In the summer, I saw a link to a news article about the civil war happening right now in Yemen. I had known for a few months about the fighting there; the BBC World Service covered it on Newshour when it really kicked into gear in February. I was aware of it, I could tell … Continue reading Embracing Refugees and Our Common Humanity
Tag: Republican Party
Friday night, shortly after I got home from work, my mom called me. She wanted to know what was happening in Paris. My sister had called her, and since she was out and away from any news source, she thought I would know. I gave her a quick rundown of what I knew at the … Continue reading War with Jihadists and the Republican Outrage
Speaker of the House John Boehner has announced his intention to resign. A week ago, I speculated on his future prospects — House Republicans on his right flank were making noises about unseating him, and might he need Democratic votes to save his Speakership? The possibility of his resignation, mid-term, didn’t even occur to me; … Continue reading The Resignation of Boehner
With a government shutdown looming — and potentially a debt ceiling showdown after that — John Boehner’s position as Speaker of the House may be on the line. A Republican Congressman from North Carolina has introduced a resolution to declare the Speaker’s chair vacant essentially as a warning to Boehner — “Cross us by ignoring … Continue reading The Future of John Boehner
The New York Times Magazine ran an interview with Ted Cruz yesterday. It’s an interview to promote his new book, but he segues into pop culture — Spider-Man, Star Wars, and Star Trek. While it’s interesting to read a sitting United States Senator talk about Darth Vader, it’s his Star Trek comments that have garnered … Continue reading Is Captain Kirk a Republican?
Now that the Iraq War — and why it happened — has been put back on the radar thanks to Jeb Bush, we need to keep an important fact in mind about how it happened. The whole “if we knew then what we know now” formulation that various Republicans are trying to flaot is beside … Continue reading Jeb Bush and Reckoning with the Iraq War
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 Trump … Continue reading The Republican Veneration of the Undead Reagan
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 never … Continue reading More on Frum and the GOP in 2016
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, pursue … Continue reading David Frum on David Cameron and the GOP
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 it … Continue reading The Ben Carson Campaign
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 public … Continue reading Ted Cruz Needs a Dictionary
There has been chatter the past week about a potential move by House Republicans to unseat Speaker John Boehner. I’ve laughed at this chatter, because it simply isn’t going to happen. I’ve laughed at Republicans who think that Ted Yoho or Louie Gohmert could become the next Speaker. I’ve laughed at Democrats who think that … Continue reading Protecting John Boehner’s Speakership