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- Jeffrey Toobin "commemorates" the 10th anniversary of Bush v. Gore, pointing out the obvious shallowness of "strict constructionism" and "states' rights" when narrow partisan politics gets in the way. There isn't much point in pondering the what-ifs of this horrible court decision, or whether the John Paul Stevens of 2010 would have thought a little harder about his vote in 2000, just to observe what the decision enabled, the consequences of which we're still paying for and will be paying for for some time.
- Chris Christie, all style, zero substance: "Almost everywhere Christie goes, he is filmed by an aide whose job is to capture these 'moments,' as the governor’s staff has come to call them. When one occurs, Christie’s press shop splices the video and uploads it to YouTube; from there, conservatives throughout the country share Christie clips the way tween girls circulate Justin Bieber videos. 'The YouTube stuff is golden,' says Rich Lowry, the editor of National Review. 'I can’t tell you how many people forward them to me.'"
- Subscribing to political "centrism" begins with an incredibly narcissistic premise: "Why isn't there a political movement/party that represents me?" Is it any wonder then that pundits who indulge in incessant yearning for a return to moderation can't help but carry over this undemocratic utopian fantasy to their columns? Unfortunately, as long as there are people out there willing to take the bold step of eschewing political labels, there's always going to be a market for high Broderism.
- Holiday Remainders: Susan Collins is undoubtedly one of the most independently minded senators in our great nation; although Obama is leading the pack today in superficial "austerity" gestures, Republicans are the true masters of that game; and it's almost as if Fox News hears a story they like and run with it, without bothering to verify whether it even makes sense.
--Mori Dinauer
