‘Political & Politicians’ Archives
Where has liberty gone
The Bill Of Rights Has A Very Bad Week By Charles P. Pierce Of course, while everyone in Washington, and the courtier press that serves them, were endlessly droning on and on about the Gentle Fiscal Incline, the Bill Of Rights closed out 2012 by having one of the worst weeks it's had in the two centuries of its existence. But the courtier press paid that little mind, possibly because selling out the Bill Of Rights was done on a "bipartisan" basis, and the denizens of the ... Full Story
The Koch Brothers Empire: ruling America
Inside The Koch Empire: How The Brothers Plan To Reshape America This story appears in the December 24, 2012 issue of Forbes. A man who, by FORBES’ careful measure, is one of the 50 most powerful people in the world, one of the 20 wealthiest–and one of the dozen most vilified–is perpetually in a position to reflect. But given it’s Charles Koch’s 77th birthday, the calendar demands it. Especially with the presidential election that Charles has ... Full Story
Honest Conservative?
Bruce Bartlett: ‘My Life on the Republican Right And How I Saw It All Go Wrong’ By Brad Friedman on 11/27/2012, 3:33pm PT We've been quite remiss by failing to offer the The BRAD BLOG's much-sought yet rarely-bestowed "Intellectually Honest Conservative" Award to Bruce Bartlett, Ronald Reagan's domestic policy adviser and George H.W. Bush's Deputy Asst. Secretary for Economic Policy. We were reminded of our delinquency again ... Full Story
NRA Profits from killing of children
The NRA and Gun Companies Stand to Profit From Newtown Tragedy Lee Fang on December 24, 2012 - 11:44 AM ET Last year, shortly after the shooting of then-Congresswoman Gabby Giffords, a financial analyst asked Mike Fifer—CEO of one of the largest gun companies in America—if the incident would lead to a wave of new gun sales. “The commentary from the NRA that President Obama might ... Full Story
David Pakman on guns
By David Pakman Immediately after the Sandy Hook school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut, out of control and often nonsensical debate about gun control made national headlines. After being silent for days, NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre held a press conference at which he did not accept any responsibility for the role played by firearms availability and “gun culture,” a culture heavily supported by the NRA, in the mass shooting that took the lives of 20 children, 6 adults, ... Full Story
The 12 Days of a Capitalist Christmas
By Paul Bucheit On the first day of Christmas my employer gave to me a penny for every $3 the richest 130,000 Americans make. It's been a national tradition since 1980. On the second day my doctor showed me TWO Americans needing mental health care, but only one of the two could afford treatment. The doctor informed me that the fifty states have cut $1.8 billion from their mental health budgets during the recession, and that the 2013 Republican budget proposes further cuts. "It's ... Full Story
Worst reactions to Sandy Hook shootings?
6 Worst Reactions to the Newtown Massacre By Jeff Fecke The horror of the massacre in Newtown, Conn. is still fresh, and yet already, there are people out making fools of themselves in its wake. It’s not particularly surprising that gun fetishists would be resisting calls to consider — just consider — some reasonable changes in gun safety policies. But that’s not what elevates a reaction to the shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary School to truly reprehensible. No, the ... Full Story
Teachers die protecting children
America’s Teachers: Heroes or Greedy Moochers at the Public Trough? by: Dave Lindorff Viki Soto I’ll be brief here. Let’s just note that the heroic teachers who died while courageously trying to protect their kids at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT, and the others who survived but stayed to protect the kids, were all part of a school system where the employees are members of the ... Full Story
Republican base = Low Information Voters
Low Information Voters - the Republican Electoral Base By Bob Regl (about the author) The Republican Party has become the nation's repository for low-information-voters (LIVs). Its evolution into its present form started in the late 1960s when it initiated its "southern strategy"; i.e. after the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Voting Rights Act of 1965 it started to wean southern segregationists from what had been the Southern Democratic party's "Solid South" - the "Dixiecrats." These new ... Full Story
Generals Run Amuck
Tomgram: William Astore, Generals Behaving Badly Posted by William Astore He was “an ascetic who... usually eats just one meal a day, in the evening, to avoid sluggishness. He is known for operating on a few hours' sleep and for running to and from work while listening to audio books on an iPod... an encyclopedic, even obsessive, knowledge about the lives of terrorists... a warrior-scholar, comfortable with diplomats, politicians..." Those ... Full Story
