Joe Klein nails it
by David SafierI'm no fan of columnist Joe Klein, but today's column in Time lays out the disturbing truth about our current political climate and today's Republican Party: How can you sustain a democracy if one of the two major political parties has been overrun by nihilists? And another question: How can you maintain the … Read more
More Housekeeping
Today, following a hiatus, I restarted the Arizona Donkey Feed feature with new selections of what's news around Arizona. The Feed is the daily (or reasonable approximation of daily) news selections by me, BlogForArizona.com impresario/curator Michael Bryan, from the blogs and news outlets covering Arizona politics and current events. It's a one-stop spot to see … Read more
Shameless self promotion
by David SafierI'm linking to a column I wrote in this week's Explorer, not because I'm especially proud of it — I tried to say too much in the space allotted, so it's a bit clunky (I love the "Don't fence me in" ethos of blog space!) — but because it lays out my sense … Read more
Obama’s education bully pulpit
by David SafierIn the heady days of the presidential campaign, I had a thought that made my eyes mist over. I imagined President Obama delivering a short speech at the beginning of the school year urging students to do everything they can to make the most of their educations. I hoped for a dose of … Read more
Special Session Update: The GOP insane clown posse has a budget, if they can keep it
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: The House passed the final bill in the budget package Tuesday, repealing the state equalization property tax, but deliberately failed to convey the measure to the Senate, a maneuver intended to stall the process while Republican leaders try to convince Gov. Jan Brewer to sign the bills. (h/t Arizona Guardian). The maneuver … Read more
A genuine question about Medicare
by David SafierHere's something I honestly don't know the answer to. People say Medicare is heading into massive debt, and I believe that's true over the long haul. But my question is: does that means it's spending too much, or it's underfunded? Here's how I want to pose the question. Let's say we take the … Read more
The Dempire Strikes Back – The Public Option Returns
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Over the weekend, Obama administration spokespersons including Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius, and President Obama himself, appeared to signal a a retreat on the public option. There was gnashing of teeth and loud wailing from the base of the Democratic Party. The netroots went into action immediately to remind … Read more
