I love the little news scrolls coming across my desk today, as the Republican National Committee seeks to elect a new chairman — the guy who will lead the Republican Party. The first ballot had Mike Duncan in the lead. Mike Duncan has been the head of the RNC, which mounted massive losses in Congress in the 2006 and 2008 … Read More
Overlooked
While there is much brouhaha and attention being paid to the stimulus bill (and Blago, who I am glad to see go), what many are missing is this: The Democratic-controlled Congress moved a step closer to handing President Barack Obama an early health care victory Thursday as the Senate passed a bill extending government-sponsored health insurance coverage to about 4 … Read More
Harsh Realities
Ouch: The number of jobless American workers receiving unemployment checks rose to the highest level since the government began keeping records in 1967. A Labor Department spokesman said the number of Americans drawing jobless benefits for a week or longer rose to 4,776,000 in the week ended Jan. 17, the latest data available. The number eclipses the prior mark set … Read More
Obama May Pick Republican for Commerce Secretary
I think Obama's gesture to the right is noble, but ultimately self-defeating. As the House vote on the stimulus package shows, Republicans simply aren't in a mood to compromise or be post-partisan. So why bother? That's why I am troubled by this: The Obama administration has been floating the idea of naming Republican Sen. Judd Gregg (N.H.) to be Commerce … Read More
Pepsi Varieties
Because it's Friday….. Pepsi: PepsiCo's signature cola flavor and its namesake cola. Diet Pepsi: The sugarfree equivalent. Pepsi Free: Introduced in 1982 by PepsiCo as the first major-brand caffeine-free cola and is today sold as Caffeine-Free Pepsi and Caffeine-Free Diet Pepsi. Crystal Pepsi: Discontinued; clear version of cola; introduced in 1992 and sold until 1993. Crystal by Pepsi: Discontinued (non-cola) … Read More
O’Reilly Dumber Than Supermodel Jessica Alba
Heh: Jessica Alba is setting the record straight: Sweden was neutral during World War II. Alba and Fox TV show host Bill O’Reilly traded punches last week after the presidential inauguration. After Alba told a Fox reporter that O’Reilly was “kind of an a-hole;” he retaliated by calling her a “pinhead” for telling a reporter to “be Sweden about it,” … Read More
“Slumdog Millionaire” Kids Still Live In Poverty
Loved the movie. So I found this disconcerting: Their roles in Slumdog Millionaire have won them international acclaim and seen them rub shoulders with the film’s glamorous stars and its British director. *** But the reality of life for Rubina Ali and Azharuddin Ismail is far closer to that of the characters they play in the story of love, violent crime … Read More
Chart Of The Day
Just who is Republican nowadays? Not many: Gallup concludes that there are only five solid Republican states — representing a grand total of 2% of the population — left in the entire country. Full report here.
How To Deal With Rush Limbaugh
The wrong way: In a bid to capitalize on Rush Limbaugh's recent comment that he hopes President Obama "fails," national Democrats launched a petition drive Wednesday taking direct aim at the conservative radio host. "Jobs, health care, our place in the world — the stakes for our nation are high and every American needs President Obama to succeed," says the … Read More
Nathan Tabor On Evolution and Gays
Our locally-living nationally-syndicated columnist, Nathan Tabor, is a howl today. After trying to make the argument that Obama's policies will effectively result in genocide of African-Americans (yes, he really makes that argument), Tabor writes: But blacks are not the only minority group which could suffer under the Democratic regime in Washington. Democratic leaders believe that children must be taught evolution, … Read More
They’re Out To Get You
Spare me. They're making a Broadway musical out of Michael Jackson's Thriller: According to the press release, the musical take its plot from the actual music video, a “horror film spoof in which a young couple are out on a date on a beautiful full moon evening, when suddenly the young man, played by Jackson, turns into a werewolf.” This … Read More
The CBO Report
So the Republicans went out in front of the cameras yesterday to let the world know something. According to a non-partisan study by the Congressional Budget Office, the money from Obama's stimulus plan won't be spent until quite some time. The media picked this up and reported it as fact. The Washington Post, for example: Stimulus Projects May Be Slow, … Read More
Eight Is Enough
She — and the doctors — were expecting septuplets, but surprise, surprise. An eighth one appeared, making it the second known time that octuplets were born in the United States. Story here. And here.