Polls: Why No Statistical Analysis?
As someone who's trained in statistical analysis, this has been bothering me for a while. We have all these national polls: CBS, NBC, Rasmussen, etc. And a lot of these polls ask interesting...
View ArticleThe Fall of the House of Reagan
I was exchanging email with one of my moderate-to-conservative friends yesterday, and she had turned the discussion onto the wingnuttery on display at recent McCain/Palin rallies. She told me how sick...
View ArticleWhy I Support Barack Obama
Inspired by today's NY Times article about Barack Obama.I know it's late in the season for this sort of diary, but I want to come clean. I've been an Obama supporter since the moment he announced his...
View ArticleCreating the Loyal Opposition
In the aftermath of last night's results, the mainstream media has spent more time than ever pointing out the lack of clear Republican leadership. Our sitting president has the lowest approval ratings...
View Article"Great Achievements of American Socialism"
Salon.com has a slideshow up right now, titled "Great Achievements of American Socialism". It showcases twenty-four projects that were paid for by government tax dollars. With Republicans demeaning...
View ArticleSenate GOP: Let Them Talk!
For over two years now, "cloture" has been the hot issue in all congressional discussions. It's why having a simple 51-vote majority in '07 and '08 didn't let us run the legislative table on the rare...
View Article'Outing' Posters - Really, Are We in Kindergarten?
Following the news of the death of DavefromQueens (David Weintraub), I've been reading into a lot of the comments to try to understand a bit more about the circumstances surrounding his exit from DKos...
View ArticleOn Bank Nationalization - A Reason for the Rhetoric
This is going to be a fairly short diary. I just want to lay out what I see as one possible (and perhaps even likely) explanation for the Obama administration's rhetoric on, and reticence towards,...
View ArticleUnderstanding the Radical Right: Why "Obama Should Fail" Makes Sense
Watching the news feeds from CPAC, I think it's hard for most of us to understand how the attendees can be as delusional as they appear at first glance. How is "I want [Obama] to fail" anything...
View Article"Are Atheists the new Gay?" - A Response
Amen RA posted a diary earlier today asking if Atheists are the new Gay. I'm sure many people took issue with this idea, and deservedly so. Comparing the situation faced by Atheists in America to the...
View ArticleOn Political Expediency, CIA Prosecutions, and the Death of Pragmatism
I've seen a few diaries in the last day or two bemoaning Barack Obama's decision that, "Those who carried out their duties relying in good faith upon legal advice from the Department of Justice... will...
View ArticleUPDATED x 3: A Green Iran - Some Late-Night Summaries, Updates, and Analysis
I've been following the Iranian elections since Friday, but haven't bothered to diary anything in the interim since DKos has been overwhelmed with such excellent coverage by the likes of clifflyon,...
View ArticleIRAN - An Open Letter to Nico Pitney
Nico,You asked for people to email you with their thoughts about the Iranian protests. I'm up late again tonight. I've been up late every night for a week, watching for news from Iran, doing what I...
View ArticleI Watched a Plane Take Off Today
WARNING: There is nothing topical about this diary. It's not about Obama winning the Nobel Peace Prize. It's not about Health Care Reform. It's not about Afghanistan.It's just about a plane.
View ArticleDoes Stupak-Pitt Mean I'm in the Wrong Place?
This is a rant. It's a rant most of you are probably going to viscerally disagree with. That's fine. I think discussion makes us stronger, not weaker.Anyway, here's the short of it. I don't...
View ArticleAyn Rand and the Prisoner's Dilemma
I've been reading VA Classical Liberal's exploration of Atlas Shrugged, and it's left me thinking about the underpinnings of Rand's philosophy of rational selfishness. As someone with a mathematical...
View ArticleGREEN IRAN: Mousavi's Nephew Martyred [UPDATED]
I'll admit it. I've been as bad as the news agencies at ignoring Iran this weekend. I heard that things were afoot, that the protests I'd followed so closely this summer, never really gone, were back...
View ArticlePragmatism vs. Idealism
Reading the comments on one of the myriad "Kill the Bill!"/"No, Let it Live!" diaries, I ran into a kossack decrying the evils of pragmatism.Which is, to be blunt, just plain dumb.So fine, I'll throw...
View ArticleBREAKING: You aren't the right kind of Democrat!
Hey, you.Yeah, you. That's right. I'm talking to you.This is all your fault. All of it. You and your little clique. You're ruining the Party, and the Nation, and my Senior Prom. I don't know who...
View ArticleBarack Obama vs. an empty suit
A moment of candor from your friendly Obama canvasser:You know what I'd like? Honestly?I'd like to have a choice in presidential elections. I don't think Democrats always have the best policy...
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