In a recent appearance on “The Perez Notes,” I was asked why local NYC political blogs no longer attracted the enthusiasm they commanded during the halcyon Golden Age of the Politicker back in the ancient days of 2005. There were many things to blame and I repeated my usual suspects–which is that fragmentation, mostly caused by Ben Smith, had destroyed the community which Ben Smith had created. It seems these days the only way to get a good thread going is to have a trivial snit with a psychopath over practically nothing.
But I also cited a macro cause. People had moved on.
If Facebook existed in 2005, virtually no one who read the Politicker had a clue about it (although it could be argued that virtually no one who read the Politicker had a clue about anything). By the time people learned about FB‘s existence, the real hipsters had moved onto Twitter. Rob Perez asked me to predict the future, but I knew that I had no clue about the present. I told him that wherever the trends were moving in the future, Gatemouth would be there ten minutes after everyone else had already moved on to the next big thing.
As I’ve sometimes observed, I’ve been spending too much time on Facebook, tracking down every woman I ever desired who had failed to reciprocate, which in my case has yielded over 700 friends. Hour upon hour of catching up with people who never wanted to see me again has taken a tool on my writing and raised such questions as why did the first two girls I ever felt up both become Chabadniks?
Eventually, after discovering one too many just missed love connection, and pondering again how it would have changed the course of a life so altered, I eventually found that I had become a popular aggregator of slightly left of center news for an ever increasing bunch of people I’d never met, who wanted the Gatemouth they were not getting on Room 8. A former member of the Democratic State Committee put it thusly:
“Gatey, thank you for reminding me that there's a whole world of ideas out there apart from local politics. You make a great teacher!”
What should have been longer thought-pieces turned into snarky one liners with appropriate links, and pretty much killed off my publishing on this site. As I’ve noted more than once, unfinished pieces concerning Israel, Iran, nuclear arms, Republican insanity, health care, the implications of the 44th Councilmanic race, and the entire state government recusing itself from accountability and reality were piling up on Gatey’s G drive like planes over LGA.
But the reality was, I have dealt with virtually all of those matters, in bite sizes pieces, on my Facebook page.
The solution seems obvious.
A change of format.
I will still be posting longer pieces when the fancy strikes and the time is present to complete them, but for the time being, aggregation and aggravation will be my major mode of communication on this blog.
MEMO to SLATE: I am available to take Mickey Kaus’ slot. My quixotic run for the US Senate is over.
Here is a sample, some of it now dated, of what I’ve been up to lately. What follows is selections from my archive for this month, up to the present.
What does one do with a seven year old who requests blinis and caviar?–
May 3
Obama's disgusting pandering during the primaries against individual mandates was part of why I supported Hillary (http://www.r8ny.com/blog/gatemouth/ishtar.html). He was wrong then, and Mitt Romney was right–funny how they've now switched positions
Common Sense | The New Republic
I've been pretty outspoken against Bibi lately, but Mearsheimer's "if only the Jews would behave like good Christians” argument is veering very close to anti-Semitism here
Why Can't Jews Be More Like Noam Chomsky? | The New Republic
A good definition of what Pro-Israel & Pro-peace really means; harsh on Bibi, but also hard on left critics of Israel; money quote: "There are those on the European (and sometimes on the American) left that have moved into a simplistic, black-and-white worldview governed by what I call SLES, short for "Standard Left Explanatory System." SLES is a remainder of the guilt that many Europeans feel about their colonial past. Its algorithm is very simple: always support the underdog, particularly if non-Western. If the underdog behaves immorally (9/11; 7/7; Hamas hiding weaponry and fighters in civilian buildings), always accuse the West, and preferably Jews, for having pushed them to do this. Never demand non-Western groups to take responsibility for their actions, but instead masochistically look for ways to make the West responsible."
Strenger than Fiction / Jewish liberals from all nations, unite – Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel N
www.haaretz.com
Though the right is surely worse, this phenom persists on both sides of the aisle–and as a liberal who's been bashed again and again by my own, I feel David Frum's pain. Moreover, closure is just stupid –the only way to win a battle is to understand the other side's mindset.
