Political Animal
Blog
Feeling a bit better today, and did manage to catch a bit of NCAA basketball last night—notably Harvard’s improbable win over New Mexico. I gather the Crimson started the year by losing its co-captains in a cheating (academic, not athletic) scandal, and somehow won the Ivy League and then beat a Lobos team that some wizards had picked to make the Final Four. I guess it would be too much to wonder if Albany State could throw a scare into Duke today, eh?
Anyway, here are some mid-day news/views treats:
* Ezra Klein reports on important new research showing persistence of economic inequality.
* ABC’s Sushannah Walshe discusses various factions supporting Ashley Judd and Alison Lundergan Grimes as possible Dem challengers to Mitch McConnell. The Big Dog is said to be encouraging both.
* At TNR, Jonathan Cohn profile of Dr. Ben Carson digresses into valuable discussion of the political leanings of various types of physicians. At Salon, Jonathan Bernstein focuses on Carson’s racial symbolism.
* Cypriot government reported as close to deal to replace—or at least modify—the depositor tax proposal as part of response to EU demands.
* New GOP star Rand Paul offers budget amendment to kill all funding for United Nations. This should make his Bircher buddies feel all warm and cuddly inside.
And in non-political news:
* Nigerian novelist and poet Chinua Achebe dies at 82.
Back before you know it.
Facebook
Twitter
Dredd on March 22, 2013 2:07 PM:
Obama sings give peace a chance for a change.
jkl; on March 22, 2013 2:35 PM:
Will Bunch at Attytood in Philadelphia offers a meaningful connection to the anniversary of the war, a band and their song:
Ten Years After, and video of the song "I’d Love to Change the World."
Indeed.
http://www.philly.com/philly/blogs/attytood/10-years-after----wed-love-to-change-the-world.html
jhm on March 22, 2013 2:47 PM:
This is probably old news, but I find this piece of mail indicative of Hon. Sen. Paul's seriousness and moderation.
jkl; on March 22, 2013 3:01 PM:
Rand Paul has been fond of sharing conspiracy theories with Alex Jones.
Funny he can't scrub those crazy moments, where he speaks of having friends at Fox News that are interested in "freedom," that they (the new world order consiracists) need to be more into assimilating into the party--"the movement" not being big enough, but he could have a lot of clout as a senator.
Scary Rand dude....
exlibra on March 22, 2013 3:19 PM:
* Cypriot government reported as close to deal to replace—or at least modify—the depositor tax proposal as part of response to EU demands.
But meanwhile, the Cyprus banks are closed, to make sure that nobody can remove their own money before they've paid the tax (whatever it ends up being)...
fry1laurie on March 22, 2013 5:39 PM:
What up, Rand? No ban on fluoride in water? To protect our precious bodily fluids?
janinsanfran on March 22, 2013 11:10 PM:
Chinua Achebe was decidedly a political figure -- just read his sad, but important, memoir of Biafra and the decay of decolonized Nigeria, There Was a Country.