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Barack Obama Adds Time's Person of the Year to Win Column

LibertySugar — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 09:30:39 -0800

The suspense has finally ended. We now know that Time magazine's Person of the Year is, drum roll please, Barack Obama! The President-elect beat out US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, director of the Beijing opening ceremonies Zhang Yimou, French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

The magazine cites Obama's ability to overcome a lack of experience, a funny name, two candidates who are political institutions, and America's racial divide to become President as evidence that he's the person of the year. If you're worried that the feature holds few surprises, Time does pull through with a playful 1980 photo shoot of college freshman Barack Obama. And in the interview, Obama details his views on the economy, his mandate, and his temperament.

Even if Time made a predictable choice, do you agree that Barack Obama is the person of the 2008?

Source

Not the Greenest President: Bush's Environmental Sins

LibertySugar — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 15:30:00 -0800

Even some conservatives believe that the US President-elect should put the environmental crisis at the top of his presidential to-do list, because addressing that crisis has bipartisan approval. Yet despite an apparent citizen yearning for leadership on green issues, President Bush has neglected the topic during his eight years in the White House.

Salon put together a list of Bush's seven environmental deadly sins. The authors argue that Bush made a mockery of the US's environmental laws and values. Here are the seven pieces of supporting evidence for their indictment:

Blew hot air on global warming: Bush refused to agree to mandatory greenhouse gas emission reductions, thus erasing any credibility the US had to persuade China and India to cut their emissions and also leading to a rise in CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere.
Failed to regulate greenhouse gases at home: Bush vowed to veto any bill that would limit greenhouse gases. He also refused to regulate CO2 as a pollutant, even though the Supreme Court ruled it was a pollutant and said he could regulate it.
Failed to develop clean energy sources: While doing nothing to further renewable energy, Bush gave regulatory support to polluting industries like coal, oil, and gas.
Abandoned endangered species: The only additions to the endangered species list, such as the polar bear, came from private parties who sued the government. The administration also tried to build roads without considering harm to these species.

To see the rest,

Rumors Fly After Election: Which One Shocks You More?

LibertySugar — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 03:00:00 -0800

Now that the election has ended, members of the campaigns aren't quite as tight lipped. It's like getting a retroactive backstage pass when happy, or disgruntled, aides start revealing happenings that didn't make the talking points or headlines. The latest issue of Newsweek takes a look at the secret battles waged on the path to the White House, and the private events are a doozy! Of these leaks featured in the expose, which one surprises you the most?Source

Rumors Fly After Election: Which One Shocks You More?

Palin spent more than reported. An aide described it: "Hillbillies looting Neiman Marcus."

A "foreign entity" hacked both camps' computers, likely seeking international policy info.

McCain himself rarely spoke to Palin during the campaign.

The Secret Service gave Obama reports showing increased threats in Sept. and Oct.

Palin started the William Ayers attacks before the campaign had finalized a plan.

Palin greeted top advisers wearing only a towel, during the RNC.

Geographically challenged Palin did not know Africa was a continent, not a country.

After losing, Hillary Clinton had a long and friendly phone chat with McCain.

Keeping the Faith: Are Abstinence-Only Pledges Unrealistic?

CitizenSugar — Wed, 05 Nov 2008 11:30:00 -0800

Ever think evangelical teens are most likely to be the next Juno? You might be onto something. While religion may be a good gauge for attitudes towards sex, it is not for sexual behavior.

A national survey talked to 3,400 teens between 13 and 17 and found that evangelicals are the most likely to say they do not believe in sex before marriage, yet they are just as likely to have it — if not more. Seventy-four percent say they do not believe in premarital sex, compared to 50 percent of mainline Protestants and 25 percent of Jewish teens. Second only to black Protestants, they lose their virginity on average shortly after turning 16.

While the effectiveness of abstinence pledges that are so popular among evangelicals has long been contested, I never knew inflation was a problem. A pledge movement often collapses in a school when it becomes too popular. As soon as it loses its magical minority milieu — 30 percent is the tipping point — teens feel less unique and pledges get tossed aside like last year’s yellow.

Minding the gap between sexual beliefs and behavior becomes even harder when looking at the outcome of abstinence pledges. To find out how effective they are,

Don't Take No For an Answer: Protecting Against Election Theft

LibertySugar — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 00:00:53 -0700

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. and Greg Palast wrote in the Huffington Post yesterday, that while Republicans had the media searching for links between Barack Obama and ACORN, RNC operatives were completing one of the most massive voter suppression and purging efforts in US history. RFK, Jr.'s piece asserts that none of ACORN's bad registration signatures will impact the election; but an obstacle course of barriers for November 4 voters, including purging legitimate voters from the list, and creating mayhem and long lines at the polls, has been created on behalf of Republicans.

In its story about what might go wrong on Election Day, Time Magazine offers advice of what you can do to make sure your vote counts. Tips include: contacting your local registrar or going to canivote.org to verify your info; making sure you know your polling location and ID requirements; not taking no for an answer. If you get turned away, request an emergency paper ballot or cast a provisional ballot if you must. You can also call 866-OUR-VOTE if you have an issue.

Here's to hoping both sides play fair on Election Day!

Source

Want to Be Fly on McCain Camp Wall? Pick up NYT Mag

LibertySugar — Sat, 25 Oct 2008 13:00:24 -0700

This weekend's NYT Magazine piece on the making and remaking of John McCain reads like a Greek tragedy. "John McCain’s biography has been the stuff of legend for nearly a decade," the lengthy piece points out. "And yet Schmidt and his fellow strategists have had difficulty explaining how America will be better off for electing (as opposed to simply admiring) a stubborn patriot." Throughout the magazine piece, a litany of narratives are identified.

