Joe Conason from Creators Syndicate

White Nationalists Share Spotlight With GOP at CPAC for 02/11/2012

Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

If the Conservative Political Action Conference can be expected to accomplish anything more than angry bellowing, it is to reliably embarrass every decent and sane conservative in America. Sometimes the problem is a conspiratorial extremist co-sponsor, like the John Birch Society; sometimes the problem is a certifiable kook giving the keynote address, like Glenn Beck; and sometimes the problem ...

Updated: Sat Feb 11, 2012

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The High Cost of Romney's Scorching Victory for 02/02/2012

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Mitt Romney's convincing victory in the Florida primary erased his earlier defeats and perhaps any serious obstacle to his nomination. The question that still troubles party leaders, however, is the damage he will sustain before returning to Tampa in September for their convention.

Triumph could cost Romney much more than the million dollars or so that bought each point of his 46-32 marg ...

Updated: Thu Feb 02, 2012

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Mitch Daniels: Bombast From the Past for 01/26/2012

Thu, 26 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Why the Republicans chose Mitch Daniels — the Indiana governor who once thrilled right-wing pundits as a 2012 hopeful — to deliver a rebuttal to President Obama's State of the Union address is puzzling. His uninspiring remarks surely killed the Daniels fad, revived lately as Republicans fret over the unappetizing choices available in their primaries.

By shining the spotlight ...

Updated: Thu Jan 26, 2012

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Tax Day: Will Romney Make April Fools of Republicans for 01/19/2012

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Mitt Romney's latest flip-flop is almost complete. Having vowed a month ago not to release his federal income tax returns, the Republican presidential front-runner conceded during Saturday night's debate that he would "probably" release his returns, and then on Tuesday afternoon finally said he will do so — in April, long after he is likely to have secured his party's nomination ...

Updated: Thu Jan 19, 2012

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Bitter Primary Reveals the Real Romney for 01/12/2012

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

For Mitt Romney, Tuesday night's triumph in the New Hampshire primary offered a tempting opportunity to gloat. Such unattractive conduct is no longer surprising from the Republican front-runner, who is enduring the gradual disclosure of his personality.

The hot Romney video of the moment displays him telling the Nashua, N.H., Chamber of Commerce: "I like being able to fire people wh ...

Updated: Thu Jan 12, 2012

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Did Reagan Raise Taxes? Let GOP Candidates Answer for 01/05/2012

Thu, 05 Jan 2012 00:00:00 -0800

Politicians and their flacks lie every day, but it is unusual for someone prominent to utter a totally indefensible falsehood like the whopper that just sprang from the mouth of Eric Cantor's press secretary on national television.

While interviewing the House majority leader, "60 Minutes" correspondent Leslie Stahl suggested that he might consider compromise because even Ronal ...

Updated: Thu Jan 05, 2012

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Could Ron Paul Be the Next Ralph Nader? for 12/30/2011

Fri, 30 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Even as Barack Obama gradually climbs in national polls, more than a handful of the president's once-ardent admirers suddenly seem more attracted to Ron Paul.

Long disappointed by Obama's overly solicitous attitude toward banking, defense and national security interests — at the expense of economic justice and civil liberties — these disappointed critics find a satisfying ech ...

Updated: Fri Dec 30, 2011

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The Lethal Fantasies of Dear Old Ron Paul for 12/22/2011

Thu, 22 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

The latest evidence of simmering racial resentment on the American political fringe showed up Monday in a Facebook post by a California man who urged the assassination of the president and his two daughters in obscene, racist language. Aside from the Secret Service, there was little reason for most of us to pay attention to this sick boob — except that he was identified as a local politic ...

Updated: Thu Dec 22, 2011

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The Republican Closet That Won't Stay Closed for 12/16/2011

Fri, 16 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

If these are the last weeks of Rick Perry's ridiculous presidential campaign, his desperation is turning him into a nasty clown indeed. By publicly attacking the gays and lesbians who have chosen to serve their country in uniform, the Texas governor seems to have gained ground in Iowa. But at what cost did he win a few points that still leave him well below the top tier? His pollster and consul ...

Updated: Fri Dec 16, 2011

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Will Popular Reformer Cuomo's Plan Tax the 1 Percent? for 12/08/2011

Thu, 08 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Held aloft by the highest approval ratings of any governor in America, Andrew Cuomo scarcely seemed to worry about angering his state's progressives, who were disappointed by his refusal to extend a state surtax on New York's millionaires. But in what may come to be regarded as a watershed moment in his tenure, Cuomo now plans a sweeping tax reform that is expected to demand more, not less, fro ...

