’s an easy way to drastically reduce the number of abortions […]
It’s been a couple of weeks since we checked in with our friends in the Denver Three — who, you’ll recall, were forced from a presidential event because of an anti-war bumper sticker — but the controversy continues unabated. (If you’re new to the story and want to catch up on the details, type “Denver” […]
The controversy surrounding the Rev. Chan Chandler, who endorsed Bush from his pulpit last fall and purged his church of Democrats about two weeks ago, has come to a fitting end. Chandler’s resigned, the congregation is coming back together, and the change in leadership will almost certainly help the church steer clear of troubles with […]
Today’s installment of campaign-related news items that wouldn’t generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers: * If Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), as expected, takes on Texas Gov. Rick Perry in a Republican primary next year, she’s well positioned for a victory. A new poll released yesterday shows […]