I’m sorry, son, but XK-421 went to go live on a farm upstate. (Flickr/Ian Kennedy) This may be my favorite story of the week. You might remember Aibo, a robot dog that Sony introduced in 1999. It was one of those things that seems most interesting as a preview of what technology will eventually become, […]
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Posted inBooks, Arts and Culture
The Poison in Which Conservatives Marinate
Flickr/Gage Skidmore If you look at poll results saying that most Republicans think Barack Obama is a Kenyan Muslim enacting a secret plan to destroy America and think, “What the hell is wrong with these people?”, you have to understand that it gets reinforced day after day after day by media sources they believe to […]
Posted inAmerica and the World
Republicans Return To Tax Cut Fantasyland
You see, Sean, when a billionaire takes a crap in a solid gold toilet, that creates economic rainbow sparkles that shower down on the working poor. It’s good for everybody. (Flickr/Gage Skidmore) One surprising thing about the campaign Mitt Romney ran in 2012 was that cutting taxes, a theme you might have expected from someone […]
Posted inPaul Waldman
Photo of the Day, Back From the Heavens Edition
A Soyuz spacecraft carrying American astronaut Barry Wilmore and Russian cosmonauts Alexander Samokutyaev and Elena Serova back to earth after six months aboard the International Space Station (NASA/Bill Ingalls)
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Hillary Clinton and the Faith of Republicans
View image | gettyimages.com When it comes to Hillary Clinton, Republicans have faith. They don’t think they’re going to have to rely on some kind of clever messaging in order to undo her presidential candidacy; all that will be necessary is to uncover the truth. This faith springs from the belief, which they hold as […]
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Time For Everyone to Dial It Back On the Iran Letter
I don’t remember the last time a letter from a bunch of senators generated as much news as the one Senator Tom Cotton and 46 other Republicans sent on Monday to the government of Iran. It’s quite a coup for Cotton himself, and something of a black eye for the Republicans, given that it has […]
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Photo of the Day, Old-Timey Washington Edition
District of Columbia Public Library Commons This photo is from the White House Easter Egg Roll, circa 1905. It was apparently taken not long after passage of the All Americans Must Wear Hats Act, a controversial piece of legislation that President Theodore Roosevelt signed despite not being much of a hat-wearer himself. It was repealed […]
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Don’t Worry About Jeb Bush — He’ll Be Fine
View image | gettyimages.com A lot of the news around Jeb Bush of late has concerned his potential hurdles and the skepticism he supposedly inspires among the Republican base. So we get articles with titles like “In Iowa, Jeb Bush Risks Support With Unpopular Stances” and “NBC News Poll: Republicans Are Divided Over Jeb Bush […]
Posted inBooks, Arts and Culture
The Absurdity of Asking Whether Hillary Clinton Can ‘Satisfy Her Critics’
If you watched or read the coverage of Hillary Clinton’s press conference yesterday, there’s a phrase you heard, in one variation or another, over and over. “Clinton’s email explanation won’t placate critics,” said the AP. “Her defense…is unlikely to satisfy her critics or stop the questions,” said The Washington Post. Democrats, said National Journal, “worry […]
Posted inMoney, Politics, and Power
Photo of the Day, Damage Control Edition
View image | gettyimages.com Hillary Clinton, answering a few questions from reporters about her emails today. Unfortunately, no one shouted “What about your gaffes?”
