Dec 17, 2012 | Asperger's Syndrome, Autobiographical, Gun Control, Mental Illness, mic
Published: PolicyMic (December 17, 2012) ow am I supposed to begin an article describing what it's like to be autistic? I use the term "autistic" because, although I was officially diagnosed as a child with "high-functioning Asperger's Syndrome," the American Psychiatric Association recently voted to remove Asperger's Syndrome as a separate classification and instead place it under the broader...
Dec 1, 2012 | Conservativism, Conspiracy Theories, Elections, Elections - Presidential (2016), Extremism, mic, Political Ideologies, Political Parties, Republicans
Published: PolicyMic (December 1, 2012) The only thing worse than laziness is contagious laziness. I refer you to the following headlines from Fox News and Politico: "Ted Cruz Speech Fuels 2016 Presidential Run Speculation" "Ted Cruz Speech Stokes 2016 Speculation" Ted Cruz, for those of you fortunate enough to not be up-to-date on your Tea Party demagogues, is the Senator-elect from Texas....
Nov 30, 2012 | Democrats, Economic Policy, Elections, Elections - Presidential (2012), mic, Political Parties, Republicans
Published: PolicyMic (November 30, 2012) I have no idea whether Mitt Romney will ever see this editorial. While I do know at least one of my articles was noticed by the erstwhile Republican candidate's inner circle (a piece from six months ago that drew complaints from his former foreign policy adviser Richard Grenell), that hardly assures that anything else I write will make its way to him....
Nov 29, 2012 | Class Issues, Conservativism, Economic Policy, Extremism, mic, Political Ideologies, Political Parties, Republicans
Published: PolicyMic (November 29, 2012) The impending so-called "fiscal cliff" has not been kind to Grover Norquist. As political junkies are well aware, the conservative lobbyist who founded Americans for Tax Reform is best known for pressuring Republican politicians to sign his Taxpayer Protection Pledge, which puts signatories on the record as vowing to never support marginal income tax...
Nov 27, 2012 | Democrats, General Advice, mic, Political Parties, Republicans, Scandals
Published: PolicyMic (November 27, 2012) This may seem odd coming from the pen of a liberal Democrat (er, keyboard), but here it goes: Gerald Ford is my favorite president of the past forty years. There are plenty of good reasons for liberals to admire Ford. Foremost among them is the fact that he was the last genuinely moderate Republican to inhabit the White House, with his battle against...
Nov 20, 2012 | Elections, Elections - Presidential (2012), mic, Vice President Biden
Published: The Morning Call (November 20, 2012), PolicyMic (November 20, 2012) In honor of Joe Biden's 70th birthday, I think it's time he received credit for the indispensable role he played in Barack Obama's re-election. Flash back to the week after the first presidential debate. Romney was widely believed to have triumphed over Obama in that forensic exhibition, due in large part to the...
Nov 19, 2012 | Class Issues, Conservativism, Economic Policy, mic, Plutocracy, Political Ideologies
Published: PolicyMic (November 19, 2012) Say what you will about Governor Chris Christie, but the man has a great sense of humor about himself. The latest instance of his jocular self-deprecation took place on Monday, when he was asked how he felt about the increasing possibility that Twinkies will become a thing of the past. "I'm on ‘Saturday Night Live’ enough. You think you're getting me...
Nov 7, 2012 | Democrats, Elections, Elections - Presidential (2012), General Advice, mic, Political Parties, President Obama, Republicans
Published: PolicyMic (November 7, 2012) "When news of the surrender first reached our lines our men commenced firing a salute of a hundred guns in honor of the victory. I at once sent word, however, to have it stopped. The Confederates were now our prisoners, and we did not want to exult over their downfall." By now, most of you probably recognize this quote as the famous passage from Ulysses S....
Nov 6, 2012 | Elections, Elections - Presidential (2012), mic
Published: PolicyMic (November 6, 2012) While pundits and pollsters alike will start crowing about the exit poll results soon, the truth is they could not matter less. Here are the top four reasons why you shouldn't care about the exit polls: 1) Non-response bias In 2004, exit polls gave Senator John Kerry such a massive lead over President George W. Bush that Democrats began to prematurely...
Nov 6, 2012 | Elections, Elections - Presidential (2012), mic, Other Media, President Obama
Published: PolicyMic (November 6, 2012) Jesse Merkel, my "opponent" in offering a prediction for the 2012 election, wrote this piece about me after the fact. Editor's Note: In this special Election Day feature, PolicyMic is spotlighting the election predictions of two of our most prominent pundits, conservative Jesse Merkel and liberal Matthew Rozsa. As a twist, we also got them to agree a...