Someone once pointed out to me that D.C., with a 95% democratic base and populated by progressive thinkers from all income levels, would be to the left of Vermont, California, the Republic of Berkeley etc. if it were a state or had proper congressional representation.
I am sure you are all aware of the sorry state [...]
Archive for the ‘Politics’ category
Love wins
Beware the demon sheep
In case you missed it last week, a fantastic new campaign video went viral, from the senate primary campaign of former HP executive Carly Fiorina. I’m not sure which high-profile, expensive PR firm came up with this, but it’s the kind of thing that maybe worked better on the white board:
The first two and a [...]
An exercise
My internet’s down, so this is short, an exercise for the reader.
On Wednesday, Britain’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, Alistair Darling (and let’s just pause a moment to savor the delightful Britishness of “Exchequer,” “Alistair,” and “Darling”), announced that a special tax of 50% would be levied on bonuses of more than £25,000 paid to [...]
So this is Christmas
I’m sure you’re all well aware of the news: President Obama orders 30,000 more troops to Afghanistan.
It seems so clear to me that this is a case of a Democratic official buckling to the not-wanting-to-appear-weak-on-defense pressure, but I was hoping that you all could give me some other reason for Obama’s decision, so I might [...]
Tomorrow’s nostalgia today: The Aughties
Quick, what comes to mind when you think about what’s happened in the world since 2000? We’re at the end of the first decade of the 21st century (okay, pedants, I know the new decade doesn’t technically start until 2011, but roll with me here), and the inevitable looking-back lists are starting to appear.
One of [...]
It’s an ocracy all right
Unless you’ve voted in an election that was decided by one ballot, no vote you’ve ever cast has mattered.
A stats professor expressed this simple truth to my classmates and me a few years ago. He went on to conclude that a simple cost-benefit would suggest that voting is a waste of time, money, and [...]
Reefer Madness!
As it turns out, before he was able to shut down Guantanamo, and before he was able to end Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, and before the right to universal health care was extended to every American, Barack Obama put an end to the Federal suppression of states’ rights to legalize and regulate the sale [...]
This will be Sarah Palin in 2013
Tom “The Hammer” Delay on “Dancing with the Stars.” Once the most-feared Republican in the House (following a successful career in pest control), he has now become your Nice Old Uncle, dancing in a barbershop quartet getup with a big GOP elephant patch on his back.
What’s with throwing the money in the air toward the [...]
Fine art made finer
The McNaughton “Fine Art” company has made available a print called “One Nation Under God,” packed with symbolism and helpfully annotated. Click here to see the work with its original meanings explained, including the depiction of a tormented Supreme Court justice and an evil “Mr. Hollywood.”
The image below isn’t the print, because unfortunately you can’t [...]
A medium appropriate to the object of critique
It’s our first-ever podcast. The topic: The most irritating NPR clip of all time.
