We might not have seen the last shutdown over Obamacare: The Virginia legislature continued its stalemate over the health care reform law Wednesday, creeping closer toward shuttering this summer if the two sides can’t agree.
Conservatives are not pleased with Justice Sonia Sotomayor's dissent in yesterday's affirmative action case, even if they reaffirmed the right to ban it. Instead, Sahil Kapur reports they're complaining that she's "legally illiterate" and writing about "emotion." If those aren't codes for her race and gender, I don't know if I know what is.
Ed Kilgore: Despite it's origins with business-minded Republicans, "opposition to Common Core is rapidly becoming a 'true conservative' litmus test, and a major factor in the 'invisible primary' leading into the 2016 presidential cycle."
Apparently Texas has its own "Bundy Ranch" situation. And the state's AG - also candidate for Governor - is ready to back up these new Bundys.
You've probably read about that Princeton University study that said that America transforming from a democracy into an oligarchy as politicians have become responsive only to the very wealthy. We talked to the scholar behind the study and here he explains what he thinks the study means.
TPM Reader BG hits on a point I've been thinking about a lot in this "Fox Effect" series. As we've noted, you don't just stand up a cable news network and suddenly everyone's a cranky racist sending Obama witch-doctor emails. If only it were so easy. But I also don't think it's just as simple as saying that Fox is a mirror of the political journey/worldview of one generation or cohort of the American population. It's clearly been a driver of political ideas and, for many, political identity, coupled with and growing out from conservative talk radio.
One key in my mind has been to affirm and normalize views that have been considered unacceptable to express or at least express out loud. And that's no small thing.
Hometown Mayor who turned out to be a big supporter of guy who allegedly shot up that Jewish Community Center has resigned.
What the heck? It turns out there's a Fox Effect movie.
Here's the filmmaker's blurb from the successful Kickstarter that funded the project ...
When the filmmaker's parents moved to a place where her father had a long solo commute to work and started listening to Talk Radio to alleviate the boredom, her family saw him change from a non-political Democrat to a radicalized, angry Right-Wing Republican. What happened to Dad?
Trailer after the jump ...
This isn't really the Fox Effect, but man, this request must have led to some awkward moments. From TPM Reader JB ...
I recall the moment I knew my Dad, an engineer and a very rational guy, had changed. In Dec. 1999, he called all of his kids and grandkids to join him to experience the fallout from Y2K together. His house was full of supplies for survival.
An interesting spin on the Fox Effect story from TPM Reader TB, on how Fox News turned his mother against Oprah ...
The note you shared about the Fox effect I think is something that really should be taken quite seriously. My parents are similar to what most people have discussed here. They actually would never use racial epithets around us, probably not at all, but there was definitely a feeling of African-American’s being dangerous and out for trouble presented by them. Thank goodness that as we as a country evolve, I think so do these views, but obviously we still have a long way to go.
TPM Reader CB shares his story ...
I have to say, I've seen a noticeable shift in my parents' views over the years as they've fallen deeper and deeper into Fox's grip. Although much more so for my mother than my father. (In fact, virtually every time we talk on the phone, I hear Fox droning on in the background. And when I am home visiting, I make it point to put Fox on mute.)
