Neera Tanden came first. She had to withdraw her nomination to head the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) because some sensitive senators were concerned about her items she posted on Twitter.
Now it’s Vanita Gupta’s turn. Their crime: mean tweets.
It seems absurd these days that otherwise accomplished public figures can have their nominations derailed by the pearl-clutching of a party that put up with or ignored Donald Trump’s tweets for years, but that’s the climate we’re in.
At a confirmation hearing, the offending tweeter is usually reduced to groveling, saying they regret their language and taking back opinions…
By the end of February, the Russian government should invite the Trumps to visit Moscow. The trip would include a meeting with Vladimir Putin, some parties with various oligarchs, perhaps a side trip to St. Petersburg to see the Winter Palace in winter. It’s magnificent.
Oh, yes. The Russians should also offer the Trumps asylum, and the Trumps should accept. Some in the Russian media are already suggesting it.
By giving them asylum, Russia would save everyone a lot of trouble. The Justice Department, the New York Attorney General, the Manhattan District Attorney and the Attorney General for the District…
The Wall Street Journal ran a story recently about how promises of broadband aren’t being fulfilled in rural areas, with details how New York State showered hundreds of millions of dollars on telecom companies with decidedly mixed results.
The Journal story came about a week after the Washington Post ran a story about how the novel corona virus is causing a “new urgency” for rural Internet access, in this case in rural Virginia, as people try to cope in their work and school without good Internet connections. The New York Times ran its story on rural broadband in May. …
In just a few weeks, TIME will name its Person of the Year. Before they do, I thought I’d put forward my own nominee. But first, a little history.
The first Man of the Year came in 1927, three years after the magazine started. Charles Lindbergh was that first honoree for his solo flight across the Atlantic. He was a true hero, who unfortunately in later years became more well known for his proto-Nazi “America First” rantings. (Sound familiar?)
A mere 11 years later, in 1938, TIME gave the award to German Chancellor Adolph Hitler and the year after to…
Welcome to the Cupcake Rebellion, brought to you by Donald Trump.
Everybody likes cupcakes. What’s not to like? The frosting, almost a separate entity, can be thick and tasty and have an unlimited array of flavors and textures. The cake itself, moist and sweet, is a delight to the senses. It tastes wonderful and makes you feel good after you eat one (or more than one), regardless whether the cupcakes come from a pack in the store, or from a gourmet shop.
The problem, however, is that cupcakes shouldn’t be the main feature of someone’s diet. Depending on cupcakes will…
I spent some time in my career as a speechwriter, so as a service to those 20 candidates who might need some help next week, here’s a draft opening statement for you.
As the first speaker in this first debate, I’d like to set the scene for tonight, and tomorrow night, and for the months to come.
I’m not going to talk about programs and plans and policies. I’m not even going to talk about why you should support me.
Instead, I’m going to talk about our country. We live in a world turned upside down. Just think about it…
Special Counsel Robert Mueller has spoken. Yes, there was evidence that President Trump obstructed justice. No, it wasn’t my job to prosecute that because Justice Department guidelines don’t allow it. A non-judicial proceeding should do that.
The non-judicial proceeding, of course, is impeachment. Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) has been driving progressives crazy by not backing impeachment, particularly in the face of such blatant evidence. Earlier today (May 29), House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY) tiptoed up to the line of impeachment, but didn’t cross it.
To understand why they are so reticent, you have to understand what I call…
Paying for the Green New Deal
Interviewer: You support the Green New Deal. How are you going to pay for it?
Politician: Why is it you never ask that of Republicans and conservatives? You never ask them how they will pay for a trillion-dollar tax cut. And if you do, you give their BS explanation of economic growth a pass. You never ask about how to pay for more trillions in unneeded and unwanted defense spending. …
One of the old traditions of going back to school is the book report — what did you read during the summer?
A book came out at the beginning of the summer that it took me quite a while to read, but it was worth going through the more than 500 pages. There are star-crossed lovers. There is intrigue amid intense rivalries. There is the Deep State. There is a grandiose, self-important parody of a main character.
Granted, the book has an unwieldy title, the publisher isn’t exactly known for blockbusters and the author isn’t anyone you would recognize and…
Looks like the Federal Confusion Commission is at it again. They are pushing the Big Lie, big time. It has filtered down from the FCC through compliant media into normal Facebook conversations. And it ain’t pretty.
The other day I got into one of those online discussions with an old friend of mine. He’s conservative. Me, not at all. He was gloating over the Federal Communications Commission’s action in repealing the Net Neutrality rules.
He saw the action as a victory because the power of the FCC to determine what went over the Internet had been taken away. As a…
Art Brodsky
Communications consultant, recovering journalist
