Democrats & Liberals

January Jobs Report Decent, December and November Also Revised Upward

Employment rose by 243,000 in January, and the unemployment rate decreased to 8.3 percent. There were 257,000 jobs added in the private sector. This is the fifth straight month of decent growth in the private sector for an average of 202,000 per month.

Hope Has Been More Than a Word

How droll, Mr. Romney. How utterly clever. Except for one problem: if your policies are anything like the previous Republican President's, and they're shaping up to be little different, then hope will ironically be all YOU offer, even as Obama has gone out and done actual things to get people jobs, to get people off unemployment.

The B Word

Sometimes, something is so obvious, so taken for granted as part of the landscape, that we don't even notice we're overlooking it. Like Poe's purloined letter, a glaring fact dominates the political landscape of this upcoming election, yet no one has even mentioned it.
The B word.
By B, I mean the Boogey Man, the most recent Republican president, George Bush.
Whoa! Did a dark shadow just swoop in front of the moon? It seems to happen everytime I mention George Bush. Anyway, this shadow continues to cast its darkness upon the political landscape, but we've lived so long in its gloom, we no longer bring it up. Republicans will not mention him. Absolutely, positively not. No one seeks his endorsement. No one expects to see him on the campaign trail. This B word causes an aggrieved reaction, as if the B word was some kind of uncalled-for low blow; an actual physical appearance by the Boogey Man would result in a conservative spontaneous human combustion. And that radical avoidance tells us something very very important:

Both Democrats and Republicans continue to hold Bush responsible for the current state of the country.

And that tells us something else very important:

Me to Allen West: I'm Staying Put, Mister.

Really. Some people think they can have this country all to themselves. They wrap themselves in the flag and think, my, aren't we so good and virtuous that we can tell the rest of those barbarians what to do. Well my country's democracy, it's republic is built on taking a pin to that particular egotistical balloon of an idea. You don't like having to deal with us? Sorry, there's nothing you can do about it, and I can't be happier!

A Vision of the Future in the Dream of the 90's

What if Gore had won? What if Bush had never been President? A comedy show called "Portlandia" skewers Portland, Oregon as just such an alternate universe, the dream of the 90's. People earnestly pursue self-actualization while maintaining a sense of irony, resulting in an odd mix of both kindness and weirdness. The humor targets Portlanders for their PC correctness, penchant for bicycles, shopping local, and green attitudes run amok, and as you can guess, Portland is a target rich environment for comedians. Yet there is a more serious side to Portlandia. Does this magnet for youth offer a new vision for the country? Other cities and regions have taken their turns in the cultural spotlight in the past; does this dream of the 90's, this lampooned vision, actually offer a better way? A sneak peek into our future?
But first, a link to the short Portlandia video:

The Benefits of Space Exploration

It may be the best possible investment the United States could make: a colony on the moon.

Newt Gingrich proposed founding a colony within eight years, and received scorn from both liberals and Romney. Does Newt deserve it? What are some of the results of space exploration to date?

What About The Animals?

Anyone want to take a break from talking about the GOP Primary to talk about animal rights?

Solid South Carolina Win Gives Florida Bounce For Gingrich

Call him the new Comeback Kid. There's a sort of irony to that. Gingrich's surge and victory in South Carolina has now translated to a surge in Florida. Mitt Romney must be scared to death at this point.

Gingrich Leads Going Into South Carolina But There's Room For a Romney Upset

The latest RCP polling averages in South Carolina show Gingrich with 32.8%, Romney with 30.2%, Paul with 13.2% and Santorum with 11.4%. That totals to 87.6% leaving 12.4% of voters potentially up for grabs. With Gingrich leading by as much as 9% in the latest polls, I figure that gap is going to play a key roll in today's vote.

Gingrich Makes South Carolina a Fight

Last week I pointed out Romney had not bounced after New Hampshire. The other candidates got bounces but he had not. Finally when the bounce wore off for others and as Huntsman dropped out, Romney started to creep up again in the polls. Meanwhile Gingrich has surged in a huge way.

Republicans Can't Admit Truth About Economy

By now most would agree one of the biggest factors relating to President Obama's reelection will be the state of the economy come November. Perhaps that's why so many on the right continue to insist the economy is worse now than when Obama took office. If they admit things are better they lose one of their arguments. But are things better?

Romney Not Getting South Carolina Bounce...Yet

Three polls have come out since Romney won New Hamshire. So far there's no bounce to be seen. Gingrich, Huntsman and Paul have all grown their support this week. Romney has actually lost almost 5 percentage points so far.

Romney Adding Value... In the Caymen Islands

I don't know about you, but I like the prospect of a US President who maintains offshore banking accounts. It's comforting. If things go really bad, a fellow like Willard can always show up at that PO Box in the Caymans, just like anything wealthy third world leader in exile, and everything will be fine. His shell corporations in the Caymans and Bermuda will also allow him to keep calling himself a CEO, although the Bermuda location merely consists of a nameplate on a lawyer's office. Still, it's SO international. Don't you wish you had a nameplate on a lawyer's office in Bermuda so that YOU could avoid taxes? Careful, though, let's not get envious.

Willard acknowledges the existence of offshore accounts in his financial disclosure forms, but unlike Obama and McCain, Willard refuses to release his tax returns. He never did release them when he lost a Senate race to Ted Kennedy.

Oh! And one more thing.

Willard smiles because "That Was Easy"! Or was it?

Two results of interest came from the NH primary.

First, turnout was similar to the 2008 primary. We all know the 2008 general election results. These mediocre 2012 totals indicate a lack of enthusiasm. Demotivated voters do not bode well for the GOP.

Second, an effective avenue of attack on Romney has been developed by Republicans, and given the tone of our time, it promises to be devastating next November. This line of attack hits what many thought was Romney's strength, and instead turns it into a crippling weakness.

Some In The Media Are Looking For New Hampshire Drama, But Won't Find It

Today the media is talking about tomorrow's New Hampshire primary as if Romney isn't a lock. They want drama but they won't find it. Let me tell you why not.