Blogs: Digby

Paul Krugman points to an article that should send chills down the backs of good progressives everywhere: more »

I urge everyone to listen to the president's radio address this week-end if you get the chance. (Not that any of you would normally miss it, I'm sure. What could be more riveting?) But it does promise to be a good one this time. He's going to tell us all why he needs to veto the ban on torture. more »

We are hearing a lot these days about political "transformation" in politics. Aside from a desire for a change in policy, the public also indicates that they desire a change in the way our politics are conducted. But as much as everyone likes the idea of an end to partisan squabbling, it's not entirely clear yet how this transformation will take place, or what the character of the transformation will actually be. So naturally, the political establishment, anxious to have it on terms they can control, will increasingly be taking the lead in defining it for us. more »

In my previous post, I discussed the fact that a "cold civil war" between two distinct American tribes has been going on since the founding of the Republic. It waxes and wanes and takes on different character, but it is always simmering, beneath the surface. more »

No matter how much people want to believe that the battles of the 1960s are over—they aren't. In fact, we're fighting a centuries-long civil war over the values that define our nation. Underlying all the "issues" of any given era is the notion of moral righteousness and inferiority, ressentiment, that stemmed from the original sin of slavery and created two American "tribes" which operate reflexively under certain recurring impulses.

Read Part I | Read Part II more »

For seven years, when Democrats were in the minority, there was nary a peep from the "punditocracy" about bipartisanship, despite strict party-line votes specifically designed so that Democrats would not cross over. Yet since the Democrats won the Congress in 2006, there has been a nonstop keening from the political establishment to stop the partisan bickering. This new obsession about bipartisanship, which blames both parties equally for the sins of one, comes at the moment of progressive ascension. more »

Dave Roberts of Grist takes a look at Newt Gingrich's innovative new environmental proposals which, unsurprisingly, looks like another fantastic opportunity for rich people to bleed the taxpayers: more »

I was looking at the schedule for this year's Take Back America Conference and was reminded that the annual conservative conference is scheduled for next month. I love reading about CPAC, where the conservatives get together and get so excited they think nobody can hear what they are saying. Last year featured Newt Gingrich sharing his deepest insights: more »

Matt Stoller reports that he's hearing tons of stuff on the radio in Iowa about the alleged thirst for bipartisanship among the voters (which I also wrote about the other day in a post called "Bipartisan Zombies.") I hear it too, from a lot of non-political junkies, who are persuaded that the government is broken because of all the partisan bickering. It's a difficult conversation to have because they're half right. The government is broken, but it's not because of some sort of partisan war in which each side refuses to budge. The government is broken because one party has adopted a take-no-prisoners scorched earth philosophy and the political establishment continues to hold the victims equally responsible for the carnage. more »

As we turn the page to year 2008 and begin to focus on the elections in earnest, it's probably a good idea to ponder what we've learned of the conservative movement's electoral tactics over the past few cycles. Here's a story on the latest voting rights case to come before the Supreme Court(h/t D-Day): more »