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Tag Archives: The Daily Beast
A Tax Reform Slam Dunk – The Daily Beast
Tax Day is nobody’s idea of a good time. But get ready for a year of heated tax debates ahead. In his deficit speech last week, President Obama made clear that he intends to continue his fight to raise the … Continue reading
Wake Up, Washington! – The Daily Beast
Republican Bob Turner won the special election to succeed Anthony Weiner last night, and conservatives are crowing that it signifies a tidal shift against President Obama. It’s true that this Queens-Brooklyn district, once represented by Geraldine Ferraro, hasn’t voted for … Continue reading
Islam’s Civil War – The Daily Beast
The 10th anniversary of 9/11 is over, but America is still wrestling with the role of Islam in our society. And Islam, no less significantly, is struggling with its own internal tensions as a faith battered between radicals, reactionaries, and … Continue reading
Forty-Five Foiled Terror Plots Since 9/11 – The Daily Beast
As news of a new “credible” threat swept across the nation on the 10th anniversary of 9/11, Americans were abruptly reminded that terrorism is always one bad day away from being issue No. 1. In the latest case, one report … Continue reading
Perry’s Smash-Mouth Debate Style – The Daily Beast
So much for the 11th Commandment. At the start of the Republican debate at the Reagan Library, Mitt Romney and Rick Perry came out swinging, with the former Massachusetts governor jabbing the Texan as a career politician, followed by a … Continue reading
The Recovery – The Daily Beast
Lower Manhattan is a living symbol of civic resilience; it is evidence of how free people can triumph over fear. The neighborhood surrounding Ground Zero has become the fastest-growing in New York City. Daniel Libeskind is part of the influx. … Continue reading
Bill Clinton to the Rescue – The Daily Beast
It’s Labor Day 2011, and all eyes are on the economy—both the stubborn 9.1 percent unemployment rate and President Obama’s upcoming “job creation” speech in front of a joint session of Congress. There’s evidence that Obama may be looking for … Continue reading
Not-Ready-for-Prime-Time Palin – The Daily Beast
Sarah Palin’s “will-she or won’t-she?” act is getting pretty old. All eyes will be on her Saturday speech at a Tea Party rally in Iowa, but Palin’s 2012 expiration date is looming. The scattershot dysfunction that accompanied even this event … Continue reading
Chris Christie’s 2012 Tease – The Daily Beast
As Hurricane Irene bore down on the East Coast on Saturday afternoon, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie had a simple message: “Get the hell off the beach.” “You’re done. It’s 4:30 p.m. You’ve maximized your tan,” he bellowed from behind … Continue reading
When Good Candidates Go Bad – The Daily Beast
George Clooney is a political junkie. The son of a newsman explored the intersection of government and journalism in the Oscar-winning Good Night and Good Luck. Now he’s taking on presidential campaigns in The Ides of March, a political thriller … Continue reading
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Tagged 2012 Elections, Elections, Music, Book and Movie Reviews, The Daily Beast
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GOP Players’ Iowa Test – The Daily Beast
If you like sweet corn, or presidential politics, this is a good time to be in the heartland. On Thursday night, the GOP field will meet for a pivotal debate in Des Moines, Iowa. On Saturday, the only straw poll that … Continue reading
Gang of 6’s Supercommittee Diss – The Daily Beast
The day before the S&P downgrading of the United States debt, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal lauded the virtues of stubbornness at the Republican National Committee summer meeting in Tampa, Florida. “It pays to be stubborn,” Jindal said. “The press is … Continue reading
Alan Simpson Is ‘Disgusted’ by the Debt Deal – The Daily Beast
Alan Simpson is ‘Disgusted’ by the debt deal. Hear him blast off about Washington’s incompetence. What do you think about the debt-ceiling deal? It’s a start, and that’s all you can charitably say. It really doesn’t get to the big numbers. … Continue reading
The Web’s Stealth Presidential Race – The Daily Beast
magine what our election system might look like if it were designed today: No Byzantine electoral college, no long lines on a random Tuesday, no closed primaries that force candidates into the arms of their party’s special interests. Modern Madisons … Continue reading
Where the GOP Went Wrong on Deficits and Debt – The Daily Beast
When did fiscal responsibility and fiscal conservatism get de-linked? That is the key question that underlies the fault lines in the current GOP civil war, playing out over the debt-ceiling debate as every day we get closer to default. It’s too simple … Continue reading
GOP’s Debt Kamikazes – The Daily Beast
Call them Debt Ceiling Deniers. Believers in faith-based fiscal policy. Math-challenged cause-and-effect-skeptics. And an uncomfortable chunk of the GOP’s 2012 contenders. The costs of courting conservative populists should be clearer than ever to reality-based fiscal conservatives inside the Republican Party. Their … Continue reading
Our Pathetic Debt Debate – The Daily Beast
A cataclysmic game of chicken. Negotiating with a gun to your head. A Thelma & Louise-style full throttle off a cliff. The dire metaphors for the debt-ceiling debate proliferate as we get closer to the August 2nd due date.
Birth of a Nation – The Daily Beast
A new nation was born today, as the Republic of South Sudan officially became the 193rd country on earth. But the joyous celebration in the new capital city of Juba should not cause observers to think that the struggle for … Continue reading
Clinton to Obama: ‘Don’t Blink’ – The Daily Beast
There were lines outside the big tent where Bill Clinton spoke an hour before he was set to begin. A seminar on “The Future of Cancer” was his warm-up act. When he took the stage, spillover crowds were placed in … Continue reading
Has the Third Party’s Moment Arrived? – The Daily Beast
Independence Day came a few days early this year, as columnist and author Tom Friedman declared his support for a third party at the Aspen Ideas Festival. “We need a third party. I am for a third party,” Friedman said to … Continue reading