September 2011
5 posts
Keeping Things in Perspective →
This has been an interesting week for this gay, intrepid man. On Monday, I went to a meeting of religious folk interested in opposing a constitutional amendment banning same sex marriage…
Number 43 →
The Advocate notes that there are 43 nations around the world that allow gays to serve openly in their armed forces. And on September 20, the United States became the 43rd…
Death Penalty PR →
In all the hubbub surrounding the execution of Troy Davis, there was little mention of another execution taking place in Texas on the same day:
As Texas prepares to execute one of his…
On Troy Davis →
Clive Crook sums up my view: The strongest case against the death penalty, I have always thought, is simply that it is irreversible, and criminal justice is prone to error. The thought…
Has the Media Been a Lapdog With Obama? →
Canadian columnist Rex Murphy thinks so:
As the bad economic news continues to emanate from the United States — with a double-dip recession now all but certain — a reckoning is overdue….
July 2011
9 posts
A Plausible Third Party Scenario? →
What happens to the political class if the debt ceiling talks fail? Political analyst Jeff Greenfield thinks it might provide the backdrop for the rise of a third party:
At 2:30 on…
Has Huntsman Stalled? →
Solomon Kleinsmith wants to know why GOP Presidential Candidate Jon Huntsman isn’t going anywhere. The National Journal’s John Kraushaar makes a good guess:
The biggest problem with…
The Fault Lies Not in the Stars, but…(you get the... →
As the mess concering the federal budget and debt ceiling continues, it’s easy to blame the politicians. If we could just elect more Democrats, or elect more Republicans or start a new…
The Oz Model →
Economist Scott Sumner thinks we should pay attention to the Aussie way of governing- low taxes and low income inequality: Note to progressives: Stop talking about France! If the rich…
Repost: Hey, Let’s Start a Third Party! →
Last week, I stumbled upon an article by centrist pundit John Avalon on one of this favorite subjects: starting a centrist third party. Stories like this used to excite me, but these…
City Mouse vs. Country Mouse →
My partner Daniel sometimes likes to refer to himself as a “Country Mouse.” He grew up in rural North Dakota, so living as he does now in Minneapolis is a change for him. I think about…
Political Parties Versus Political Movements →
So, is the GOP a normal political party? David Brooks has his doubts, and to be honest at times, so do I. In a normal world someone like former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman would…
When David Brooks Gets Angry… →
One of the things that has attracted me to David Brooks over the years is his willingness to not get so heated in his writing. In a time when it seems that what sells is trying to show…
Republicans and Snidley Whiplash →
In all the recent talk concerning the budget, Republicans are cast as the intransigent and foolish party. Paul Ryan’s budget is seen as callous. They GOP is unwilling to support any and all…
June 2011
4 posts
Sarah Palin = Paris Hilton →
There really has not been a lot of smart critiques of Sarah Palin. She’s the kind of person that tends to get a response from people. Sadly, most of those responses are overheated rhetoric…
The Toleration Index →
Politicians pander, there’s just no getting around that. In some ways, they have to because they are trying to appeal to so many different groups and constituencies. I’m also starting to…
Monday Links →
Blogger Tim Kowal has an extensive blog post on the role of California’s Prison Guard Union in the Golden State’s horrid prison system. NPR also did a worthwhile news report on the…
Scott Brown and the Budget Games →
Via Solomon Kleinsmith, Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown (who voted against the Ryan Budget plan in the Senate) says that the Democrats need to stop playing games with the budget:
…
January 2011
5 posts
Thoughts from a Revolution →
Looking at the wave of protests hitting the Arab world, first in Tunisia and then in Egypt, I feel a sense of both hope and dread. It would be great if democratic cultures were born and…
About SOTU →
President Obama’s speech last night was okay, but frankly it wasn’t that inspiring. The president has had some really great speeches in the past, such as his speech at the Tuscon memorial,…
…And Tonight’s Word is “Salmon” →
NPR asked it’s listeners to describe President Obama’s speech in three words and they ran the results through a word cloud. The result seemed rather “fishy:” So why did…
Why Michael Bloomberg Matters →
Back in December, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg gave a speech attacking ideologues on the right and the left and offering a “middle way” to governing. I’ve read it over and it isn’t…
Loving and Hating Washington →
America has been at war with herself for over two centuries over one issue: the role of the federal government. The battle is not as much between liberals and conservatives as much as it…
December 2010
6 posts
The Pepsi Generation: GOP Edition →
Erin McPike of RealClearPolitics notes younger GOP politicos are more gay-friendly than older ones. This might explain John McCain.
