October 2011
3 posts
More on the Occupy Nashville Lawsuit
Q: What do you think? The attorney general called Haslam and said, ‘Dude, you can’t do this?’
Briley: Um, I seriously doubt that was the gist of the conversation.
Wrecker service expresses concerns over plans to... →
Another Rich Riebling secret deal? It’s interesting that there seems to be no public proposal to deal with the budget deficit, nor a bidding process to see if the city could get a better deal.
Federal judge orders TN to stop arresting Occupy... →
September 2011
2 posts
I just don't understand...
About one in five Americans combine a view of God as actively engaged in daily workings of the world with an economic conservative view that opposes government regulation and champions the free market as a matter of faith. “They say the invisible hand of the free market is really God at work,” says sociologist Paul Froese, co-author of the Baylor Religion Survey, released Tuesday by Baylor...
Let them eat cake...
If (income) inequality is at a very much higher level, who cares?” —Britt Hume
I wonder if Mr. Hume has ever studied the nature of revolutions and what happens to those in power when they look down their noses and say “…let them eat cake.”?
August 2011
1 post
“The biggest culprit, by far, has been an erosion of tax revenue triggered...”
– Running in the red: How the U.S., on the road to surplus, detoured to massive debt - The Washington Post
July 2011
2 posts
“Centrism is something altogether different. It’s not a philosophy. It’s a...”
– Yes to moderation, no to centrism - The Washington Post
“DID I mention that I’ve signed a pledge — just like those Republican congressmen...”
– Make Way for the Radical Center - NYTimes.com
June 2011
1 post
“The shorthand of it is that women run for office to do something, and men run...”
– Why Women Don’t Get Caught Up in Sex Scandals - NYTimes.com
January 2011
3 posts
“Republicans favor deep cuts in government spending, while so far exempting...”
– Serious in Singapore - NYTimes.com
What I Would Do if I Were Chip...
I have to confess that the recent reelection of Chip Forrester as the Chairman of the Tennessee Democratic Party was not something I was thrilled with. I understand it, for Chip more clearly represented a more mainstream end of the party, but given the losses this past cycle, and the unbelievably bad fiasco that was called a governor’s campaign, I think that someone needs to be held...
Energizing This Blog
I pretty much dropped this space after the 2008 elections but am realizing that I need a space to talk about politics apart from my regular blog spaces, so let’s see if we can get this going again.
October 2008
3 posts
Hearts and Votes in Appalachia →
The new villains: Dodd and Frank? →
But the main justification for these attacks – that congressional Democrats colluded with Fannie and Freddie to block increased regulation – ignores a central fact: The fight to impose tougher oversight on the two government-sponsored secondary lenders was predominantly waged between the White House and Republicans on Capitol Hill – with Frank playing a bit role in the stalemate.
Palin's Imaginary Washington - washingtonpost.com →
September 2008
4 posts
Representative Darrell Issa, a Republican, said he was “resolute” in his opposition to the measure because it would betray party principles and amount to “a coffin on top of Ronald Reagan’s coffin.”
Apparently the Republicans recognize that Reagan’s legacy is over too!
“The point is, we don’t just need a bailout. We need a buildup. We need to get...”
– Op-Ed Columnist - Green the Bailout - Op-Ed - NYTimes.com
“It’s that utter power vacuum that gave McCain the opening to pull his...”
– Op-Ed Columnist - McCain’s Suspension Bridge to Nowhere - Op-Ed - NYTimes.com
June 2008
5 posts
I'm Voting Republican →
Iraq, Still Inscrutable →
“When it comes to Iraq, most Americans really want to leave, but they still don’t want to lose,” argues Michael Mandelbaum, author of “Democracy’s Good Name.” Navigating these conflicting moods and trends on the ground in Iraq is going to be one of the most excruciatingly difficult challenges ever handed from one president to another.
It's About Time! →
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that Guantanamo Bay prisoners have the right to go before U.S. federal judges to challenge their years-long detention, handing a stinging setback to the Bush administration.
Congrats, Condolences, and Mom's
By all indications tonight, Barack Obama has secured the right to be the Democratic candidate for president of the United States. Senator Obama must be commended for running an intelligent campaign that took no states for granted (barring Michigan and Florida, which is another story completely). Senator Obama recognized at the beginning that this race would come down to delegate totals, and was...
“If somebody tries to stop the march to democracy, we will seek them out and kill...”
– —George W. Bush Enraged and Confused - The Opinionator - Opinion - New York Times Blog
May 2008
5 posts
Truth or Consequences →
But the message going forward to every car buyer and carmaker would be this: The price of gasoline is never going back down. Therefore, if you buy a big gas guzzler today, you are locking yourself into perpetually high gasoline bills. You are buying a pig that will eat you out of house and home. At the same time, if you, a manufacturer, continue building fleets of nonhybrid gas guzzlers, you are...
Former press secretary's book bashes Bush - Yahoo!... →
But, McClellan said, Bush’s unwillingness to admit mistakes and belief in his own spin contributed to turning the president into “not quite the leader I once imagined him to be.” He faults Bush for a “lack of inquisitiveness” and “a degree of self-deception that may be psychologically necessary to justify the tactics needed to win the political game.” ...
Dow: Country in "true energy crisis"; ups prices -... →
“For years, Washington has failed to address the issue of rising energy costs and, as a result, the country now faces a true energy crisis, one that is causing serious harm to America’s manufacturing sector and all consumers of energy,” Chairman and Chief Executive Andrew Liveris said in a statement. “The government’s failure to develop a comprehensive energy policy...
Audit finds lax oversight in contractor payments -... →
WASHINGTON - An internal audit of some $8 billion paid to U.S. and Iraqi contractors found that nearly every transaction failed to comply with federal laws or regulations aimed at preventing fraud, in some cases lacking even basic invoices explaining how the money was spent.
Obama tells Tenn.'s GOP: 'Lay off my wife' →
April 2008
2 posts
Taxpayers fund Bill Clinton spending - Kenneth P.... →
“Chill out” is good advice. Hillary Clinton has every right to keep...”
– E. J. Dionne Jr. - Clinton’s Real Choice - washingtonpost.com
March 2008
4 posts
“For three more months, Clinton is likely to hurt Obama even more against McCain,...”
– The Long Defeat - New York Times
“What repeatedly goes unrecognized by all of Mr. Obama’s opponents is that his...”
– McCain Channels His Inner Hillary - New York Times
“Hillary keeps trying to dismiss Obama’s appeal as emotional, something that can...”
– A Wake-Up Call for Hillary - New York Times
February 2008
7 posts
“She has been so discombobulated that she has ignored some truisms of politics...”
– Begrudging His Bedazzling - New York Times
“And when historians trace how her inevitability dissolved, they will surely note...”
– ¿Quién Es Less Macho? - New York Times
“But it’s the Clinton strategists, not the Obama voters, who drank the Kool-Aid....”
– The Audacity of Hopelessness - New York Times
“With Michelle Obama’s remarks about finally being “really proud” of America...”
– Maybe They Dont Want to Change - The Opinionator - Opinion - New York Times Blog
“At the very moment when politicians should be on top of the world, Ma, embraced...”
– Captive to History’s Caprice - New York Times
“Mark Penn: “Winning Democratic primaries is not a qualification or a sign...”
– Talking Points Memo
Welcome to Political Tidbits
This is a place for folks to post little oddball things from the world of politics. Let me know if you want to contribute.