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15 Jun 2011 22:26

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Politics: Anthony Weiner: Disproportionately well-known

  • Only in America can sending a dirty tweet make you more well known than being one of the most powerful people in the country.
  • Tom Jensen at Public Policy Polling • Reflecting on the fact that Anthony Weiner has higher name recognition than John Boehner. Also in that poll: Weiner’s national approval rating is 8%. His disapproval? 70%. Yikes. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Jun 2011 22:15

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Politics: Pawlenty’s extreme tax proposal

  • 73% Pawlenty’s tax cut for the 400 richest Americans source
  • » During his time as Minnesota’s governor, Tim Pawlenty staked out a few moderate stances. This is understandable, as Minnesota is a moderate state. But moderation doesn’t fly in the current incantation of the Republican party (just ask Mike Castle or Bob Bennett). It especially doesn’t fly for Republicans who want to be President, and perhaps no position is as sacrosanct to the modern Republican party as that of low taxes. Still, Pawlenty’s proposed tax plan is really extreme, even by supply-sider standards; for example, he proposes that millionaires alone receive a 41% tax cut. So, while it’s understandable that T-Paw wants quell the concerts of Republican primary voters by tacking to the right, we wonder if he really needed to adopt a tax plan that, in the words of Ezra Klein, “makes George W. Bush look like Robin Hood.”
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Jun 2011 23:31

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Politics: T-Paw backs off “ObamneyCare” line

  • [Pawlenty] choked at a critical moment when he wouldn’t repeat the criticisms he’s made of Romney to his face…if you criticize someone when they’re not around, be ready to say it to their face. If you’re not, you’re just not for real.
  • Josh Marshall at TPM • On Pawlenty’s refusal to repeat the phrase “ObamneyCare,” which he coined last Sunday, during tonight’s debate. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Jun 2011 03:06

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Offbeat: Someone had to do it, right?

Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Jun 2011 00:39

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Politics: Herman Cain’s solution to illegal immigration: Alligators!

  • Put me in charge of the fence and it will be a twenty foot wall, barbed wire, electrified on the top. And on this side of the fence, I’d have that moat that President Obama talked about. And I would put those alligators in that moat!
  • Herman Cain • Laying out a portion of his proposed immigration policy. Some pundits wonder why Cain, who’s polling better than guys like Pawlenty and Huntsman, isn’t taken seriously by the beltway media. Sentences like “I would put those alligators in that moat” probably have something to do with it. It’s a gimmicky non-solution to a policy issue that deserves to be taken seriously. One can be pro-immigration, anti-immigration, or somewhere in between, but ideology aside, a fence with alligators isn’t going to solve the problem. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

09 Jun 2011 00:18

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Politics: Cory Booker loves Newark: Star Democrat says no to Senate run

  • There was a rumor earlier today that Newark Mayor Cory Booker, famous for his faux-feud with Conan O’Brien a few years back, was considering a run at the US Senate. Booker is, without question, one of the Democrats’ brightest national prospects, and one of our favorite politicians here at SFB. His candidacy would be a major coup for the party. However, Booker quickly swatted down the rumors, insisting that he’ll finish his term as mayor. While this is a disappointment for national Democrats, it says a lot about his commitment to Newark, and by extension, his integrity as a politician (Booker often turns down appealing offers in order to remain Newark mayor). Once his tenure in Newark is up, however, we can’t help but hope he’ll set his sights on higher office. Way higher, if you catch our drift. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

08 Jun 2011 21:40

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World: Americans win “World’s Funniest People” award…but is that a good thing?

  • americans are funny. At least, that was the conclusion drawn from a survey by social networking site Badoo (who?), in which 30,000 people in 15 countries were asked to name the world’s funniest citizens. Americans came out on top, with Spaniards and Italians taking second and third, respectively. But wait–what exactly did they mean by “funny?” Was it in a, “That joke was hilarious!” sort of way, or a “You have toilet paper stuck to your shoe and nobody’s telling you” sort of way? We don’t know, so we’re not sure whether or not Americans should rejoice at this news. Similarly, should Germany be proud or embarrassed that they came in dead last? source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

08 Jun 2011 21:24

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U.S.: The gender pay gap: Still alive and kicking

  • $44,149 median starting salary for males with a bachelor’s degree, as of 2010
  • $36,451 median starting salary for a woman with the same degree source
  • » Just for the record, that’s a 17% difference between genders.
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Jun 2011 23:21

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World: Dutch Government hatches plot to anger college kids everywhere

In an effort to completely obliterate their tourism industry, Dutch officials want to ban non-residents from visiting weed cafes in the Netherlands. Yeah, we’re as stumped as you are. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

06 Jun 2011 23:16

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Politics: Yes, Anthony Weiner messed up, but come on!

  • Should Weiner have done this? For an elected public official, it was unwise, inappropriate, stupid. For a human being, it remains well within the bounds of, well, human.
  • Andrew Sullivan • Summing up our feelings on the Anthony Weiner disaster. Look, no one’s saying it was an honorable thing to do, but politicians regularly do much, much worse things than send a picture of their wang to someone online. And they don’t always get called out for it, either. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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