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Monthly Archives: February 2008

Have they no shame?

Wednesday, February 20, 2008

We learn today that people who allegedly have brains are seriously suggesting that Jodi Rell would make a fine vice-president. Recall, if you will, that the Constitution provides that, should the president die, the vice-president becomes president. Connecting the dots, that means that in the likely event McCain dies in office (and someone notices) Rell […]

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A foretaste of what’s to come

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

This is the sort of thing that is rapidly turning me off to the Clinton campaign: “William Ayers, in the age of terrorism, will be Barack Obama’s Willie Horton.” –Former counterterrorism official Larry C. Johnson, The Huffington Post, Feb. 16, 2008. Who is William Ayers? He is a former weatherman who is now a professor […]

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I’m going to be a pundit

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Sheila Horvitz asked me to appear on Take Back the 2nd (which we have now taken back, but the name remains) on Thursday. So those of you who want to see me pontificate in the flesh, or at least in a pictorial representation of the flesh, can do so at 7:00 PM that night, provided […]

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Castro wins

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Fidel Castro announced his retirement yesterday, meaning that he has successfully avoided deposition by nine consecutive American presidents. I’ve got no brief for Castro, but it’s hard to argue that American policy toward Cuba has been not only a total failure but a gross injustice to the Cuban people, who have borne the brunt of […]

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Simple solutions

Monday, February 18, 2008

Matt Berger passed along this article to those of us on his email list, in which the argument is made that subprime mortgages should be banned. I am usually wary of simple solutions, but in the case of subprime mortgages, I really think the problem would be solved if a lender were barred from selling […]

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Nicholas Kristof hearts McCain

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Looks like Krugman is taking some indirect pot shots at fellow Times columnist Nicholas Kristof. I was amazed myself when I read Kristof’s column. Hypocrisy is alright, abandoning your “principles” is alright, so long as you’re not totally comfortable about it and so long as your name is John McCain.

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Another economic mess coming

Sunday, February 17, 2008

Yet another unregulated and bizarre type of financial device about to fall apart. They are called “credit default swaps”. Reading about this stuff makes my head hurt, but as I understand it, these are “insurance” instruments whereby the buyer, seeking protection, purchases insurance to protect the buyer in case underlying corporate bonds default. Both they […]

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What? Me a snob?

Sunday, February 17, 2008

I just spent some time doing my Charter Revision Commission homework, so I’m politicked out for now. I will turn then, to an earth shaking question, raised at The Unofficial Apple Weblog: Are Mac owners snobs? TUAW cites someone’s research to that effect, which research also notes that Mac owners are more likely: to be […]

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Connecticut Democrats to change Senate vacancy law

Saturday, February 16, 2008

A few weeks ago I heard through the grapevine that there might, in fact, be some legislative movement on an issue I’ve been writing about a bit. Turns out that the rumours were true. Today’s Courant reports that the State Democrats are, indeed, going to try to change state law to allow we the people […]

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Friday Night Music-Wilco

Friday, February 15, 2008

This is a song suggested by someone who came to the last Drinking Liberally. He actually sent me a number of links, some of which were broken. I decided on this one, anyway, because it’s a little more au courant, (i.e., it does not conclusively demonstrate that I’m stuck in the 60s) and it’s somewhat […]

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