Posts by Doug Mataconis

Doug Mataconis
About Doug Mataconis
Doug Mataconis held a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University and J.D. from George Mason University School of Law. He joined the staff of OTB in May 2010 and contributed a staggering 16,483 posts before his retirement in January 2020. He passed far too young in July 2021.

Epistemic Closure And JournoList

JournoList may not have been a conspiracy, but it was an example of what you might call an the closing of the journalistic mind.

How Andrew Breitbart, And The Conservative New Media, Failed

Andrew Breitbart is still patting himself on the back for a job well done in the Shirley Sherrod affair. In reality, he failed miserably.

Everybody Hates Congress

It would appear that the only people who have confidence in the United States Congress are the people who work there.

Newt Gingrich: America Should Be More Like Saudi Arabia

Newt Gingrich says that because there are no churches in Riyadh, we shouldn’t allow a mosque in New York.

JournoList: Conspiracy, Scandal, Or Locker Room Trash Talk ?

JournoList’s archives have been making headlines at The Daily Caller, but there doesn’t seem to be any substance to the allegations of scandal.

Facebook Nation

Sherrod, Breitbart, Beck, And A Weak Presidency

Among the other lessons it teaches us, the Shirley Sherrod incident shows that the Obama Administration is seemingly becoming weaker by the day.

The Shirley Sharrod/Racism Story: Much Less Than Meets The Eye ?

Journalism and the New Media combined in a feeding frenzy yesterday and a woman lost her job. She probably shouldn’t have.

Amazon: Kindle E-Books Outselling Paper Books

Electronic books outsold paper books on Amazon over the past three months, but the death of the hardcover is greatly exaggerated.

Andrew Sullivan Dives Right Back Into Trig Trutherism

Andrew Sullivan is back from vacation and back obsessing over the birth of a two-year old kid in Alaska.

Malapropisms, Manhattan Mosques, And Sarah Palin

Sarah Palin tweeted, and took the wrong side in a story that doesn’t even deserve to be a controversy.

How ObamaCare Could Kill Small Businesses With Paperwork

Yet another “hidden” provision of ObamaCare is revealed to hold nasty surprises for America’s small business owners.

Did The Bush Tax Cuts Reduce Federal Tax Revenue ?

Recent debates over the economic and fiscal impact of the Bush tax cuts indicate that Republicans still haven’t learned the lessons of the Bush years.

Biden Promises November Surprise From Democrats

Vice-President Biden glances into the future and sees a relatively good year for Democrats. Is he right ?

Kagan Set To Be Least Popular Supreme Court Nominee To Be Confirmed

Elena Kagan may be smiling because her confirmation is assured, but she doesn’t have as much public support as previous nominees.

Is The GOP Ready For The Tea Party ?

Some Republicans in Congress are worried they won’t be able to control the future Congressmen and Senators that the Tea Party might be sending to Washington.

It’s Not An Health Insurance Mandate, It’s A Tax !

In Court filings the Obama Administration is arguing that the health insurance mandate is a tax, and if they’re right the legal challenges to ObamaCare are dead.

Republicans: Agenda ? We Don’t Need No Stinking Agenda

Some Republicans seem to think they don’t need to put forward any actual ideas in order to win November.

The Coming Republican Crackup

Will a debate over foreign policy tear apart the GOP ? Probably not.

The Inevitable Barack Obama Comeback

Reports of Barack Obama’s political death are greatly exaggerated and wildly premature.

Sarah Palin: Hot In The GOP, Not So Hot In America

When it comes to opinions about Sarah Palin, there is a striking difference between Republicans and Americans in general.

Gloves Coming Off As Romney Aide Attacks Palin

The Palin and Romney camps have already started trading barbs in what could be a preview of the race for the GOP nomination in 2012.

Obama Polling Badly Against Prospective 2012 Opponents

The results of a new poll may have President Obama worrying about 2012 already.

Did BP Help Get Lockerbie Bomber Released From Prison ?

As if the Gulf Oil Spill weren’t enough, there are now allegations that BP played a role in the release of the only man convicted in the murder of 190 Americans.

The Capital Strike Of 2010

American businesses are sitting on a big pile of cash, and giving no indication that they have any intention of spending it any time soon.

Dick Cheney Has Heart Pump Installed

Former Vice-President Cheney has apparently entered a far grimmer phase of his chronic heart problems than many realized.

Stimulus Funds Spent On Stimulus Road Signs

You’ve probably seen a lot of these signs popping up lately.

Dave Weigel Calls Out Sully’s Trig Trutherism, On Sully’s Blog

Over at The Daily Dish, Dave Weigel hit the nail on the head in his criticism of Andrew Sullivan’s bizarre obsession with a two year-old infant.