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01 Nov 2010 11:17

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World: Dilma Rousseff makes winning Brazil’s presidency look easy

In Brazil, yes, you can move beyond a past as a guerrilla leftist to become president of the country. Dilma Rousseff’s victory proves it. source

29 Oct 2010 23:08

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Politics: Gawker’s Christine O’Donnell shaming rationale: She’s hypocritical

  • No, we don’t think there’s anything wrong with what Christine O’Donnell did on Halloween three years ago. We think there’s something wrong with what she’s done every day since, though. And we’re happy to expose the hypocrisy.
  • A post from “The Staff of Gawker.com” • Explaining their rationale for the Christine O’Donnnell one-night stand piece. While one might consider this a fair rationale (and there’s a lot of explanation here backing up their point), we’re not so sure. Who does it benefit to inform the world of this woman’s grooming options? And like we said earlier, it’s not like this is going to change anything. O’Donnell is already unpopular among voters. Know when to pick your battles, Gawker Media. The iPhone 4 thing was impressive, and a perfect example of when your paying-for-stories method almost kinda works. The Brett Favre thing, while not particularly classy, came at the nadir of his popularity and made sense from an coverage standpoint. This just feels wrong, and dirty. source

29 Oct 2010 11:25

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Politics: Barney Frank all uncomfortable ’cause his House race is close

  • 49% the share for the “left-handed gay Jew” in his House race in Mass.
  • 37% the share hard-campaigning Iraq vet Sean Bielat has – it’s the closest anyone’s polled to Frank in years
  • 12% could prove spoilers for our personal favorite member of Congress source

28 Oct 2010 22:14

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Politics: … and here comes the denial from the Kendrick Meek camp

  • report Politico sets the Florida Senate race on its head with a claim that BILL FREAKING CLINTON tried to convince also-ran Democrat Kendrick Meek to quit the race so Charlie Crist would win.
  • denial Meek’s campaign manager Abe Dyk denied it: “The article is not true. Kendrick Meek was never dropping out of this race, is never dropping out of this race and will never drop out of this race.” source

28 Oct 2010 19:09

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Politics: Bill Clinton to Kendrick Meek: Quit so Charlie Crist can win

  • what Bill Clinton asked Florida Democrat Kendrick Meek to drop out of his Senate race – twice.
  • why Meek is splitting the vote with indie kid Charlie Crist, meaning Marco Rubio is gonna win.
  • reaction Meek apparently agreed – twice – and then changed his mind both times. Fail. source

28 Oct 2010 11:00

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Politics: Karl Rove, that ever-present plotter, is attacking Sarah Palin now

  • He says she lacks the “gravitas” to be president in 2012. Now, let’s admit it. There’s probably a few people who agree with this assessment completely. But this is Karl Rove, so you know that there’s probably more going on here. And of course, during his interview with the Daily Telegraph, he also stuck the dagger in: “With all due candour, appearing on your own reality show on the Discovery Channel, I am not certain how that fits in the American calculus of ‘that helps me see you in the Oval Office’.” Our take? Karl Rove gets no benefit from Tea Partiers getting more influence. And, well, let’s face it. Common sense (which we learned from Mr. Hanley in our AP Government class) dictates that if you’re running for political office, you need to appeal to the center to win elections. Karl gets that. The Tea Party, in some ways, fights this logic completely. source

19 Oct 2010 00:07

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Politics: Max Headroom: Sorry we’re late; here’s an awesome soap opera

  • A C-Span telenovelaWe’re sure Jonah Goldberg’s new book is great, but around the 1:45 mark, he’ll be upstaged by some lovers’ dissent within his panel. Todd Seavey and Helen Rittelmeyer used to date. They don’t anymore, and Todd clearly has some issues with that. It’s easily the best thing ever aired on C-Span.
  • Bathroom buddies? Joe Miller was on Fox News today telling his side of the whole blogger-arrest incident. He lets out a piece of info in this Neil Cavuto interview which he hadn’t mentioned before – which is that the Alaska Dispatch co-founder followed Miller into the bathroom. He was attracted by the beard.
  • ghost of Spitzer’s pastWe were on the hunt for some good “Parker Spitzer” clips, but then managed to notice the new Spitzer doc coming out next month. Just in time for the one-month mark of the new CNN show! Oh yeah, remember when Seth mentioned the political operative with the Nixon tattoo? He’s in this clip. With the tattoo.
 

15 Oct 2010 11:27

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Politics: Credit where credit’s due: Sharron Angle held her own last night

  • You’re one of the richest men in the U.S. Senate. Now on behalf of Nevada taxpayers, I would like to know, we would like to know, how did you become so wealthy on a government payroll?
  • Sharron Angle • In one of many attacks she made against Nevada Senator Harry Reid last night. Let’s face it, while she didn’t necessarily win last night, she stood toe to toe with one of the country’s most powerful Senators. It’s a performance that makes Christine O’Donnell’s debate work seem laughable in comparison. While Reid was probably right to call some of Angle’s views “extreme,” the fact of the matter is she didn’t embarrass herself like many people might have expected given her press-evasiveness. source

11 Oct 2010 22:06

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Politics: George Soros: I only started big donations because of Bush

  • I made an exception getting involved in 2004. And since I didn’t succeed in 2004, I remained engaged in 2006 and 2008. But I’m basically not a party man. I’d just been forced into that situation by what I considered the excesses of the Bush administration.
  • Democratic party super-donor George Soros • Explaining why he got so involved in those elections – and why he’s sitting this one out. This time, he’s choosing to push groups that support his causes – health care and the environment – and letting the election fall where it may. Isn’t he concerned the GOP might win both Houses? He is, he says, “but I’m not in a position to stop it. I don’t believe in standing in the way of an avalanche.” Well, that’s promising for November, lefties. It’s OK – we can just complain about the Koch Brotherssource

11 Oct 2010 08:56

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Politics: Did Carl Paladino actually utter this anti-homosexuality phrase?

  • There is nothing to be proud of in being a dysfunctional homosexual.
  • New York gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino (possibly) • In prepared remarks from a speech he made to an Orthodox Jewish group. Problem is, he didn’t say them, which he’s using as a leverage point against the media. Now, granted, he did say that he doesn’t want children “to be brainwashed into thinking that homosexuality is an equally valid or successful option … it isn’t.” And he tried to defend himself, partly by mentioning his relationship with his gay nephew in a statement after the speech. Wow, he stepped in it, didn’t he? source