Fox News and MSNBC have something very important in common: people aren’t listening to a word they say. Voter trust in the media is reaching new lows, with only 26% of Republicans saying that they trust the media a “great deal” or a “fair amount.” 60% of Americans say they trust the mass media “not very much”…
Category: Blogs
The fiscal cliff: a Republican voter’s view
It should be obvious to anyone who follows the news even cursorily that the biggest issue in Washington right now is the matter of the upcoming “fiscal cliff.” If this seems like an overly dramatic expression, it’s because the issue itself is extraordinarily dramatic and, if allowed to transpire, threatens to unleash a host of…
In defense of a general
The swirling controversy surrounding the resignation of the director of the CIA, former four-star general David Petraeus, because of an extramarital affair is extremely perturbing. Surprisingly, the affair is perhaps the least bothersome piece of information about the whole situation. This is in no way to diminish the significance of General Petraeus’s actions; he made…
To vote or not to vote?
In 2004, 60.4% of eligible voters cast their vote at the polls, as compared to 54.2% in 2000. In 2008, that number rose yet again, with 62.3% voting. However, in this election of 2012, America followed up its two steps forward with a step backward: only 57.5% voted. While voter turnout wasn’t as bad in 2012 as…
Ragnarok for Republicans
The 2012 campaign was supposed to be a nail-biter. Republicans were convinced they had an incumbent in the White House who was vulnerable, both because of the weak economy and because of deep-seated divisions among the electorate. The strategy was an old one for Republicans: find some kind of wedge to break the electorate in…
Soldiers of fortune and misfortune
The GI Bill provides a valuable service to those who have provided an invaluable service to America. After World War I, veterans returned home to a bleak outlook: the Great Depression was taking root and the benefits promised to them by the government weren’t being given out. Veterans were living on the streets that they…
Stamping out hunger
It’s the Dream to move to America, pull oneself up by the bootstraps through hard work and dedication, and eventually get to an ultimate, desired destination. It’s the Dream to provide for a family, have a safe and comfortable home, and to be considered one of the people. When people are in desperate situations and…
The vision thing
Election day is fast approaching. By this time next week Barack Obama will have been elected to a second term or Mitt Romney will have been elected the 45th President of the United States. Presidential elections are a quadrennial ritual in this country and at times they can seem tiresome, trite, or even downright toxic;…
The road less travelled by
With the fourth and final debate of the 2012 election cycle concluded, both Mitt Romney and Barack Obama have entered the final sprint of the campaign. The debate on Monday was, ostensibly, to be a showdown, a battle between two competing visions of America’s role in the modern global community. During the Republican primary and…
The rise of Scottish independence
These are perilous times for national constitutions in the European Union. The present political order is slowly moving in a direction characterized by potent separatism that threatens to break up several states, some of them longstanding players on the international scene. If the devolved government of Scotland gets its way in a referendum planned for…