Read a little. Learn a lot. • Tightly-written news, views and stuff • Follow us on Twitter • Be a Facebook Fan • Tumble us!

24 Mar 2011 13:12

tags

Politics: Donald Trump thinks Obama fears the birth certificate

  • Donald Trump behaving like a slippery politico already: It’s been a big week in terms of assessing the political strategies of Republican billionaire Donald Trump, namely that he isn’t so hot at lying on his feet, and he likes pandering to birthers (a belief he’s got to be too smart to earnestly hold). Following his clumsy, easily dispelled claim that he knowingly rented land to Muammar Gaddafi then didn’t let him use it (or “screwing” him, to use his parlance) with an eye towards donating the money to charity, he decided to go back to birtherism, claiming on The View that “there’s something on that birth certificate he doesn’t like.” Keep on swinging, Donald! source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Mar 2011 23:59

tags

Politics: Peter King gets his comeuppance in the Senate

  • action A couple weeks ago, Rep. Peter King attracted controversy by launching a Congressional hearing titled “The Radicalization of American Muslims.”
  • reaction At the behest of Illinois Demcorat Dick Durbin, the Senate will be holding a hearing titled “Protecting the Civil Rights of American Muslims.” source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Mar 2011 23:25

tags

Politics: 2012 hopeful actually making people forget who he is

  • 14% of Americans knew who Gary Johnson was at the beginning of this year
  • 12% were aware of the 2012 hopeful’s existence a month later
  • 11% know him now … a bit worrisome for a 2012 candidate source
  • » Okay, okay. It’s probably just statistical noise. Nevertheless, if the former governor of New Mexico is indeed planning a run for President, he really needs to put himself out there more, lest he become this year’s Fred Thompson.
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Mar 2011 22:41

tags

Politics: Who’s afraid of Rahm Emanuel? Not Bart Stupak!

  • Rahm [Emanuel] doesn’t scream and shout at me, ’cause he knows better. I’ll just tell him to go to Hell and move on.
  • Bart Stupak • Reflecting on the passage of health care reform last year, and his dealings with Obama’s old right hand man. The former congressman from Michigan says that he is “proud to have voted for [health care reform],” despite still getting “accosted” by the law’s detractors. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Mar 2011 22:26

tags

Politics: Romney rolls out ambiguous plan to undo health care reform

  • problem As Massachusetts governor, Mitt Romney passed a bill that served as the basis for the Democrats’ health care reform bill (which celebrates its first anniversary today). This is perceived by many to be a serious problem for Romney’s 2012 presidential campaign hopes.
  • solution If he becomes President, Romney pledges to “issue an executive order paving the way for Obamacare waivers to all 50 states.” However, as Ezra Klein points out, Romney is vague on details, and it’s unclear exactly what type of executive order he could, or would, issue. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

23 Mar 2011 14:36

tags

Politics: Hugo Chavez could have saved those Martians, dammit

  • I have always said, heard, that it would not be strange that there had been civilization on Mars, but maybe capitalism arrived there, imperialism arrived and finished off the planet.
  • Venezuelan President Huge Chavez • Speaking on Tuesday, on the occasion of World Water Day. In making this theoretical argument about the mighty Martian State’s fall at the hands of capitalism and imperialism, Chavez at the very least couches this rather presumptive notion by saying it “would not be strange” to see such civilization, and that “maybe” that’s what happened. This is more humility, or at least hedging, than some who make unfalsifiable claims are willing to show. That said, it seems desperate to make a political point by any reference conceivable, and for a man whose real world behavior is at times bizarre and at times willfully ignorant (that being the most charitable way to describe his denial of Gaddafi’s force against citizens), this pseudo-scientific claim bolsters the idea of Chavez the eccentric. source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Mar 2011 14:45

tags

Politics: Sen. Scott Brown splits with GOP on Planned Parenthood

  • unsurprising The GOP’s big win in the midterm elections was, most would agree, secured by economic strife. Despite this, they’ve has spent a lot of effort pushing hard on left/right wedge issues, abortion being one.
  • surprising! GOP Senator Scott Brown, who’s garnered a reputation lately as an independent mind, said the party’s plan to cut funding to Planned Parenthood “goes too far.” Scott Brown, walking the walk! source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

22 Mar 2011 11:23

tags

Politics: New York Times writes puff piece about their paywall model

  • Some of them even send us checks unsolicited. I have this woman in Canada who’s sent me two $50 checks because she doesn’t understand why she can get our journalism for free. Each time I have to tell her I can’t accept the check.
  • New York Times Corp. Chief Advertising Officer Denise Warren • Discussing the NYT’s paywall plan, which hits around the end of the month. Hey, Denise, if you guys won’t take the money, we’ll put it straight in our pockets! In all seriousness, though, read the piece — it does a great job explaining the mindset of the NYT as they decided to try the paywall model once again. Key thing? Ad money in print is falling, and online isn’t keeping up. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

22 Mar 2011 01:29

tags

Politics: Drawl drama: Where exactly is Tim Pawlenty from?

  • accusation Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who launched an exploratory committee for president today, doesn’t have a Southern accent. However, he recently started speaking with one, causing much confusion amongst his constituents.
  • reaction When asked about the sudden change in accent, Pawlenty responded that he doesn’t always “use the exact King’s English.” But wait a second – that wasn’t the accusation! Hey, T-Paw, is that a scarecrow you’re building? Oh, no, it’s just a straw man. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

21 Mar 2011 21:44

tags

Politics: Haley Barbour would like to introduce you to … Haley Barbour

  • They have yet to learn what a Haley Barbour is, and that will be a challenge.
  • Haley Barbour • Speaking about himself in the third-person in a profile piece about him for the New York Times. He’s a likely 2012 presidential candidate, but his profile is a tad low — more Herman Cain, less Sarah Palin. If anyone needs an idea of who this Haley Barbour character is, we have a pretty good collection of posts about this guy. In his defense, he did some great work as Mississippi governor in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. But on the other hand, he has said a bunch of other stuff that voters may not like. And he has a career as a lobbyist under his belt, which doesn’t exactly mesh well with the current anti-lobbyist vibe right now. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
<< newer 
top tags
older >>