Let the Recriminations Begin

Since the boss has already called it, we might as well go ahead and assign blame. Though there's plenty of blame to go around, I place the bulk of it on Bush. He killed the Reagan coalition. That coalition has consisted of the religious right, small-l libertarians and other small government types. Likewise with people who are strong ...

Politics and Religion

Matt Yglesias observes, There’s I guess a convention in America that it’s impolite to talk about politics. That’s a convention that, I think, ultimately grows the level of ignorance in the country and advantages those who would take advantage of the public’s ignorance. People who are well-informed ought to discuss the issues with friends, family, and colleagues who may not be ...

Who’s the Black Private Dick, That’s a Sex Machine to All the Chicks

It's a bad weekend for famous black men I'm fond of, after Bernie Mac's passing. The legendary Isaac Hayes has also passed away: Soul singer and arranger Isaac Hayes, who won Grammy awards and an Oscar for the theme from the 1971 action film "Shaft," has died, sheriff's officials in Memphis, Tennessee, reported Sunday. Hayes was found dead Sunday at age ...

I Miss Karl Rove

Remember the good old days when everyday events were coordinated by Karl Rove? Today could have counted as one but, alas, Karl Rove is nowhere to be found. Child rapists can't be executed, Supreme Court rules The U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 Wednesday that child rapists cannot be executed, concluding that capital punishment for crimes against individuals can be applied only ...

“Storm Troopers In Clown Shoes”

That's how Instapundit refers to James Hansen, apparently the most intemperate of the global warming alarmists (yes, he's worse than Gore because he's Gore's science advisor). Here's Hansen's latest proposal: James Hansen, one of the world's leading climate scientists, will today call for the chief executives of large fossil fuel companies to be put on trial for high crimes against ...

Males, Females and Religion

The Boston Globe has a story that appears typical of religion in general, not just Judaism: At the Reform movement's seminary, 60 percent of the rabbinical students and 84 percent of those studying to become cantors are female. Girls are outnumbering boys by as much as 2 to 1 among adolescents in youth group programs and summer camps, while women outnumber ...

What If Obama Loses?

Thinking ahead to November, I was trying to imagine how the Democrats, particularly Obama's most ardent supporters, might react if he lost. As bad as they were at accepting Kerry's loss, Obama's loss would be far worse. To begin with, his supporters will try to poison the well by claiming that some sort of cheating had occurred, regardless of how ...

Obama’s VP Selection — Anyone But Webb

The Economist has a good article that summarizes why Jim Webb would be a nightmare pick for VP to people like me: The main worry about Mr Webb, however, is that he is a genuine fire-breathing economic populist. He appears actually to believe the sort of stuff that Mr Obama only says during Democratic primaries. Since vice-presidents sometimes become presidents, this ...

What’s Wrong With One Night Stands?

You could get your TV stolen, among other things. A response to a comment in this post.

ID Creationism In Louisiana

The creationists deserve a few props here. Since the Dover loss they've switched strategies away from claiming that ID is science and are instead focusing on "academic freedom". That the concept of academic freedom doesn't generally apply at the elementary and secondary levels seems to be of no consequence. The Louisiana legislature has passed, by a veto-proof ...

School Vouchers And Other Forms Of Choice

School vouchers is an idea I've supported ever since I first read Capitalism and Freedom in 1989. It's an idea so simple, and sound, that it's a wonder it hasn't been embraced. Yet here we are, forty-six years after CaF was published and choice hasn't caught on (except when dismembering a fetus) and is even reviled by most ...

Nationalize The Oil Industry?

Though I'm not that fond of the Democrats on most economic matters, I don't think they are socialists (what they are would involve a much longer discussion). The idiocy of socialism and national ownership of industry is apparent to most thinking people. Nevertheless, my first reaction to tripe like this is alarm: Link: sevenload.com Once I have a chance to ...

Soda v. Pop v. Coke

On a non-political note, there's this interesting map on what people call a soft drink. Via Gene Expression.

Hillary’s Meeting Expectations

For the last seven years I've thought a couple of things about Hillary Clinton: she wants to be president in the worst way; if there is a worst way to become president, she will find it. My suspicions have proven true, according to Ezra Klein: This is the sort of decision that has the potential to tear the party ...

The Obama Surge

Andrew Sullivan has a reader email post that captures, for me, the reason that Obama has been catching on of late and could very well knock Hillary Clinton aside in the run for the Democratic nomination. A sample: It's remarkable how little Obama has focused on black voters until now, but that may have been a savvy move. Fair or ...