Category Archives: Political Animals

84 Percent Disapprove of Congress

Posted on August 16, 2011 | Comments Off on 84 Percent Disapprove of Congress

That’s an all-time high.

What are the other 16 percent thinking?

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Posted in Political Animals

Know Your Audience

Posted on August 9, 2011 | Comments Off on Know Your Audience

Jon Huntsman is running for president as a Republican. Speaking to a tea party group on Sunday, he talked up his conservative credentials.

This bold stance garnered national headlines.

Wouldn’t it be more newsworthy if a professional vote-scrounger like Huntsman told an audience something they didn’t want to hear?

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Posted in Elections, Political Animals

This Is My Congressman

Posted on July 28, 2011 | Comments Off on This Is My Congressman

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Posted in Political Animals

Democracy in Action

Posted on July 18, 2011 | Comments Off on Democracy in Action

Politico:

A new Massachusetts Institute of Technology study found that so-called “low-information voters” — those who watch a lot of TV but who aren’t up-to-date on policy issues — are most likely vote for a candidate based on looks alone.

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Posted in Elections, Political Animals

Bad Negotiating Tactics

Posted on July 14, 2011 | Comments Off on Bad Negotiating Tactics

As debt-limit talks heat up, President Obama told Rep. Eric Cantor, “Don’t call my bluff.”

This implies that he was bluffing.

If the President wants to win the negotiations, he would be better off keeping that information to himself.

 

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Posted in Argumentation, Political Animals, Spending

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Regulation of the Day 171: Cream Puffs

Posted on May 5, 2011 | Comments Off on Regulation of the Day 171: Cream Puffs

A new bill in the Wisconsin legislature would make the cream puff the state’s official dessert. An influential lobbying group consisting of fourth-graders from Mukwonago used Facebook and other media to pressure Sen. Mary Lazich into introducing the bill.

Despite support from the powerful Wisconsin Bakers Association, the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel points that the cream puff bill’s success is not guaranteed. Previous attempts “to make Harley-Davidson the official state motorcycle and to recognize the microbe that turns milk into cheese failed to pass.”

This blog will be paying very close attention to the heated legislative battle in Madison to give the delicious cream puff its due. After all, the time that legislators spend on this is time they aren’t spending passing more harmful legislation.

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Posted in General Foolishness, Political Animals, Regulation of the Day

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They Just Won’t Stop

Posted on April 29, 2011 | Comments Off on They Just Won’t Stop

The Hill: “GOP bill would require birth certificates from presidential candidates”

Because otherwise voters might elect a President who was never even born.

Yeesh.

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Posted in Political Animals, The Partisan Mind

Polls Are Useful

Posted on April 26, 2011 | Comments Off on Polls Are Useful

A USA Today/Gallup poll finds that:

[O]nly 38% of Americans say Obama definitely was born in the USA, and 18% say he probably was. Fifteen percent say he probably was born in another country, and 9% say he definitely was born elsewhere.

Republicans are inclined to say the president was born abroad by 43%-35%.

What makes this poll useful? As Oscar Wilde once explained, “By giving us the opinions of the uneducated, it keeps us in touch with the ignorance of the community.”

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Posted in Pith, Political Animals

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Legislating the Way to Prosperity

Posted on March 14, 2011 | Comments Off on Legislating the Way to Prosperity

Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. has a novel idea for ending poverty: make it illegal. He explains in this short video of a speech he gave on the House floor:

The Constitution should be amended to guarantee everyone the right to a decent home. That way, everyone will get one. In a speech he gave on the House floor, he asks, “What would that do for home construction in this nation? What would that do for millions of unemployed people?”

The Constitution should also be amended to guarantee the right to decent health care. Jackson implores, “How many doctors would such a right create?”

Education needs an amendment, too. “How many schools would such a right build, from Maine to California?” Jackson goes on to wonder how many jobs would be created by giving every student and iPod and a laptop.

If ending poverty really is as simple as passing a few laws, then Jackson isn’t going nearly far enough. If we want a truly prosperous nation, then the Constitution should guarantee everyone not just a decent home, but a mansion filled with servants to take care of every need.

Everyone should have the right to not just a doctor’s visit every 6 months, but a cadre of specialists with access to the latest technologies and tests. This would be a boon for life expectancy.

And why only an iPod and a laptop for children? They deserve supercomputers! They should have the right  to a Ph.D from Harvard in the field of their choice. Such a law would guarantee that America’s population  will be the most educated in the world. And it won’t even be close.

If legislation really is the only thing keeping every American from enjoying Bill Gates’ lifestyle, then Jackson is being far too moderate. Don’t just legislate a decent lifestyle. That doesn’t go nearly far enough. Congress should pass a law that guarantees an above-average lifestyle for all Americans.

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Posted in Economics, General Foolishness, Law, Political Animals

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$6 Billion More in Cuts

Posted on March 11, 2011 | 1 comment

On Tuesday, the House will probably vote on a Continuing Resolution to avoid a government shutdown. Republicans are asking for $6 billion in spending cuts as part of the package. If they succeed, this year’s budget deficit will go from about $1.6 trillion to $1.594 trillion.

Never let it be said that congressional Republicans don’t think big!

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Posted in Economics, Political Animals, Spending