Over the weekend, a reporter for CNN asked several actual and potential GOP presidential candidates a simple question — Who is the greatest living president? Let’s look at our choices. Which former presidents are still living? Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush. Who did Bobby Jindal, Ted Cruz, and Donald TrumpContinue reading “The Republican Veneration of the Undead Reagan”
Meet the Peanuts Gang
This October marks the sixty-fifth anniversary of Charles Schulz’s Peanuts, and the following month we’ve see the release of the first Peanuts movie in thirty years. I’ve noticed this year that there’s a concerted effort at releasing Peanuts books and collections, probably to both tie in with the anniversary and the upcoming film. One suchContinue reading “Meet the Peanuts Gang”
More on Frum and the GOP in 2016
On Saturday, I wrote about a piece David Frum wrote for The Atlantic in whihc he discussed the lessons the can learn from David Cameron and the Tories. I called Frum’s piece “misguided,” as it seems to have been written in complete disregard for who today’s Republican Party is. “It’s as though Frum has neverContinue reading “More on Frum and the GOP in 2016”
David Frum on David Cameron and the GOP
David Frum, the former George W. Bush speechwriter, wrote a piece for The Atlantic about David Cameron’s general election victory and the lessons today’s GOP can take from it. I found the article misguided and unintentionally funny. Frum’s argument is that the GOP needs to make peace with Obamacare, reject politics of racial resentment, pursueContinue reading “David Frum on David Cameron and the GOP”
Paul Krugman, Baltimore, and Portents of the Future
In the last week, when considering the riots and protests in Baltimore, a recurring thought came to me. “This is what we all have to look forward to. This is a sign of the future.” What prompted this thinking was an interview with libertartian economist Tyler Cowen on an NPR program a few years ago.Continue reading “Paul Krugman, Baltimore, and Portents of the Future”
The Ben Carson Campaign
Thursday morning, on York Road, I saw a Cadillac slightly ahead of me bearing a “Ben Carson 2016” bumper sticker. If I could have jumped out of the Beetle, knocked on the window, and engaged the driver, a man of retirement age, in conversation, I would have asked him, “Why Ben Carson? What is itContinue reading “The Ben Carson Campaign”
How to Make a Foundation Television Series
Some discussion of the post-Asimov Foundation novels elsewhere prompted me to see what was happening with the Foundation movie that was in development. I wrote about this first in 2004, and then in 2001. It turns out there was a new development last year — Jonathan Nolan, writer of Interstellar, is developing a television seriesContinue reading “How to Make a Foundation Television Series”
The Bats Fall Silent: Baseball In Harrisburg, April 26
I was in Harrisburg today for the Senators game against the Reading Fightin’ Phils, the AA affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. I knew I would be missing Anthony Rendon as today was a day off from his rehab assignment, but I knew that I would likely see Brian Goodwin, a center field prospect working hisContinue reading “The Bats Fall Silent: Baseball In Harrisburg, April 26”
When Mars Attacks Equestria
I have crazy ideas sometimes. Often, I can do absosmurfly nothing with those crazy ideas, like several years ago when I wrote about the Doctor Who/Uncle Scrooge crossover I would love to write. The latest The Daily Post blogging prompt brought another one of those unusable ideas to mind. It’s not exactly an original idea;Continue reading “When Mars Attacks Equestria”
Ted Cruz Needs a Dictionary
I’ve been saying this for years — Republicans are like Vizzini, the words they use do not mean what they think they mean. Writes Steve Benen at MSNBC: “Look, there’s no reason for ‘socialism’ to serve as a synonym for ‘stuff Republicans don’t like.’ It’s an actual word with a fairly specific meaning, involving publicContinue reading “Ted Cruz Needs a Dictionary”