Archive for the 'Reagan' Category

Election memories

Thursday, October 30th, 2008

When I was a child, election night was a strange mystery. My parents disappeared soon after dinner and didn’t return until they done the arcane process of voting. It simply happened.
The first election of which I have any memories was 1976. I thought Jimmy Carter’s smile was too broad and [...]

Government Programs are experiments - when something fails you should try something else

Wednesday, September 17th, 2008

In the real world, every government policy is an experiment. We look to history to guide us but also ground ourselves in basic values.
Public education, supported by property taxes, open to everyone, is an experiment. Creating a progressive tax code is an experiment. Cutting taxes on the rich in hopes they will [...]

Freedom of Speech and Expression

Thursday, September 11th, 2008

Seemingly endlessly litigated and legislated around, the First Amendment reads simply:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.
For [...]

Remember Jimmy Carter’s “malaise speech?”

Monday, August 18th, 2008

And remember how the oily Republicans reacted to it?

From an editors note at “the encyclopedia of the earth”:
Though he never used the word, this became known as Carter’s “malaise” speech. The public and the political pundits reacted very harshly to the speech, criticizing Carter for not offering enough solutions to the problems he identified. A [...]

The Expression of America’s Psyche

Saturday, August 16th, 2008

Last night, Bill Moyers interviewed Andrew Bacevich, author of The Limits of Power. It’s worth the time to read the whole transcript. In particular I was struck by this exchange - it began with Moyers reading a quote from Bacevich’s book:
BILL MOYERS: I was in the White House, back in the early 60s, [...]

Experience as a Predictor of Presidential Greatness

Tuesday, March 11th, 2008

Come one, come all pundits on this blog, to a penetrating quantitative analysis of Presidential greatness versus experience at–
http://www.electoral-vote.com/evp2008/Pres/Maps/Mar10.html
(scroll down to “Is an Experienced President a Good President?”)
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Conclusion: no correlation whatsoever!
My meditation:
According to this data, LBJ, with 27 years in the Congress, is the number two most experienced president and for my [...]

TPM’s List of 42 Most Corrupt Bushies

Monday, December 31st, 2007

Today Paul Kiel presents Talking Points Memo’s updated list of corrupt Bush administration officials. TPM’s standard of proof is fairly high, considering that Karl Rove didn’t make the list (if only we knew what was in those deleted e-mails!)

Since a complete catalog of administration officials who’ve been accused of some form of corruption or [...]

Righting Reagan’s Wrongs?

Tuesday, November 13th, 2007

The recent passing of president Ronald Reagan brought together the entire span of the compliant, so called “liberal” media who as if on cue, spun up a frenzy of Reagan worship. It was as if the man walked on water and was deeply loved by all Americans. The media’s lock step performance surrounding Reagan’s funeral [...]

US Soldiers in Iraq
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