'Your papers, please' must never be heard in America
Independent voices from the TWT Communities
To listen to the pundits, Ann Romney is little more than a "corporate wife" (Fox News commentator Juan Williams), a sexist for "putting a sorority girl grin on a description of women's lives" (Slate's Amanda Marcotte), and a woman who "has never worked a day in her life" (Democratic strategist Hilary Rosen).
This has been a tough week in Tampa for the stars of the mainstream media, so called. The Republicans aren't acting like the bigots, zealots and wild-eyed extremists the boys and girls on the campaign bus want them to be.
Rip Torn, Richard Crenna and James Brolin are among the many actors who portrayed President Ronald Reagan in one Hollywood production or another. Now add Michael Douglas to the list.
The wrath of the sisterhood has befallen TV pundit Juan Williams, whose post-speech attack Tuesday night on Ann Romney has toasted what little credibility he had with much-needed female voters who see the potential first lady — a cancer survivor and mother of five — as real and heroic.
RIGHTEOUS INDIGNATION: EXCUSE ME WHILE I SAVE THE WORLD
NPR's new chief executive named two public radio executives Friday to lead news and programming at the network's Washington headquarters, elevating the network's digital chief to oversee all content.
Birtherism is alive and well. I'm not referring to doubts about President Obama's birthplace. I'm talking, instead, about mounting attacks on prominent Republicans whose parents were born abroad.
Newtzilla is back. Six weeks ago, during the last Newt Gingrich surge, I wrote that "conventional weapons are useless against Newtzilla. ... Everything bad about Gingrich - the flip-flops, the wives, the ego - is known. Once voters have convinced themselves they can overlook that stuff, it's hard to change their minds simply by repeating it."
Most analysts trace Newt Gingrich's stunning come-from-behind victory in Saturday's South Carolina primary to his performance in the two pre-primary debates and in particular to his handling of the home-run pitches thrown him by Juan Williams and John King.
The Democrats are settling on one major election strategy: Portray opposition to President Obama as a form of racism. In a nutshell, the liberal argument is that conservative dissent from Mr. Obama's social democratic agenda - Obamacare, the nearly $1 trillion stimulus and Dodd-Frank - is driven not by the color of the president's politics, but the color of his skin.
Mitt Romney said Tuesday he will eventually release his income-tax returns, but acknowledged he likely pays a lower overall tax rate than many less-wealthy Americans.
Mitt Romney's opponents in the Republican presidential primary pounced Monday night, using the latest debate to question his economic record, turn his own supporters' attacks back on him, and demand he release his tax forms.
Incivility does not connote power or political prowess. Republican presidential hopefuls should remember that petty potshots - while amusing to the press - do not wear well with the weary, worried American public. Democratic strategists can easily exploit such moments as a symbol of (a) Republican disunity (b) Republican boorishness (c) Republican immaturity. And alas. Polished, studied Mitt Romney has abandoned is steady behavior by sparring with Texas Gov. Rick Perry; the rivals grappled before 5.5. million prime-time viewers on camera at the Republican debate in Las Vegas, and now duel with scathing campaign ads.
The Fox News Channel talk show given a summer tryout in Glenn Beck's old time slot will be sticking around.
The Fox News Channel talk show given a summer tryout in Glenn Beck's old time slot will be sticking around.
"I think that Mr. Swartz IS a King-like figure for this generation in the sense that he was willing to challenge what he viewed as unjust laws," Williams said. "Where the analogy breaks down for me is that ... (Swartz) did not understand that in taking up this fight and bearing THIS cross, he was going to expose himself to tremendous political and emotional cost."
Journalist Juan Williams, the author of several books on the civil rights movement, said the comparison with King only goes so far.
