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Category: Politics Page 11 of 73

Taking Fox For What It Is

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On October 13, 2009

In Distribution, Politics

Eric Boehlert ties together nicely what every one of us already knows:

Fox News has exited the journalism community this year. It’s a purely political player, and journalists ought to start covering it that way.

[ . . . ]

A few years ago, the dumbed-down debate surrounding Fox News was whether it truly was fair and balanced. (It wasn’t.) Today, it’s whether Fox News is truly a news organization. (It’s not.) Yet journalists remain way too timid in spelling out the truth. Spooked by right-wing attacks about the so-called liberal media, Beltway media insiders, who certainly understand Fox News’ brazen political maneuver in 2009, continue to play dumb on a massive scale and cover Fox News as a news media organization.

Why does this matter?

It’s important that this trend now stop. The self-evident truth needs to be told, and news consumers need to understand the extraordinary forces that have been unleashed — forces that dramatically altered the media landscape. News consumers also need to understand why it’s becoming increasingly impossible to maintain any kind of public discourse regarding the issues of the day, especially health care reform, when a major so-called news organization is devoted to spreading as much misinformation as possible.

It’s doing real damage to this country, and once again, most of the press is unwilling to cover it honestly.

Not a Request, but a Declaration

By

On October 12, 2009

In DC, Personal, Politics, Society

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zvC3hVXZpc4[/youtube]

On Obama’s HRC Speech

By

On October 12, 2009

In Personal, Politics, Society

Andrew Sullivan pretty much sums it up for me.  And let me preempt the number 1 bullshit reply that I’ve heard from so many apologists – the anger isn’t about big legislative changes (e.g., ending DOMA), it’s about him not taking actions within his immediate power (e.g., stopping the enforcement of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell).  Yes, some things take time.  Some things.  Not all.

Biden Comes to Town

By

On October 5, 2009

In Politics, Virginia

Looks like Vice President Joe Biden will be coming to Virginia for a bit of politicking.  I did recently get an invite for a reception with him and Creigh Deeds, for the low low price of $1000 per person.  Pass, thanks.  In any event, I wonder how well Biden will translate for VA politics.  Personally?  I like the guy.  Yes, he’s a little full of himself, but he doesn’t suffer fools gladly.  He’s also pretty goddamn smart.  And those, of course, are two strikes against any politician in Virginia.

WaPo On Electoral Reform in Virginia

By

On October 5, 2009

In Politics, Virginia

The Washington Post Op-Ed page, not typically a place I expect much of in the way of insight, draws a bead on one of the biggest problems facing Virginia.

Thomas Jefferson on Originalism

By

On October 4, 2009

In DC, Law, Personal, Politics, Society

Stopped by the Thomas Jefferson Memorial last night with a friend, and was reminded of one of my favorite quotes:

I am not an advocate for frequent changes in laws and constitutions, but laws and institutions must go hand in hand with the progress of the human mind. As that becomes more developed, more enlightened, as new discoveries are made, new truths discovered and manners and opinions change, with the change of circumstances, institutions must advance also to keep pace with the times. We might as well require a man to wear still the coat which fitted him when a boy as civilized society to remain ever under the regimen of their barbarous ancestors.

– Letter from Thomas Jefferson to to Samuel Kercheval, July 12, 1810

A somewhat interesting aside – in the process of looking up and confirming that quote, I discovered that many of the quotes on the Jefferson Memorial are “quotes.”)

Blackwashing

By

On September 26, 2009

In Personal, Politics, Society

Brilliant, beginning to end.

The Colbert Report Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
The Word – Blackwashing
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor Health Care Protests

A Random Act of Good Government

By

On September 23, 2009

In Law, Policy, Politics

This is perfect:

The congressional legislation intended to defund ACORN, passed with broad bipartisan support, is written so broadly that it applies to “any organization” that has been charged with breaking federal or state election laws, lobbying disclosure laws, campaign finance laws or filing fraudulent paperwork with any federal or state agency. It also applies to any of the employees, contractors or other folks affiliated with a group charged with any of those things.

Now stop and think about that.  Better yet, read the text of the bill (which has passed both the House and Senate):

SEC. 2. PROHIBITIONS ON FEDERAL FUNDS AND OTHER ACTIVITIES WITH RESPECT TO CERTAIN INDICTED ORGANIZATIONS.

