Political Advertising In The TiVo Era

Will Digital Video Recorders kill the campaign commercial? Unfortunately, no.

More on Miller’s Bodyguards and the Press (Video)

Salon has video of the aftermath of the Hopfinger handcuffing. Plus: if we remove the partisan labels and just assess what happened, would we view this situation differently?

War: The Missing Campaign Issue

Tom Brokaw notices something peculiar about the campaign debates: Nobody’s talking about Iraq or Afghanistan.

Junior Seau Drives Off Cliff, Walks Away

The retired superstar linebacker drove off a 30 foot cliff at 70 mph and walked away with barely a scratch.

Taxation as Confiscation

An English instructor commenting at Balloon Juice takes issue with my characterization of taxation as “confiscating” income.

I Fear the Government (When the Other Party Runs Things)

Republicans greatly fear the government — when Democrats are in power. And vice versa.

Taxing the Successful

High earners are going to have to pay more than our fair share of the costs of government to make things work. But how we frame the debate matters.

Who is Publius? or, Who’s Afraid of Anonymous Political Speech?

Reason’s Meredith Bragg and Nick Gillespie have a pretty amusing rejoinder to the Obama administration’s attempts to smear the anonymous funding of television ads opposed to their agenda in a video titled “Who is Publius? or, Who’s Afraid of Anonymous Political Speech?”

The Obama Coalition Crumbles, And Obama Blames The Voters (Again)

The coalition of voters that propelled Barack Obama to an historic victory in 2008 is seemingly falling apart, and the President is reacting by blaming the voters.

Kentucky Senate Race Turns Nasty

If you’re looking for negative campaigning, personal insults, and all the other things that make American politics fun, look no further than Kentucky.

Empathy Deficit

Today’s college students are 40 percent less empathetic than they were thirty years ago. Is our political culture to blame?

Joe Miller’s Security Team Handcuffs Journalist

Don’t ask Senate candidate Joe Miller questions he doesn’t want to answer else his security team might cuff you.

Carly Fiornia Won’t Say Where She’d Cut The Federal Budget

Yesterday’s appearance by Carly Fiorina on Fox News Sunday provided an excellent example of how un-serious Republicans are when it comes to living up to their fiscally conservative rhetoric.

Caption Contest

Time for the Monday OTB Caption ContestTM

Could Republicans Win the Senate?

Polls show the Republicans easily retaking the House but falling short in the Senate. But 2006 showed us that wave elections can produce shocking outcomes.

Sarah Palin And The Republican Divide

Sarah Palin is at the center of a divide within the GOP that could become larger even as the GOP comes closer to regaining control of Congress.

Obama To Blame For Anti-Muslim Sentiment? No, The Bigots Are

Who’s to blame for the rise in anti-Muslim sentiment in the United States, President Obama or those who have actually been encouraging bias against Muslims?

Germany and the Lessons of Immigration Policy

German Chancellor Angela Merkel declare multiculturalism in Germany to be a “failure.” Proof that anti-immigration activists in the United States are correct, right?

Justice Alito Won’t Attend Next State Of The Union

Justice Alito said recently he won’t be attending the next State of the Union address. Sounds like a good idea to me.

Wikileaks Didn’t Reveal That Many Secrets, SecDef Says

Secretary of Defense Robert Gates acknowledged in a newly released letter that the Wikileaks Afghan War document dump wasn’t as damaging as the Pentagon initially claimed. So what was the uproar all about?

Pentagon to Gays: Please Stay in the Closet

The Pentagon has advised gay soldiers not to come out in the wake of a court order ending Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. This is a very pro-gay move.

Barbara Billingsley, Leave it to Beaver Mom, Dead at 94

Barbara Billingley of “Leave it to Beaver” and “Airplane” fame has died at the ripe old age of 94.

Dismiss The Tea Party At Your Peril

“Those who doubt that the failings of higher education in America have political consequences need only reflect on the quality of progressive commentary on the tea party movement.”

Russia and Venezuela Sign Energy Deal

Venezuela have reached a series of agreement on energy. Should the US be concerned?

Democrats Running Against Pelosi

Some Democratic candidates for Congress are working hard to distance themselves from Nancy Pelosi.

Presidential Transitions To Start Before President Actually Elected

A new law allows Presidential candidates to set up transition offices while they’re still running for election, perhaps providing an opportunity for shortening the 2 1/2 month interregnum between Election Day and Inauguration Day.

Oprahturfing

Jim Treacher has coined a new term, Oprahturfing, to describe wealthy celebrities funding attendance at political rallies. While clever, the concept of “Astroturfing” is being misused by both sides.

Military Ordered Soldier To Delete Video Of Fort Hood Attack

A US soldier who captured a deadly 2009 rampage at Fort Hood with his cell phone camera testified Friday that he was ordered to erase the video by his commanders.

Feds Will Not Honor California Voter’s Decision On Marijuana Legalization

California voters are two weeks away from possibly legalizing marijuana, but the Federal Government doesn’t care.

Ronald Reagan: RINO

The “Ronald Reagan” that many of today’s conservatives wish today’s Republicans were more like didn’t actually exist.

Higher Education Bubble

Glenn Reynolds “The Higher Education Bubble, and What Comes Next” lecture at Clemson (video).

Politicians and the Soft Bigotry of Low Expectations

To the extent that these faux debates are a measure of competence to hold the office in question, Sharron Reid’s holding her own against the veteran incumbent demonstrated that she was up to the task. Or, at least, as up to it as Reid.