Category: Politics & World Affairs
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Rand Paul, the son of Texas Congressman Ron Paul beat the "mainstream" Republican candidate in last Tuesday's surreal election evening. The junior Paul seems to have emerged as the favorite of both the libertarian wing of the GOP as well as the conservative "stick a finger in your eye" Tea Partiers. I watched the following exchange between Paul and MSNBC's Rachel Maddow with some…
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When then-Governor Palin resigned and left Alaska in other hands, the move was widely criticized. I don't know what she was thinking, I don't know what's going on in Alaska politics, and I'm not ready to praise the decision… but looking at Minnesota makes me think that it may have, as she insisted, been in…
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Thoughts on the President's most recent nomination to the Supreme Court: 1. She's a woman. Had you heard? This would give us more female Justices than there have ever been on the Supreme Court — that's a good thing. It also could mean that when Justice Ginsburg retires, Obama won't feel constrained to replace her…
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I recently explained why the overheated rhetoric of the Tea Party wing of American politics is making me increasingly uncomfortable. Right wing protestations that it is just vigorous but legitimate political disagreement is being questioned by many others, including one ex-president who was in office during the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing. Here is a sampling of some of the cautionary voices: …
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After years of playing the maverick card, John McCain now says that he isn't and never was a maverick.
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Tea Party politics has kicked into high gear. The already overheated war of words is getting hotter. Republican leaders are vying with each other to gain the fawning love of Tea Partiers. The GOP has turned into the Grand Opposition Party where just saying "no" to Obama-Pelosi-Reid, without offering alternate solutions to policies and programs constitutes political courage. We have seen and heard…
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Remember the outcry that rose when Texas governor Rick Perry attempted to make HPV vaccinations mandatory about 3 years ago? He backtracked when clear conflicts of interest were revealed, along with the pharmaceutical company's links to the decision-makers in the administration. (Link to Ruchira's earlier post regarding this) Yesterday, a familiar news snippet surfaced in…
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Below the fold is a list of things that the Obama administration has managed to do (in its first six months). There are many things more that some of us would like to see him do and some things here that we wish he hadn't done. But all said and done, compared to the years 2000 – 2008, it…
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"If you voted for Obama, seek urologic care elsewhere. Changes to your healthcare begin right now, not in four years." That's the curious, angry reaction from a Florida urologist who is upset with Obama and his health care reform legislation. The doctor's admonition does not break any laws. It is just obnoxious. MOUNT DORA, Fla.…
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Frank Rich of the New York Times sums it up, providing the relevant historical and psychological underpinnings for the rage that is fueling the angry rhetoric and violence of the right wing of American politics. The last few paragraphs of the article: (please read the whole thing) Demographics are avatars of a change bigger than any…
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The health care reform bill passed the House and was signed into law by President Barack Obama this morning. There is much background news, ups and downs, the determination of some and display of ugliness by others in the run up to this historic event. Here are some of the principle features of the bill and how it came to…
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The health care debate of yesterday condensed to 10 minutes (from Huffington Post)
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I have read this article twice over. I still can not figure out completely what the war monger is saying (may be he wrote it while more sozzled than usual). Is it a warning to countries in danger or is he wishing annhilation on them via Mother Nature's fury instead of the conventional method of warfare?
Accidental Blogger 