Political Animal Stories

333 stories found. Showing page 1 of 17.

Cowards

Political Animal | 1/27/2010 | By Brian Morton

Is it any wonder how George W. Bush was able to roll congressional Democrats for eight years? (No--not just six, all eight. Speaker Nancy Pelosi immediately taking impeachment off the table was the f...[MORE]

'Tis the Season

Political Animal | 1/6/2010 | By Brian Morton

There is a time in the day of anyone who decides to run for office that that person despises. It entails sitting down in a small room, possibly with a staffer, and a phone and a piece of paper. On...[MORE]

Trial by Twitter

Political Animal | 12/16/2009 | By Brian Morton

Who would have thought that such a simple and historic process such as jury deliberations could be affected by the modern wave of social media? Currently, Sheila Dixon is mayor-for-now, but "now" ...[MORE]

Fear Merchants

Political Animal | 11/25/2009 | By Brian Morton

Seriously, I'm starting to think some people have watched too many Die Hard movies. OK, so for years we hear about how if everyone were armed, there'd be a lot less crime in this country, because ei...[MORE]

Market Metaphors

Political Animal | 11/4/2009 | By Brian Morton

The town of Monticello, Minn., sits at the northern end of the Mississippi River, about an hour's drive northwest of Minneapolis. It's a picturesque place, home to a little more than 10,000 people, ...[MORE]

Capitalism Monte

Political Animal | 10/14/2009 | By Brian Morton

About 10 years ago, there was a short moment where the lawmakers of New York City mulled over the idea of legalizing the three-card monte game, calling it "a game of skill." But really--it's not. It'...[MORE]

Poor Health

Political Animal | 9/23/2009 | By Brian Morton

One of the most stunning parts of the debate about health-care reform is how often the plight of the poor gets shut out of the discussion. This is understandable, if still unconscionable. If the s...[MORE]

Death Care

Political Animal | 8/26/2009 | By Brian Morton

Years ago, during the Republican effort to eliminate the estate tax, which is paid primarily by the heirs of the wealthy, the GOP linguistic strategist and pollster Frank Luntz pushed the idea that ...[MORE]

Power Play

Political Animal | 8/5/2009 | By Brian Morton

Now that time has put some distance between the arrest of Harvard professor Henry Louis "Skip" Gates Jr. by Cambridge Police Officer James Crowley and the subsequent "beer summit" on the lawn outs...[MORE]

Past Is Prologue

Political Animal | 7/15/2009 | By Brian Morton

So we're living in a "post-racial society." Funny, but it doesn't feel like it. As much as some would like to believe it, the election of an African-American president doesn't magically usher us into ...[MORE]

The Well-Known Liberal Bias

Political Animal | 6/24/2009 | By Brian Morton

Ever notice that in some types of modern comedy, the funny part is just saying brutal truths out loud? Chris Rock has made a career of this: Just listen to his riffs about the Million Man March, whe...[MORE]

Good Times

Political Animal | 6/3/2009 | By Brian Morton

I can't help but smile. Sure, we're nowhere out of the weeds yet. Jobs are still hemorrhaging, gas prices have started sliding upward for the summer, North Korea is lighting matches next to their ...[MORE]

Sestak for America!

Political Animal | 5/6/2009 | By Brian Morton

So, in the course of one week, Sen. Arlen Specter bolts the Republican Party and David Souter lets it be known that he's retiring from the Supreme Court at the end of the current term. And what does...[MORE]

The Guns of Spring

Political Animal | 4/15/2009 | By Brian Morton

There's something about April. In mid-April two years ago, a mentally ill Seung Hui Cho killed 32 people and injured 25 more in a gun-fueled massacre at Virginia Tech. Ten years ago this April...[MORE]

Hope and Trust

Political Animal | 3/25/2009 | By Brian Morton

Seeing as most of us are not economists, it's worrisome to see so many experts (even on the liberal side) who have problems with the faith President Obama has in Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner ...[MORE]

If It's War They Want

Political Animal | 3/4/2009 | By Brian Morton

It's getting to that time when we may have to man the barricades and wait for the telltale sound of squealing now that President Obama has released his budget. Not long after that, we'll see the bann...[MORE]

Standing Athwart Progress

Political Animal | 2/11/2009 | By Brian Morton

Barack Obama, in a spirit of bipartisanship, reached across the aisle and extended a hand. The Republican Party, almost en masse, responded by clenching their fists and hitting him in the mouth. We ...[MORE]

The Radio Still Sucks

Political Animal | 1/21/2009 | By Brian Morton

About 20 years ago, when I worked in all-news radio in Washington, the longtime and legendary midday news anchor Jamie Bragg looked at me one morning as we entered the brand-new newsroom we had all ...[MORE]

Memories, Old and New

Political Animal | 1/14/2009 | By Brian Morton

Farewell to old national scandals, hello to new local ones. Right as we get ready to bid a not-so-fond goodbye to George Bush, Dick Cheney, and a national culture of hubris and arrogance, we get to u...[MORE]

Happy New War

Political Animal | 1/7/2009 | By Brian Morton

Quite possibly one of the silliest and most pointless things a black American political columnist can write about is the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians. The only thing that can come of i...[MORE]