In some ways, the Rathergate scandal in 2004 was a mixed blessing for the right. Conservative blogs successfully exposed some documents that were apparently bogus and helped get Dan Rather fired from CBS. They won plaudits, Hinderaker was named Time’s blog of the year, and the whole community of far-right blogs got a chip on […]
No one can say we haven’t been warned. In its final and most powerful report, a United Nations panel of scientists meeting here describes the mounting risks of climate change in language that is both more specific and forceful than its previous assessments, according to scientists here. Synthesizing reams of data from its three previous […]
Every couple of weeks, a new poll will come out showing Congress’ approval rating reaching record lows. And every time the results are released, conservative Republicans crow about the Democratic majority being even less popular than the congressional GOP majority that was stripped of its power a year ago. It’s routine to see far-right pundits […]
For most political observers, the term “swift-boat” has become a ubiquitous, easy-to-understand verb. Whereas it used to mean lying about an opponent’s military service in order to smear him or her, it’s now taken on a more general meaning: to swift-boat is to fabricate a phony smear of your opponent. The right, apparently, is still […]
First up from The God Machine this week is a surprising surge in the credibility of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, and its system of beliefs, “Pastafarianism.” You’ve no doubt seen the posters, adapting Michelangelo’s The Creation of Adam to show Adam’s finger reaching out to a Spaghetti Monster, instead of a bearded […]
Guest Post by Morbo I hate to keep carping about the “War on Christmas,” but there have been major developments, and I believe you need to be informed. The Liberty Counsel has issued its annual “Naughty and Nice List.” This legal group, associated with Jerry Falwell before his demise, puts out a helpful list (.pdf) […]
Guest Post by Morbo I’ve never had much use for Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), but I have to give the man some credit: He certainly has shaken things up with these letters to TV ministries. In case you missed it, Grassley has sent letters to six mega-ministries, asking some pointed questions about their finances. […]
Today’s edition of quick hits. * A stunning tragedy in Bangladesh: “Aid workers struggled Friday to help hundreds of thousands of survivors of a cyclone that blasted Bangladesh with 150 mph winds, killing a reported 1,100 people, savaging coastal towns, and leaving millions without power in the deadliest such storm in more than a decade. […]
Following up on an earlier item, New Hampshire’s Union Leader reports today that voters in the first two Republican contests have received phone calls with negative messages about Mitt Romney, “his Mormon faith and the Vietnam War-era military deferments he received while serving as a missionary in France.” The same calls asked about Romney’s sons […]
Last year, Michael Crowley and Marshall Wittmann, among others, suggested CNN’s resident bully Lou Dobbs could mount a credible presidential campaign. Dobbs didn’t express any public interest, but as Wittmann argued, the immigration controversy has led to “a combustible political situation that could provide an opening for an outsider. It has the feel of 1992 […]