Politics
March Madness
Walking across the Capitol lawns yesterday morning, a little Hispanic girl noticed something exciting: protesters massing on the steps, waving flags and chanting. “Look at all the signs here!” she exclaimed to her father (in a mixture of Spanish and English), pointing toward the white marble dome. READ MORE >>
Democrats Discover Their Base
Vital Center
Here is the ultimate paradox of the Great Health Care Showdown: Congress will divide along partisan lines to pass a Republican version of health-care reform, and Republicans will vote against it. Yes, Democrats have rallied behind a bill that large numbers of Republicans should love. It is built on a series of principles that Republicans espoused for years. READ MORE >>
Housing Bust
Greek Tragedy
Why the House's Swing Dems Must Vote Yes
[Guest post by Noam Scheiber:] I try to explain the political imperative of voting for health care reform if you're a moderate Dem in this recent Bloggingheads appearance. (Apologies to Rep. Mike Arcuri, whom I referred to as Mike "Acuri" in my discussion.) READ MORE >>
Tavis Smiley's Backstep: Why Not Just Have a Party?
Not long ago, Tavis Smiley did something I would not have expected, which is rare. He announced that he was discontinuing his annual State of the Black Union conferences. These have been powwows where the Usual Suspects are invited to make the usual points: roughly decrying racism while genuflecting to the radical idea that people are responsible for repairing their own culture too. They have had black conservatives sprinkled in for “balance,” to be sure, but we all know the drill. READ MORE >>
Standard Bearer
Fallen
Washington—One of the tragedies of the viciously politicized battle over health care reform is the defection of the nation's Roman Catholic bishops from a cause they have championed for decades. Indifferent to political fashions, the bishops were the strongest voices in support of universal health coverage, a position rooted in Catholic social thought that calls for a special solicitude toward the poor. READ MORE >>