How to escape a partisan echo chamber. – By William Saletan
Is there a hole for me to get sick in?
Iran's election to the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women is a joke. – By Anne Applebaum
www.slate.com
Some interesting observations here which might discomfort rightwingers, the ACLU and those from the anti-Brooklyn Bridge Park crowd who made fun of the "eyes on the park" argument. (Luck with a capital F to Dorothy Siegel and Danny Squadron)
Three lessons from the Times Square bomb. – By Fred Kaplan
www.slate.com
Let's applaud–a conservative Republican is making hamburger of their sacred cow
The GOP's Secret Speech | The New Republic
www.tnr.com
Sadistic and cruel, but fun: hung up on a pollster ten minutes into the interview
Bonus fun: it was Schneiderman's poll
G-d forbid we should make anyone wait until they purchase a gun, given it's such an impulse buy
Op-Ed Columnist – Congress, Up in Arms – NYTimes.com
www.nytimes.com
At last, some good news from the British election: Let's give this constituency's voters some RESPECT!
Election result: Poplar and Limehouse | The Jewish Chronicle
www.thejc.com
Like Stalin and Vito Lopez, the Republican Party finds nothing more intolerable than schismatics
Bennett Ousted at Utah G.O.P. Convention – The Caucus Blog – NYTimes.com
thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com
Who cares about judicial experience, or which kind of legal liberal she is–the real question is, did go out with client #9, and if so, did he wear socks?
LaurenceJarvikOnline: Elena Kagan's Hunter High School Yearbook Photo May 10
It maybe misogynistic to compare people to feminine hygiene products, but Boehner makes it hard to resist the temptation
Republicans Insert Name 'Kagan' Into Speeches Opposing Obama's Supreme Court Pick
www.huffingtonpost.com
Great choice–Malek knows where the bodies are buried (as long as the bodies have no foreskin)
Virginia Politics Blog – Democrats attack McDonnell's selection of Malek as government reform chairm
voices.washingtonpost.com
One would think supporting the Deficit Commission would be seen as a win/win by real conservatives; but they are more interested in their own version of a free lunch than they are in the good of our nation. If I were a conservative I might say "None dare Call it Treason"
Why Do Conservatives Hate The Deficit Commission? | The New Republic
www.tnr.com
Looking for the alternate power center in Brooklyn politics? This is it!
Fidler Rising | The New York Observer
I'd still allow the guy to go to his grandkid's bar mitzvah, but he's the most unlikely left hero since Steve Harrison
Goldstone And Apartheid (The Real Kind) | The New Republic
www.tnr.com
Why Goldstone gives me gallstones
The Goldstone Illusion | The New Republic
www.tnr.com
Gee, what were there, 43 presidents, and how many have been Protestants? 42? Poor Protestants, my heart bleeds borsht.
The real question, with Justices from Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx and now Manhattan, is when is Obama gonna give Staten Island its due?
Put Bobby Gigante on the US Supreme Court, and poor kids from all over the country will get Teddy Bears at Christmas!
FiveThirtyEight: Politics Done Right: The Protestant-Free Court
www.fivethirtyeight.com
Alabama Republican accused of not being an ignoramus, denies it as a pernicious slur.
Alabama candidate denounces 'lie' that he believes in evolution – Ben Smith – POLITICO.com
www.politico.com
Even though I belong to one, I'm not reflexively pro-union (though I liked Andy Stern–which actually seems to have pissed off most of my pro-union friends); but this is both totally on-point and hilarious
Obama Pushes Thuggish Anti-Democratic "Majority Rule" Vote For Union Goons | The New Republic
www.tnr.com
No reason even a first to the post parliamentary system should bestow the government on the party first to the post. In Israel (not a first to the post system), it is the second place party which leads the government. I may despise Bibi (and I do), but who can doubt that this better reflects the will of the public? About 60% of Brits voted center/left. Why not a center left government?
Labor And Lib Dems: Why Not? | The New Republic
www.tnr.com
My G-d, this is the most brilliant thing I've ever read, and sums up the reason for 90% of the reason for my household’s sporadic bouts of marital tension. Any guess who asks and who guesses?
