Happy 86th Birthday, Ernie Tyler

Bet a 10th inning walk-off win against the Red Sox was a nice way to celebrate.

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Why Henry Fonda should never be nominated for office

So, here’s a great idea for a mid-century political movie:  let’s have a scrupulous and cerebral hero challenged by a charismatic villain able to whip up the emotions of the populace.  Our hero will be honest, serious-but-witty, measured.  We’ll indict the television era, the soundbite era, the era of snappy declarations trumping thoughtful deliberations.  Maybe [...]

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Conservatism and/or

Last month, after the House passed the Health Care bill, David Frum wrote a widely read blog post skewering the Republican Party for failing to compromise on the legislation: Conservative talkers on Fox and talk radio had whipped the Republican voting base into such a frenzy that deal-making was rendered impossible. How do you negotiate [...]

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No, Peter, it isn’t

In a short post at the Daily Beast, Peter Beinart explains why the Tea Partiers are “phony Populists.”  It’s a good post… not a great post, but good.  Plays off the NYT poll about the wealth and education level of the tea partiers, and also the lazy habit of journalists to dub them “populists,” all [...]

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The Pols, the Pros, and the Average Joes*

*or subtitled, My Adventures at a Tax Day Tea Party rally Rather than speculating about Tea Partiers, I decided to check out one of their local rallies and see for myself.  So, last Thursday, tax day, I headed up to Towson Maryland to check out one of the many rallies taking place across the country. [...]

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One of my favorite commercials…

Make of that what you will…

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More thoughts, no answers

I wrote last week’s mega-post in the hopes of finally ending the constant turnover of thoughts – my internal “dorm-room debate” – in which a subject is considered and reconsidered with every aspect examined until it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.  I failed. Now, I’m not so naive as to believe that internal contradictions can [...]

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