Not sure there’s a better snapshot of our national politics circa 2011 than House Republicans proposing to make it easier for big government contractors to cheat on their taxes — and paying for that proposal by reducing the number of sick old people eligible for Medicaid. Brian Beutler has the details.
We’ve compiled some stunning photos from the U.S. decade in Iraq. You might be surprised by how much you’ve forgotten.
Evaluating the prospects of the minor leaguers in the GOP presidential field. Part II in this week’s series.
Herman Cain edges into the national lead over Mitt Romney in new CBS News/New York Times poll.
Jon Stewart on Rick Perry’s birtherism: “See, now he’s only six months behind the national conversation. But his ‘n-word’ family hunting ground was, like, 150 years behind. In many ways, Perry’s actually gaining time.” Watch.
Gay rights advocate, on J. Edgar Hoover: “If the FBI and J. Edgar Hoover’s friends and associates resist the notion that the blackmailing, extorting, empire-building, racist, homophobic man was gay, fine, whatever they wish to think. The straights can have him.”
Joe Biden complains about an ambush from a reporter for the conservative Human Events magazine.
Eeeesh. When Pat Robertson says the GOP base is pulling the Republican party too far to the right, that might be bad sign. Watch.
A Flat Tax and Privatized Social Security are fast becoming the new litmus test of the 2012 Republican campaign.
How long till Mitt submits?
Greg Sargent’s been writing about the effort by conservatives to use the Occupy Wall Street protests as a wedge between progressive activists and working class whites/independents. It’s straight from the old playbook: Exploit the cosmetic differences between the two groups to obscure the similarity of their economic interests. We’ve been down this road so many times, it’s hard for me to believe it could still work. Looks like we may find out in the Massachusetts Senate race, where Elizabeth Warren is coming out full square for the protests, even claiming credit for creating the “intellectual foundation” for OWS.