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Category Archives: Columns
Goodbye, Postal Service? – CNN.com
It’s the time of year for dashing through the snow to the crowded post office, with arms full of holiday gifts for family and friends. Not to break the atmosphere of holiday cheer, but this Christmas could be the last … Continue reading
Favorite Books of 2012 – The Daily Beast
The Passage of Power by Robert Caro—Sometimes reality exceeds the hype. Robert Caro’s magisterial portrait of Lyndon Johnson hit new heights as this fourth volume chronicled his rise from a much-disrespected VP to a president capable of greatness and uniting … Continue reading
Connecticut School Shooting: Standing Up to the Gun Lobby is the Best Way to Honour the Innocent Victims – The Telegraph
America’s deadliest school shooting occurred one day before the 221st anniversary of the adoption of the Second Amendment to the US Constitution, which guarantees citizens the right to bear arms. Our gun laws might look strange across the Atlantic, where … Continue reading
As Plan B Fails, GOP Imperils Fiscal Cliff Deal, Boehner’s Speakership – The Daily Beast
Extremes are always their own side’s worst enemy. Speaker John Boehner’s failure to cobble together enough conservative votes to pass his Plan B is not just bad news for Boehner. It is bad news for the Republican Party and the … Continue reading
Don’t Let This Moment Pass Without Acting on Gun Control – CNN.com
Sometimes it takes a tragedy to make us confront reality. In the wake of the slaughter of first graders in Newtown, Connecticut, there are signs that the country — and Congress — are ready to confront the cancer of gun … Continue reading
Right Wing Needs to Stop Crazy Explanations for Newtown Slaughter – The Daily Beast
It’s definitely not too soon to condemn this craziness. The visceral shock of the Newtown school slaughter has provoked a reassessment on gun laws among many on the right—including Joe Scarborough and Rupert Murdoch. But there are still those on … Continue reading
Most Innovative Mayors in the U.S. – The Daily Beast
While Washington seems paralyzed by partisan bickering, America’s mayors are busy putting ideas into action. City hall is increasingly a place for bold experimentation. Unlike Congress, there’s no fiddling over the fiscal cliff or divisions into angry, ideological, debating societies. … Continue reading
Newtown Shooting: Now Is the Time for Gun Law Debate in America – The Telegraph
Newtown, Connecticut, is where families move to keep their children safe. Only an hour from New York City, the town was founded well before the Revolutionary War. It’s where Scrabble was invented, a stop on the Underground Railroad, home to … Continue reading
One Tough Nerd—Michigan Governor Rick Snyder’s Pragmatic Labor Stance – The Daily Beast
So this is what he meant by “One Tough Nerd.” Michigan’s Republican governor, Rick Snyder, has become public enemy No. 1 among liberals for his controversial decision this week to sign right-to-work legislation in Michigan—the birthplace of the American organized … Continue reading
Why Tim Scott Should Replace Jim DeMint – The Daily Beast
Apart from Stephen Colbert, the best pick South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley could make for Jim DeMint’s Senate seat is Congressman Tim Scott. Happily, Scott is also reportedly DeMint’s first choice, though the current senator has nothing more than advisory … Continue reading
Senate Vote on UN Disability Convention Shows Pitiful State of US politics – The Telegraph
“It needs to be a wake-up call about a broken institution that’s letting down the American people.” So said John Kerry in a fit of frustration after the Senate voted against ratifying the United Nations Convention on the Rights of … Continue reading
George W. Bush to Republicans: Embrace Immigration – The Daily Beast
President George W. Bush’s first postelection speech was a call for immigration reform—and an implicit rebuke of the failed GOP nominee Mitt Romney. On Tuesday morning, the Bush Center held a conference on immigration and economic growth at the Federal … Continue reading
Beware the Fiscal Cliff Deniers – CNN.com
Washington is playing chicken with the fiscal cliff — the combination of automatic tax hikes and deep spending cuts in 2013 that could plummet our recovering economy back into recession. Brinksmanship is back while the clock ticks. Responsible voices in … Continue reading
Will the Second-Term Quicksand Swallow Barack Obama? – The Daily Beast
Second terms come with instant historic legitimacy—and seemingly inevitable scandal. Watergate, Iran-Contra, the Full Monica all started snowballing a year after strong second-term presidential wins. The defining domestic disaster of President Bush’s second term, the response to Hurricane Katrina, also … Continue reading
Democrats Must Step Up on Entitlement Reform for Fiscal Cliff Deal – The Daily Beast
The good news is that Republicans are starting to recognize the need to break with Grover Norquist and his anti-tax pledge. But that’s only part of the way toward a genuinely balanced bipartisan deal to avoid the fiscal cliff. Listen … Continue reading
The Man Who Changed Baseball Forever – CNN.com
Marvin Miller died Tuesday at the age of 95. And here’s why you should know his name: Miller transformed the game of baseball even though he never put on a uniform. This slight union lawyer was considered the enemy of … Continue reading
Don’t Fear the Gover – Republicans Wisely Break with Grover Norquist – CNN.com
Who’s afraid of Grover Norquist? Fewer and fewer Republicans, thankfully. In recent days, the declarations of independence from Norquist’s absolutist anti-tax pledge have been coming fast and furious. Add Southern Sens. Saxby Chambliss and Lindsey Graham to the growing list, … Continue reading
Bloomberg, Cuomo Should Revitalize the Rockaways After Hurricane Sandy – The Daily Beast
Almost one month after Hurricane Sandy, some storefronts in the Rockaways—the seven-mile stretch of beachfront below Brooklyn—are alight at night, but many small businesses are still boarded up. Floodlights illuminate intersections, and cop cars and sanitation crews line streets piled … Continue reading
Republican Politicians Must Stop Pandering to Conservative Populism – The Daily Beast
Republicans need to “stop being the Stupid Party.” That was a blunt postelection declaration of independence by Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal. “We’ve also had enough of this dumbed-down conservatism,” continued Jindal. “We need to stop being simplistic, we need to … Continue reading
Posted in Columns
Tagged 2012 Elections, Elections, Independent Voters, Republican Reformers, The Daily Beast
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The Final Insult: Mitt Romney’s Clueless Gift Gaffe – The Daily Beast
Mitt Romney made his final newsworthy post-election pronouncement, explaining to a conference call of big-dollar donors that he had fallen short because President Barack Obama had bribed liberal special interests with expensive gifts. Here’s what he said, according to The … Continue reading