Either these elections are getting worse or i’m getting more cynical, or maybe both. Look, i can respect opinions other than my own so i can see a healthy republic that isn’t a model of my political views. But there’s nothing to salvage here. The political system is well and truly fucked. We’ve got two […]
Tag Archives: Democrats
News media failing with blatant bias
by Jane Briggs-Bunting Just spent the past three days surfing in and out of the GOP’s Isaac-shortened convention. PBS carried it a lot. The commercial networks gave it just an hour a night. The armchair commentators of the networks, with the exception, of course, of Fox News, was subtly and, at times, blatantly biased against […]
America gets divorced: crafting a separation agreement
Part two of a series. In part one, I offered an overview of why I think the time has come to partition America – shake hands, go our separate ways, and let two (at least) groups of people follow their own paths according to their very different values. Today I want to briefly tackle the […]
It's time for America to get a divorce
Part one of a series. This past week AlterNet published an interview with Chuck Thompson, author of Better Off Without ‘Em: A Northern Manifesto for Southern Secession. In brief, Thompson argues that the United States has become two very different countries (or perhaps that it was always two very different countries) and that perhaps the time has […]
Filibuster reform and the zombie apocalypse
Once I was a believer in the time-honored Senate filibuster tradition, although by “believer” I don’t necessarily mean that I loved it or revered it, exactly. I was more like a guy worried about a zombie apocalypse stocking up on 12-gauge shells. In case things go to hell, at least the good guys have the […]
Let the left wing pandering begin
By Robert Becker Scene: Large Washington hotel room full of Democratic staffers. Speaker: Savvy PR operative, speaking bluntly. Message: People vote their prejudices, so public relations rule. It’s remarkable how many of us harbor the myth that election engage core issues, policies, or programs – once call “content.” Dream on. Style wins elections, though curiously […]
Komen hires the wrong PR firm, missing the boat once again (and some thoughts on PR Daily's coverage of the story)
So, the Susan Komen Foundation has hired a big-hitter PR firm. And not just any PR firm, either. Now, Komen is assessing the damage, and it’s using a consulting firm founded by two former Democratic strategists. Penn Schoen Berland (PSB), the firm Komen hired to help determine how badly the crisis hurt its reputation, is […]
Dems' super PACs, trailing in money race, to coordinate fundraising
The law forbids super PACs — political action committees permitted to raise unlimited funds with little disclosure of donors — from coordinating their activities with those of candidates’ formal campaign committees. But, it seems, nothing prevents super PACs from coordinating their fundraising activities with each other. And this comes with the blessing of the Democratic […]
Soft power, hard power, election power
by Robert S. Becker If he wins, risk-averse, calculating Mitt Romney won’t name a firebrand V.P. Not noxious Newt, who’s way too grandiose to play second fiddle to anyone. Thus, short of a Black Swan event, we can expect two safe national tickets, thus reversing the election pyrotechnics the last time around, with its high […]
Senate procedure: it's not a three-ring circus, it's full-tilt clown war
I think the educated, informed and politically active electorate on all sides get the three-ring circus metaphor for our government. There just needs to be more of them, on all sides. Let’s see what happens, though, when I look, with beginner’s eyes, at the nuts ‘n’ bolts under the hood of the the Klown Kar […]
President Everything To Nearly Everybody – the hero with 1000 faces
by Robert S. Becker Scene: The Oval Office Time: Daily briefing with senior staff Speaker: The President, perplexed, pacing, nodding Let’s talk politics today and re-election, no holds barred. I arrive here every morning bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, flush with my perpetual audacity of hope, but lately my dander is up. Maybe no one could preside […]
Obama is talking the talk. Must be campaign season…
Yesterday, on Facebook, one of my friends posted a graphic of the president and this recent quote, which is making the rounds: I reject the idea that asking a hedge fund manager to pay the same tax rate as a plumber or a teacher is class warfare… And today, over at the Great Orange Satan, […]
S&R Honors
Click here to learn more about past honorees...- Scholars and Rogues Fiction: The Treehouse by Aimee Stahlberg
- Republicans perpetuate myths to keep Cold War alive
- S&R Nonfiction: “The Nobodies,” by Jennifer Pocock
- “See You in Hell” and the dominatrix garage: The Lost Patrol drops a new video, and btw, the CD is fantastic
- Iran’s election nuclear, but not nuked
- Mystery Unraveled: How a white, moderate, married, churchgoing, middle-class, middle-aged woman could vote for Obama
- An open letter to Burt Rutan, regarding his WSJ commentary on human-caused climate disruption
- Meet the men of Match.com: Really, guys, are you serious?
- Climate scientists still besieged
- Pelosi on Bush: “He’s not worth impeaching”
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Frank Dilatush: The Israelis might dispute your foundation argumen…
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My final word on Oakwood? | Lack of Environment: […] theScholars and Rogues website, Brian A…
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wilywascal: Excellent summary. 1) You weren't the only one…
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A Walkaway: Then Satan must care more about justice and truth …