Ask, Don't Guess | The New Republic
www.tnr.com
All those on the left bitching about Kagan please note, Silver says she's mathematical preferable even if she proves more conservative (though perhpas she should shed a few pounds just to be on the safe side)
FiveThirtyEight: Politics Done Right: Value Over Replacement Justice
www.fivethirtyeight.com
I would say gunug (enough already) if the Upper West Side milieu didn't make it such a Seinfeld episode–not that there's anything wrong with it! Anyway, one wonders why she hasn't tried J-Date. Worked for Congressman Rothman (perhaps too nerdy and needy for Kagan) and it worked for GatemouthElena Kagan's friends: She's not gay – Ben Smith – POLITICO.com
www.politico.com
Not that there's anything wrong with it? (is it because she's from the UWS that I keep getting reminded of Seinfeld?)
Right seizes on false claim that Kagan's thesis shows she's a socialist | Media Matters for America
mediamatters.org
Maybe Steve Levy should just run for Governor of Arizona
Kinsley says the same old things he always says, but 1) he says them so well and 2) he's right
My Country, Tis of Me – Magazine – The Atlantic
www.theatlantic.com
Michael Steele uses 3/5ths of a brain to defend the constitution as originally witten.
The Plum Line – Michael Steele attacks Kagan's praise of Thurgood Marshall
voices.washingtonpost.com
Why did we not get a super-liberal justice; not because of politics, but because it is his preference. And those on the left shouldn't act surprised, because he's been saying it since even before he was in politics.
What Obama's choice of Kagan tells us abouthis judicial philosophy. – By Dahlia Lithwick
www.slate.com
The case against Arlen is surprisingly mostly pragmatic rather than principled, which is poetic justice (see also: http://www.r8ny.com/blog/gatemouth/born_on_the_first_of_april_a_film_by_oliver_stone.html
FiveThirtyEight: Politics Done Right: White House Case for Specter Support Unpersuasive
www.fivethirtyeight.com
Buchanan joins Fred Malek as another Nixon alumni specializing in Yid-counting (maybe he could help his friends in the Holocaust Denial community get their numbers right)
Pat Buchanan, Quota-Meister | The New Republic
www.tnr.com
Real friends don't let friends drive drunk
Obama's Campaign Theme Emerges | The New Republic
www.tnr.com
Doing the kiddush while Nina Simone sings "Mississippi G-dd-amn" in the background. Another shabbus in Brownstone Brooklyn.
A real find; in March, former future Vice Preisdent Dipstick complained that Obama wasn't enthusiastic enough about offshore drilling. Lord, please save me from saying something misogynist
Stall, Baby, Stall – Sarah Palin – The Corner on National Review Online
corner.nationalreview.com
Great Britain becomes Jersey City (home of the simultaneous mayoral run of the Manzo family, recently decimated by Dwek-gate)
Query: If there are two Milibands, will we next being seeing two Balls?
Britain's Labour Leadership Race: A (Mili)band of Brothers
www.time.com
Hamas and Hezbollah favor a "One State Solution," so any real friend of Israel should favor two (or three)
www.forthesakeofzion.org
The leading American intellectual voice making the liberal case for standing up to Islamist terror now makes the case for saving Liberal Zionism (for Israel's own good)
The Failure of the American Jewish Establishment | The New York Review of Books
www.nybooks.com
Some fairly spontaneous quibbles and comments.
The essay is not perfect, but it is approximately accurate
Interesting line: "this latter, liberal-democratic Zionism has grown alongside a new individualism, particularly among secular Israelis, a greater demand for free expression, and a greater skepticism of coercive authority. You can see this spirit in “new historians like Tom Segev who have fearlessly excavated the darker corners of the Zionist past and in jurists like former Supreme Court President Aharon Barak who have overturned Knesset laws that violate the human rights guarantees in Israel’s “Basic Laws.” You can also see it in former Prime Minister Ehud Barak’s apparent willingness to relinquish much of the West Bank in 2000 and early 2001."
