View image | gettyimages.com Remember when Republicans were over the moon for Chris Christie? There was a period when YouTube videos of him shouting down some uppity teacher or other constituent were gleefully forwarded from conservative to conservative; here was a guy who knew how to put liberals in their place! He was a tough-talking […]
Blog: Paul Waldman
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
How Rand Paul Is Losing His Distinctiveness
View image | gettyimages.com As the 2016 presidential race has swung into motion in the last couple of months, we’ve heard a lot about Jeb Bush, and Scott Walker, and even Ted Cruz. But there hasn’t been a lot of news about Rand Paul, whom many people considered the most interesting candidate in the race. […]
Posted inBooks, Arts and Culture
Photo of the Day, Everybody Needs a Hobby Edition
View image | gettyimages.com This is Volker Kraft of Saalfeld, German, with the apple tree he and his wife have decorated with 10,000 Easter eggs. It’s his thing, I guess. You may think this is silly, but what’s your thing? Forwarding stupid Vines to your stupid friends? If you bring as much pleasure into the […]
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Jeb Bush and the Two Types of Electability Arguments
View image | gettyimages.com Not that it matters much now, with all the fascinating campaigning still to come, but I still think that Jeb Bush is the most likely Republican nominee, for reasons I outlined here. Josh Kraushaar of the National Journal, however, says that one of the cornerstones of Jeb’s appeal to Republican primary […]
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Judging Candidates By Their Fake Musical Tastes
This is how you do it right. (White House photo by Pete Souza) The first rule an aspiring writer learns in any fiction workshop is, “Don’t tell me, show me.” You can’t create compelling characters just by saying, “Bob was mean” or “Alice was generous.” You have to show it, through the the things those […]
Posted inAmerica and the World
Photo of the Day, Dogs of War Edition
View image | gettyimages.com That’s Books, a bomb-sniffer dog, enjoying some snuggle time with his Marine buddy in Helmand province, Afghanistan.
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
They’re All Steve Forbes Now
View image | gettyimages.com In his speech announcing his presidential campaign yesterday, Ted Cruz repeated his advocacy for “a simple flat tax that allows every American to fill out his or her taxes on a postcard.” While a flat tax hasn’t gotten a lot of attention lately, in recent years it’s become something most Republicans […]
Posted inCivil Rights in America
Photo of the Day, Tiny Adorable Scientists Edition
View image | gettyimages.com President Obama meets with some six-year-old Girl Scouts who participated in the White House science fair. They designed an electric page-turner to help people who are paralyzed or have arthritis to read. Also they’re adorable, though in and of itself that isn’t enough to get you invited to the White House. […]
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Ted Cruz Is the Fightin’-est Presidential Candidate
View image | gettyimages.com If you woke up this morning feeling as though America might be on the cusp of a new birth of freedom, it wasn’t your imagination. It was because Ted Cruz has formally announced his campaign for president. Although Ted Cruz will not, in fact, become president, he’s still an interesting character […]
Posted inAmerica and the World
The Liberal Zionist’s Lament
Flickr/IDF In the wake of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s election victory last week-and the sordid campaigning that made it possible-liberal American Jews may be feeling, more than they ever have before, pained by, conflicted about, and even estranged from Israel. There are certainly consequences for policy, as U.S. policy toward Israel could become a much […]
