Though it’s only been (officially) over for a few days, the autopsy is already underway. Just what did Rick Santorum’s campaign mean for the GOP? For the United States? The going analysis mostly dribbles into the “Can Mitt Romney snag the social conservative vote?” trench. Can he? Probably. Will he? Probably. Will this be enough to win? … Continue reading
It is one of the great canards of American politics that leftists have gotten tarred as “utopian” dreamers. In conservatives’ hands, progressives and liberals alike are cowards who cannot make their own way in life and thus look to government to protect them from tragedy. These latter are weak-kneed social dependents who believe that conflict … Continue reading
On the heels of my last post, I’m still thinking about FDR’s possible place in modern progressive rhetoric. Listen, for a moment (have some scotch and aspirin ready), to rhetoric from the GOP’s presidential field. After God (and His son), no one comes in for more frequent and positive mention than St. Reagan.** They love … Continue reading
A progressive friend of mine recently suggested that the Democrats should make the 2012 elections a referendum on President Eisenhower’s Administration. In the face of a Republican Party that seeks to redeem the catastrophic failures of Barry Goldwater conservatism, he said, Democrats should run on an “I STILL Like Ike” platform. Eisenhower was a sensible … Continue reading
Yep! Here’s the latest poll. While Chris Cillizza (and others) thought that Paul’s isolationist foreign policy answers in the last (and every) debate would cost him going forward in Iowa…that hasn’t happened yet. And, hey, I told you so. Gingrich’s support was never more than ephemeral. Romney might actually benefit from a Paul victory in … Continue reading
The GOP field just finished their last pre-Iowa presidential debate. I’ve watched at least 90% of the 17 (give or take) debates this year, and I think this is the first time that I’ve stayed up late afterwards to offer something like an instantaneous response. It’s not that this debate was extraordinary. It’s not that … Continue reading
Last week I wrote that Clark Durant (a candidate running for the GOP nomination to face Sen. Debbie Stabenow in 2012) was peddling a new brand of Reaganomics. I thought his enthusiasm for widening the gap between America’s rich and poor was a “serious conservative rhetorical innovation.” Conservatives have been pushing anti-middle-class, pro-wealthy policies for … Continue reading
One of the frustrating things about being a progressive is endlessly contending with the seemingly unslayable myth of Reaganomics. Empirics be damned, conservatives have convinced many Americans that cutting the government will lead to prosperity for all. Supply-side economists promise that public welfare programs for the wealthy (various tax loopholes, shelters, etc) will eventually be … Continue reading
Last week, Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.) introduced the Child Marriage Violates the Human Rights of Girls Act of 2011 (H.R. 3357). This follows Sen. Dick Durbin’s proposal from February (S. 414). Across the globe, 25,000 young girls are forced into marriage every day. These aren’t just young teenagers—in many cases, eight and nine year olds … Continue reading
The GOP’s junior varsity is still lurking. The candidate who will save them is shrouded in shadow, just beyond the line of sight. He or—more now than ever—she, is waiting to burst forth from the sidelines to make a meal of the deeply-flawed slate of declared candidates. Witness the incessant attention to Sarah Palin’s hypothetical … Continue reading
