One pragmatist's perspective
[Note: this diary was inspired by an insightful comment by kat68.]I started visiting Daily Kos sometime in 2003 or 2004, in the depths of the Bush era. Having grown up in a conservative area, it was a...
View ArticleRevolution is a terrible idea.
We all agree that Tea Party revolutionaries are nuts. Their political beliefs are insane, and it is easy to mock their bunker, militia, paranoid mentality (though that mockery comes with a hint of fear...
View ArticleReality check: voting matters
I'll get straight to the point: I've seen several examples here lately of people explicitly advocating that we not vote in contested elections unless there is a progressive champion such as Elizabeth...
View ArticleThe real silent majority
There is a narrative here that the U.S. electorate contains a silent progressive majority which is disappointed with President Obama. In this narrative, the reason Obama's approval ratings are down and...
View ArticleWaPo: Bergdahl may have been sick
The Washington Post published an article today based on private writings of Bergdahl. Normally I would think twice about posting something like this (his family has suffered enough), but these...
View ArticleCorrelation, causation, and religion
"I think that most Christians are better people than most atheists. But you're an exception." Hearing this from one of my high school teachers didn't bother me too much at the time. As a non-religious...
View ArticleForget the Logan Act. It's the war.
In the wake of the GOP's 47-fools letter to Iran, there have been calls here to prosecute the offending Senators under the Logan Act, which forbids non-executive interference with U.S. foreign policy....
View Article50,000 lives.
The Affordable Care Act is certainly not perfect legislation. Many of us would love to have seen a public option at the least, or something stronger. A large subset of us (myself included) would prefer...
View ArticleHours after crash, House Republicans slash Amtrak budget
Less than 24 hours after the Amtrak derailment in Philadelphia that has killed at least 7 and injured dozens more, the House Appropriations committee voted (see 12:34 PM update) against a $1.1 billion...
View ArticleForeign policy (and 2016)
I'm about to do something I generally loathe: divide opinions on an issue (in this case foreign policy) into several types and categorize certain politicians by type. So I'll state at the outset that...
View ArticleA case for Hillary
By most objective measures, my preferred policies are slightly closer to those of Bernie Sanders than those of Hillary Clinton. I favor a financial transaction tax, much higher income tax rates on...
View ArticleThe Supreme Court matters, now more than ever
4-5. 4-5. 4-5. 4-5. 4-5. 5-4. 5-4. 5-3. 6-3.No, these aren't sports scores. These are the Supreme Court votes, good guys listed first, in nine critical cases of the Roberts Court. Every one of these...
View ArticleBLM conspiracy theories: knock it off.
So a few protesters affiliated with the Black Lives Matter movement prevented Bernie Sanders from speaking today in Seattle. I can't think of a single event more likely to start a massive online pie...
View ArticleThe Iran nuclear agreement: more urgent than the primary.
We spend an awful lot of time and energy here fighting over the primary. Not all of this time is wasted, as the choice of standard-bearer is an important choice for the Democratic Party to make. But we...
View ArticleConstructive criticism and the 11th commandment.
Reagan's famous 11th commandment for primary campaigns reads "Thou shalt not speak ill of a fellow Republican." For the most part, our Democratic candidates seem to be following this rule. Neither...
View ArticleLook them in the eye.
Over the last few years, I’ve had the good fortune to meet a number of extraordinary young(er) people. Several of them have been Muslim. And I have been incredibly impressed by these young Muslims: by...
View ArticleToday's Nevada convention results reflect will of caucus voters
There’s been a lot of sturm und drang today over the allocation of delegates in Nevada. The final result is Clinton 20, Sanders 15:xFinal delegate count shows 20-15, Hillary, as projected after caucus....
View ArticleFirst major anti-Trump ad from Priorities USA - and it's brilliant.
We’ve been waiting a while for the first truly sustained anti-Trump advertising from the Democratic side. As of this Wednesday, we will not be waiting any longer. Here’s the first big salvo in the...
View ArticleSanders' choice.
Right now, Bernie Sanders has to make a choice with extraordinarily serious implications for our country’s future.He can navigate the end of the campaign with grace. To take this route, he can continue...
View ArticleIt's your vote.
Lately, there’s been a lot of advice given to Clinton supporters about how to win over Sanders supporters for the general election. And much of it is very good advice. Don’t be a sore winner. Don’t...
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