I should note that moving some Israel Arab villages into a Palestinian state was actually discussed by Arafat and Barak–Lieberman is a stone racist, but the idea is not inherently evil, if those villages consent to it
One point I need make–I have little problem with Israel's Gaza policy–when a fiend is trying bleed you to death by means of small but seemingly inconsequential cuts, overwhelming force is not an unreasonable response
and it galls me when my own member of Congress endorses a reso saying Israel should be more liberal with the wall.
Two states I say; two states and good fences
it must also be noted this coalition's composition is pretty much the fault of Tzipi Livni, who could have joined it, and saved it from Lieberman as Foreign Minister and Shas as a partner
I'll also note I recently linked a highly critical article about "Human Rights Watch" whose record here is extremely problematic
the recent expulsions in East Jerusalem where not only wrong, they were stupid. Yes, there is some cogence to the claims of Jews expelled in 1948–but only if one goes down the slippery slope which leads to the Palestinian right of return.
I am perhaps more sympathetic with Israel's action is pursuit of security than is Beinart (shocking). But, that highlights even more where I think a line needs to be drawn–why piss off an American administration over housing in East Jerusalem and the West Bank? That housing has no strategic purpose. In fact, much of the settlement activity is an outright security nuisance. And why is Netanyahu pissing off the US, when the US needs credibility in the Arab world to deal with Israel's #1 problem–a nuclear Iran?
The day Obama criticizes Israel on a security matter (which to my knowledge, he has not yet done) is the day I will take time to reevaluate my general support of his Mideast policies. Here and there, I have some minor problems with wording and nuance, and I think he may be too optimistic about what is achievable, but in general, I think the president is right.
actually, after adding up all my caveats, I think the article is actually a useful starting place for conversation, but I do think he goes a bit overboard in some places–still the thesis as I outlined it in my headline is a sound one–saving liberal Zionism is good for Israel, and consistent with liberalism
East Jerusalem was pure unadulterated idiocy–Gaza was, at worst, over-exuberance in self defense, and I'm not sure it was even that
Great find from 2008–why Naomi Klein is an idiot
www.tnr.com
I think many on the left (and center and even the right) sometimes lose site of the fact that Israel is a state trying to live by higher values under difficult circumstances. This does not excuse their failings, but it surely does mitigate them to a great degree –Query: does else anyone living under similar circumstances do any better? Query: does any else even live under similar circumstances?
www.financialpost.com
A little bit of establishment oriented conventional wisdom from an entirely unconventional source, and yet, mostly sound.
Reasons to Cheer the Kagan Nomination – Politics – The Atlantic
www.theatlantic.com
Which is stranger; the fact that she can't bring herself to say who she voted for last year or the fact that she refers to herself in the plural? "'I've done a lot of work for the Democratic Party, and we have supported Thompson,' said Ms. Saujani, who declined to discuss how she had personally voted." Hmm, I guess using the plural is appropriate, because she appears to have two positions.
A Primary Challenger in Carolyn's Court | The New York Observer
www.observer.com
Sign of the times: primaries make Democrats more diverse, and Republicans less so
Outside Right | The New Republic
www.tnr.com
Chait on Beinart on Israel: Yes, BUT; the buts are bigs ones and he gets most of them exactly right (but he still basically says yes)
A Reply To Peter Beinart | The New Republic
www.tnr.com
Jonah Goldberg says liberals are too easy on truthers. Did he ever hear Bill Maher? Where is the conservative equivalent skewering the birthers as the bigoted imbecilic morons they are?
Are Liberals Too Mean To Birthers? | The New Republic
www.tnr.com
I'm undecided about charter school–my principled opposition to privatization of public education was easily overcome by the intrigues and strenuous efforts NYC parents must take to see their kids get a decent education; but that was overcome by how these school often work in actual application. When someone like Diane Ravitch changes her mind, we owe her a hearing
Plea to Chris Dodd: Come back, all is forgiven
Candidate’s Words Differ From His History – NYTimes.com
www.nytimes.com
Jeffrey Goldberg responds, agrees and quibbles with Beinart and Chait (and it all gets even sadder)
Beinart, Chait, and that Disappearing Zionist Feeling – National – The Atlantic
www.theatlantic.com
Robert Wright continues to be obtuse; here’s another example: http://www.r8ny.com/blog/gatemouth/me_and_paul.html
The Roots of Terrorism – International – The Atlantic
www.theatlantic.com
I don't know which is more unfortunate; Judis' stark conclusion that they ain't Astroturf, or the fact that you need to subscribe to get the whole article.
