I was in Iowa this weekend where apparently nobody can get enough of presidential nominating politics. There was a group of people outside my hotel handing out t-shirts and getting email addresses. I’m not going to say that Warren would solve all our problems. But when I think back on the Bill Clinton administration, and […]
Archive for the ‘Politics’ category
Tom Lehrer: for The Electric Company and otherwise
Those of you who grew up in the USA in the 70s and had a television more than likely know some of these songs: A decent number of these are permanently burned into my mental harddrive and have been recovered, over the last few years, as Charlie and I have made our way through DVD […]
The Civil War Amendments
I’m not a worshipper at the altar of the U.S. Constitution. It is a deeply flawed and outdated document, and both the United States and the world would be better off if the Constitution were replaced by a more truly democratic governmental structure. Still, I will admit that I have been known to cry when […]
Suspense
Surprising myself, I haven’t followed this election particularly closely. I was very intense about 2000 and 2004, a little less about 2008 but still really into it. This time around, I’ve kept my distance. Only watched one of the debates. Have checked explicitly political blogs only every few days, until maybe last week when I […]
Post-hurricane jet lag reading list blues
It’s 4:30 am in New York, where I’m spending three nights before heading to Belgium for a conference later this week. New York’s not exactly on the way from Adu Dhabi to Antwerp, I know, but I have a long list of things that need tending to here and had planned for the last couple […]
I am freeking out.
How did this happen? How is this presidential race so close now, after months of Mitt Romney stumbling and bumbling his way through a zillion gaffes? I just can’t believe that we’re down to the wire like this, that Mitt — he who refuses to release tax returns!, who changes his position the way some […]
We’re doomed
Why is neither presidential campaign saying anything* about climate change? I know Romney’s party is in thrall to denialists, crackpots, and oilmen. But if I’ve learned anything from listening to NPR, it’s that there are two sides to every story: a Republican side and a Democratic side. Why nothing from the Democratic candidate? Meanwhile, evidence […]
Anxious racists are the worst
There have been a couple of news items recently that have led me to start conversations about how certain journalists are racist. I posted a few things on Facebook, and brought them up to people I know, thinking that of the people I know, they’re at least the sort who would acknowledge that these are […]
Two popular political delusions, or, the art of the possible
So it’s politics time again. This week, arguments at the Supreme Court about the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act, a.k.a. Obamacare, the law that according to (most of) its proponents will solve the country’s health-care problems and according to its detractors represents socialism or tyranny or something like that. The Tea Party held a […]
“Leverage everyone’s expertise”
Occupy out-wonks the wonks. Read Rortybomb’s interview with two drafters of the Occupy SEC comment letter on the Volcker rule. Links to the letter itself and more commentary at the link.