Rights and Democracy
The Biggest Losers: Big Bird and the American People
Who won the first 2012 presidential debate between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama? If you ask the Twitterverse, Big Bird nailed an easy victory.
The Roots of Voter Suppression
When I hear conservatives like Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant, Alabama State Senator Scott Beason, and Pennsylvania House Majority Leader Representative Mike Turzai try to rationalize their bid to disenfranchise minority, elderly, and student voters, I pivot quickly to memories of the terror I witnessed in the early 1960s.
A New American Dream
This election season, both Republicans and Democrats are repeatedly reassuring us that our country is the best. In many ways, America surely is. But it’s important to be honest with ourselves.
America’s Rocky Road Away from Homophobia
It’s been one year since Congress officially repealed the archaic “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy. A new wave of LGBT cadets is entering training academies without the burden of silence — well, almost. While the military has made progress toward freeing men and women in uniform from the closet, members of the armed forces who identify as transgender were left entirely out of the equation.
Romney’s Losing Bid to Win the Latino Vote
It’s hypocritical for Romney to blame the DREAM Act’s failure on Obama when Romney himself has vowed to veto it. No wonder National Public Radio noted a “polite if tepid” applause from the Chamber’s members during the Republican nominee’s speech.
A Memo to Mitt and Ann
I feel sorry for Mitt Romney. By now, he has offended just about every American group, except billionaires, morons, and robots. To stand a chance on Election Day, he must get his act together right now. Pundits and experts can argue over whether Mitt’s problem is biological, moral, or electrical. I think he just needs some pointers. In that spirit, I’ve developed this handy manual of do’s and don’ts for the Republican presidential nominee — plus some tips for his wife.
The Price of Admission
Gosh, I feel so much safer now that teenage ticket takers at the Regal chain of movie theaters have been directed by corporate chieftains to search the purses of their female customers.
The One Percent Supreme Court: A Conversation with the Nation’s Katrina vanden Heuvel
Martha Burk interviews Katrina vanden Heuvel, editor of The Nation magazine and a Washington Post columnist. They talked about the poisoning of politics by the Citizens United Supreme Court decision, and what can be done about it.
Baseball Escapism
Seated in the upper deck at San Francisco’s AT&T Park, during a Giants-Rockies game, you wouldn’t know millions of Americans are underwater and unemployed, or that the 2012 elections were less than two months away. The large man seated next to me cups his hand over his mouth to scream, “Colorado, you suck” and other such sagacious slogans as the game creeps on, and the sun sets over San Francisco Bay.
The Latest Battle in the War on Voting
The Republican Party claims to be the party of small government — with the obvious exceptions of denying marriage equality and reproductive rights. But there is another kind of big government that the party has overwhelmingly, enthusiastically gotten behind: expensive and intrusive attempts to make it harder for Americans to vote.
