American Power in the 21st Century Will be Defined by the ‘Rise of the Rest’ (Joseph S. Nye Jr.) from the Washington Post
"In the last century, the United States rose from the status of second-tier power to being the world’s sole superpower. Some worry that the United States will be eclipsed in this century by China, but that is not the problem. There is never just one possible outcome."
Invest, Divest and Prosper (Paul Krugman) from the New York Times
"With all the Supreme Court decisions and Paula Deen drama this week, some very important climate news was given short shrift."
Seize the Mortgages, Save the Neighborhood from the Los Angeles Times
"... a more drastic approach is gaining support. Local governments could use eminent domain to take mortgage-backed securities (instead of land), pay their owners fair market value and turn the securities back into whole mortgages. For example, if a security backed by mortgages likely to default is trading at 40% of its face value, eminent domain could reduce the mortgage debt by 60%."
Why Bush Violated the Fourth Amendment, and Obama Has Not (Geoffrey R. Stone) from the Daily Beast
"The reasonable expectation of privacy“ has evolved since the Court coined the concept in 1967 – and Obama’s actions have respected that expectation, writes Geoffrey R. Stone."
GOP Could Pay Price for Gerrymandering from Politico
"Some top GOP strategists and candidates warn that the ruby red districts the party drew itself into are pushing House Republicans further to the right — narrowing the party’s appeal at a time when some GOP leaders say its future rests on the opposite happening ..."
Another related reason the gerrymandering could backfire is the illusion of security GOP House members currently have. GOP congressman in the 1920s had the same illusion. One of the little remembered (and seemingly UNTHINKABLE) developments that shaped the 1920s as a decade of GOP dominance was the fact that there was NO redistricting done in 1920. They just ... skipped it. Thus, by 1930, there had been no redistricting done since 1910! By 1930, the US was a much more urban and ethnically diverse country -- and the GOP largely missed the change. Redistricting WAS done in 1930, and the first time it was used was ... 1932 -- when the GOP was SLAUGHTERED by FDR and his New Deal coalition!! Republicans were massacred again in 1934 and 1936. It has long been viewed that this series of routes were due solely to the GOP's failures in dealing with the Great Depression. However, a critical secondary cause was the fact that, for twenty years, the GOP lived in a political landscape that did not reflect social reality. Personally, I think the current Republican Party faces a similarly illusory landscape. But I do not think the country will need to wait until 2022 for the GOP to get its come-up-ance. The demographics are changing too rapidly. It seems to me that Republicans are already poised to lose the 2016 presidential race, given the cavalcade of clowns that are lining up in Iowa while the slightly more serious folks (Rubio, Jindal, Christie, and Bush) are seeing their stars already begin to dim. A clear indicator of where things really are will be next year's Senate races, where (at minimum, given the favorable landscape the GOP faces) the Republicans should gain seats in the Senate and perhaps even take control. I'm going to out on a limb right now and predict that they will make no gains next year. The increasing degree to which they are out of touch with reality is going to be too great.
Darrell Issa and the Overblown Scandals (Dana Milbank) from the Washington Post
"This is how a scandal implodes: First, the head of the investigation overpromises. ... Next, facts emerge to undermine the investigator’s presuppositions."
McCain Gently Warns House GOP: We’re Doomed If You Screw Up Immigration Reform from Talking Points Memo
"TPM asked McCain if Republicans can recover in 2016 if the overhaul falters and if the party nominates a pro-immigration candidate. He took a deep breath and shook his head. “No,” he said."
Is Sarah Palin about to leave the Republican Party? Tea Party celebrity hints that she may go independent or start a new 'Freedom Party' from the Daily Mail [of the UK]
"Palin hinted that she is open to the thought of going independent and said that if the GOP continues to stray from its conservative roots, others in the party would do the same."
Yes, honey. That's JUST what the GOP needs right now!!
PRES-2016: The Ageist Attack on Hillary (Michael Tomasky) from the Daily Beast
"Republicans are preparing to attack Clinton for being old. Michael Tomasky on why it will probably backfire."
MEN"S FASHION NUGGET (of a sort)!!
Backstage at Men's Fashion Week in Paris and Milan - Spring/Summer 2014 (Photos) from the Daily Beast
I hate to say this -- but most of what I see here would look REALLY GREAT -- on women. Men, I'm not there yet.
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