No Labels, No Ideas →
Clive Crook, who I wouldn’t count as a partisan hack, writes a rather stinging rebuke of the No Labels movement:
Just before Christmas, a group of self-styled moderates launched a campaign…
Wishing for a New Politics →
I want to write this long post about how politics in the United States is broken and how a new politics needs to emerge- but the words not coming to me right now. In the meantime, Walter Russell…
Are Moderate Republicans Back In Business? →
Jeb Gonklin over at Frum Forum thinks that in light of Saturday’s vote overturning “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” means that GOP moderates are back: The moderate wing of the Republican Party was…
The End of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell →
I’m sorry I didn’t get to this sooner: I was out of town overnight for a family celebration. It’s is a great thing to say that Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, the ban on gays serving openly in the military…
Governing In A Partisan World →
Christine Todd Whitman has a good op-ed in the latest Ripon Forum on bipartisanship. Here is what I think is the take away:
One challenge that demands Congress’s full attention, for…
October 2010
36 posts
The Lonliness of a Minority Conservative →
D.R. Tucker has a fascinating blog post about Glen Loury, a black conservative who left the conservative movement a decade ago over the movement’s lack of interest in Urban America. What was…
The Issue of the GOP’s Non-Issue →
My typical method of writing is to analyze something that is currently being debated in the public forum. The reason for this modus operandi is I believe if something is in the news, it is…
Sesame Street going a little more “Mo?” →
Two of my favorite puppets might finally be coming out of the closet.
The NPR Brand →
What is the word that comes to mind when one thinks of National Public Radio? One word: liberal. Now, I don’t think that’s a bad thing; it just is. No journalistic outfit is free of bias. They…
Does Raising Taxes Make You Liberal, Ctd →
Shay responds:
I never said that raising taxes makes one a liberal. I said that such a stance means one is not a fiscal conservative. If anything, taxes need to be **lowered** to increase…
The Coming Democratic Tsunami →
David Frum tells the GOP not to get their hopes up after scoring big victories in 201o. Why? Look at younger voters who might sit out this year, but will be back in 2012:
So, question: If…
On NPR and Juan Williams →
I’ve been listening to National Public Radio for about twenty years and enjoy it immensely. I’ve also been listening and reading Juan Williams for about the same amount of time and for the most…
The Moderate Republican “Not Dead Yet” Watch →
Via, Solomon Kleinsmith at Rise of the Center, is a report from (yes) National Public Radio on the success of moderate Republican Rick Synder, who is running (and will possibily win) the…
Does Raising Taxes Make You Liberal? →
Shay Riley takes exception with my column on conservatives and taxes:
The Brits aren’t cutting spending, but rather merely decreasing the annual rate of spending growth. That ain’t a true…
Taking on King Grover →
There’s been some pushback to the pushback dished out by anti-tax advocate Grover Norquist on Governor Mitch Daniel’s support for a Value Added Tax (combined with a Flat Tax). This is what…
Students for Daniels →
Indiana Republican Governor Mitch Daniels is getting a lot of talk about running for president and is also getting a lot of pushback. Enter a bipartisan group of college students who are…
Paul Krugman is missing one big part in his... →
Originally posted at tylercraft1.wordpress.com The last few days, the New York Times’ resident economist, Paul Krugman, has been blogging furiously about deficit complaints in an apparent…
Military Recruiters Can Accept Openly Gay... →
This is a good sign:
The Pentagon has advised recruiting commands that they can accept openly gay and lesbian recruit candidates, given the recent federal court decision that bars the military…
Frum, McKinnon Talk Third Parties and “Centrist... →
During a podcast interview with David Frum, former Bush and McCain strategist Mark McKinnon hinted at the rise of a third party in the coming months and goes over his “Centrist Manifesto.” This is…
The New Face of Entitlement →
A doctor and a law professor have a family. A nice family. They live in a nice neighborhood. A really, nice neighborhood. They live in Obama’s neighborhood next to the University of Chicago. They…
Minnesota’s Largest Paper Endorses Independent Tom... →
Here in the North Star State, people on the center right tend to joke about the Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Minnesota’s largest newspaper. We call it the “Red Star” because it tends to be a liberal…
76 Days for Congress to Fix Taxes →
This was originally posted at tylercraft1.wordpress.com. Yesterday I read a very interesting piece on the Freakonomics blog entitled “What’s the Biggest Tax Mistake That Might Be Made This…
Black, Gay and Republican →
The local NBC affliate in Washington, DC interviews two candidates to the DC City Council who happen to fit the above description.
Web Site Analyzes All 435 House Races →
I think the analysis is too positive for the GOP but it is interesting to note that he has both GOP and Dem pickups, including a few D pickups in places most people would not predict. …
Is Manchin Experiencing The Weld Syndrome ? →
One of the possible surprises of the 2010 campaign is the US Senate race in West Virginia. When Robert Byrd died and the special election was set most expected Governor Manchin to win the race…
Where are the Moderate Americans? →
At the website, CentristMovement.org, a blogger compares Moderate Americans to Moderate Muslims:
There are some 2.3 million Muslims living in America, and the vast majority are busy living decent…
