‘You always want to polarize somebody’

[tag]Allen Raymond[/tag], a former [tag]RNC[/tag] official and one of the few Republican officials to go to jail as a result of the New Hampshire [tag]phone-jamming[/tag] [tag]scandal[/tag] of 2002, sat down this week with the Boston Globe for his first post-incarceration interview. Apparently, he’s had time to reflect on what his party is all about. [Raymond] […]

Housekeeping

Just a couple of items to mention briefly this morning…. * My guest stint at Washington Monthly, which I enjoyed thoroughly, ended yesterday. Many thanks to Kevin Drum for the opportunity. This week, I’m going back to a relatively normal schedule writing here and co-editing the Daou Report. * There were a couple of items […]

Sunday Discussion Group

Former Rep. [tag]Tom DeLay[/tag] (R-Eighth Ring) left the House this week, delivering a speech from the House floor in which the former exterminator did what he’s always done: he lashed out at his critics, blasted liberalism, insisted that he’s as pure as the driven snow, and encouraged Republicans to resist compromising on any part of […]

Doing a heckuva job — taking the heat off the boss

In the immediate aftermath of Hurricane [tag]Katrina[/tag], and for months afterwards, former [tag]FEMA[/tag] director [tag]Michael Brown[/tag] was excoriated for his response (or lack thereof) to the crisis along the Gulf Coast. “[tag]Brownie[/tag]” has tried to resuscitate his image a bit more recently, and yesterday told CNN that he received an e-mail before his resignation stating […]

Clearing the air on Capitol Hill

[tag]Washington[/tag] is allegedly filled with [tag]smoke-filled rooms[/tag], but DC recently implemented a smoking ban for office spaces citywide. It affects everyone — except, apparently, lawmakers on Capitol Hill who haven’t decided if they’ll follow the city law or not. This week, Rep. Henry [tag]Waxman[/tag] (D-Calif.) and 18 of his Democratic colleagues asked Speaker Dennis Hastert […]

This Week in God

First up from the God machine this week is an unfortunate story, brought to my attention by several alert readers, about a man who didn’t understand that theists generally believe God tests them, not the other way around. A man shouting that God would keep him safe was mauled to death by a lioness in […]

The religious right mocks and belittles marriage

Guest Post by Morbo Last week I criticized [tag]religious[/tag] [tag]right[/tag] activists for insisting that [tag]same-sex[/tag] unions somehow threaten [tag]heterosexual[/tag] [tag]marriage[/tag] and [tag]children[/tag]. If marriage is in trouble, I asserted, straight people have no one to blame but themselves. I don’t see a lot of evidence that [tag]gays[/tag] are busting up heterosexual [tag]marriage[/tag]s and consigning children […]

Helping Ann Coulter achieve pariah status

Guest Post by Morbo This week the Carpetbagger asked what it takes for a conservative pundit to achieve pariah status. How about an active campaign to put him or her there? Ann Coulter’s grotesque attacks on four 9/11 widows will be forgotten next week — unless the progressive community takes a page from the right […]

Choking off access for every sacred sperm

Guest Post by Morbo A woman identified only as “Dana L.” wrote an interesting Washington Post opinion piece recently about her inability to secure “[tag]Plan B[/tag]” contraceptive pills and the unfortunate consequences that spawned. This woman, 42, became pregnant after unprotected intercourse with her husband. She admits this wasn’t the smartest thing to do, since […]

Judge Jones’ second act

Guest Post by Morbo First, U.S. District [tag]Judge[/tag] [tag]John E. Jones III[/tag] crushed “[tag]intelligent design[/tag]” in Dover, Pa., in one of the best-reasoned and best-written legal opinions of 2005. That was good enough. But Jones hasn’t simply walked away from the case. Since the ruling, Jones has been appalled by kook right activists who are […]