Gop Rep gives in after birther takes him to task at town hall. “I Believe What You’re Saying.” Watch.

Harry Reid on GOP obstruction of Obama: “It’s been obvious that they’re doing everything they can to make him fail. And I hope, I hope — and I say this seriously — I hope that’s based on substance and not the fact that he’s African-American.”

For years I’ve been talking about how so much of our politics is not about explicit discussions about public policy or agenda items but meta-battles about power and weakness played out over symbolic actions many people miss. I’ve called it “bitch slap politics”because for all the rancid connotations of the word I think it’s the only one that captures the reality of how it works. Read More