Obama's Stories and Legends (Thomas Sugrue) from the Nation
"To understand Obama's relationship to America's racial past—and to make sense of how he places himself in it, including what he left in and what he edited out—requires situating him in the context of the contested cultural, intellectual and political milieu of the period from the 1960s to the present. The history of civil rights in modern America is one of remembering and forgetting, of inclusion and exclusion."
Sugrue is an outstanding historian of race and urban history. This long-form essay is adapted from his soon-to-be-released Not Even Past: Barack Obama and the Burden of Race, out in June from Princeton University Press.
How Obama’s 16 Months Has Changed Washington (David Leonhardt) from the New York Times
"With the Senate’s passage of financial regulation, Congress and the White House have completed 16 months of activity that rival any other since the New Deal in scope or ambition. Like the Reagan Revolution or Lyndon Johnson’s Great Society, the new progressive period has the makings of a generational shift in how Washington operates."
A Diplomatic Game of Chicken with Iran (David Ignatius) from the Washington Post
"Tehran was surely hoping that by accepting the deal, it would head off a new sanctions resolution being drafted by the U.N. Security Council. The would-be mediators, Turkey and Brazil, were hoping to buff their credentials as leaders of a new "nonaligned movement."
But the last-minute dealmakers appear to have miscalculated."
Cracks in the Wall of the Curia (Jason Berry) from the National Catholic Reporter
"As words fire back and forth in the press, the wall of secrecy that traditionally surrounds the curia is showing cracks."
Rebel Nuns (Michelle Goldberg) from the Daily Beast
"A nun excommunicated for allowing an abortion to save a mother’s life, nuns breaking with Rome to support health-care reform—what’s gotten into the sisters? Michelle Goldberg on the Vatican’s latest scofflaws."
Immigration Law in Arizona Reveals GOP Divisions from the New York Times
"Republican lawmakers and candidates are increasingly divided over illegal immigration — torn between the need to attract Latino support, especially at the ballot box, and rallying party members who support tougher action."
The ones who are truly conflicted about it are no longer in the driver's seat unfortunately.
On a Note of Triumph (James Vega) from the Democratic Strategist
"What Democrats have faced for the last year has not been a normal political conflict, but rather an assault modeled on a military campaign -- an attack conducted in the language and spirit of warfare. ... The Republican conservatives, ..., saw themselves as modern-day holy warriors, steeled and girded for battle and ready to join in hand-to-hand combat with forces of evil."
Some may find Vegas' analysis overheated. I think he's right on the mark.
Firewall Around the Democrats' House (Eleanor Clift) from Newsweek
"The Democrats' ability to hold John Murtha's congressional seat shows they may be safer in the House of Representatives than in the Senate."
Blumenthal Allies Turn Tables on NYT from Politico
"What at first appeared to be a potentially career-ending New York Times exposé of Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has generated a messy fight between the newspaper, Blumenthal’s liberal supporters, and his leading Republican rival for the Senate over the story’s accuracy and origins."
Why Would Anyone Need to Lie About Having Been in Vietnam? (Henry Allen) from the Washington Post
"The case can be made that these men -- often upscale and educated, the sort of people who are supposed to lead this country -- acted legally and even honorably in using their social status and intelligence to stay out of Vietnam. But the stains and doubts linger."
I'm sure it has something to do with the fact that there are so many right-wing hawks out there ready to throw it in their faces now matter how honorable the reason was.
The GOP's Biggest Enemy: Itself from Politico
"Political history and the mood of the electorate would seem to indicate Democrats are on their way to significant losses this fall. But they may have some help mitigating the damage from an unwitting ally — the Republicans. The GOP is wrestling with a series of challenges, some familiar and some new, that could dampen the party’s prospects for recapturing Congress this November. All were on vivid display Tuesday."
Sensing Momentum, Senate Dems Don't Want to Ease Up from The Hill
"From senior members to newer freshmen and sophomores, Democratic senators say they don’t want the caucus to shy away from topics like climate change legislation, immigration reform or a repeal of the military’s “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy."
Primary Victory Over Conventional Wisdom (Chris Weigant) from the Huffington Post
"A lot of conventional wisdom about the 2010 elections died an ignoble death last night, as voters once again proved that even though the inside-the-Beltway crowd loves to attempt to pigeonhole them one way or another, when the election rolls around the voters have the final say. The breadth of such conventional wisdom's demise is rather staggering in its scope, too."
Feeling Randy: The Missing Piece from Primary Coverage (Leslie Savan) from the Nation
"What we really saw in last night’s election were Democrats who chose, against their Beltway leaders’ advice, a more liberal Dem over a Republican-lite pseudo-Dem every time."
Rand Old Party: Why Democrats Can't Wait to Use Rand Paul Against the GOP (John Dickerson) from Slate
"At worst, it makes him seem to take racism lightly, and at best, it's distracting. Before lunch, Paul had put out a statement that he would not support the repeal of the law. This is what it looks like when the anti-establishment bumps up against the establishment."
Who's Afraid of Rand Paul? (Robert Scheer) from the Nation
"Count me as one lefty liberal who is not the least bit unhappy with the victory by Rand Paul in Kentucky’s Republican primary for the US Senate. Not because it might make it easier for some Democratic Party hack to win in the general, but rather because he seems to be a principled libertarian in the mold of his father, Representative Ron Paul, R-Texas, and we need more of that impulse in the Congress."
Kentucky GOP Urges Rand Paul to Avoid National Spotlight from the Tri-City Herald [of Kentucky]
"In public, Senate candidate Rand Paul's Republican colleagues have tried to contextualize his controversial comments about anti-discrimination laws and the Obama administration's handling of the Gulf Coast oil spill, but privately they bemoan the political newcomer's gaffes and wish he'd focus less on the national media spotlight and more on Kentucky and the economy."
Increasingly, this is the GOP's MO -- avoid the media at all costs. I have trouble imagining Rand Paul doing this successfully for long. His opponent, Conway, should call him out immediately.
The Lesson of Rand: Libertarianism is Juvenile (Gabriel Winant) from Salon
"It's not just that he screwed up and said something stupid because he's so committed to a purist fancy. No, it's worse than that. Libertarianism itself is what's stupid here, not just Paul."
SCIENCE BREAKTHROUGH NUGGET!!
Synthetic Cell is a Giant Leap for Science, and Could be Bigger Still for Mankind from the Independent [of the UK]
"Scientists have succeeded in creating artificial life in a test tube, in a development which promises to revolutionise biotechnology."
LITERARY NUGGET!!
The 11 Greatest Literary Feuds from the Daily Beast
"From Mailer punching Vidal to Rushdie attacking Updike, The Daily Beast selects the best feuds that sent the ink flying—and asks: Just what makes a great literary smackdown?"
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