The Heroic Fighters vs. the Quitters: Steve Schmidt, McCain's top adviser, encouraged McCain to denounce the Democrats for advocating a withdrawal of troops — a kind of surrender in the face of victory. Thus did Schmidt initiate the No Surrender Tour late in the summer of 2007.
Country-First Deal Maker vs. Nonpartisan Pretender: The campaign was in the throes of an identity crisis by June 24, when a number of senior strategists gathered at 9:30 a.m. in a conference room of McCain’s campaign headquarters in Arlington. As one participant said later, the meeting was convened “because we still couldn’t answer the question, ‘Why elect John McCain?'"
Leader vs. Celebrity: Eventually, it was Schmidt who blurted out the epiphany concerning Obama. “Face it, gentlemen,” he said. “He’s being treated like a celebrity.” The others grasped the concept — a celebrity like J-Lo! or Britney! — and exultation overtook the room.
Team of Mavericks vs. Old-Style Washington: Well before McCain made his selection, his chief strategist and his campaign manager both concluded that Sarah Palin would be the most dynamic pick.
John McCain vs. John McCain: The flipside to John McCain’s metanarrative of personal valor has always been palpable self-righteousness. In this campaign, his sense of integrity has been doubly offended.
The Fighter (Again) vs. the Tax-and-Spend Liberal: McCain was once again a warrior — only more upbeat, more respectful of his opponent, more empathetic to suffering Americans and far more disapproving of the president.

If McCain pulls this off, the author may have re-write the story. Check out the whole drama if you need some weekend reading!

Is a GOP Loss the Only Way to Bring Back Small Government?

CitizenSugar — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 06:00:17 -0700

The editor of Reason magazine, the libertarian leaning mag devoted to "free minds and free markets," has an Op-Ed with a somewhat counterintuitive premise: in order to save the GOP, we must destroy the GOP. After voting for Dole and then Bush, editor Radley Balko’s disappointment grew to treasonous proportions in 2004 after watching the Republican Party create the invasive and historically expansive Homeland Security Department. Following that the prescription drug benefit — the largest entitlement program since the Great Society. The last straw for Balko, however, came as he witnessed one of the largest takeovers of a private sector in this nation’s history: the recent bailout.

Balko makes his case, as he's nervous about the Bush Administration’s ever increasing executive power, which the writer believes goes against the very core of his conservative ideology. Saying “. . . the only consistent principle we’ve seen from the White House over the last eight years is that of elevating the American president to that of an elected dictator.” While admittedly using hyperbole in that statement, his real concern is that of an Obama presidency which then uses those same expansive powers.

To find out his voting strategy,

Will the Recession Cause the End of the War in Iraq?

CitizenSugar — Mon, 20 Oct 2008 03:00:00 -0700

While the subject of a timeline for withdrawal from Iraq has been hotly debated, it's a decision that might prove moot. The US may very well have to leave whether it's considered strategically correct or not. The democratically elected Iraqi government may actually want to employ their sovereignty, leading both US and Iraqi negotiators reportedly close to setting a withdrawal date, mostly at the insistence of Iraq. The agreement will likely require all US forces to leave the nation by the end of 2011 and by all cities by next summer. It still has to be approved by the Iraqi parliament.

The agreement comes as the new National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq is released — and the picture isn't so rosy. The surge, which coincided with a downturn in violence, may not even be the key reason for that result but rather just one contributing factor. A major reason, states the NIE is the truce with the Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr as well as the alliance with the Sunni insurgents, both of which occurred at roughly the same time. The bad news is that according to General David Patraeus, the gains made in Iraq recently are “fragile” and “reversible” due to a series of rising regional tensions.

To see where the recession fits in,

Rachel Maddow Coming to a NYT Magazine Near You

LibertySugar — Sun, 19 Oct 2008 07:00:04 -0700

Rachael Maddow is to Keith Olbermann as Stephen Colbert is to Jon Stewart. And just like Stephen, Rachel's new pseudo-Countdown spinoff is acquiring a fan base potentially more dedicated than its predecessor's. This weekend's New York Times Magazine caught up with the Stanford and Oxford grad-turned-progressive-MSNBC host, visiting her home in western Massachusetts where she lives with her partner Susan.

Some items to look forward to:

Rachel, a TV personality, has no TV.
Some of Rachel's favorite objects include: a squirrel sculpture, four kinds of mustard from her fridge (“I am a mustard person"), a sneaker, two ashtrays from the Watergate hotel, and her 7-year-old red Ford pickup.
Fictional character she identifies with: "Wally Cleaver. Cause he is a dork.”
If her show doesn't make it Rachel has a backup. "I am a hobbyist bartender. I have a a liquor cabinet. I research classic drinks from the golden age of American cocktails and I make them for me and Susan.”
Rachel's favorite movie? The Manchurian Candidate, original version.

Are you a fan of Rachel?

Ladies' Man Gets the Vote? Vogue Declares Early Victor

CitizenSugar — Wed, 15 Oct 2008 12:15:05 -0700

Looks like the Obama-Biden ticket is starting to close in on the coveted fashionista vote. Vogue took a chance in its November issue, which will hit newsstands over the next week, by titling a feature story "All the Vice President's Women." Cute! Let's hope it's not wildly prophetic, because the profile is really about one woman — Jill Biden, the would-be vice president's wife. Second Lady?

A representative for Vogue spoke to the Huffington Post and said of the cover line, "Win or lose, we thought it was a clever cover line that would serve to get people's attention." I've written entire posts to fit headlines I've come up with, so I understand the urge, but putting it in print and on the cover seems a lot like buying a dress one size too small.

Is it just me, or is there a lot of Obama-presumptiveness around lately? To see what I mean,