WASHINGTON POST NEEDS A HISTORY LESSON. The Washington Post story on New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg‘s potential presidential ambitions contains a bizarrely inaccurate assertion: “His money — and a post-Sept. 11 desire for a steady hand — helped elect Bloomberg mayor in 2001.” I have never seen a shred of evidence, nor does the article’s […]
Ben Adler
Ben Adler is a senior editor at City & State NY. He previously worked for Politico, The Nation, and Reuters, and he has written for The Washington Post and The New Republic, among other publications.
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ANTI-AIPAC JEWS?:
ANTI-AIPAC JEWS?: I like Dana‘s post analogizing the fact that AIPAC doesn’t represent the views of American Jews on Iran to how Bill Donahue’s Catholic League is far to the right of most American Catholics on social issues. However, I take mild issue with the idea also expressed by Ezra that AIPAC, or its views […]
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Procuring Failure
The president’s budget proposal for this year increases the Department of Defense allocation from $410.8 billion to $439.3 billion — a nearly seven percent increase.* Among the many things that might be said about that spike in funding, one is especially clear: it stands as yet one more symbol of Donald Rumsfeld’s failure as defense […]
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BLOOMBERG’S CANDIDACY:
BLOOMBERG’S CANDIDACY: Following up on Garance‘s post from yesterday regarding New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg‘s staunch support of gun control and the unpopularity it has earned him south of the Mason-Dixon line, there’s an important caveat worth raising. Though Bloomberg is a Republican, all the speculation on his potential presidential campaign has him running as […]
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WHERE HEALTH FUNDING MEETS DISABILITY RIGHTS:
WHERE HEALTH FUNDING MEETS DISABILITY RIGHTS: I was a little torn about the case of Ashley, the nine year old in Seattle who has a debilitating condition that stopped her brain development at the age of three months and leaves her mostly paralyzed. Her parents and doctors have subjected her to surgeries over the years, […]
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TRANSIT FUNDING RULES:
TRANSIT FUNDING RULES: Brad Plumer has an enlightening addition to my recent argument on this website for a shift in federal transit funding from highways to mass transit. He writes, Under federal rules, transit projects have to undergo far more scrutiny. Before Congress hands out money for transit, they demand a cost-benefit analysis of the […]
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NEOLIBERALISM VANQUISHED:
NEOLIBERALISM VANQUISHED: When David Brooks sticks to territory he knows, like elite political journalism, rather than, say, the nuances of how yuppies dress their babies, he makes a lot more sense. Case in point: his column today on “The Vanishing Neoliberal.” His basic history is essentially correct. He says: Neoliberals coalesced around two small magazines, […]
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GIULIANI’S HOMETOWN:
GIULIANI’S HOMETOWN: Mark notes in his post on the varied hometowns of the presidential contenders this year that Giuliani is “certainly an only-in-New-York character.” Well, yes if you mean the New York region, but no if you mean New York City. Giuliani actually moved out to Long Island as a kid, and I think that […]
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THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF SMART URBAN PLANNING:
THE HEALTH EFFECTS OF SMART URBAN PLANNING: The Center for the Advancement of Health recently announced the results of a study of walking patterns. It found, “People are more likely to go for a walk in areas with four-way intersections and a large number of shops and businesses as possible destinations.” The study is published […]
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THE RIGHT REARS ITS UGLY HEAD:
THE RIGHT REARS ITS UGLY HEAD: All you need to know about the right wing base is summed up by their adoration for Ann Coulter. Last year at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) they were handing out giant posters that featured Coulter with a come-hither look. This year there was a massive line at […]