Adam noted this below, but I think it’s worth reproducing in full the exchange President Obama had Wednesday with a liberal blogger over gay marriage. It reads as if the president is dying to say something, but he knows he cannot for political reasons, which is striking because the White House message on most other things is that they …
Number of the Day: 30
Speaking of the madness of campaign debates, that’s how many the candidates for governor of Minnesota have had so far. Seriously.
Two were held yesterday alone. One debate, in January, featured 20 candidates.
And apparently Rhode Island has held about as many gubernatorial debates and forums, prompting this recent local headline:
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In the ArenaUncategorized
Heckova Job?
I just can’t get over this. As Brother Scherer says below, the President had, well, a sort of, hmm, well, it wasn’t exactly clear sailing on the Daily Show last night. And the “Heckova job, Larry” line is haunting–in large part because of the symmetry: The Bush presidency was deemed a failure because of its disastrous prosecution of the …
Against Debates
The closing days of the midterm campaign have brought us a plethora of debates between the candidates. And as is so often the case, these late-hour showdowns seem to all sound and fury but produce almost nothing useful for a confused voter. In fact, they mostly contribute to the relentless silliness of our campaigns and the impulse …
In the ArenaUncategorized
Rove Explained
It’s not every day that I see things from a Tea Party point of view, but Karl Rove’s recent behavior makes it easier to understand one aspect of the Republican Party’s right-wing populist rebellion. I can’t say that I disagree with Rove’s criticism of Sarah Palin and the other assorted Teasies (some of whom are stumbling at the last …
Morning Must Reads: Revival
–In this week’s newsstand/iPad edition of TIME, David Von Drehle considers the Republican revival through the prism of Rand Paul (The Populist), Meg Whitman (The Billionaire), Marco Rubio (The Upstart) and Christine O’Donnell (The Troublemaker). A taste:
History tells us that small-government conservatism is a volatile element
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In the ArenaUncategorized
Latest Column
A big new stimulus program that might even be passed by a Republican Congress.
Obama’s Rough Daily Show Turn: “Yes We Can, But. . . “
At times, one got the sense that Jon Stewart was being merciful. More than just about anyone on television, he can eviscerate public officials, even when they are sitting next to him. But with President Obama in the chair, in full-bore detached, humble, professorial mode–“I think it’s a legitimate question,” etc.–Stewart kept passing …
New TIME Poll: In Senate Battlegrounds, Independent Voters Boost Republican Prospects
Less than a week before Election Day, Republican Senate candidates hold leads in four key battleground states, according to a new CNN/Time/Opinion Research Corp. poll. You can read more here.
How Bad Is it for Democrats?
When you think of an ideal Republican candidate to run in rural North Carolina against a seven-term Blue Dog incumbent Democrat, a few qualities don’t spring to mind. Among them are:
–A Manhattan-born former Goldman Sachs trader
–Someone who has only lived in the district for six years
–Once accused of premeditated …
The Chiaroscuro Hellscape That Will Be Nevada
As Harry Reid and Sharron Angle’s closing ads tell it, Silver Staters are in for a nightmarish November 3.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9EH4WzjLII]
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIkNAA2y4I4]
So it goes in a race where majorities have an unfavorable view of both incumbent and challenger, who’ve been …
In the ArenaUncategorized
What Recovery?
According to a new poll, 53% of Americans are worried about making their next mortgage or rent payment. Wow. Let’s concede that some of these people are exaggerating. Let’s concede that some–no more than a relative handful–received mortgages during the housing bubble that they couldn’t hope to pay. But this would be a shocking result …
Lunch Break: Dylan Thomas By Way Of Rodney Dangerfield
One of the interwebbing’s great treasures, Rogert Ebert, points out that today is Dylan Thomas’s birthday. And since there are many people in the political world–including more than 48 House Democrats, according to Charlie Cook–who may now need to rage, rage against the dying of the light, here is the late, inestimable Rodney …