Hilzoy Retires
Since I check Memeorandum before Google Reader most mornings, I saw Hilzoy's post "Bare-Faced Go-Away Bird" there first. I glanced at it before going on to other posts but resolved to write something snarky about how it was quite likely that it was the first time the phrase "I'm going to Rwanda this weekend, on vacation" had ever been ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on July 14, 2009 08:40
George McGovern Now Conservative?
It's been occasionally remarked in recent years that George McGovern, who lost the 1972 election to Richard Nixon in a landslide because he was so ultra-liberal, became more conservative after leaving public life and starting his own business. A column in today's WSJ, "Freedom Means Responsibility," will certainly add another log to that fire. His thesis is ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on March 7, 2008 13:35
Bill Buckley and The Gays
Andrew Sullivan appreciated the late William F. Buckley, Jr.'s civil tone on matters of homosexuality, especially as contrasted with other conservatives of his era, but laments that "Buckley never challenged what he believed was a necessary moral and social injunction against gay love, marriage and sex." GayPatriot's B. Daniel Blatt is more charitable, noting that, "When I was friendly with ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on February 28, 2008 14:44
Ron Paul – Ralph Nader, Bill Buckley, or Howard Dean?
John Derbyshire and Andrew Sullivan see great similarity's between Ron Paul and a young William F. Buckley, Jr. John Podhoretz and Richard Fernandez, though, see more similarities between Paul and Ralph Nader. Ed Morrissey, meanwhile, thinks he's this years' Howard Dean. To the extent he's following any of those parallels, I'd go with Dean. As Derbyshire notes, Buckley's conservatism ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on November 7, 2007 10:17
Should Illegal Immigrants Get Driver’s Licenses?
Matt Yglesias notes that the Democratic presidential aspirants are having a difficult time answering the seemingly straightforward question, "Should illegal immigrants get driver's licenses?" The problem with saying "yes" isn't just that it's unpopular, it's that it's unpopular because it sounds ridiculous. Quite right. I understand the argument that we've got millions of illegal aliens in the country driving now ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on November 5, 2007 13:50
Dean’s World Draws Line In The Sand
Dean Esmay is conducting a purge that he likens to Bill Buckley's shunning of the John Birchers: "You can be an Islamophobe, or you can contribute to Dean's World. You cannot do both." He lays down a set of principles that must be adhered to by "front-page contributors, submitters, or even commenters." The one that seems to ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on February 28, 2007 07:13
What’s The Significance Of A Lamont Win For The Netroots?
Over at The Corner today, Byron York wonders if a Lamont victory tomorrow will "truly be the Triumph of the Blogs" and provides some interesting numbers concerning the netroots and Lamont's campaign war chest: A new poll of the Lamont-Lieberman race has Ned Lamont ahead in Connecticut, 51-45. A look at the lefty blogs shows that the netroots types are ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on August 7, 2006 17:15
Peters: Iraq Transition is Working
Ralph Peters offers easily the cheeriest analysis of the current situation in Iraq that I have encountered from a knowledgable observer: THE reporting out of Baghdad continues to be hysterical and dishonest. There is no civil war in the streets. None. Period. Terrorism, yes. Civil war, no. Clear enough? Yesterday, I crisscrossed Baghdad, visiting communities on both banks of the Tigris and logging ...Posted in Outside The Beltway on March 1, 2006 11:52
