National Politics

Beating the “Inevitable”

By Justin Katz | July 5, 2008 |

No political strategist am I, but Jonah Goldberg’s suggestion for the McCain campaign strikes me as wise: As many have noted, it’s ironic that Obama supporters who profess to want bipartisanship are indisputably voting for the wrong guy. There’s next to nothing in Obama’s record that suggests he’s better equipped to reach across the aisle…

Happy Birthday, America!

By Donald B. Hawthorne | July 4, 2008 |

Once again, in celebration of America’s birthday, here are excerpted gems from previous postings about our beloved country – brought together in one posting: President Calvin Coolidge gave a powerful speech in 1926 on the 150th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. If you want to rediscover some of the majesty of the principles underlying…

Contra Conventional Third-Party Wisdom

By Justin Katz | June 29, 2008 |

The typical left-right pronouncements are being made with regard to Bob Barr’s intention to run for president under the Libertarian banner: On the ballots in 30 states so far, Barr has the chance to be a spoiler for McCain, the presumed Republican nominee, in several states, among them Alaska, Colorado and Georgia. Barr’s campaign advisers…

Langevin Takes the Progressive Heat over FISA, will Obama?

By Marc Comtois | June 20, 2008 |

Apparently Congressman Langevin has voted in favor of FISA. Local progressives are apoplectic, throwing around the DINO label (what kind of Democrat is pro-life!). It also seems that the fact that Congressman Langevin is Chair of the Homeland Security Subcommittee (Cybersecurity and Emerging Threats) is not so much indicative of his familiarity with the issue…

RI Legislature to RI: We’d Prefer That Someone Else Choose Your Presidential Electors For You

By Carroll Andrew Morse | June 20, 2008 |

Over at the Providence Daily Dose, State Representative David Segal (D-Providence) is rationalizing that his vote to marginalize the right of Rhode Islanders to choose their own Presidential electors makes government more democratic. Watch out, because any time now, we may start to hear that the political process can be made even more democratic (and…

Attempts at Political Levity

By Justin Katz | June 12, 2008 |

Perhaps it would not have been as deliberately un-gun-shy, but Jeanne Moos could have avoided the controversy with this skit and made it funnier, because more relevant: This morning’s e-blizzard of insults was prompted by a Moos piece on body language of the various candidates — particularly their strange, compulsive habit of pointing off into…

When Conservatives Want to Talk

By Justin Katz | June 10, 2008 |

This comment from Greg, in conversation with Old Time Liberal, is surprising in the degree to which he sets aside incisive surety for a conservative’s spin on the mushy milieu of liberal emotivism: I love to engage in raucous political debate with people from the other side of the fence. In person (Blogs I mostly…

New Tone, Hidden Strategies

By Justin Katz | June 10, 2008 |

An interesting passage from Steve Peoples’s second part to the Projo’s series on local unions: LABOR UNIONS and their allies walk a fine line when it comes to influencing elections. State and federal campaign finance laws have strict limits on what is, and isn’t, permissible. That may be why Ocean State Action is actually made…

The Knuckle-Bumping Messiah

By Justin Katz | June 7, 2008 |

Perhaps it’s because I’m a populist or an elitist (pick one), but I find images of Barack and Michelle (Bachelle?) fist-bumping nauseating. The statement that I read in it — albeit, between the lines — is “if we do this, people will think we’re regular folk, just like them.” And why should this well-to-do, upper-crust,…

Memories & Reflections

By Donald B. Hawthorne | June 5, 2008 |

Today is a day full of sad memories, offering an opportunity to reflect on what once was and what it teaches us today. It was 40 years ago today that Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in Los Angeles, the night he won the California Democratic Party primary. I lived in Southern California at that time…