Guest Post by Morbo It’s not considered polite to mention the racial dimension to the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, but the facts are undeniable: Most of those left behind in the Superdome and other parts of New Orleans were poor and black. Affluent whites would never have been left to stew in a hot, overcrowded […]
Guest Post by Morbo I spent the week listening to the John Roberts confirmation hearings on the radio as I went about my business. I came away depressed. Barring some sort of stunning eleventh-hour revelation, Roberts will be the next chief justice. That’s depressing enough. What’s worse is that the hearings have a going-through-the-motions feel […]
Guest Post by Morbo If you want to know what the Rev. Jerry Falwell thinks about homosexuality, go to Falwell.com. If you want to know what Christopher Lamparello thinks about what Jerry Falwell thinks about homosexuality, go Fallwell.com. It’s just one additional letter, but it makes all the difference. And it really got Falwell’s knickers […]
We’re all sick to death of hearing about how tragically unqualified Mike Brown was when hired to lead FEMA. Yes, he was fired from the Arabian Horse job. We get it. But the reason it’s important to keep it in mind is that it fits into a pattern with this administration: when making hiring decisions, […]
I guess the administration’s position on the “blame game” has shifted. Now, it’s trying a little offense (via Kos). The federal government is trying to find evidence of any past efforts by environmental groups to block work on New Orleans’ levees, according to a published report. The Clarion-Ledger said Friday it obtained an internal Justice […]
The president’s speech last night from Jackson Square had a beautiful backdrop, with the St. Louis Cathedral — well-lit to match Bush’s shirt — on one side, and an Andrew Jackson statue on the other. At first blush, the White House’s attempts at stagecraft seemed to acknowledge the political realities. Sensitive to fueling further criticism, […]
In case you missed it, former FEMA Director Mike Brown seems intent on slowly rehabilitating his, shall we say, tarnished image, starting with a lengthy chat with the New York Times. But as The New Republic’s Jason Zengerle noted, Brown may have made things slightly worse for himself and his former colleagues. Brown seemed intent […]
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: * The recent debate in Virginia’s gubernatorial race seems to have given Lt. Gov. Tim Kaine (D) a boost. In a new Rassmussen poll shows former state Attorney General Jerry Kilgore (R) still […]
It hasn’t been a good week for the anti-gay crowd. First, the Massachusetts legislature easily rejected a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage and establish civil unions. The vote made plenty of sense — the state has had gay marriage for a year, it’s been relatively conflict-free, and the whole “controversy” has become more politically […]
Just a week ago, as lawmakers began to appreciate the costs associated with Gulf Coast relief efforts, a few Republicans went off-message and wondered aloud how we’ll pay for all of this. Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) said Bush has “failed a test of leadership” by not including spending cuts to pay for part of the […]