Tea Minus Zero | The New Republic
www.tnr.com
Is turnabout fairplay or foreplay?
Sex Lives of Supreme Court Justices | The Atlantic Wire
www.theatlanticwire.com
At last, a site which really engages my interest
www.stuffmydogchewed.com
Trouble in the leper colony as two of America's foremost liberal Zionists hash out their differences–I'm mostly with Goldberg here, but we have Beinart to thank for starting the discussion
Goldblog vs. Peter Beinart, Part I – International – The Atlantic
www.theatlantic.com
Beinart: I really believe that Jews–if not perhaps American Jews—need a Jewish state to go to in time of need. Whenever I waxed too patriotic about America, my grandmother used to say, "the Jews are like rats," we leave the sinking ship. So yes, I'm a Zionist. I'm close enough to people who still have their bags packed.
Must admit though, Beinart gats all the best lines: “My spiritual connection to the land of Israel is, in all honesty, weaker. Perhaps that's why I don't feel the sense of potential loss at giving up Hebron that some people genuinely do. My love of Israel isn't about the land; it's my endless wonder at a society in which Jews from around the world … See Morewere thrown together, a museum of the dazzling variety of world Jewry, in which people separated for millennia forged, and reforged, the bonds of peoplehood. That's what chokes me up about Israel–that and what those Jews have built.”
Point Goldberg: You don't seem too interested in the forces that seek the elimination of Israel — and here I mean Hezbollah, Hamas, al Qaeda, the Islamic Republic of Iran. Israel is a democracy, with freedom of speech, in a part of the world in which gays are murdered for being gay; in which cartoonists are condemned to death; in which press … See Morefreedom is practically nonexistent. Israel struggles to survive in this harsh atmosphere. Sometimes it does this deeply imperfectly. For instance, in its attempt to stop Hamas from firing rockets at its own civilians, it killed many Palestinian civilians. But does this really compare to the genocidal rhetoric, and actions, of Israel's enemies? Do these things really compare to the building of apartments for Jews in Jerusalem? This is a question, in case you haven't figured this out yet, about the New York Review of Books, where you published your article. It's also a question about proportionality, about the unseemly interest the left takes in Israel's moral failings. Can you name another country, facing the same types of enemies, that does a better job protecting individual rights and freedoms while at war with a foe that seeks its physical elimination?
And for those on the left who suddenly think Beinart has embraced their position:
'In my mind, you're anti-Israel if you want Israel to disappear as a Jewish state."
Take that, Councilman Lander
Beinart again makes the distinction:
"There certainly are leftists (and for that matter) rightists who focus so disproportionately on Israel's failings as to raise questions about their true motives."
Take that, Klein Chomsky & Finkelstein
Point Goldberg: Yes, there are leftists (and rightists) who focus so disproportionately on Israel's failings as to raise questions about their true motives. But I'm asking you something else: Are Israel's failings, in fact, so terrible, especially given the line-up of enemies Israel is facing? I'm asking you to confront reality, not your Utopian … See Morevision of what a Jewish country should be. The reality is that there are organizations and countries trying to physically eliminate the Jewish state. Even with this existential problem, Israel still manages to be the freest and most democratic state in the Middle East, and one that even grants its Muslim citizens the right to build minarets and wear burqas, unlike many countries in Europe.
Beinart makes a cogent point:" I'm not asking Israel to be Utopian. I'm not asking it to allow Palestinians who were forced out (or fled) in 1948 to return to their homes. I'm not even asking it to allow full, equal citizenship to Arab Israelis, since that would require Israel no longer being a Jewish state. I'm actually pretty willing to … See Morecompromise my liberalism for Israel's security and for its status as a Jewish state. What I am asking is that Israel not do things that foreclose the possibility of a Palestinian state in the West Bank, because if it is does that it will become–and I'm quoting Ehud Olmert and Ehud Barak here–an "apartheid state."
