Opinion

Thomas Jefferson Street Blog

Wit and wisdom from all sides of the political spectrum.

 
Jamie Chandler »
Organizations Masquerading as Tax-Exempt is the Real IRS Scandal 05:30 PM ET

In September 1802, journalist James Callender published the first of a series of articles detailing a long-term affair between President Thomas Jefferson and his household slave Sally Hemings. The story was a sensational revelation that definitively fit the definition of political scandal: The exposure of corruption, illegal or unethical practices, or a moral violation committed by public officials. Jefferson broke 19th century norms of anti-miscegenation by committing racial admixture.

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Pat Garofalo »
E.W. Jackson Proves the Tea Party Learned Nothing 05:05 PM ET

You'd think the conservative base would have learned its lesson in 2010, when, in a fever pitch of epic magnitude, it nominated Christine O'Donnell, Ken Buck, Sharron Angle and Joe Miller to run for the U.S. Senate. Suddenly, what looked like a prime opportunity for Republicans to flip the upper chamber and send Democratic Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., packing turned into an example of a party letting its base lead where the rest of America dared not follow. Or perhaps in 2012, when Indiana Senate nominee Richard Mourdock was sunk by an extremely ill-advised and incorrect rape comment.

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Peter Fenn »
IRS, AP and Benghazi Are Not Obama Scandals 03:50 PM ET

I have to confess that I am the only Washington political junkie who has not watched the series "Scandal," or even the much acclaimed "House of Cards." Maybe that makes me not competent to comment on what is going on in Washington these days – IRS, Benghazi, Associated Press reporters tracked. I hope not.

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Lara Brown »
Democrats Should Be Worried About Polls After Obama Scandals 12:00 PM ET

Democrats are relieved. Despite the trio of political scandals encircling the White House, President Obama's approval rating has remained steady over the last few weeks.

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Leslie Marshall »
Tea Party IRS Rally Should Wait Until After Moore Tornado Recovery 10:30 AM ET

The headline story this week is the devastating storm that hit Moore, Oklahoma on Monday, killing 24, seven of whom were children. Mother Nature showed her power and her wrath once again.

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Susan Milligan »
God Bless America and the Boy Scouts 10:00 AM ET

What could be more quintessentially American than the song "God Bless America," a tune Irving Berlin wrote to boost the spirits of U.S. troops during World War II?

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Public Opinion Poll

Q&A

Why a College Degree May Not Be Worth It

Former U.S. Secretary of Education William Bennett explains why a college degree may not be worth the cost.

Two-Party Politics Is Failing the U.S.

Professor Charles Wheelan explains how centrists could change the Senate landscape.

The Rover Has Landed

NASA scientist Roger Wiens talks about the role Mars Rover Curiosity plays in the future of space exploration.

World Report

How to Arm Syria’s Rebels

The U.S. already has a successful model for providing aid to opposition groups.

Economic Intelligence

How to Pay For Disaster Relief

We need to make smarter choices about how we respond to natural disasters.

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Robert Schlesinger

An End to the NRA’s Angry Swagger

Polls show that overwhelming majorities of Americans, and even of NRA members, favor universal background checks.

Mary Kate Cary

Washington’s Toxic Stew

President Obama's burgeoning problems affect more than this week’s three scandals.

Mort Zuckerman

Meeting the Growing Threat of Cyberattacks

We have yet to establish security standards to prevent large-scale cyberattacks on the nation’s critical infrastructure.

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