January 2010
“What has astonished me is the jingoism embodied in such statements by the...”
– What’s Wrong with Free Speech for Foreign Corporations? - Hit & Run : Reason Magazine
It is embarrassing that American politics relies so much upon the immoral claim that non-Americans are intrinsically worth less than Americans.
Just Say "No"
squashed notes this Obama quote:
“The responsibility to govern is now yours as well. Just saying no to everything may be good short-term politics, but it’s not leadership.”
Actually, Mr. President, saying no can be tremendous leadership. I wish we had a president that would say “no.” One who would say “no” to war. Say no to “waste.” Say “no”...
“President Obama is reconstituting the team that helped him win the White House...”
– Obama Moves to Centralize Control Over Party Strategy - NYTimes.com
We like it when the old gang gets back together, like in the last seasons of Curb, or the New Edition reunion that Bobby Brown ruined. So it’s understandable that Obama would want to resurrect his campaign team, especially...
So, did you read that thing that guy Squashed...
squashed wrote a good response to me, and basically it’s about money. (The comments on the post are smart too, and I try to address them below).
Let’s look at what Squashed writes :
… .
The distinction between individual speech and corporate speech (or union speech) isn’t compelling. I think it’s a distraction from the real issue.
Money.
And this is where Jeff elides...
Free Speech
I’ve never heard a corporation speak.
I’ve heard employees of a corporation speak. I’ve heard shareholders speak. Officers, sure. Executives, of course. Board members, yes. But every time I’ve heard speech, it’s been people that were speaking.
Now, people often speak through a corporation, that’s true. The newspapers I read are all published by...
Clandestine campaign led to Valentine's demise |... →
Fascinating story about Bobby Valentine and Japanese baseball.
“Conservatives seem to understand public choice theory pretty well when they...”
– Radley Balko, Where’s the Skepticism? | The Agitator
“If he really believes that reapportionment is a questionable decision — that is,...”
– Biden: Alito Filibuster Not Off the Table
As you can see, Biden was for the filibuster before he was against it.
“[A]s DA in Middlesex County, Coakley opposed efforts to create an innocence...”
– Is Martha Coakley committed to justice? - Radley Balko - POLITICO.com
If you vote for Coakley, then you are complicit in the injustice.
Health care is not more important than justice.
Being liberal means caring about justice, and therefore it means voting for anyone but Coakley.
“I’m trying really hard to understand why Harry Reid’s comments about...”
– Ezra Klein - Reid and Obama
I don’t think that Harry Reid is a racist … I think we toss that word around a little too freely. But “negro” has been a disfavored word for at least forty years. The fact that Harry Reid doesn’t know this suggests that he is woefully...
The Biden Mistake
squashed:
“How many times is Biden gonna say something stupid?”
—
Barack Obama, during the 2008 campaign.
The full bit from the article is great:
“A chill set in between Chicago and the Biden plane,” Halperin and Heilemann write in the book, to be released Monday. “Joe and Obama barely spoke by phone, rarely campaigned together.” And when Obama campaign manager David Plouffe was asked about...
Apple's Tablet
Like any Apply fanboy, I’m excited about rumors of Apple’s upcoming tablet/slate/whatever. I would really be excited if this device allowed you to insert your iPhone into it and use the iPhone’s 3G connection. Sadly, I think this is unlikely.
“Privately, senior White House officials have communicated to Dodd their belief...”
– Exodus For Dodd, Ritter, Dorgan — What It Means - The Atlantic Politics Channel
The good news: Our extremely ethical President is beginning to clear the corrupt and scandal-ridden out of Congress. The bad news: He’s doing this by promising them jobs in his administration.