Somewhat strangely, when President Obama took office, he opted to eschew tradition and not change anything about the decor of the Oval Office. Well, while the president was on vacation last week, he finally put his own personal stamp on the office. The Oval got new furniture, a new rug and new wallpaper. He kept the pictures of Washington and Lincoln, as well as the desk (“The Resolute”). What’s interesting, however, is not the new decor (stately, yet bland—I actually really liked the old carpet) is that he chose to have the carpet bordered by some historical...
Continue reading...United States
Great Moments in Campaign Advertising: What has Nixon done for me?
Since you may have never seen a Hubert Humphrey advertisement. For a little background, most of Humphrey’s advertising was negative, since he was in the uncomfortable position of being the sitting vice president in a terribly unpopular administration (and had been nominated above other Democrats who were far more popular, despite winning zero primaries). So, the general aim of the campaign was the paint Nixon as out-of-the-loop and untrustworthy. Here, we see a tactic that pre-dated Karl Rove by decades. Nixon’s biggest strength, at least in his last run in 1960, was his experience. But, eight years...
Continue reading...Stay Classy
From the GW Hatchet, the George Washington University newspaper: Though the rally was a mostly peaceful gathering, two rally attendees got into a heated argument with an employee at the GW Deli over the D.C. bag tax, which ultimately resulted in the tea party member throwing a sandwich in the deli employee’s face. The GW Deli declined to comment on the issue. The D.C. bag tax is a fee levied on disposable bags from stores and restaurants. It costs five cents per bag.
Continue reading...Alaska Republican candidate for Senate Joe Miller compares Senator Murkowski to a prostitute
Via Swing State Project. Alaska Republican (and tea party sweetheart) candidate for Senate Joe Miller : “What’s the difference between selling out your party\’s values and the oldest profession? http://bit.ly/93kXBr #teaparty #tcot #alaska #ak” The link is to the Daily Caller, which cites a report from the Daily Beast that someone inside Lisa Murkowski’s senate campaign has said that if she does lose the Republican nomination, she might consider running under the Libertarian Party, because the deadline for filing as an independent has passed. As unlikely a scenario this is, it’s not even relevant yet, as it...
Continue reading...There are reasons nobody is trying to build a community center where you live.
Perhaps I’m treading on already trod ground, but the I have to wonder how much of the controversy over the not exactly Ground Zero, not exactly mosque is really just another proxy battle of misunderstanding between urban Americans and suburban/rural types. The distance of a few blocks is too far to walk on a 100 degree day during my lunch hour, and I love walking. It is also billions of dollars away. If I really want a morning cup of coffee, I’ll go to the coffee shop next door, not 2 1/2 blocks away. For suburbanites, however,...
Continue reading...Representative Stephanie Herseth-Sandlin clearly doesn't want you to know which party she's in
Seriously, if you didn’t know already, after watching this ad, you’d have no idea that Representative Stephanie Herseth Sandlin is a Democrat. “No matter which party is in charge, I do what’s right for South Dakota.” That’s the sound of selling out.
Continue reading...Sounds familiar…
There was a cool story in the Times yesterday celebrating the history of women’s suffrage. Definitely recommend reading it. One part of the story really speaks to my 2010 self. Doesn’t this sound familiar? That year (1918) the 19th Amendment passed the House. It stalled in the Senate — blocked by conservative Southerners — but Wilson muscled it through in 1919.
Continue reading...Republicans Supporting Non-Republicans
Interesting news from the Pennsylvania senate race today: Former Senator Chuck Hagel will endore Joe Sestak. Hagel was a Republican; Sestak is a Democrat running against Republican Pat Toomey. Hagel told The Associated Press on Monday that Sestak has demonstrated during his two terms in Congress that he puts what’s best for the country before the interests of his party. He said Sestak’s courage and integrity as a legislator are qualities the nation needs more of. This just shortly after we’ve learned that Bob Dole, former Republican senator and presidential candidate, has thrown a $1,000 check to...
Continue reading...Why didn't the stimulus work as expected?
With 500,000 new people applying for unemployment last week, the most number since November, it appears that the economy, propped up by temporary census workers and last year’s stimulus package, is falling again. The Right is saying that the stimulus was a waste of money, the Left is saying it wasn’t big enough. The truth is, even if it helped a little, it’s not doing enough. Eric Martin at Obsidian Wings does a great job of pointing out one of the most important reasons: Further weakening the effort, a self-styled group of “moderates” in the Senate pared...
Continue reading...The kid who sold crack to the president
(Apologies for the terrible video, but it’s all I could find.) There’s a great post on MetaFilter right now about the story behind President George H. W. Bush’s “This is crack cocaine” address to the nation. “This is crack cocaine,” Bush solemnly announced, holding up a plastic bag filled with a white chunky substance in his Sept. 5 speech on drug policy. It was “seized a few days ago in a park across the street from the White House . . . . It could easily have been heroin or PCP.” In 1989 the White House came...
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