Blog Profile / The Reaction
| URL : | http://the-reaction.blogspot.com/ | |
|---|---|---|
| Filed Under: | US Politics / Liberal | |
| Posts on Regator: | 9554 | |
| Posts / Week: | 35.1 | |
| Archived Since: | March 4, 2008 | |
Blog Post Archive
P.M. Headlines
(The Recorder): "The Arena: Handicapping the Senate race [Mass]" (National Review): "The Rand machine ramps up" (New York Times): "Politics and vetting leave key US posts long unfilled" (ABC News): "RI Legislature OKs gay marriage bill, Gov. to sign" (Time Magazine): An angry Obama, finally"
The spy who fed me
By CarlIntriguing little item in the news today: Bolivian President Evo Morales expels USAID Bolivian President Evo Morales has said he will expel the US Agency for International Development (USAID).Mr Morales accused the agency of seeking...Show More Summary
Vimeo of the Day: "Beth" (the story behind the KISS song)
By Michael J.W. Stickings I really need to get back to this series featuring some of the best from Vimeo. Here's a funny one, with the following explanation: You know a song is a classic when it gets parodied. The legendary KISS ballad, "Beth" is no exception. Show More Summary
Jamestown Jane and the cannibals
By Michael J.W. Stickings and Frank Moraes MJWS: The BBC had a really interesting article yesterday on new evidence of cannibalism at Jamestown, the first permanent English colony in what is today the United States. It includes this historical nugget: The Starving Time was one of the most horrific periods of early colonial history. Show More Summary
Behind the Ad: The RNC attacks President Obama's legislative agenda
By Richard K. Barry (Another installment in our extensive "Behind the Ad" series.) Who: The Republican National Committee (RNC). Where: RNC website. What's going on: Oh, my. What a slimy little ad. It's called "The First 100 Days," and it's a reference to Obama's legislative agenda, and the GOP's accusation that it has been unsuccessful. Show More Summary
Obamacare is bad for Republicans
By Frank Moraes Yesterday morning, I was reading Jonathan Chait about "The Obamacare Opposite-of-a-Train-Wreck Scenario." He argued that even though next year's implementation of Obamacare will likely have problems, these will be trumped by the fact that many millions of people will finally get health insurance. Show More Summary
Craziest Republican of the Day: Pat Toomey
By Michael J.W. Stickings No, not for his and Democrat Joe Manchin's less-than-stellar but probably better-than-nothing gun control bill that went down in the Senate because of a Republican filibuster but because he is blaming his fellow Republicans for its failure. Show More Summary
Nasty developments in the South Carolina special House election
By Richard K. Barry Push polling is a campaign technique that ranges from being a mildly disingenuous practice to downright despicable. It involves a group calling voters under the guise of conducting a legitimate poll, only to ask questions that leave a voter with a very misleading impression that an opposing candidate is in some way unacceptable. Show More Summary
A.M. Headlines
(Commerce Secretary): "Penny Pritzker to be nominated for Commerce secretary" (New York Times): "US to defend age limits on morning-after pill sales" (New York Times): "More forceful Fed stands by stimulus" (Washington Post): "SEC subpoenas firm, individuals in a case of leaked information" (Daily Beast): 'David Petraeus to teach at USC"
P.M. Headlines
(Chicago Tribune): "Boston Marathon bombings: 3 charged with hiding backpack, fireworks belonging to suspect" (CNN): "Government source: Bells should have gone off for student in custody in Boston case" (Huffington Post): "Pat Toomey:...Show More Summary
Some good news
By Carl We might end up dragging this nation into the 21st Century after all: Slightly more voters say they’ll vote Democratic in the 2014 congressional elections than Republicans, bucking a historical trend of the president’s party losing seats in his sixth year, a new poll Wednesday shows. Show More Summary
Behind the Ad: Democratic super PAC on Mark Sanford's affair
By Richard K. Barry (Another installment in our extensive "Behind the Ad" series.) Who: House Majority PAC (Democratic PAC). Where: South Carolina First Congressional District. What's going on: Anyone paying even slight attention knows that former South Carolina Gov. Show More Summary
Because I was not a terrorist...
By Frank Moraes Everyone knows Martin Niem ö ller's "First they came for the communists..." poem. These days, we mostly hear it from conservatives because it is based on the slippery slope argument that is so beloved on the right. But I think the poem is fundamentally wrong; oppression doesn't happen that way. Show More Summary
Behind the Ad: The NRA comes to the aid of Sen. Ayotte
By Richard K. Barry (Another installment in our extensive "Behind the Ad" series.) Who: The National Rifle Association. Where: New Hampshire. What's going on: Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) was the only Northeastern senator to vote against the background check plan, which was an integral part of the gun legislation defeated in the Senate. Show More Summary
A.M. Headlines
(The Hill): "Markey takes Massachusetts Democratic Senate primary in a rout" (Politico): "Poll: Democratic edge for 2014" (Valley News): "Back home, Ayotte gets an earful" (Huffington Post): "If Koch brothers buy LA Times, half of staff my quit" (New York Times): "Banks rally against strict control of foreign bets"
P.M. Headlines
(CBS Boston): "Turnout for Boston primaries expected to be light" (The Guardian): "Obama: Guantánamo prison 'not in the best interests of the American people'" (Washington Post): "As FBI expands Boston investigation, Obama defends law...Show More Summary
Ted Cruz goes squish
By Mustang Bobby Jennifer Rubin, the right-wing columnist for The Washington Post, is peeved at Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) for not playing nice with other Republicans and calling those who supported background checks for guns "squishes." For starters, it's just not smart to annoy colleagues whose cooperation and support you'll need in the future. Show More Summary
Rand Paul is already running hard
By Richard K. Barry Sen. Rand Paul is certainly running hard for the presidency, early as it is. He'll be in Iowa and New Hampshire in May, and in South Carolina in June. CNN reports that he is getting ready to endorse Mark Sanford in...Show More Summary
The death of gay culture
By Frank Moraes There used to be a large minority of the gay community that never wanted marriage equality. These people didn't want to be like the straight population and they feared that their movement would be co-opted by the corrupt mainstream society. Show More Summary
Out in bounds: The Jason Collins story
By Michael J.W. Stickings and Mustang Bobby MJWS: I applaud Jason Collins. The culture may be changing rapidly towards full and equal rights for LGBTs, but this still took guts. A lot of guts. If you don't understand that, you don'tShow More Summary