Knight Ridder had a terrific item last night on one of my favorite subjects: “Republican fatigue.” Brian Wareing has been a Republican all his life. But ask him how his party has done running the federal government and his complaints pile up: Immigration. Spending. Trade. He’s had enough. He won’t vote for a Democrat in […]
This week, for the first time, the president subtly acknowledged that U.S. troops would be in Iraq through the end of his presidency, and decisions about troop withdrawals “will be decided by future Presidents.” Bush’s comments were particularly well received by those who disagree with his handling of the war, but for me, one critic […]
Sometimes, it’s hard to believe it’s the 21st century and teachers in too many communities are still instructed to suppress modern science. In the fall of 2004, I received an e-mail from an old friend back in Arkansas, where I was raised. She was concerned about a problem her father was having at work. “Bob” […]
In case you missed it yesterday, former First Lady Barbara Bush generously donated to the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund, but included a fairly specific request with her contribution. Former first lady Barbara Bush donated an undisclosed amount of money to the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund with specific instructions that the money be spent with an educational software […]
A couple of weeks ago, Republicans thought it was so hilarious that Rep. Harold Ford, a Dem Senate candidate in Tennessee, enjoyed nice hotels and amenities, that they created a borderline-racist website called “Fancy Ford.” The GOP response was that Ford’s race was irrelevant — they just wanted to mock Ford for his preference for […]
The progressive blogosphere has collectively dropped a very big hammer on the Washington Post’s blogger-in-residence Ben Domenech. At this point, the takedown is complete; the Post’s decision has been exposed as plainly misguided. The only question that remains is whether the Post will suffer the humiliation of firing the far-right activist shortly after hiring him, […]
The New York Times ran yet another item today on the idea that the White House staff is exhausted and getting sloppy — and probably needs some “relief pitchers” with fresh arms. But more importantly, the article included one paragraph that helped capture so much of what’s wrong with this White House. By most accounts […]
Ever since Jennifer Loven’s terrific AP article over the weekend on Bush’s straw-men arguments, I’ve found it hard to listen to White House officials without noticing how dependent the Bush gang is on this inane rhetorical game. It’s almost as if they can’t help themselves. The president had a real gem yesterday. “Now, I understand […]
The Tax Foundation released its most recent analysis of federal taxes paid by individual states, as compared to the federal revenue those same states received. The analysis asks the straightforward question: “Which States Gain Most from Federal Fiscal Operations? (.pdf) Now, from a political and ideological perspective, “small government” types in states that tend to […]
I’d always just assumed that Republicans call their rivals the “Democrat Party” as some kind of childish insult. They realize it’s grammatically wrong, but they think it annoys Dems, so, like a child who enjoys teasing others a little too much, they stick to it. I’ve falsely assumed, however, that this is a fairly modern […]