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.
LIFSON: No Daylight Between Birtherism and Racism
Donald Trump has been pressuring President Obama to release a long-form birth certificate. Releasing the long-form document, however, will solve nothing. The existing evidence that President Obama was born in the US is already incontrovertible, so birthers will find new and even more ridiculous reasons to rationalize their continued disbelief. More importantly, to surrender the long-form certificate will mean caving to racists and their wranglers who never would have questioned the birthplace of a white president.
STROSTER: Chamber Reform
Lianna Stroster, Columnist
Thus far, there’s been healthcare reform, financial regulation reform and reform on the long-standing policy on gays in the military. Rumored to be the next kind of reform is the Senate chamber.
THERRIAULT: Senate Waits till End to Pass START
Patrick Therriault, Columnist
As Congressional Sessions shift from 111th to 112th, there is little time to clear the docket of critical legislation. One important bill, the New START Treaty, had broad international significance–and not just because of its potential to boost U.S.-Russia relations.
AUTIELLO: Heed Holbrooke
Nick Autiello, Columnist
We need to start turning this country around, and correctly it needs to begin with the economy. But real economic recovery requires getting ourselves out of the longest war in American history and focusing all that attention on our failing public school system, not on tax cuts that aren’t actually tax cuts for people who are sitting on top of trillions of dollars.
AKMAN: Congress Can’t Even Do the Easy Stuff
Josh Akman, Columnist
A recent Rasmussen poll reported that 70% of the country felt that America was on the wrong track. If Congress can’t do something that is supported by the President, the Secretary of Defense, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and more than 60 Senators, it raises an important question: What the hell are the other 30% thinking?
PANDYA: Earmarking Our Way to Prosperity?
Om Pandya, Columnist
Focusing on the low-hanging fruit of earmarks ignores 99.9 percent of the problem. Politically it makes sense, but it is safe to say that a ban on earmarks will not reduce the deficit by even a penny.
BAIN: Obama’s Lackluster Leadership
Sam Bain, Columnist
Who is Barack Obama?
A few simple answers to that question is that he is the president, a Democrat, a leader; but when push comes to shove, do we really know who this man is; do we really know what he believes?
GLIDDEN: Post-Shellacking Wrap Up
President Obama, understandably, has an interest in ignoring the election results. It’s far easier for him to advance his agenda if he can dismiss his “shellacking” as a backlash against “the economy,” rather than his policies. His post-election speech reveals a lot about his thought process.
THERRIAULT: Business as Usual
The third and final installment of the infrastructure series! “Mr. Obama’s “Renew and Expand America’s Roads, Railways and Runways” plan looks surprisingly in tune with what our nation’s infrastructure and economy actually need, as it employs the ULI’s concept of treating infrastructure as a revolving investment rather than just another ad hoc line item of Congressional pork on the federal balance sheet,” Therriault writes. “As pragmatic as Mr. Obama’s plan seems, however, others doubt its effectiveness of rebuilding the nation’s infrastructure for a stronger and more efficient American economy.”
STROSTER: The Lame-Duck Congress
Lianna Stroster, Columnist
On November 15th, 2010, the lame-duck session of the 111th Congress began. Discussion over the past few weeks regarding the Bush Tax-Cuts suggests that some sort of compromise can be found in the lame-duck session to satisfy members on both sides of the aisle, but the Democrats have bigger fish to fry. The two issues that are in danger of passage failure are the DREAM Act and repealing DADT. Democrats need to rally for these two pieces of legislation if they want to continue to have support of the two communities affected by these bills.
MARIN: Ratify New START
Paul Marin, Columnist
The Senate Republicans’ stated opposition to the New START treaty is that it negatively impacts America’s Eastern European allies, its U.S. missile defense capabilities and strategic security. But in fact, it enhances them. The Republican attempt to defeat President Obama by stalling the treaty was a misguided, purely partisan tactic which only weakens America.
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!
STORM: Are We The Problem?
A lot has changed in the last two years since the illustrious election of President Barack Obama. It was an historic election for a myriad of reasons, but perhaps most notable was the success of the get out to vote campaign among America’s youth. Then Senator Obama made great efforts to get the younger generation excited about the elections. Between Facebook campaigns and celebrity support, Obama made great use of this new age weapon, and as a result, 18-24 year olds turned out at record rates.
BAIN: Gridlock or Compromise
Sam Bain, Columnist
Earlier this January, Obama stated the difference between the 1994 midterms and the 2010 midterms was himself; clearly this was not the case. Will the President at least artificially embrace conservative policies in an attempt to keep the White House, or will he continue with this, “my way or the highway” notion that was responsible for his party’s defeat?
MCNAMARA: GREENER U.S. INFRASTRUCTURE, LOWER EMISSIONS
Lindsay McNamara, Columnist
Lindsay responds to the ULI’s 2010 infrastructure report in The Politicizer’s second installment of our three-part series on U.S. infrastructure. Lindsay makes an argument for efficient and high-tech transportation as a way to put the U.S. back in the fast lane.