What about “access bloggers?”

Glenzilla writes in White House access is a jackpot for reporters: The conflicts in having “journalists” report on the administration while simultaneously begging top White House officials for highly lucrative book-access are as self-evident as they are corrupting. [...] Is it even remotely conceivable that this stable of access-desperate reporters would write negatively about the White House [...]

Wednesday Morning News

It’s hump day already. Let’s have a look at a bit of the news. Though it’s hump day, you may not necessarily want to take that literally. Apparently Gonorrhea may become a superbug: Catherine Ison, a specialist on gonorrhea from Britain’s Health Protection Agency said a World Health Organization (WHO) meeting in Manila next week would [...]

Fools and Tools

Howie Fineman at Newsweak: A Democratic senator I can’t name, who reluctantly voted for the health-care bill out of loyalty to his party and his admiration for Barack Obama, privately complained to me that the measure was political folly, in part because of the way it goes into effect: some taxes first, most benefits later, [...]

Tuesday Afternoon/Evening Open Thread

We need something more cheerful to finish the day. I’m looking forward to the season premiere of Law & Order Criminal Intent. I’ve got cold beer in the fridge and a pizza waiting to go in the oven (it’s only 3:30 here in Big Smoggy) What are you doing this evening? Via Historiann:

Bullied to Death

The Boston Herald: Nine teens, three of them juveniles, have been charged in connection with the Jan. 14 suicide death of bullying victim Phoebe Prince, with counts ranging from harassment to statutory rape. Today’s announcement from Northwestern District Attorney Elizabeth D. Scheibel was the culmination of a two-and-a-half month criminal probe. Prince, 15, a recent [...]

The dumbest thing Chris Bowers ever said

Forget Chris Bowers’ discussions of the creative class, bubbas and squishy goo-goos. His most recent post “The progressive Internet space changed because Obama convinced it to change” takes the cake: I spent much of 2008 exasperated by a progressive Internet space that had seemingly reversed itself overnight on things like the value of triangulation, bipartisanship, [...]

Oopsie!

We’ve been hearing for a couple weeks that the right wingers are violent and crazy extremists who have been threatening congressional supporters of ObamaCare. Sarah Palin has been accused (again) of ginning up the hate. Well, the FBI arrested the nutball in the above video for threatening to kill Rep. Eric Cantor and his family. [...]

Monday Midday: Sacrilege in the Church of Baseball,* Midwest Christian Militias, Fundamentalist Manifestos, and Pedophile Priests

* Annie Savoy in Bull Durham: I believe in the Church of Baseball. I’ve tried all the major religions, and most of the minor ones. I’ve worshipped Buddha, Allah, Brahma, Vishnu, Siva, trees, mushrooms, and Isadora Duncan. I know things. For instance, there are 108 beads in a Catholic rosary and there are 108 stitches [...]

Book Review: The Big Short

In the last couple of months, I have started to receive mail from “Wealth Management” financial advisors like Merrill-Lynch.  This is funny for two reasons: 1. I have no wealth to manage and 2. after reading the book, The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine, by Michael Lewis, the last people in the world I [...]

Sunday Morning News

Good Morning Conflucians!!! Open those eyes, sip some coffee, here are a few things happening to get the engines running. As was done by Bush and previous presidents, Obama made some recess appointments. In this case 15: An emboldened President Obama filled 15 key administration posts Saturday by bypassing the Senate, defying the GOP as [...]