View image | gettyimages.com New York Times media columnist David Carr, speaking at an event yesterday. He died later that evening after collapsing in the Times newsroom.
Blog: Paul Waldman
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
It’s Going to Be Hard to Convince Voters of Republicans’ Compassion On the Economy
In recent months, Republicans have been searching for ways to talk about the economy that go beyond their traditional supply-side focus on growth, which says that if we do a few key things (cut taxes, reduce regulations), the economy will grow and everyone will benefit. Since the conversation about economics has shifted to things like […]
Posted inBooks, Arts and Culture
Friday Linguistic Digression
Flickr/debaird Since it’s Friday, we’ll begin the day with a non-political digression on language. I’ve been meaning to put together my thoughts on this story that came out a couple of weeks ago from Britt Peterson of the Boston Globe on the “quotative like,” the now-common use in which the word “like” indicates someone saying […]
Posted inBooks, Arts and Culture
Photo of the Day, Canine Absurdity Edition
View image | gettyimages.com One of the competitors at next week’s Westminster Kennel Club show meets the paparrazi. His (her?) name is Ugo, which is a pretty cool name, even if that’s just ridiculous hair for any animal to have. But here’s a tip: If you’re a dog person and you haven’t been to a […]
Posted inAmerica and the World
The War Authorization Farce
View image | gettyimages.com Every parent has had this experience: You catch your kids doing something problematic. They say, “Is it OK if I do this?” You reply, “How can you ask me permission? You’re already doing it.” They respond, “Yeah, but is it OK?” That’s kind of what Barack Obama did yesterday, by sending […]
Posted inPaul Waldman
Photo of the Day, Robot Pod Edition
View image | gettyimages.com The British government announced today that it will be allowing driverless vehicles in some limited pedestrian areas. The cute little number above is the Lutz, which will take British pensioners on a wondrous journey to the Soylent Green factory for their final processing.
Posted inBooks, Arts and Culture
On Swashbuckling, Tall Tale-Telling News Anchors
My column in The Week today is (probably) the last thing I’ll have to say about Brian Williams, in which I ask whether the whole problem stemmed from his apparent need to get out in the field where the action was, which really isn’t something we need from a network news anchor: But even when […]
Posted inBooks, Arts and Culture
Charts of the Day, Decline of Network News Edition
Now that Brian Williams has been suspended by NBC for six months-and I’d be really surprised if he gets his job back at the end of that-my younger readers might be wondering why this is a big deal. After all, isn’t he just some guy who reads the news to your grandparents in between ads […]
Posted inPaul Waldman
Photo of the Day, Snowbound Edition
View image | gettyimages.com A woman digs out her car in Cambridge, MA. It should be obvious by now that Höðr, the Norse god of winter, is angry with the Northeast and will not release its puny denizens from his grip until they give unto him a glorious offering, preferably some kind of companion hewn […]
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
On Obama’s ‘Evolution’ on Same-Sex Marriage
View image | gettyimages.com In Obama adviser David Axelrod’s new book, he reveals that in 2008 the future president did indeed believe in marriage equality, but he was persuaded by Axelrod and others that it would be too risky to say publicly. So he took the standard Democratic position at the time, in favor of […]
