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.
SIEFF: On Fear and Democracy
Adam Sieff, Columnist
The reasonable man cannot doubt that there are likely subversive foreign agents among us, but nor can he allow himself to be seduced by epic conspirational fantasies. The conspiracies promoted by the far right pollute the quality of discourse that is essential to maintaining a mature democracy.
AKMAN: The GOP’s Award Winners
Josh Akman, Columnist
The Republican field for 2012 is wide open, but there can only be one nominee. So, in the spirit of sportsmanship, let’s give out some awards for a few of the contenders. Here, everyone’s a winner!
STROSTER: Patriotism in America
Lianna Stroster, Columnist
In politics, patriotism has become competitive. The term has been twisted during political debate to be a value only applicable to the Republican or Conservative Party. “It would be one thing if I was an anarchist,” Stroster writes, “but as a Democrat, should I seriously be deemed unpatriotic?”
PETERSON & ROGERS: The Left’s Battle Cry Should Be a Dean Scream
Tim Peterson, Left-Independent
Conor Rogers, Center-Right
A smattering of pundits have argued that Democrats lack a salesman, someone to not simply counterbalance conservative criticism but to argue the progressive cause. Heading into November and beyond, the left needs its own Sarah Palin, its own Glenn Beck. They need Howard Dean.
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.
THERRIAULT: GOP Opts for a Small Tent
Patrick Therriault, Columnist
As the GOP succumbs to Western Republicanism, Northeastern Republicans may be tempted — or pushed — to join the Democratic Party this fall as it seeks voters to maintain its majorities in Congress.
LIFSON: Obama Must Fight Fox News
Fox News is the biggest single threat to President Obama. With unedited Republican talking points deceptively disseminated to the population as fact, it is no wonder that President Obama has had difficultly communicating his policies to the public. Obama must hit back, and he must hit back hard, or the American public will continue its rightward drift until the entire government is run by warmongering cowboy impersonators.
Bilbo: Talk Radio: Effective Shortcut or Hate-Filled Garbage?
Talk Radio is an Uninformative Medium that Masquerades as a Legitimate Political Shortcut