Elizabeth Warren, bailout watchdog and financial analyst, said on the Bill Maher show, that the failure of our legislative institutions to reform the banking industry is essentially “… a David and Goliath story”- – that lobbyists far outnumber the members of Congress and that their efforts are non-stop in the pressuring of elected officials. But [...]

Our political process is jeopardized when partisan talking points form the basis for public understanding of important issues. Any mental deviate is free to frame an opinion no matter how absurd or factually bereft, as was made clear at the weekend’s CPAC conference and at many of the Tea Party get-togethers. Tea-bagging conservatives don’t always [...]

Conservatives excel in developing an anti-administration strategy to defeat programs not on principle as they claim but to twist issues until they meet some arcane standard of their own making. Thus American Conservative Union Chairman Keene says Republicans neglected the moral imperative of fiscal responsibility and “spent like Democrats.”
The fact is of course the Bush [...]

What political discourse comes down to these days isn’t just partisan talking points, obstructionism or any of the other political tricks the opposition uses to undermine President Obama’s agenda. It is, rather, a total lack of any rational basis for the arguments being made by politicians both in and out of office. Two former vice [...]

 
There were two big media events last weekend, one truly inspiring, — a thrilling Super Bowl, the other not so much – – a pricey Tea Party Convention. With respect to Super Bowl 44 most sports analysts were picking super-star Peyton Manning and his Colts.
But a few things happened on the way to inevitable – [...]

 
There was a fascinating article in the NY Times (1/31/10) that suggested “America’s New Hope” could be “The Afghan Tribes.” In addition to the distinctions within the Afghan tribal system outlined in the article was a general description of how the system works. “Tribal authority is exercised by elders at all levels – – from [...]

There’s a certain fascination in watching the Republican approach to just about everything. It seems so predictable an observer can guess which talking point will be unveiled in response to the hot issue of the day and pretty much count on being right every time. At the moment the uptight crowd is tying itself in [...]

Facing reality is one of this country’s biggest hurdles. There are legitimate philosophical differences among political factions and there is disagreement even among ‘experts’ regarding the economy, the environment and the role of government. But these distinctions have become less meaningful in determining actual policy because many of our politicians are unwilling to confront the [...]