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Category Archives: Columns
Stewart Rally’s Point: Don’t Divide Us – CNN.com
At the end of a bitter political season too often hijacked by the extremes, the Rally to Restore Sanity was a heartening reaffirmation of American humor, smarts and civility. This year’s previous political rallies on the Washington mall — Glenn … Continue reading
The Case for Crazy: What the GOP Would Learn by Picking Rick Santorum – The Daily Beast
A cleansing bout of craziness in 2012 could be just what the GOP needs. I’m talking about a nominee so far to the right that conservative populists get their fondest wish—and the Republican Party is forced to learn from the … Continue reading
The Obama Haters Book Club – The Daily Beast
Hating President Obama has become its own industry—and here’s a new stat to prove it: To date, there have been at least 46 anti-Obama books published. I’m not talking about thoughtful criticisms of his policies, but hyperbolic denunciations, distortions, or … Continue reading
God for Vice President – The Daily Beast
Christine O’Donnell’s latest face-plant—asking “Where in the Constitution is separation of church and state?”—was not just cringe-inducing. It was revealing and part of a growing chorus from social conservative populist candidates running under the Tea Party banner this year. O’Donnell’s … Continue reading
China Invades the Midterms – The Daily Beast
China has emerged as a key campaign issue in 2010, invoked by Democrats and Republicans alike. But the anger isn’t just the outsourcing of jobs in this Great Recession—it’s the long-term threat to American sovereignty posed by the U.S. debt. … Continue reading
U2 Showed the Relevance of Rock Music – NY Sun
One year ago, New Yorkers were still walking around in a haze: unmoored internally, rocked by shock, anger, disbelief, and despair. The days were surreal but they were not silent – music helped see us through. And one album, more … Continue reading
We Need More Moynihans – The Daily Beast
Collections of letters are usually academic exercises or vanity projects, rarely read and containing little practical wisdom. The great exception comes from Daniel Patrick Moynihan: A Portrait in Letters of an American Visionary. This is an autobiography written in real … Continue reading
Left-Wing Crazies Take Their Turn – The Daily Beast
“We as one nation must stand together, must fight the forces of evil, the conservatives in this country across the board,” bellowed Ed Schultz, emcee of the One Nation Working Together rally on the Washington Mall Saturday. “The conservative voices … Continue reading
The Comedian Political Takeover – The Daily Beast
Stephen Colbert testifying in front of Congress. Bill Maher serving as a one-man opposition research division against Wingnut Queen Christine O’Donnell. Jon Stewart hosting a pre-election “Rally to Restore Sanity” on the Washington Mall. It’s no joke: Comedians are driving … Continue reading
Wingnuts Excerpt-Bush Derangement Syndrome
Before the right-wing fringe lost their minds about Obama, the left turned a similar trick. We saw this destructive dynamic at work during the previous administration, when far-left protests erupted into Bush Derangement Syndrome, comparing the president to Hitler and … Continue reading
Jon Stewart Has the Right Idea – CNN.com
Are you tired of the extremes dominating the debate? Angry about hyperpartisans hijacking American politics? Well, Jon Stewart has a rally for you and me. The Rally to Restore Sanity is slated for October 30, the weekend before Election Day, … Continue reading
The Tea Party Abortion Doctrine – The Daily Beast
Call it the Palin Standard, the new normal creeping into Republican abortion politics—opposition even in cases of rape and incest. When Sarah Palin was plucked from obscurity two years ago to become the VP nominee, McCain’s senior policy aides did … Continue reading
Division and amnesia on 9/11 anniversary – CNN.com
The ninth anniversary of 9/11 finds our country divided. “The warm courage of national unity”– that was the FDR quote invoked by President George W. Bush at a prayer service in the fall of 2001. It captured the spirit infusing … Continue reading
The Media Hijackers – The Daily Beast
How does a fringe preacher go from 50 congregants to the front page of 50 newspapers overnight? Just say you’re going to burn the Quran. It took little more for the “Reverend” Terry Jones and his ironically named Dove World … Continue reading
The Top 10 Weirdest Campaign Ads – The Daily Beast
It’s enough to make you miss the “Daisy” ad. LBJ’s invocation of nuclear war if Barry Goldwater won the ‘64 election was substantive and civil compared to the worst of the campaign ads we’ve seen so far this season. It’s … Continue reading
Will Boies and Olson Win the Gay Marriage Argument? – The Daily Beast
Closing arguments in one of the prime civil-rights fights of our time is scheduled to take place this Wednesday in San Francisco, with the high drama surrounding the constitutional challenge to California’s Prop 8 ban on same-sex marriage heightened by … Continue reading
Tsunami of Sleaze – NY Post
NEW York, New Jersey and Connecticut: We have a problem. And it’s not just the fiscal crisis. It’s the bipartisan culture of corruption that has swamped tri-state politics. Longtime NY state Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno’s indictment last Friday on … Continue reading
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The Supreme Court’s Election Reform Ruling Is a Big F-ing Deal
This, in the words of Joe Biden, is a big fucking deal. The Supreme Court’s vote on marriage equality and its refusal to gut health-care reform justly got the banner headlines over the last few days. But a less-publicized case … Continue reading
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The Top 25 Centrist Columnists and Commentators – The Daily Beast
Professional partisans present a vision of American politics where everything is divided between the far left and the far right. Lately, they seem to be dominating the nation’s political debate. But there’s a powerful backlash brewing—a movement of voices from … Continue reading
Confronting George Clooney’s Critics on South Sudan
The remaining newsstands across the nation are still dotted with magazines featuring photos of George Clooney’s Venetian wedding to British barrister Amal Alamuddin. This controlled embrace of the paparazzi on Clooney’s wedding day was motivated by charity rather than the … Continue reading
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