(a) Prohibitions- With respect to any covered organization, the following prohibitions apply:

(1) No Federal contract, grant, cooperative agreement, or any other form of agreement (including a memorandum of understanding) may be awarded to or entered into with the organization.

(2) No Federal funds in any other form may be provided to the organization.

(3) No Federal employee or contractor may promote in any way (including recommending to a person or referring to a person for any purpose) the organization.

(b) Covered Organization– In this section, the term `covered organization’ means any of the following:

(1) Any organization that has been indicted for a violation under any Federal or State law governing the financing of a campaign for election for public office or any law governing the administration of an election for public office, including a law relating to voter registration.

(2) Any organization that had its State corporate charter terminated due to its failure to comply with Federal or State lobbying disclosure requirements.

(3) Any organization that has filed a fraudulent form with any Federal or State regulatory agency.

(4) Any organization that–

(A) employs any applicable individual, in a permanent or temporary capacity;

(B) has under contract or retains any applicable individual; or

(C) has any applicable individual acting on the organization’s behalf or with the express or apparent authority of the organization….

Huh.  Can you think of “any organization” that describes?  I can.  Hell, I can think of one or two or, well, quite a few. And so can Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL):

Rep. Alan Grayson (D-Fla.) picked up on the legislative overreach and asked the Project on Government Oversight (POGO) to sift through its database to find which contractors might be caught in the ACORN net.

Lockheed Martin and Northrop Gumman both popped up quickly, with 20 fraud cases between them, and the longer list is a Who’s Who of weapons manufacturers and defense contractors.

Something makes me think that we’re going to see a giant walk-back on this bill in pretty short order.  Me?  I’d love to see it applied by its own terms.

Car-Free Day: Take A Stand Against Prosperity! Err . . .

By

On September 21, 2009

In Cycling, Personal, Policy, Politics

Andrew Leonard highlights a bit of inanity from the Competitive Enterprise Institute (a “libertarian” thinktank):

The Competitive Enterprise Institute is unhappy with the suggestion that we should try to drive less.

From an e-mail alert:

Tuesday is World Car-Free Day. That means you’re supposed to walk, or bicycle, or take a bus, to make some sort of anti-car, anti-prosperity statement. Good luck getting to and from the grocery store. Even more fun if it rains (and can you imagine if this day were scheduled in the dead of winter?). The fact is, the automobile plays a major role in making our lives happen — it empowers all of us to get where we need to go (not to mention respond to emergencies).

The stupidity implicit in CEI’s attack on the idea that there might be some merit in sensibly minimizing our car use is staggering.

It may well be that the folks at CEI aren’t stupid.  But they almost certainly think their audience is (and, well, I’d say that most libertarians are fairly selective about where they apply rigorous thinking).  Leonard goes on:

The point of exercises like World Car-Free Day is to encourage us to be less unthinking in our auto dependence. If it’s a sunny day, why not ride a bike, or take a stroll? Stretching your legs conveys its own reward. And you know what, if there isn’t a grocery store within walking distance of you, maybe there should be.

It’s not for everyone. Hell, as he notes, it’s not even possible for everyone. But the idea of Car-Free Day is to give it a chance. He closes with something that might be meant to be a bit of snark, but may well be the real point of disagreement:

CEI complains that World Car-Free Day is “anti-prosperity.” If their idea of prosperity is living in the suburbs where you have to drive miles to get to the nearest McDonald’s, I guess they are right. But World Car-Free Day really is “pro-good life.” A life in which we use our bodies instead of burning fossil fuels, reside in livable neighborhoods instead of sterile deserts of tract housing, and enjoy the wind on our face instead of the hum of the air conditioner.

The car-bound suburbs have become something of a cultural norm, in the US. And anything (like, say, cycling) that invokes city life – with its lack of space, rampant crime, and scary diversity – is automatically accepted as something to be attacked. But that only works so long as it’s left as an abstract. Once the specific is experienced – the walk to the bar, the grocery run on a bike, the ease of just locking your bike up – it’s much harder to discount. Don’t believe me? Try it.

Epic Troll

By

On September 21, 2009

In DC, Politics

What this fellow did is, in the scheme of things, kinda pointless.  But it still made me smile:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Q7XH8lfGMc[/youtube]

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