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- "I am not suggesting, of course, that the president incite a war to get reelected," writes David Broder. Well, that would be mighty irresponsible, wouldn't it? Next sentence: "But the nation will rally around Obama because Iran is the greatest threat to the world in the young century." Greatest threat. Sounds like a job for Team America, no? And this is all in the context of an argument that wartime spending boosts the economy. But Broder is too enamored of blood-soaked nationalism to recognize that public spending can boost demand, irrespective of whether that spending is on bombs or bridges.
- Of the 17 impressions Joshua Green (reluctantly) had while attending the Stewart/Colbert rally, this one stood out to me: "Never heard the word 'vote' uttered once." Sums it up for me. Politics isn't about "restoring sanity" or reaching across the aisle; it's about winning votes, winning elections, passing legislation, and repeating the cycle over and over. It's a cynical game, it's an ugly game. And it's the only game in town. Believe me, I'd love to live in a world where people made rational decisions based on self- and group-interest, but we don't live in that world. So get out and vote, dammit.
- Kevin Drum highlights a chart from the latest Social Security Trustee's Report that shows the long-term gap between income and payout is less than 2 percent of GDP. Drum posted the chart "apropos of nothing in particular," but I have a reason to talk about it. It's a reminder that talk about Social Security's insolubility isn't predicated on a principled desire to rein in out-of-control government spending; it's predicated on a desire to eliminate all forms of social insurance, regardless if they work well or not. It deeply offends some people that we pay taxes toward the idea that the elderly might have a minimum standard of decent living in their twilight years.
- Weekend Remainders: What Adam said regarding the legitimization of media thug Andrew Breitbart; take a moment to contemplate that Fred Barnes is paid money to give his opinion on things; "Welcome to the Unity 2008 of the next election cycle"; loathsome Republican who will lose big tomorrow nevertheless feels compelled to mislead voters; Brendan Nyhan's post-election night spin bingo game would be fun if it weren't so depressing; and the vacuity of Evan Bayh.
-- Mori Dinauer
