progressive politics and regressive entertainment. like peanut and butter.
November 7, 2012 4 Comments
Remembering that George W. Bush and He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named did not earn as many votes in 2000 as Al Gore and He-Who-Brought-Us-Much-Shame, the Democrats have now earned the larger share of the popular vote in 5 of the past 6 presidential elections, dating back to 1992. Is twenty years enough to start calling it the norm?
September 6, 2012 2 Comments
My favorite quotes from Bill Clinton’s speech last night nominating Barack Obama for re-election. The quotes are as delivered, which is not necessarily as prepared, given that the Big Dog doesn’t always stick to the script.
CLINTON: I want to nominate a man whose own life has known its fair share of adversity and uncertainty.
September 5, 2012 Leave a comment
I’ll never understand why Democrats stopped fighting after Obama won election, and ran to cower in the middle during that disastrous 2010 election. Neither does Deval Patrick. From yesterday’s opening ceremonies…
PATRICK: It’s time for Democrats to grow a backbone and stand up for what we believe.
I would add that it’s actually possible to have a backbone and also pay attention to the polls. The polls keep telling Democrats that populism is not just the right policy — populism sells. I hope they listen.
…adding further that today’s cowardly attempt to cater to conservative criticism that the Democratic platform is not Godly enough in exactly the right way is not a smart move or a good sign.
SEE ALSO
Live streaming of the Democratic National Convention
August 6, 2012 5 Comments
Ohio Republicans, like Fox News, are vocal opponents of democracy when it means actual democracy (enabling people to vote) rather than their version of democracy (allowing rich white males to vote). Hence the conservatives’ attempts to suppress the vote, including a move to restrict in-person early voting.
Ed Schultz is joined by former Ohio Governor Ted Strickland to discuss how Mitt Romney is attempting to spin the Democrats’ lawsuit to restore these rights as an attack on patriotism, soldiers, and patriotic soldiering apple pies. Schultz starts off his report on the situation by saying…
SCHULTZ: Once again, Mitt Romney doesn’t have the facts.
…but I disagree. Romney has all the facts. He just don’t care.
May 15, 2012 5 Comments
Reacting to the news that the Americans Elect third party effort is floundering, Balloon Juice not only debunks the need, but does it in nineteen words.
There is already a centrist party. It’s called the Democrats. What this country is missing is a left wing.
I only want to add that the fact that the U.S. media does not understand this is further reflection of the scarcity of progressive political voices in the mainstream media dialogue.
May 6, 2012 2 Comments
Daily Kos’s David Jarman and others are pleased that Senator Richard Lugar appears about to lose his primary to wingnut Richard Mourdock. They point out that this might not be simply one Dick replacing another: while polls show Lugar easily beating likely Democratic nominee Joe Donnelly in the general election, Mourdock v. Donnelly is a toss-up. Mourdock could wind up handing a solidly Republican seat to the Dems.
It’s hard for me to feel the wingnuts are making a mistake to dump Lugar. I would love to see the Occupy movement run candidates that would give us a chance to make similar choices: dump sure-winning corporatist Dems in favor of true progressives who, though they might lose to Republicans, would, if they won, represent the interests of the 99%.
Official photo of Senator Dick Lugar (R-IN). (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
April 22, 2012 7 Comments
Part of the way that Fox fulfills its function as the main media division of the Republican Party is the way in which it works to shape how news is framed. A prime example is their recent outrage that the Democrats would use the term “War on Women” to describe the anti-women policies of the Republican Party. Rather than argue about the merits of the policies, Fox and the Republicans have turned their focus to the Democrats’ rhetoric, which is a significant hint that the Democrats should keep using that language. It’s working and it’s accurate.
April 20, 2012 2 Comments
Robert Reich appeared on The Daily Show Thursday night, making much sense on taxes, government spending, and the influence of money.
On taxes.
REICH: Under Dwight Eisenhower, the highest marginal income tax rate was 91%. He was a Republican. He was a former general. And, you know, nobody accused him of being a communist or a socialist. And I’m not suggesting we go to 91%. I’m just saying, in those years, we had three decades after the second World War, the economy grew faster than it’s grown since and even after all the deductions and tax credits, people at the top were still taxed around 55, 56 percent.
April 13, 2012 2 Comments
I believe that the substance of Hilary Rosen’s “poorly chosen” remarks about Ann Romney — that Romney is unqualified to speak about the United States economy because she has never depended on a salary or had to worry about being fired — is actually a conservative rhetorical move. After all, it is the conservative movement which constantly harps on the importance of having worked in the private sector in order to work on public policy matters.
