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Tag Archives: The Daily Beast
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
Immigration Reform Proposal Shows Similar Ideas Betweeen Bush and Obama – The Daily Beast
The ghost of George W. Bush is haunting President Obama’s immigration-reform push. The past president serves as both an unlikely inspiration and negative object lesson to the current effort. Because the plan pushed by Bush in his second term bears … Continue reading
A Reality Check for Chuck Hagel Bashers – CNN.com
At Thursday’s Capitol Hill confirmation hearing, Chuck Hagel will finally get to answer his critics. The decorated Vietnam veteran and two-term Republican senator from Nebraska is President Obama’s choice to be the next secretary of defense. But the bipartisan pick … Continue reading
GOP Needs More Northeast Republicans to Save the Party – The Daily Beast
Bobby Jindal’s calling it “the Stupid Party.” Glenn Beck is showing images of elephants dying while cutting up cake. And David Brooks is calling for a second Republican Party. There’s grumbling agreement even among the party faithful that the GOP … Continue reading
Obama’s Odd New Pals on Immigration – The Daily Beast
This time it will be different. After repeated failures at the federal level, comprehensive immigration reform finally looks like a real possibility this year. And that’s because a broad bipartisan coalition has been built in the Senate, motivated by both … Continue reading
Republicans’ Nefarious Election Ploy – The Daily Beast
Something’s rotten in Virginia. Conservatives in the Old Dominion state legislature are quietly plotting what could amount to an electoral coup d’etat: pushing forward a bill that would have delivered the majority of the state’s electoral votes to Mitt Romney, … Continue reading
Where’s the Retaliation for American Deaths in Benghazi and Algeria? – The Daily Beast
Benghazi. Algeria. This is the ground where Americans have been killed by Islamist terrorists over the past four months. And so far, nothing has been done to avenge their deaths. “Avenge.” That’s the word President Obama used when he spoke … Continue reading
‘No Budget, No Pay’ is No-Brainer – CNN.com
If you don’t get the job done at work, you won’t get paid. But Congress plays by its own rules. Specifically, Congress hasn’t passed a budget in almost four years. This is basic — and required by law. Congress seems … Continue reading
In His Inaugural Address, Barack Obama Delivers a Progressive Manifesto – The Daily Beast
“To form a more perfect union” has always been the core idea animating President Obama’s career, an attempt to bridge old divides, blending the personal and the political. The president used his second inaugural address to try to demolish the … Continue reading
Mark Sanford on Run for Congress, a Second Chance at Politics – The Daily Beast
It’s official: Mark Sanford is running for his old congressional seat in South Carolina. The former governor, who ended his second term in disgrace after admitting to an extramarital affair with an Argentine woman he described as his “soulmate,” had … Continue reading
The NRA’s Shameful Day: Shooting App for Kids, ‘Stand and Fight’ Ad – The Daily Beast
The National Rifle Association board might want to quiz its communications shop. With President Obama set to unveil his gun proposals on Wednesday, the NRA spent its Tuesday “no-commenting” on what was apparently a sponsored shooting app geared to 4-year-olds, … Continue reading
Jerry Brown Creates California Surplus Miracle, But Can It Last? – The Daily Beast
California has long been synonymous with budget deficits so deep that it looked like the Golden State would inevitably be our Greece—beautiful and bankrupt. But Governor Jerry Brown announced that his state has suddenly projected a surplus of $851 million. … Continue reading
Glenn Beck Attempts a Laughable Makeover as a Libertarian – The Daily Beast
Glenn Beck is rebranding himself as–get this–the alternative to “far-right, far-left” polarized debates on cable news, dominated by people “yelling at each other.” “We’re not going to play in that crazy space as a network,” he announced earnestly. The irony … Continue reading
George Washington’s ‘Warning From a Parting Friend’
Washington’s farewell address inspired presidents from Ike to Obama. Read the introduction to Daily Beast Editor in Chief John Avlon’s new book. This is the story of the most famous American speech you’ve never read. Once celebrated as civic scripture, … Continue reading
Conspiracy Peddler Alex Jones Melts Down – The Daily Beast
Most Americans got their first taste of Alex Jones’s brand of crazy last night on Piers Morgan Tonight, when the CNN host confronted this particular critic, who in turn called the CNN host “a hatchet man of the new world … Continue reading
Richard Ben Cramer Dies – The Daily Beast
News that Richard Ben Cramer died swept through the Twitterverse on Monday night, even before a hint of his passing hit major news outlets. It was oddly appropriate, because the cult of Richard Ben Cramer was always first a word-of-mouth … Continue reading
Callous Conservatives: Gulf State Republicans’ Sandy Shame – The Daily Beast
Slap a scarlet “S” on these callous conservatives. Sixty-seven members of Congress–all Republicans—voted against even $9 billion of Hurricane Sandy relief yesterday. Remember their names, and hold them accountable. Twelve of the scarlet 67 voted for Hurricane Katrina relief—which passed … Continue reading