The biggest problem in forecasting races is that political pundits think voters are paying attention to the same things they are. They assume an electorate is more focused on individual issues or any real issues than individual (physical) traits or personalities. They leave out the “science” that voters gravitate towards candidates that remind them of themselves, regardless…
Author: Alabama Liberal
Jeb Bush Really Was Like His Dad: A Man Out of Sync with His Era
South Carolina brought another casualty in the 2016 Presidential race: Jeb Bush. It’s also possibly the last one we’ll see for a while, since Rubio and Kasich both believe they should be the anti-Trump nominee, Ted Cruz’s dirty tricks will grow worse, and Ben Carson is adamant that he’s staying in the race…for some reason….
Are Republicans Going to Vote For Bernie in Nevada Caucus?
Tomorrow is the Nevada Caucus, and even though South Carolina really means more, the Nevada results will bring a lot of breathless hype from everyone talking about how this “changes the race!” As they’ll now say everytime any state votes, and another good reason that it’s a little crazy that basically the entire month of…
Is Thinking Black Leaders are Sell-Outs the Ultimate White Privilege?
In episode 9 of “A Year Long Conversation” we dissect the divisions in the progressive movement between age, gender, and particularly race. Because there’s a weird phenomenon out there: young, white progressives who have had relatively good lives seem to think that even black leaders are now part of “The Machine.” They seem to view themselves as more…
Why Bernie Can’t Beat ANY of the Five GOP Potential Nominees
I know, I know, Bernie’s fans won’t believe a word I say about him or his electability chances, but I’m hoping against hope that I can convince at least some people before it’s too late. Realistically, there are five GOP candidates who could be the nominee (sorry Ben Carson). When you really start to crunch…
TV Review: Why “Galavant” Deserves Your Viewing
It’s rare we get an “off day” from politics around here. Between primaries, near-daily debates (or “town halls”), candidates dropping out, and Supreme Court deaths, it’s becoming increasingly infrequent that we get a chance to talk about the old favorites: movies, TV, and books. So I figured I’d take advantage by praising ABC’s “Galavant.” Sure,…
Petty Issues: Jeb, George, Trump, and Cruz…A Rogue’s Gallery of Humanity’s Worst
Jeb Bush rolled out his secreat weapon: his brother, the worst president in modern times. Watching these two campaign together reminds me of when the Special Ed kids go to the City Council meeting to learn about Government. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen a bullet-proof short bus… Speaking of Jeb’s family connections, the…
Why Obama Should NOT Go for the Recess Appointment
Quick legal summary: When there is a vacancy on The Supreme Court, the President gets the power to nominate a replacement. If they filibuster his nominee, it doesn’t get through, and he could technically not fill that vacancy even if they filibuster all his nominees for years. [Although so far a nominee has never been filibustered.] However, if congress is in…
Live-Blogging the GOP Debate…This Should Be a Good One
6:00–How will Scalia’s death affect this debate? We’re about to find out… 6:01–It should be a barn-burner. Chief asshole Ted Cruz has already said he wants to wait until next year for a replacement which would be unprecedented. 6:02–This phony debate begins with a moment of silence which is more than most candidates gave before…
Does Anton Scalia’s Death Make 2016 Race More Real?
It’s never a great thing to celebrate the passing of the dead, but Supreme Court Justice Anton Scalia wasn’t a great person. In fact, he was a really awful person, and having him on the Supreme Court is the rough equivalent of Justice Fred Phelps. [Or as long-suffering Alabamaians know all too well, Chief Justice…
Why I Hate “The Washington Post”
The short answer to the headline: because their (online) newspaper sucks. I’ll use a technical term and call it “dog shit.” You’ve all heard that in journalism schools right? The Washington Post was once the paper that let Woodward and Bernstein take on President Nixon. They were the most credible source of news in the…
Another Day, Another Dem Debate (But No Dollars)
6:02–It took me a minute to find what channel PBS is. 6:03–It looks like a Bernie crowd, he got slightly more enthusiastic applause than she did. 6:06–Bernie’s opening speech is seemingly endless. He’s talked for several minutes straight. Might wear himself out by the end of this. He talked too long in his New Hampshire…
Announcing a “Movie Talk” YouTube Channel…
I’ll be promoting myself more heavily on YouTube once we get everything up and running, but for now I’d like to announce the creation of “Move Talk.” I was hoping to put it on ITunes right beside “A Year Long Conversation” but they don’t allow multiple podcasts for the same account. There’s been about four…