Month: October 2010

Check out the first paragraph of this AP “news report“: President John F. Kennedy’s aide and speechwriter, Theodore C. Sorensen, a symbol of hope and liberal governance, died at a time of contempt for Washington and political leaders. Sorenson had been sick for years, (“a stroke in 2001 left him with such poor eyesight that…

According to my annual tradition, I finished carving my jack-o-lantern just in time, which is just before sunset. It’s a deadline I dare not miss, lest I be turned into one myself. HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Frank Rich has never been a fan of the Tea Party movement. In fact, it’s quite clear from his columns that he sees them as evil. But that doesn’t stop him from pausing to briefly switch stereotype channels and portray them as victims: …whatever Tuesday’s results, this much is certain: The Tea Party’s hopes for…

I’ve been hearing the complaint that only the top 10% of income earners are benefitting from productivity growth because middle-class personal incomes are stagnating, with the implication living standards are only rising for the rich, but I think (outside of monopolies) for the large majority of goods and services it’s generally not possible for productivity…

A companion book to go with this this graph: The Emerging Democratic Majority Suggested by The Disappearance of the The Emerging Democratic Majority: The Failure of a Thesis

The Boyz at Hill Buzz are on to something. What it is ain’t exactly clear. But it has to do with South Carolina. So, last night someone in the Democrat political world here in Chicago read my post about something weird going on in South Carolina…and the mystery of why so many people are digging…

Contending that negative political ads have “taken dirty to a whole new level,” CNN’s Anderson Cooper is reaching for his smelling salts. But as Reason documents, political attack ads even dirtier than the ones which horrify Cooper are “as American as apple pie.” (That reminds me of a post in which I pointed out an…

It could also be the Season Of The Bitch. But that is a different race. Which race am I thinking of? The O’Donnell/Coons race in Delaware. Obama is heading to Delaware again in a last-ditch firewall effort to salvage Commie Coons’ imploding campaign. Coons has now canceled the two debates he was scheduled to have…

I was reading an article about Drug Prohibition Violence in Mexico and as usual I had to say something. It went like this: It is not drug related violence. It is Prohibition Related Violence. That comment made my user rating drop like a stone. So I thought I would make another comment in response. With…

With front page headlines like this talking about a GOP sweep, I’m tempted to disagree. Not so much out of kneejerk skepticism, but also for reasons of political pragmatism. I cannot agree more with the warning “Don’t get cocky,” and I don’t think it is possible to stress the importance of that wisdom enough. A…

We pay taxes, and politicians are elected to figure out how to manage the tax money, and the country is just about bankrupt. But over and over, we are told that that the real issue is sex. In terms of politics, this generally takes the form of the culture war. One party says sex is…

I liked this short history of the Battle of Chattanooga. Reeling from defeat at Chickamauga on September 19-20, 1863, Army of the Cumberland forces under the command of William S. Rosecrans retreated to Chattanooga to regroup. Braxton Bragg’s men drove to the summit of Lookout Mountain and retook the peak without a fight. With this…

Most of us would agree that crime sucks. But when we talk about crime, what do we mean by the term? All crime? Or crimes that we fear, because they are of the sort that would personally threaten us? Glenn Reynolds recently linked a Reason piece by Radley Balko titled “More Democracy, More Incarceration,” which…

I have to agree with Simon — it’s the Chicago Way, the way of Daley and Ryan and Blago. These Illinois politicians don’t know any other way to be. I think this partly explains why Pelosi and Obama seem incapable of admitting the reality that the GOP is taking the House — they’re deeply worried…

I was reading the latest bit of insider gossip (fiction?) from Ulsterman called: White House Insider: “President Obama is lost. Absolutely lost.” A very interesting read. As is the rest of the series. Let me give you the gist of the “Lost” story: In your email to me last week, you indicated a scandal was…

I get a little tired of attempts to manufacture hysteria, and the latest example is a campaign against mixing caffeine and alcohol being ramped up by doctors: Mixing alcohol and caffeine is hardly a new concept, but a rash of cases involving students and others who landed at hospitals after drinking beverages that combine the…

David Bernstein is discussing his forthcoming book Rehabilitating Lochner: Defending Individual Rights against Progressive Reform in this audio clip. You can download the clip for casual listening. The good stuff begins about 4 minutes in. The title of the post comes about 7:20 into the audio. The short version: a case of union extortion gone…

An incident I don’t want to blog about has reminded me of the dangers of the phenomenon of the agitated “choir.” When activists get together, what starts as a chorus of agreement can escalate to the encouragement of obnoxious, even illegal behavior. Activists compete with each other, and sooner or later someone — perhaps an…

Regular readers know that I consider George Soros one of the most detestable characters on the political horizon. So, I was quite upset to read that he is supporting a cause I also support. George Soros, the multibillionaire investor who helped bankroll three initiatives to change drug laws in California, endorsed the marijuana legalization initiative…

I’ve been grappling with the abortion issue lately, and not in the usual way. I have stated my opinions on the moral issues before and this post is not to revisit that topic. Rather, I want to consider abortion in the context of the changed, evolved, Constitution. A lot of activists talk about getting rid…