-
Search
-
Sign Up
-
More About John
FAVORITE MOVIES FAVORITE ALBUMS FAVORITE BOOKS SPEECHES -
My Columns
-
My Videos
-
Published Articles
Category Archives: Columns
A Better Ron Paul – The Daily Beast
It looks like Ron Paul is running for president again—and libertarians everywhere have reason to cheer. After the big government conservatism of the George W. Bush era, their ideas seem finally ascendant—and now they have two standard-bearers competing for the … Continue reading
Andrew Cuomo Renews Push for Gay Marriage in New York – The Daily Beast
New York is on the verge of becoming the nation’s largest state to legalize same sex marriage via its legislature. Supporters are hopeful that this historic civil rights measure will be brought to a vote in the state senate by … Continue reading
Glenn Beck: Farewell to a Fearmonger – The Daily Beast
The nightly nervous breakdown will not be televised. Glenn Beck is going off the air on Fox News. It is a remarkable reversal of fortune for a man who one year ago was banking $32 million annually, teaching Americans how … Continue reading
The Palin Implosion – The Daily Beast
Call off the coronation—the media’s caught on to the slow motion implosion of Sarah Palin’s popularity, and with it her prospective presidential campaign. A new Washington Post/ABC News poll found that Palin’s approval ratings among Republicans had declined by double … Continue reading
Wisconsin’s Nuclear Option – The Daily Beast
Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has an un-played ace up his sleeve in the budget fights that have made Madison the focus of a national struggle between fiscal conservatives and public sector unions. A little-noticed provision in the Wisconsin State Constitution—Article … Continue reading
Why ‘The Newsroom’ Matters – CNN
Aaron Sorkin’s HBO show “The Newsroom” represents the reality of working in television news about as accurately as “The West Wing” captured working in politics — which is to say, not at all. But both dramas did something more worthwhile: … Continue reading
Clooney’s Not Kidding: Actor Adds ‘Arrested Activist’ to Credit Roll – Newsweek
As Hollywood scrambles through the final days of jockeying for Oscars, George Clooney’s attention is far away—9,000 miles away, to be exact. The veteran Academy Awards campaigner plans to walk the red carpet and crack open an envelope at Sunday’s … Continue reading
Is Right-Wing Talk Dying? – The Daily Beast
Here’s another sign that the tide might be turning against the Wingnuts—Glenn Beck’s TV ratings are down 50 percent and major market radio stations are dropping him. That’s not all—a look at radio ratings shows that hyper-partisan talk has been … Continue reading
Gay Group in Conservatives’ Gathering Splits GOP – CNN.com
The Conservative Political Action Conference’s annual Washington convention this week is not where you’d expect to find a new front in the gay civil rights movement. But that’s going to be the story this week at CPAC. America has been … Continue reading
The End of the Wingnuts? – The Daily Beast
Keith Olbermann’s abrupt signoff last night just might signify a break in the hyperpartisan media fever that has afflicted America for the past few years. Because beneath the rumors of palace intrigue and difficult behavior stands a stark fact: Keith … Continue reading
The Perpetual Tea Party: Tax Protests and the Founders – Constitution Daily
Tax protests are part of America’s political DNA. It is a time-honored tradition, rediscovered by every generation, reminding both government and citizens of the roots of our republic. At its best, it is a sign of an active citizenry trying … Continue reading
Meet the New McCains: Centrist Republicans Ease Senate Gridlock – The Daily Beast
There has been more bipartisan accomplishment in Washington over the past two weeks than in the past two years. That’s because the balance of power is back in the center of the Senate, a shift from the hyperpartisan trench warfare … Continue reading
My War With Rush Limbaugh – The Daily Beast
According to Rush Limbaugh, I’m a hard-core liberal, no different than Michael Moore who paid the bail for “the serial rapist Julian Assange.” Also, I’m not willing to admit who the terrorists are, and I’m helping to kill Christmas. It’s … Continue reading
Obama Finds His Mojo – The Daily Beast
Almost lost in the debate over the tax cut compromise this week was a striking moment of defiance and self-definition from President Obama. It came in the final five minutes of Tuesday’s afternoon press conference. With the president under attack … Continue reading
Cowards Sank the Deficit Plan – The Daily Beast
The Bipartisan Deficit Commission led by Democrat Erskine Bowles and Republican Alan Simpson voted 11 to 7 in favor of their far-sighted plan to cut the deficit by $4 trillion within the decade. But it can be classified as only … Continue reading
Mosque Money Shocker – The Daily Beast
Developers of the controversial Park51 Islamic community center and mosque located two blocks from ground zero earlier this month applied for roughly $5 million in federal grant money set aside for the redevelopment of lower Manhattan after the attacks of … Continue reading
Defusing the Terrorists’ Prison Bomb – The Daily Beast
Terrorism is always one bad day away from being the most important issue in America. With election-eve cargo plane bombing plots disrupted by information from a repentant al Qaeda member who was also an ex-Guantanamo detainee, a timely new counter-terrorism … Continue reading
Hillary and the 51% – The Daily Beast
“Extremism thrives on anger and ignorance,” Hillary Clinton declared at the Women of the World Summit, taking aim at the Taliban and the repression of women and girls worldwide—what she called “the great unfinished business of the 21st century.” This … Continue reading
The Tea Party Hurt the GOP – The Daily Beast
The lesson that hyper-partisans will be tempted to take from Tuesday’s historic “shellacking” is that the more polarizing the candidate, the better the results. Reality does not bear that theory out. In fact, the most celebrated Tea Party-supported nominees trailed … Continue reading
What New York Races Might Tell Us – CNN.com
With roughly 500 races in 50 states, there’s no shortage of indicators to keep an eye on this Election Day. But there’s an unlikely state that could help measure the extent of Republican gains Tuesday — New York. While GOP … Continue reading