“And foreclosing the possibility of a Palestinian state is exactly what the current Israeli coalition wants to do."
and another:
“The more the settlements expand, the more settlers–including fanatical settlers–take over parts of the Israeli bureaucracy and become integral to the Israeli army and rabbinate, all of which makes the prospect of removing them without outright civil war more remote. These people have already murdered an Israeli Prime Minister, and… See More they routinely use violence against Israeli troops and Israeli leftists, not to mention Palestinians. Their young "hilltop youth" are so extreme that they actually scare the settler old guard. "When will the state of Israel wake up and realize that it is facing a real threat from an enemy within," those words are not from a dove, they are Ben Dror Yemeni, the hawkish editor of Maariv last year. And it's not just the growth and increased radicalization of the settlers, it's the emergence of a political coalition determined to protect them and make a Palestinian state impossible.”
Point Goldberg:
“I still believe the settlers are the vanguard of binationalism (i.e., their project endangers the idea of Israel as a Jewish democracy) and I worry…about the intolerance of Avigdor Lieberman. But the world is bigger than just crazy Jews. The world has its share of crazy Muslim extremists — the ones, for instance, who are … See Morepointing 40,000 rockets at Israel from Lebanon right now — and they are not pointing these rockets at Israel in order to bring about the creation of a Palestinian state on the West Bank. They are seeking the physical destruction of 5.5 million Jews in their historic homeland.”
Point Beinart: I do take the threat of Hassan Nasrallah seriously. I'm not against any Israeli use of force, if there's a real chance that it will make Israelis safer and its done in a way that as much as possible spares civilians. But over the long run, the best way to undermine Nasrallah and people like him is to give hope to those Palestinians … See Moreand Muslims who do want a two-state solution. In Fayyad, and even Abbas, we have such leaders. Surely in those circumstances continued settlement growth, which simply convinces Palestinians that they will never have a state on most of the West Bank, is deeply self-destructive. I want the major American Jewish groups to say so, loudly. Instead, they deny that settlements are even a problem.
Point Beinart:
“for most secular young Jews the choice is not between a critical Zionism and an uncritical Zionism. It's between a critical Zionism and no Zionism.”
For those who still care (maybe half a dozen of my Jewish friends plus Michael Bouldin), here's part two
Goldblog vs Peter Beinart, Part II – National – The Atlantic
www.theatlantic.com
Seem like an appropriate time to report this, even though I've abandoned my initial conclusions (of course, so has the President). Bye Bye Arlen, we hardly knew the real you (if one even existed)
"Born On The First of April"–A Film By Oliver Stone | Room Eight
Bad night for Obama? Are they high? Part One
A Very Good Night For Democrats | The New Republic
www.tnr.com
Bad night for Obama? Are they high? Part Two
Hendrik Hertzberg: Sestak Wins. So Does Obama. : The New Yorker
www.newyorker.com
Bad night for Obama, are they high? Part Three
Pennsylvania Dems Hate Obama? | The New Republic
www.tnr.com
Bad night for Obama–are they high? Part Four
The Center Wins. Again. | The New Republic
www.tnr.com May 19
Robbins rewrites my column on this race (
http://www.r8ny.com/blog/gatemouth/east_side_sorry.html) –Yes, I'll admit he has a few more details, but he coulda at least've given Gate a hat-tipWall Street Runs for Congress – Page 1 – Columns – New York – Village Voice
www.villagevoice.com
Chait replies to Beinart's reply and gets the better of it (but Beinart has still defined the terms of the debate, and Chait has largely agreed with him)
The Downside Of Anger | The New Republic
www.tnr.com
Beinart replies to Chait
Peter Beinart: Love Israel? Criticize It – The Daily Beast
www.thedailybeast.com
Silver puts it into perspective, and it still seems it wasn't a bad nite for Obama
FiveThirtyEight: Politics Done Right: What Tuesday Really Meant
www.fivethirtyeight.com
Just when you thought it was safe to go back on the Blogs
Goldblog vs. Peter Beinart, Part III: Zionism Reloaded – National – The Atlantic
www.theatlantic.com
This week's Shabbos thought: there may not be many of us liberal Zionists, but every one of us writes for a newspaper, or a magazine, or has their own blog.
