Monthly Archives: July 2011

Before you begin, you will likely need to re-read Bessette & Pitney’s Chapter 6 (at least the section on Establishment) and Sources 14 (Lee v. Weisman). Carefully examine the arguments made by Justice Kennedy, who wrote the Court’s majority opinion, … Continue reading →

Kudos to Ben’s post below on the strains of divided government.  That is an important window into this discussion and helps explain much of the posturing involved in this issue of the debt ceiling. For stories and opinion on this, … Continue reading →

The current debate about raising the debt ceiling illustrates well the difficulty faced by politicians during negotiations.  This situation also provides an example of the difficulties of governing when the government is not unified.  The role of the minority party … Continue reading →

I will post something on the debt ceiling debacle soon, but for now, see this story on the President’s growing political problems.  Even Captain Obvious would have to conclude that if the President’s base of support falters, his chances for … Continue reading →

In the midst of all the debt ceiling falderal, comes a story of a man, thought to be dead from an asthma attack, who awoke to find himself in a refrigerated morgue and (understandably!) began screaming.  According to the story, … Continue reading →

This site lets you navigate through past presidential elections on the left (from 1952-2008) and then particular commercials within that year (on the sliding menu below the video player). When you rest your cursor on a commercial, the ad’s name … Continue reading →

Al Hoffman, former Bush big-wig, makes a case for compromise on the debt limit issue.  His ideas are simple yet might provide a common ground for Democrats and Republicans to agree upon.

According to new polling by Gallup, whoever the Republicans nominate in 2012, affectionately known as “Generic Republican,” leads President Obama 47% to 39%.  This does not tell us much, since the election is still more than a year off, but … Continue reading →

Big Hollywood is a website started by Andrew Breitbart, a conservative who is attempting to take on Hollywood by a frontal assault.  Breitbart is among a growing group committed to the idea that American culture will not change until Hollywood … Continue reading →

Not long ago, the Austrian government allowed religious citizens to wear appropriate religious head-wear.  Calling himself a member of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster, whose adherents refer to themselves as “pastafarians,” Niko Alm requested that the Austrian government … Continue reading →