National Politics

Protestations to ProJo Pronouncements

By Marc Comtois | January 24, 2010 |

1) The ProJo editors on global warming: Still, that a few scientists are accused of manipulating a bit of data from some climate research does not do away with the preponderance of evidence. The latest controversy revolves around the validity of the collection and use of data behind a U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change…

Rhode Island’s Poor National Representation

By Justin Katz | January 23, 2010 |

Could there be anything more indicative of poor representation than Rep. Patrick Kennedy’s dogged insistence that he’s going to shoot for the healthcare stars, no matter what the people say? Kennedy flatly endorsed a strategy for passage of the pending health-care overhaul that many fellow Democrats are wary of pursuing: a swift vote in the…

On Citizens United v. FEC Supreme Court Decision: Reflections from April 30, 2005 on Correcting the Bizarre Incentives Created by Campaign Finance Reform Laws

By Donald B. Hawthorne | January 23, 2010 |

A nearly five year old blog post, reposted here in response to this week’s Supreme Court decision about free speech: Andrew has a terrific, focused posting entitled First They Came for the Radio Talk Show Hosts… that gets to the heart of the latest fallout from campaign finance reform here in Rhode Island. Once again,…

Winning in Race by Making Policies Primary

By Justin Katz | January 23, 2010 |

Watching the tears of joy streaming down the faces of black attendees at the Rhode Island Democrats’ election-night gathering in Providence, in 2008, knowing candidate Obama’s centrist rhetoric to be completely contrary to his life history and political record, and believing that his likely policies would be an unmitigated disaster, I worried what effect it…

A Note on Availablegate

By Justin Katz | January 21, 2010 |

By now you’ve caught wind of Senator-elect Scott Brown’s joking around about his daughters’ availability on the dating scene: I appreciate that it’s an interesting topic about which to talk, but the conversations really tell you more about the people having them than about Brown. Even taking the joke as a significant gaffe (which I…

ProJo Editors Throw Tantrum, Call Names Over Brown Victory

By Marc Comtois | January 21, 2010 |

With their preferred candidate going down to Scott Brown, the ProJo editors can’t help but throw a little tantrum excoriating the easily fooled and selfish voters of Massachusetts (remember, it’s all about healthcare for ’em): Part of this was the well-financed campaign pumping up fears of higher taxes for the middle and upper classes to…

A Brown Radio Call

By Justin Katz | January 21, 2010 |

A certain northern Senator elect was the topic of conversation when Monique called in to the Matt Allen Show. Stream by clicking here, or download it.

Senate President: Paperwork Required for This One, Not for Those 12 Million

By Monique Chartier | January 20, 2010 |

While Senator Jim Webb (D-Virginia) has called for all further votes on health care reform to be suspended until Scott Brown is seated, Mark Steyn points to Senate President Reid’s new-found enchantment with documentation. Harry Reid’s reluctance to seat Senator Brown (R., Mass.) — boy, I enjoyed typing that — until “the proper paperwork has…

Brown Victory: A First Hand Report; a Widespread Sentiment

By Monique Chartier | January 20, 2010 |

Michael Graham via The Corner. My radio station in Boston has been non-stop on the Brown/Coakley race for weeks. Three of our hosts are pro-Brown, two pro-Coakley. We were broadcasting from our own victory rally tonight in Braintree, Mass., at the very moment Scott Brown got the concession call from Coakley. He joined us on…

Local Results

By Justin Katz | January 19, 2010 |

UPDATE: Drudge is reporting that Coakley has conceded by telephone. Here’s the story in the Globe, but high traffic appears to have crashed the site. Local election returns in Massachusetts, tonight, make for an interesting map that will bear further analysis as time progresses. Note, for instance, the huge margins for Coakley in Fall River…