Though Yoffie rightly criticizes the left too, this is clearly the money quote: "However, too many American Jews — many, but not all, in the conservative camp — have chosen to pour out contempt for the Obama administration in language that is harsher than anything I have heard in three decades of involvement in America…n Jewish life. I have also watched in dismay as these voices obsess over America’s position on settlement disputes, which — however sensitive and complicated — are simply not the central issue at a moment when Iran threatens Israel’s very existence."
Getting Serious About Iran – The Jewish Daily Forward
www.forward.com
The Party of Lincoln is morphing from the Party of Jefferson Davis into the party of Nathan Bedford Forrest; while Alabama continues its successful efforts to prove Darwin wrong. It's time to heed Texas and revise history; we thought we won the Civil War, but keeping the South is a demographic time bomb. I support a two state solution, so we can remain both a democratic state and one with American values.
I can't even understand the right wing romance with the Paul family (though I may be giving conservatives too much credit), but the left wing romance for them is unfathomable–here's part of the reason why
Angry White Man | The New Republic
www.tnr.com
"…Rand is wildly evasive. He's not attempting to explain his ideology while falling victim to a sound-bite press corps. He's desperately trying to deny his ideology. Paul explicitly believes, or at least believed, that the 1964 Civil Rights Act erred in forbidding private discrimination. But he simply changed the subject over and over to avoid explaining this belief, before finally abandoning it altogether without acknowledging that he ever held it."
Reminds me of a local Councilman explaining some of his past writings
Rand Paul's Flight | The New Republic
www.tnr.com
Eight more articles about Beinart's article; I'm obsessed w/this stuff, but genug already!
www.foreignpolicy.com
Although there is much here I agree with, I was not going to post it, because I think it goes waaaaaay too far; what convinced me to do so is the last paragraph, which is one of the most deftly executed shivs in the back I've ever witnessed. Domestic Partner happens to consider the victim of this knifing as #2 in her exceptions to monogamy list (Leonard Cohen is her #1) and even she was favorably impressed. Kudos for style, if not substance.
Why Israel Has to Do Better – The Daily Beast
www.thedailybeast.com
I suppose this may be tongue and cheek, making fun as it does of Wieseltier's style, but it is nonetheless strangely beautiful
Hendrik Hertzberg: Thanks for the Madeleine, Leon : The New Yorker www.newyorker.com
May 23
It seems like the only guys we can find to be Arabic interpreters for the military are gay men and Muslims. The number of Arabic interpreters fired under Don’t Ask Don’t Tell is staggering. It's gotten to the point where it's practically a matter of national security.
Plus, if you were a soldier who was paranoid about gay advances, who'd you rather be showering with; the guy you knew was gay, or the guy who's not telling?
Repeal: Good for Gays, Good for Homophobes, Good for America.
May 24
What a wonderful day for a picnic
Dem groups plan “afternoon of sushi and protesting” outside Sen. Espada’s home | Politics on the Hud
polhudson.lohudblogs.com
Yes, this time it cost the Dems a seat, but many times it is the other side who gets screwed. In a system of majority rule, what is the moral underpinning for "first past the post" anyway?
FiveThirtyEight: Politics Done Right: Might This Be a Good Time for Instant Runoff?
www.fivethirtyeight.com
Not sure I agree, but a great example of Kinsleyan contrarianism, whereby logical thinking is used to ridicule conventional wisdom.
The Sestak Pseudo-Scandal | The New Republic
www.tnr.com
Friedman gets it right
Op-Ed Columnist – As Ugly As It Gets – NYTimes.com
www.nytimes.com
This is encouraging; but I must say it's a bit surprising that this an antidiscrimination law protecting the transgendered can pass, but not same-sex marriage. There is nothing that panics straight guys (and probably many gay guys) more than the thought of gender reassignment surgery. By contrast, marriage only scares straight guys when it's between a man and a woman.
