Sanford D. Horn: To protect and defend
Column by Sanford D. Horn
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Article II, Section I of the Constitution of the United States of America requires the President swear an oath of office that includes the words to “protect and defend” that very document.
Upon the administration of said oath, that president becomes Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces. United States military officers in turn swear an oath that includes the words, “I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.” Read more
David Reynolds: Obsession
Column by David Reynolds
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“Call me Ishmael.” I, too, will try to explain obsession. I will try to explain one president’s drive to enact one piece of legislation – ObamaCare.
However, if you are familiar with Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick” there is no need. You already know about Captain Ahab and the ill-fated whaling ship Pequod and the role good and evil, predestination, envy, greed, social stigma and revenge play in obsession. By standing on Melville’s 19th Century crow nest we have a cat bird seat on 21st Century Washington. Read more
Sarah van Gelder: Post-racial America
Column by Sarah van Gelder
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If anyone thought the inauguration of Barack Obama as president heralded the end of racism in America, they should look no further than the tea party rallies held last weekend. The racial slogans and the mocking signs show how far we still have to go. Perhaps even more troubling are the economic indicators that show how far the recession is setting back the fragile fortunes of people of color. Read more
AFPBusiness.com: Obama on clean-energy jobs
Edited by Chris Graham
AFPBusiness.com
Read a transcript of remarks by President Barack Obama on Friday, March 5, in Arlington on clean-energy jobs.
The transcript is available on AFPBusiness.com.
I Love The ’90s, Part Two
Are we about to reprise the pendulum swings of the Gingrich-Clinton era?
Report by Chris Graham
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Might we see a repeat of 1994 in 2010? The short answer: yes. Next question: Might we then see a repeat of 1996 in 2012? Well, maybe.
“For all the trouble Barack Obama’s had lately voters still prefer him to any of the top Republican contenders for 2012,” said Dean Debnam, president of Public Policy Polling, which polled 743 registered voters in February and found the Democrat Obama leading all of the top potential 2012 Republican Party hopefuls at this very, very early stage more than two and a half years out from the November 2012 presidential election.
An Obama win might have to come after a November 2010 switch in majority-party status in at least the House of Representatives, which would mirror the Republican takeover of Congress in 1994 that was followed by the re-election of Democratic President Bill Clinton in 1996.
An analysis from the University of Virginia Center for Politics released last week suggests that Republicans could be poised to gain 37 seats in the ’10 midterms, which would put the GOP within hailing distance of taking majority control of the legislative chamber. A switch of 40 seats from the D column to the R column would give the Republicans the majority in the House. Read more
The Rant | An empty chair on health care
Video Essay by Chris Graham
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The response to President Obama’s invitation for a public dialogue among congressional leaders has been as deafening as silence can be.
It’s hard to dialogue with an empty chair, editor Chris Graham points out in today’s Rant. Read more
Austin Gisriel: Pragmatism and politics
Posted by afp on April 13, 2010 · Leave a Comment
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What works? The American people still believe in this most basic American value, even if American politicians have abandoned it.
Pragmatism is, perhaps, the quintessential American value, and it essentially defines the growing political center. It is why even people who generally approve of the recently passed health care bill are uneasy. Simply put, they are not sure that it will work. Read more
Filed under Blogs · Tagged with austin gisriel, Health Care, health care reform, nancy pelosi, president barack obama