Published: PolicyMic (August 11, 2012) Early this morning, The Huffington Post broke the story that Mitt Romney had selected Paul Ryan to be his vice presidential running mate. In his article, Jon Ward commented that "Ryan is a bold pick who will energize the Republican Party, but putting him on the ticket is fraught with risk and instantly puts Ryan's budget plan front and center in the 2012...
Political Parties
What Voters Should Know About Romney’s Middle-Class Tax Hikes
Aug 3, 2012 | Class Issues, Conservativism, Economic Policy, Elections - Presidential (2012), mic, Political Ideologies, Political Parties, Republicans
Published: PolicyMic (August 3, 2012) According to the non-partisan Tax Policy Center, Mitt Romney's proposed tax cuts for the affluent will require him to increase taxes on middle-class families by $2,000 a year. Just in case you missed that the first time: If you are a wage-earner for a middle-class family, Romney would raise your taxes by $2,000. In fact, if you are among the 95% of Americans...
Why Mitt Romney Should Not Choose Tim Pawlenty As His Running Mate
Jul 11, 2012 | Conservativism, Elections, Elections - Presidential (2012), mic, Political Ideologies, Political Parties, Republicans, Scandals
Published: PolicyMic (July 11, 2012) In 1973, Vice President Spiro Agnew was forced to resign due to revelations that he had accepted bribes as Governor of Maryland. Why is this important nearly forty years later? Simple: If Mitt Romney chooses Tim Pawlenty as his running mate, we may have another Agnew on our hands. Before he became Governor of Minnesota, Pawlenty spent two years on the board...
Barack Obama’s Legacy: Part Two – After the Supreme Court’s Health Care Reform Ruling
Jun 28, 2012 | Democrats, Economic Policy, Health Care Reform, History, Liberalism, mic, Political Ideologies, Political Parties, President Obama, Supreme Court and Other Judicial Issues
Published: PolicyMic (June 28, 2012) Two months ago, in my editorial detailing the positive legacy President Obama will leave behind at the end of his first term, I deliberately avoided mentioning his health care reform bill, given that it was at that time "on the Supreme Court chopping block." Now that it has been officially deemed constitutional, I think it is important to note the two-fold...
The Failures of Romneynomics
Jun 11, 2012 | Class Issues, Conservativism, Economic Policy, Elections - Presidential (2012), mic, Political Ideologies, Political Parties, Republicans
Published: PolicyMic (June 11, 2012) The American people have made it clear that unemployment will be the dominant issue of this election. Polls consistently show voters prioritizing it far above every other policy question, with nothing else – not health care reform, not balancing the budget, not international relations, not gay rights – managing to place even a close second by comparison....
Why Mitt Romney is a Coward
Jun 6, 2012 | Conservativism, Elections - Presidential (2012), Gay Rights and Other LGBTQIA Issues, mic, Religion and Religious Issues, Republicans
Published: PolicyMic (June 6, 2012) Back in 1964, a Republican Governor named George Romney performed an act of rare political courage. As party delegates convened in San Francisco to coronate Senator Barry Goldwater as their presidential nominee, Romney noted Goldwater's opposition to civil rights legislation and announced that because "his [Goldwater's] views deviate as indicated from the...
Barack Obama’s Legacy: Part One – Comparison to John Kennedy
Apr 30, 2012 | Democrats, Economic Policy, Elections, Elections - Presidential (2012), Foreign Policy, History, mic, Political Parties, President Obama
Published: The Morning Call (April 30, 2012), PolicyMic (April 30, 2012), CNN (April 30, 2012) With one of Barack Obama's signature legislative achievements on the Supreme Court chopping block and his re-election bid against Mitt Romney shaping up into a close race, many conservative pundits are claiming the president's legacy is in peril. Since their assertions have received ample play in the...
Arlen Specter’s Horrendous Stand Up Comedy
Apr 1, 2012 | Arts and Entertainment, mic, Pennsylvania, Political Parties, Republicans, Satirical Essays
Published: PolicyMic (April 1, 2012) When I first heard that Arlen Specter was going to hit the stand-up comedy circuit, I was pretty excited. If nothing else, such a decision from an ex-Senator shows cojones, a commodity that is in distressingly short supply among most of those associated with public life. Beyond that, Specter is in a valuable position to offer sharp commentary about how our...
The Republican War on Women
Mar 22, 2012 | Abortion, Conservativism, Elections, Elections - Presidential (2012), Gender and Sexism, mic, Political Ideologies, Political Parties, Religion and Religious Issues, Republicans
Published: PolicyMic (March 22, 2012) Is it fair to claim that the Republican Party is waging a "war on women?" Let's look at the facts. Although the phrase in question only regained its political fashionability within the last few months, the sad truth is that the Republican Party's hostility to women's rights traces back much longer than that. The days when Senator Margaret Chase Smith...
On Mitt Romney’s Mormon Background
Mar 4, 2012 | Conservativism, Democrats, Elections, Elections - Presidential (2012), Liberalism, mic, Political Ideologies, Political Parties, Republicans
Published: PolicyMic (March 4, 2012) Thanks to his recent victories in the Michigan and Arizona primaries, Mitt Romney once again has emerged as the strongest contender for the Republican presidential nomination. As such, I think it is appropriate to draw attention to the unique dilemma he will pose to liberals in the event that he is the ultimate victor in Tampa. Up until now, the...