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Category Archives: Columns
Can Jeb Bush Save the GOP and End Its Emerging Civil War? – The Daily Beast
Moon Reagan and Don Nixon never got this kind of reception. But Jeb Bush, the brother and son of presidents, is already getting the full-court press to run for the White House in 2016. The Drudge Report went breathless with … Continue reading
Hostage to His Caucus, John Boehner Can’t Keep His Message Straight – The Daily Beast
It’s official. Washington has no idea how to get out of the mess it created with the sequester. That’s the message Speaker John Boehner sent with his Meet the Press interview that aired Sunday. “I don’t think anyone quite understands … Continue reading
In North Korea, Dennis Rodman Fouls Out – CNN.com
Never fear. While North Korea is a closed communist state, a rogue nuclear power that regularly threatens war and starves its own people in prison camps, Dennis Rodman has just returned from some one-on-one diplomacy with its “dear leader” Kim … Continue reading
The Pro Freedom Republicans Are Coming: 131 Sign Gay-Marriage Brief – The Daily Beast
One hundred thirty-one Republicans signed an amicus brief submitted to the Supreme Court on Thursday arguing that marriage is a fundamental right that should not be denied to gay and lesbian Americans. That is nearly double the number of Republicans … Continue reading
How to Cure U.S. Electoral Dysfunction
Donald Trump isn’t entirely wrong about a rigged election system. It’s just not in the direction he thinks. That’s why America needs election reform now. In the closing weeks of this insane campaign, Donald Trump has railed against a rigged … Continue reading
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Oscar Likes His Political Flicks Real – CNN.com
With a crop of political movies in the Oscar running, this weekend Hollywood is looking more like Poliwood. Best Picture contenders such as “Argo,” “Zero Dark Thirty” and “Lincoln” have managed to pay off at the box office even as … Continue reading
Tea party’s anti-Rove ‘Nazi ad’ – CNN.com
You would click on the link, and there you’d find the Tea Party Patriots’ mailer, calling for liberty and asking for money, decrying “big-government Republicans” and “leftist Obama Democrats” alike. But the real target of this particular pitch was none … Continue reading
Joe Biden’s Shotgun Approach to Politics Good for Obama Administration – The Daily Beast
In the pop-culture presidency of the Obama administration, Joe Biden plays an outsize role. He’s the goofy white uncle, loose-lipped and earnest to a fault, who recently became the subject of an Onion biography that imagines the teetotaler as a … Continue reading
The PowerPoint That Proves It’s Not Obama’s Sequester After All – The Daily Beast
With deep sequestration cuts just days away, Congress is on vacation. But they’ve still got plenty of time to play the blame game. The latest semantic spin is to call the looming $1.2 trillion in cuts, which could throw the … Continue reading
This is How China Hacks America: Inside the Mandiant Report – The Daily Beast
The Chinese government just got caught with a smoking cyber gun. Cybersecurity consultant Mandiant released a much-anticipated report Tuesday morning, offering the most detailed look to date inside the Chinese People Liberation Army’s direct involvement in hacking into American government … Continue reading
The Republicans’ Ugly and Shameful Chuck Hagel Filibuster – The Daily Beast
Since the election, Republican talking points have reflected the fact that they need to reach out beyond their base: to be positive rather than negative; appear more reasonable, less obstructionist. But how you act speaks more loudly than what you … Continue reading
Obama’s Chance to Lead or Kick the Can Down the Road – CNN.com
“What we have done is kicked this can down the road. We are now at the end of the road and are not in a position to kick it any further. … We have to signal seriousness in this by … Continue reading
The Scandal of Former State GOP Chairman Jim Greer Is Classic Florida – The Daily Beast
Ah, Florida—the land of sun, sand, and scandal. On Monday, former state Republican Party chairman Jim Greer added his name to the long list of Sunshine State lowlights when, after years of proclaiming his innocence, he pleaded guilty to five … Continue reading
NRA’s enemies list: Most of America – CNN.com
Question: What do George Clooney, Chaka Khan, the American Medical Association, Bon Jovi and C. Everett Koop have in common? Answer: They are among the 500 names on the National Rifle Association’s absurd new “enemies list.” Richard Nixon would be … Continue reading
With Plea Deal, Jesse Jackson Jr.’s Fall From Grace Seems Complete – The Daily Beast
Former Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr. agreed Friday to plead guilty to charges of misusing campaign funds, in an apparent bid to an end a federal investigation that threatens to also implicate his wife, former Chicago Alderman Sandi Jackson. Both had … Continue reading
Essie Mae Washington-Williams, Black Daughter of Strom Thurmond, Dies – The Daily Beast
It’s time to say goodbye to Essie Mae: a woman the world didn’t know until she was 78, and a woman whose very existence exposed the essential hypocrisy of segregation. Essie Mae Washington-Williams, who passed away on Monday, was the … Continue reading
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Super Bowl Blackout Should Help Build Momentum for a Smart Grid – The Daily Beast
The 34-minute Super Bowl blackout is just the most recent high-profile example of a growing national problem. Blackouts are on the rise across the United States, with major power outages doubling over the past decade. The problem is an aging … Continue reading
Republican Conspiracy Nuts on Obama’s Skeet-Shooting Picture – The Daily Beast
The Obama years have been a boom time for conspiracy theories and associated catchphrases. During the first term, the “birthers” dominated this sad and sordid landscape, but in recent weeks we’ve seen the rapid rise and fall of the “Benghazi … Continue reading
‘Hizzoner’ Ed Koch, Three-Term Mayor of New York, Dies at 88 – The Daily Beast
For a generation of Americans, and especially New Yorkers, Ed Koch was simply “Mayor.” It was the title of his bestselling memoir, followed by a sequel, Politics, and even an off-Broadway tribute to Hizzonor. With typical talent for good timing, … Continue reading
Hagel’s Confirmation Hearings Contentious and Partisan – The Daily Beast
The contentious Senate hearing for secretary of defense nominee Chuck Hagel divided starkly along partisan lines, with Republicans attacking their former colleague with the pitchfork zeal of heretic hunters. Hagel’s calm recitation of consensus catechism on issues ranging from Iran … Continue reading