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

15 Feb 2011 13:52

tags

Politics: Secretary Clinton throws U.S. weight behind Iran’s protesters

  • What we see happening in Iran today is a testament to the courage of the Iranian people, and an indictment of the hypocrisy of the Iranian regime – a regime which over the last three weeks has constantly hailed what went on in Egypt.
  • U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton • The American official issued a strong statement of support for the protests currently taking place in Iran. It will be interesting to see what tact the Obama administration takes towards these new protests in light of the criticisms of fence-sitting they absorbed during the Egypt affair, as well as their relative inaction during the protests of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s fradulent election two years ago. The line then was that vocal American support would undermine the Iranian opposition’s appeal to their own people, implying a western interference. But now tasting some revolutionary blood, will the U.S. try to fan the flames against the Iranian ruling authorities? Can’t think of a better time to try, right? source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

15 Feb 2011 00:13

tags

Politics: Max Headroom: Ron Paul’s feeling pretty good after CPAC, guys

  • Ron Paul makes his victory lap: If there was one guy who came out of CPAC looking better than he did going in, it was Paul, whose straw-poll win gave him some momentum as he went on “Morning Joe” this morning. Paul, always one to speak his mind, interestingly puts many Tea Partiers in the same camp as traditional Republicans for not going all the way with their anti-tax beliefs. Our favorite part of the clip is where Joe Scarborough brings up military spending, with Paul being very careful to emphasize that “defense spending” is a misnomer.
  • Barbara Bush mocks John Boehner Nothing like looking back at family history to get the waterworks going, which Jenna Bush Hager and her famous grandparents, George H.W. Bush and Barbara Bush, are more than happy to do. But what wasn’t expected is Barbara’s goofy rip on the house speaker, where she says to George, during one emotional scene, “You could be Speaker of the House!” LOL.
  • Did she have a stroke?In one of the more unfortunate clips to go viral in the past week or so, KCBS reporter Serene Branson had an unfortunate post-Grammy moment where she started talking in gibberish live on the air. Unfortunately for those who made fun of her, she was possibly having a stroke-like medical crisis, so now you should feel guilty for making fun of her, monsters.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Feb 2011 22:05

tags

Politics: Poll: Ron Paul’s support is miles deep, inches wide

  • first Ron Paul’s well-publicized placing last week in the CPAC straw poll of Republican voters
  • -7% Ron Paul’s net favorability rating amongst GOPers in a recent Public Policy Polling tally source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Feb 2011 21:59

tags

Politics: No, we can’t eliminate the deficit by cutting foreign aid

  • If you want to cut the budget, you have to cut useful and necessary things…[Obama is] explaining to the public that the free-ride view of budget cutting — we can cut our way out of the deficit by eliminating waste and spending that only benefits foreigners — is wrong.
  • Jon Chait • Interpreting the message behind Obama’s budget. There’s a widespread perception, often repeated by politicians, that if we’d just cut earmarks, foreign aid, and general wasteful spending, we’d eliminate the deficit. But that just ain’t the case. The real culprits are Social Security, defense, and Medicare — programs we actually like. So if we’re serious about taking a bite out of the deficit, we’re gonna have to make some tough decisions. That, Chait says, is the point behind Obama’s proposal. source
Posted by Seth Millstein • 1 Comment • Permalink

14 Feb 2011 21:51

tags

Politics: Does Rudy have a shot at the Republican nomination?

  • unsurprisingNew Hampshire Republicans want Mitt Romney as their presidential nominee in 2012, according to a recent poll. It wasn’t a shock last time he won such a poll, and it’s not a shock now.
  • surprisingWho came in second place behind Romney? Why, none other than America’s Mayor himself, Mr. Rudolph Giuliani. His mere inclusion in the poll is almost as surprising as his placing. source
  • » But take this with a grain of salt: Encouraging as these results may be to Giuliani, he still finished thirty (30) points behind Romney, which is an awfully steep deficit to overcome. And New Hampshire’s not exactly a deep red state, so it’s expected that they’d favor a moderate like Giuliani over someone like Mike Huckabee (who tied with Tim Pawlenty for third)). Still, just about nobody in the media has been taking a potential Giuliani candidacy seriously, so this second place showing is, if nothing else, a surprise.
Posted by Seth Millstein • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Feb 2011 14:23

tags

Politics: FoxNation.com thinks they may have video proof of apocalypse

  • journalism? “The Fox Nation is committed to the core principles of tolerance, open debate, civil discourse, and fair and balanced coverage of the news,” says the mission statement at FoxNation.com, an online arm of the Fox News Channel.
  • nope! “Is this the Fourth Horseman of the Apocalypse?” So asks Clayton Morris, a Fox News weekend anchor, whose ludicrous claim of end-times evidence was then reblogged by FoxNation.com. (big hat tip to Mediaite on this). source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

14 Feb 2011 13:38

tags

Politics, World: Silvio Berlusconi is always there for you, ladies!

  • I have always made it so that every woman feels, how should I say, special.
  • Italian PM Silvio Berlusconi • Embattled by multiple charges of sex with underage prostitutes (the girls were of legal consenting age, but prostitutes must be over eighteen by Italian law), the leader defended his way with women, insisting he’s always treated them with respect and “the greatest attention,” which might somewhat be the problem. Berlusconi faces charges carrying a maximum sentence of fifteen years in prison.  source
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

14 Feb 2011 13:18

tags

Politics: Shirley Sherrod makes good on her promise to Andrew Breitbart

  • YES Shirley Sherrod has filed suit against Andrew Breitbart source
  • » Bad day for scurillous-ness: The former USDA official was famously the target of a heavily cut video clip that seemed to present her as a racist who withheld help to a white farmer. The aftermath saw a gross and shocking leap to conclusion by the USDA under Tom Vilsack, which forced her resignation, before some helpful skeptics examined the full video which showed she was making a point AGAINST racism. I’ll admit, this case does have relevant, personal importance for bloggers, as the man charged is in that sense “one of our own,” even ones that wouldn’t be caught dead at a Breitbart event. But notwithstanding, whether the charge of defamation is well-earned or not, some of Mr. Breitbart’s antics have been grossly deceptive and unscrupulous.
Posted by Chris Tognotti • 0 Comments • Permalink

13 Feb 2011 11:33

tags

Politics: U2’s Bono steps into South African “Shoot the Boer” controversy

  • When I was a kid and I’d sing songs I remember my uncles singing… rebel songs about the early days of the Irish Republican Army. … We sang this and it’s fair to say it’s folk music.
  • U2’s Bono • Defending his support of a South African protest song called “Shoot the Boer,” seen as an attack on white people in South African (“boer” is considered a slur), by noting that the Irish Republican Army had violent protest songs, too! (He sang a couple bars of a violence-promoting Irish “folk song” while talking.) The song is the center of major controversy, with the leader of South Africa’s Youth League, Julius Malema, in a legal fight over whether the song is hate speech or not. Based on the criticism the human-rights figurehead has gotten, it may just be. if it weren’t for the Spider-Man musical, this would be the dumbest thing he’s done lately. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

11 Feb 2011 20:33

tags

Politics: Dead-on Sarah Palin impersonator causes scene at CPAC

  • Here at ShortFormBlog, we have instituted a standing no-Sarah-Palin policy until she actually announces she’s running for political office again. But that doesn’t mean we can’t post anything about Sarah Palin impostors hilariously storming CPAC. She’s not technically Sarah Palin. So, there you go guys … a Sarah Palin impostor hilariously storming CPAC. It’d be much funnier if it was a dude in drag, but we’ll take it. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
<< newer 
top tags
older >>