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GOP Attempt to Gerrymander the Electoral College Is the New Normal
Tweet Share on Facebook January 31, 2013 CommentThe GOP's attempt to gerrymander the Electoral College by having a few swing states distribute their electoral votes according to congressional district rather than through the winner of the popular vote seems to be collapsing. The scheme has been voted down (Virginia) or talked down (Ohio, Florida, Michigan), in four of the states in question. Only Wisconsin (where the governor is walking back his initial enthusiasm for the idea) and Pennsylvania still seem to be seriously considering the notion.
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GOP Megadonor Foster Friess: City Votes Should Be Discounted
Tweet Share on Facebook January 25, 2013 CommentVotes from "center cities" should be discounted when considering who won a mandate in last November's elections, according to GOP megadonor Foster Friess. Apparently urban votes are insufficiently in tune with the pro free market movement which is sweeping the country and, in his view, handed the GOP a mandate in the 2012 elections … even though they took national losses across the board.
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Obama's Second Inaugural Was a Shot Across the Tea Party Bow
Tweet Share on Facebook January 21, 2013 CommentPresident Obama's second inaugural address enunciated a liberal governing philosophy scarcely expressed so clearly to start a presidential term since Franklin Roosevelt three quarters of a century ago. In doing so he sent a direct message to the Tea Party-animated right: that they do not have a monopoly on the Founding Fathers or their values.
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What Obama Can Learn From the Greatest Inaugural Addresses
Tweet Share on Facebook January 19, 2013 CommentPresident Obama has a couple of big challenges Monday. First, as I write in my assessment today of the greatest inaugural addresses in history, these speeches are as a general rule not memorable. Think of it this way: There have been, to date, 56 inaugural addresses, but only six or seven have stood the test of time (I cover the top five, but Lincoln's first could easily be on that list). And beyond that, second inaugurals especially tend not to be very interesting.
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Top Democrat Predicts GOP Will Surrender on Debt Ceiling
Tweet Share on Facebook January 15, 2013 CommentThe top Democrat on the House Ways & Means Committee said Tuesday morning that the odds remain against the United States breaching its debt ceiling, in spite of Republican threats not to raise it without matching spending cuts.
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Top Democrat Sees 50-50 Chance of Assault Weapons Ban
Tweet Share on Facebook January 15, 2013 CommentA top House Democrat said Tuesday that there's a 50-50 chance that Congress will act to ban assault rifles again. He predicted with greater confidence new regulations on gun shows, magazine size, and purchasing of weapons.
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A Trillion Dollar Platinum Coin: A Silly Idea Whose Time Has Come
Tweet Share on Facebook January 9, 2013 CommentA trillion dollar platinum coin? Really? Has our politics really reached a point where such an obviously inane idea is gaining traction? Well, yes. When your capitol has become Clowntown, U.S.A., you sometimes need to fight bad ideas with silly ones.
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The Final 2012 Presidential Election Results Aren’t Close
Tweet Share on Facebook January 4, 2013 CommentThe final, final results from the 2012 presidential election are now in. While we already knew President Obama won (and the House certified that result today when it tallied the electoral votes), it's worth revisiting the final totals and reminding ourselves of one important fact: It wasn't particularly close.
