You’re Doin’ A Heck of A Job There, Mr. Bush!

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On the eve of the DE Republican Convention, we should note that it turns out that 7 years of the Worst.President.Ever. has the amazing side benefit of creating new, young Democratic voters. A new poll from Pew shows that the previous CW about Dems having a slight advantage among younger voters (18-29 year olds) may be shifting considerably. Younger voters ID themselves as Dems by a 58-33 margin (25 points), while in 2004 the margin was 51-40 (11 points).

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And it looks as though the last time there was such a big spread in young voter identification was when Nixon was President.

Did you know….

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I hate correcting my own kind, but when I read delaware's not hottest blogger pose this question How is this different from Iran saying that they want to wipe Israel…

The Same River Twice

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Friday night’s interview by Bill Moyers of the Reverend Jeremiah Wright was another of those signature conversations that Moyers is rightfully so famous for. While Moyers is a skilled and erudite interviewer across a wide range of topics, he really seems at his best when discussing religion and theology. (If you haven’t seen Moyers interviewing Salman Rushdie on the lessons learned on the intersection of faith and politics after 9/11, do yourself a favor. This is one towering conversation.) And the Moyers and Wright conversation was no less riveting.

Wright discussed a wide range of topics – history, hermeneutics, exegesis, the blues, and gospel music among others and the long-form format of the interview let Wright reveal his commitment to the main lesson of the New Testament in a way that that the right-wing telepreachers never do. (And are never required to do.) It also let Wright place himself in a long line of fiairly traditional African American pastors whose churches provide not just a place for spiritual sustenance and growth, but also a place of mutual acceptance as well as emotional and material support. Moyers played the sound bites used to demonize Wright and to try to damage Obama in their context – not just getting in the complete rhetorical thought, but also reminding viewers that this was part of a sermon, a lesson based on or derived from specific scripture (Deuteronomy and Psalms for the curious).

Gen-Irrational Gap

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My family, like many families, has split along generational lines during this primary season. My brother and I support Obama. Mom and Dad are in Hillary's camp. However, to be…

The NYT Calls Out Obama, Hillary and McCain

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On taxes, no less. On the editorial page.

One of the toughest questions that will face the next president is what to do about taxes. There can be no real progress on health care, rebuilding the military or any other major issue without dealing with rising budget deficits and mounting debt from nearly eight years of profligate spending and tax breaks for the wealthy.

And that is why it has been so distressing to see all three of the presidential hopefuls pretend they can make good on their promises without broadly raising taxes.

My interests in much better fiscal accountability by both government and politicians seems to often make me something of a minority in my Progressive community. For me, this is less about keeping your house in order (although that is a requirement) than it is about honesty. People who will lie to and try to bamboozle you about the status of your money are simply going to be toxic to you. Can you imagine your bank or brokerage providing an accounting of your funds that is a fantasy?