Updated: Thu Dec 08, 2011

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Trump? The Republican Primary Is Now Officially A Gong Show for 12/02/2011

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Marketing genius is perhaps the most appropriate way to describe Donald J. Trump's newest incarnation as the announced host — he can hardly be called a "moderator" — of a post-Christmas Republican debate sponsored by Newsmax, the conservative magazine. Why did several candidates, including potential victim Jon Huntsman, instantly agree to join this spectacle?

The pr ...

Updated: Fri Dec 02, 2011

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Unacceptable in Today's GOP? Realism and Compassion for 11/24/2011

Thu, 24 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Tasteless and questionable as it was for CNN to "co-sponsor" a Republican presidential debate with a pair of right-wing Washington think-tanks, at least the branding was accurate. There among the honored interlocutors were the authors of dismal failure and national disgrace in the Bush era, such as Paul Wolfowitz and David Addington, whose presence helpfully reminds us that to elect a ...

Updated: Thu Nov 24, 2011

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New 'Mature' Newt Is Just Same Old Gingrich for 11/17/2011

Thu, 17 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0800

Very few politicians have provided as much villainous entertainment over the years as Newt Gingrich, who now assures everyone that he has "matured" since his brief and tumultuous reign on Capitol Hill.

While the former speaker may at last have settled into a third marriage, there is no sign of improvement in his character. He is rising in current polls because Mitt Romney repe ...

Updated: Thu Nov 17, 2011

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Mindless -- But Always Talking Loud for 11/11/2011

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0800

At a time when nations that tax, spend, regulate and invest more consistently outstrip the United States in many measures of progress, leading Republicans speak only of smashing government and ending vital programs. In this constantly escalating rhetorical game, it became inevitable that one of them would eventually expose the emptiness of this vainglorious display. And it was unsurprising that ...

Updated: Fri Nov 11, 2011

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Bloomberg vs. Occupy Wall Street for 11/05/2011

Sat, 05 Nov 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Americans listen when Michael Bloomberg speaks, not only because he is the mayor of New York City, but because he is a self-made billionaire and a smart guy. People think Bloomberg knows a lot about business and investment, which he surely does. But he nevertheless sounds terribly misinformed sometimes, as he did the other day — when he complained that "Occupy Wall Street" is un ...

Updated: Sat Nov 05, 2011

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Speaking up for That '1 Percent' for 10/28/2011

Fri, 28 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Lauded by the Washington press corps for his "courage" and "honesty" in confronting federal deficits and the national debt, Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., wrote a budget that almost sank the Republican Party — and may still damage its prospects — because he proposed to dismantle Medicare. Yet his party still relies upon Ryan to speak on behalf of its most important cons ...

Updated: Fri Oct 28, 2011

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What Romney's Religion Reveals About His Politics for 10/22/2011

Sat, 22 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Recent expressions of political and religious prejudice against Mormons and the Church of Latter-Day Saints have offered Mitt Romney a chance to play the bullied underdog — and to explain, as he did with clarity and dignity during the Vegas debate, the meaning of the constitutional prohibition against any religious test for public office.

That won't discourage Baptist conservative ...

Updated: Sat Oct 22, 2011

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The Tax Hikes That Republicans Love for 10/15/2011

Sat, 15 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0700

From the tea parties to the corporate boardrooms to the presidential debate platforms, we hear a familiar droning whine about taxes — except the angry message is no longer simply that taxes are too high. Today, conservative politicians and pundits complain instead that some people, namely those too poor to owe federal income taxes, aren't paying enough. So what if those people can scarcel ...

Updated: Sat Oct 15, 2011

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How (and Why) to Co-opt Those Cops on Wall Street for 10/06/2011

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0700

The young (and not-so-young) protesters who came to Occupy Wall Street — and have stayed despite mass arrests — deserve thanks from the "99 percent" of Americans they claim to represent.

Without articulating a clear set of demands, they have nevertheless voiced the frustration felt by millions of ordinary people who have lost homes, jobs, income and security in the ...

Updated: Thu Oct 06, 2011

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Preserving Life (Except the Uninsured) for 09/16/2011

Fri, 16 Sep 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Watching the Republican presidential candidates and their agitated tea party supporters at the CNN/Tea Party debate, an ordinary citizen might feel confused. Those people sound angry, but exactly what do they believe our government should (and shouldn't) do on behalf of its citizens?

Ensuring affordable health care for everyone seemed to be on the forbidden list, even for Mitt Romney, w ...

Updated: Fri Sep 16, 2011

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