Autiello: Will True Christianity Please Stand Up?
Nick Autiello, Contributor
The notion that homosexuality is a sin and un-Christian is one that is less than a hundred years old. It is wrong, and has no basis in scriptural or historical reality.
SASSO: The Coming New Year
James Sasso, Associate Editor
As the tumultuous 2011 comes down to its final day, this column could contain an obnoxious summary of the year’s extraordinary events. Rather than once again discussing the protests around the world, the death of Osama Bin Laden, Fukushima, America’s political ineptitude, Europe’s demise or the increasingly frightful weather patterns, here I attempt to predict what 2012 holds in store.
SASSO: Kicking the Can
James Sasso, Associate Editor
For one of the first times in his tenure as Speaker, John Boehner has made a statement with which every American, Republican or Democrat, should fully agree; the two-month Senate bipartisan extension of the payroll tax cut fails to fix the nation’s problems sufficiently. Providing a short-term band-aid to a long-term dilemma contradicts what a responsible government should accomplish, but fits the pattern of contemporary American politicking.
CIOCCI: A Foolish Consistency
Mitt Romney is guilty of serial hypocrisy, Newt Gingrich is guilty of being a public intellectual constantly scrutinized by the media and others, and Ron Paul never ceases to remind me about one of my favorite quotes from Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Essays: “A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines.”
AKMAN: Jon Huntsman’s Meaningless Campaign
Josh Akman, Columnist
Jon Huntsman did not participate in the CNN Debate in Las Vegas on Tuesday night. Short of his family and small (and getting smaller) campaign staff, no one really noticed. In a bizarre and counterproductive effort to impress New Hampshire voters Huntsman skipped the debate to protest Nevada moving its caucus ahead of New Hampshire’s, which has always been the nation’s first primary. It’s bizarre because no one else skipped the debate. It’s counterproductive because right now, Jon Huntsman is polling 6% in New Hampshire.
SASSO: The 99% Rising
James Sasso
Associate Editor
For the past month a movement has grown out of Zuccoti Park in New York with the potential to grab at the very heart of America’s problems. “We are the 99%” is not simply a catchy phrase used by frustrated jobless Americans , but a commentary on the disgraceful economic inequality that has arisen in the United States since the 1970s.
BILBO: Let’s Restore New Orleans
Tyler Bilbo, Columnist
As we approach the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, we must aim for a restoration of New Orleans instead of a re-creation. This restoration begins with a more equitable alternative to the city’s affordable housing policy, which has prevented scores of poor black New Orleanians from returning home.
BILBO: Is It Worth It?
In the wake of the rise of “debranded” Republicans, fiscally conservative former Republicans self-identifying as Independents, Tyler Bilbo challenges the stability of a Conservative Congress come November.
BILBO: Andrew Breitbart’s Post-Racial Racism
Tyler Bilbo, Columnist
The worst consequence of Andrew Breitbart’s attack on Shirley Sherrod is the gulf that it increases between an increasingly post-racial group of white Americans and the vast majority of black people who refuse to accept the realities of racial injustice.
BILBO: Arizona, BP and a Golden Opportunity for the GOP
Tyler Bilbo, Columnist
Can the GOP accomplish the herculean task of reclaiming the House and the Senate? Thanks to Obama’s failure to intensify Democrats, it’s looking like they can.
BILBO: Robert Byrd and Racial Politics
Tyler Bilbo, Columnist
As we remember Senator Robert Byrd’s illustrious political career, let us celebrate the enlightenment of a once bigoted reactionary.
BILBO: The Rise of the “P” Word
Tyler Bilbo, Columnist
As Democrats sit idle, Glenn Beck and the right have turned a neutralizing political label into a pejorative.
BILBO: A Tale of Two Primaries
Tyler Bilbo, Columnist Ideology: Partisan Democrat | Writing from: Washington, D.C. Bill Halter’s anti-establishment credibility was one of his most attractive characteristics as a candidate against Senator Blanche Lincoln. Unlike Joe [...]
BILBO: A Teachable Downfall
Tyler Bilbo, Columnist
In 2007, Alabama Congressman Artur Davis became the first non-Illinois politician to publically endorse Barack Obama. Longtime friends from Harvard Law School, Davis and Obama share a lot in common. As youthful black politicians whose aspirations take them beyond majority-black constituencies, the two have de-emphasized traditional minority issues for the sake of building multi-racial and politically viable coalition.
BILBO: The Real Ethnic Chauvinists
Tyler Bilbo, Columnist
The false tension that created in Arizona between American individualism and the cultural identities of ethnic minorities has the potential to significantly diminish a pluralistic landscape that has always characterized America.
BILBO: The End of an Era
Tyler Bilbo, Columnist
The retirement of Wisconsin Congressman Dave Obey signifies the end of an era and the passing of Congress’ Old Guard.
BILBO: 2006, Not 1994
Eight months out of November, Republicans look to gain a seats in the House of Representatives. Unlike that of the early 1990s, however, they will not recapture control of the House in today’s political environment.
BILBO: The Tea Party’s Race Problem
Tyler Bilbo, Democrat
Shortly before the House of Representatives passed a drastic overhaul of our health care system, Nancy Pelosi and House Democrats walked arm-in-arm through an angry mob of protesters that converged on The National Mall. As the Speaker clenched the arm of John Lewis, a current Congressman who organized the Selma to Montgomery Marches, I could not help but think about the Civil Rights Movement.
BILBO: Every Democrat Should be Thankful for Bill Halter
Tyler Bilbo, Yellow Dog Democrat
Blanche Lincoln’s vulnerability transcends the ideological preferences of Arkansas’s conservative electorate. For the sake of keeping Lincoln’s seat in Democratic hands, Bill Halter cannot afford to feed into an ideological dichotomy that distracts voters from Lincoln’s corrupt presence in Washington. Even if Halter does play into this liberal vs. conservative game, however, his primary will ultimately help Lincoln by making her appear more conservative in the general election.
BILBO: The Alarming Rise of GOProud
Tyler Bilbo, Democrat
Gay conservatives represent one of the most marginalized constituencies in American politics. As they struggle for acceptance among other conservatives, however, they cannot afford to damage the ongoing fight for equality.
BILBO: Carly Fiorina and the Corporate Republican Experience
Tyler Bilbo, Democrat
Though the Tea Party is the most oft-cited faction in the GOP, it is really the super-wealthy, out of touch class of Republicans that are the most likely to cause an internal implosion of the party. Carly Fiorina’s candidacy for Barbara Boxer’s Senate seat is an instructive microcosm of this dynamic.