What is the world coming to? I am reprinting, with my personal seal of approval, an Amity Shlaes (gack!!) column from the NY Post (gack!!!)
Genital Mutilation Isn’t a Tradition to Preserve: Amity Shlaes – Bloomberg.com
www.bloomberg.com
A Reader contacted me to let me know that this practice is already banned in NYS, which figures, since if there were ever a cause dear to the hearts of the men who work in Albany, it is protecting and serving the clitoratti.
With most politicians, I fear that they will betray their principles, with Paul I fear that he won't
Rand Paul's Principled Absurdity | The New Republic
www.tnr.com
Not so surprising: ideological extremist Congressional hopeful implies liberal Democratic hero Henry Waxman is treasonous.
A bit more surprising: She's a "progressive" Democrat supported by Howard Dean's Democracy for America.
Another reason why i do not call myself a “progressive.”
Jane Harman's Opponent on the Injustice of Israel, the Taliban, and Henry Waxman's Alleged Perfidy –
www.theatlantic.com
For a conservative, Brooks is OK, I guess, but mostly I get thru these things by reading only Gail's paragraphs
Oil Rigs and Reality – Opinionator Blog – NYTimes.com
opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com
this is so funny on so many levels, but if there were ever a libertarian who threw out the baby and kept the bathwater (perhaps not the best way of saying he's pro-life), it is Paul
Rand Paul May Face Challenge From Libertarian Candidate
networkedblogs.com
Shed no tears for the Connecticut GOP; in NY the GOP's Senate front-runner is the guy being cuckolded by the cute Beatle (and one of his opponents says stuff which is political permissible only in South Carolina): http://www.r8ny.com/blog/gatemouth/her_name_was_mcgill_she_called_herself_lil_but_everyone_knew_her_as_nan…cy.html
(and that's for the seat they actually have a theoretical shot of winningOp-Ed Columnist – Who Wants to Elect a Millionaire? – NYTimes.com
www.nytimes.com
This is so preposterous it made me laugh out loud, but the reason we need to tax private equity managers at a lower rate than investment bankers (and truck drivers) is because…well, I still don't get it
The Return Of Shameless Bob Johnson | The New Republic
www.tnr.com
More absurdity–the way Latinos will punish Obama for not passing immigration reform is by voting for the party which helped to kill it
How Republicans Can Win Back Latinos (By Stiffing Them) | The New Republic
www.tnr.com
May 27
Am I the only one here who finds it sad that success is defined here as 4.5 satisfying sexual experiences a month?
Female Viagra pill promises to boost sexual desire in women – NYPOST.com
www.nypost.com
I dunno the facts here, but the article gives off the stench of the Frei-Pearson folks taking just a bit too much delight in this right-winger taking some of the vote away from the establishment candidate. Might almost be poetic justice if the conservative won. Well, thank goodness, it's not the Senate seat.
Conservative Democrat Enters Race For Gianaris Seat
www.cityhallnews.com
Marcy Winograd: Our Rand Paul
(incidentally, J Street has disavowed Winograd; no surprise, since a "one state solution" is incompatible with being "pro-Israel" As Peter Beinart noted: "In my mind, you're anti-Israel if you want Israel to disappear as a Jewish state."
What’s J-Street’s Position Toward Marcy Winograd? at Z-Word Blog
blog.z-word.com
May 28
In chapter one (http://www.villagevoice.com/2009-04-29/columns/the-girlfriend-who-sparked-the-pension-scandal), former Mod Squad queen Peggy Lipton and one of her suitors help bring down a major league political consultant, half the NYS Comptroller's Office and myriad others; now, in a seemingly unrelated indictment (ht…tp://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/27/ex-borough-president-andrew-stein-indicted) another of her exes goes down for the count. Query: is Quincy Jones next? As for the attached video; as the Stones say it's the singer, not the songTeenage Enema Nurses In Bondage
www.youtube.com
killer pussy Teenage Enema Nurses In Bondage