The Big Con
Top Stories
Chasing the Nut Beat
October 6th, 2009
As you know, under criticism for allegedly failing to "expose" ACORN, The NY Times recently made (yet another) commitment to following the buzz generated on the right wing noise machine. more » Featured Issues
Tragedy at the Holocaust Museum: Stand Up To Terrorism
June 10th, 2009
You have to go back a long, long way in American history before you come to a place where you find incidents like this happening an average of once every two weeks.This escalating level of violence is adding data points to a potentially emergent pattern that we need to be looking at and preparing for. So far, there are at least five things I'm particularly concerned about.... more »
Firing Back on Right-Wing Domestic Terrorism
June 18th, 2009
There's an appalling (though, sadly, hardly surprising) amount of conservative myth-making going on around the very serious issue of right-wing domestic terrorism. They've come up repeatedly in talk shows and online forums, so you're likely to encounter them as well. Here's what you need to separate fact from fiction when the talking points start flying. ... more »
The Haters’ Silent Enablers
Hard-core haters resolutely dismiss any “mainstream media” debunking of their conspiracy theories. The only voices that might penetrate their alternative reality &38212; I emphasize might — belong to conservative leaders with the guts and clout to step up. Where are they?... more »
The Case
Why We Call It "The Big Con"
Conservative government during the past few years has failed—even some conservatives acknowledge that. But the problem is not just that conservatism has failed to live up to its promise; it is that conservatism cannot live up to its promisemore »
Conservatism: Flawed By Design
Inherent ideological flaws cripple the ability of conservatives to govern:
The Facts
Senator Dewine's Run for Ohio Attorney General: Return to Scene of Crime
Why would a former member of the U.S. House of Representatives – granted he was most well-known for falling asleep during the Iran-Contra hearings – and U.S. Senator, be seeking the seemingly lesser office of Ohio’s chief law enforcement officer?
Investing In People
Here are some basic facts behind our call for "real investment" in people, assembled from recent government and private studies. We've fallen behind as a nation, but making the right spending choices will yield lasting dividends.more »
The News
Boeing Pays $25 Million To Settle U.S. Probe
August 14th, 2009
Documents Show Rove Took Active Role In Attorney Firings
August 12th, 2009
The Case
Attack of the Palinites
Democrats have some thinking to do after Tuesday's elections, but Republicans don't have time to think. They're too busy trying to survive the party's internal purge and avoid being shipped off to political Siberia.more »
The Tea Party's Takeover of the GOP
The anti-health care reform rally in Washington indicates the Republican Party and the Tea Party movement are increasingly one and the same.more »
Latest from our Bloggers
nov
5
2009
12:07 pm
12:07 pm
House Republicans have presented a health care reform "plan" that doesn't fix our broken health care system (but might make it worse), and (according to the CBO) doesn't do much to fix the deficit conservatives say t more »
nov
4
2009
1:58 pm
1:58 pm
First, it was Sen. Landerieu's nonsense. Now we get this from Sen. Joe Lieberman.
Enough is enough. When Democrats start parroting Republican talking points, they are showing us who they are. We need to treat accordingly. Especially when their take on health care reform is pretty much the same as the GOP's, in terms of outcome.
oct
26
2009
1:36 pm
1:36 pm
Mike Elk couldn't have been more right in his thinking about what Martin Luther King, Jr. would have thought of the Teabaggers, Birthers, etc. He would have seen that those faces that at first glance seem twisted in anger are really twisted in pain. He would recognize those faces as well as the source of the fear and anger distorting them.
It's not about adopting their politics, compromising our own, or even tolerating their tactics. It's about reclaiming "We" — The same "We" that Dr. King and civil rights workers sang about, and that I remember singing about myself in church, on the occasions when we sang "We Shall Overcome."
oct
19
2009
10:22 am
10:22 am
Commentators, including our own Sara Robinson and author Neal Gabler, have observed a resurgent brand of conservatism that has taken on the characteristics of religious zealotry. more »
oct
16
2009
10:28 am
10:28 am
This is already being done by plenty of other people, but I can't help myself. When a guy who just a month ago said "We need segregated buses," takes umbrage at the notion that people think he's a racist... Well, it's just too hard to resist.
They are the ones with prejudice and bigotry coursing through their vanes [sic], through their hearts, and through their souls. They are consumed with jealousy and rage. They are all liberals--and make no mistake: That's what this is about. It is about ideology. It isn't about race. It's about their being jealous and attempting to discredit me, and they've now sunk to the low of repeating fabricated quotes that they cannot source.... These people are scum.
Yeah. Sure, Rush.
more »oct
9
2009
7:55 am
7:55 am
Wow. Break out the spatulas, and get ready to scrape the exploded brains of right-wingers off the ceiling, walls, etc. Apparently, President Obama has won the Nobel Peace Prize.
US President Barack Obama has been awarded the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize.
The Nobel Committee said he won it for "his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and co-operation between peoples".
The committee highlighted Mr Obama's efforts to support international bodies and promote nuclear disarmament.
Mr Obama's spokesman said the president was "humbled" to have won the prize. He said he woke Mr Obama up when he called with the news early on Friday.
There were a record 205 nominations for this year's peace prize. Zimbabwean Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Chinese dissident Hu Jia had been among the favourites.
The laureate - chosen by a five-member committee - wins a gold medal, a diploma and 10m Swedish kronor ($1.4m).
It's a surprise, but I think I understand why the committee made this choice: You create a lot more goodwill among people when your foreign policy message is something besides, "It's our world, and the rest of you are just livin' in it."
more »oct
8
2009
12:03 am
12:03 am
Glenn Beck has captured national attention with his caustic poison. The aging right-wing troubadours -- Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly—still rouse the wingnuts and enforce discipline among Republican legislators. They've peddled the fantasies about ACORN and the all-powerful poverty lobby, and launched a search-and-destroy hunt for targets of opportunity in the Obama administration. more »
oct
1
2009
3:40 pm
3:40 pm
We have long known that conservatives in Congress are hopelessly out of touch with both reality and the American people. more »
