politics

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Senate to Tweak Bailout —But not Much

Dissenting Dems, GOP want different changes

(Newser) - Senators are scrambling to revive legislation for the financial bailout after its surprise failure in the House yesterday, but must strike the right balance to attract new House votes without driving away initial supporters, Bloomberg reports. House Republicans want an expanded role for the FDIC in the bailout and for...

5 Reasons Pols Dissed the Bailout
 5 Reasons Pols
 Dissed the Bailout 
ANALYSIS
Sep 29, 2008 6:08 PM CDT

5 Reasons Pols Dissed the Bailout

A bad sell, partisan wrangling, and an urge to be reelected led to bill's downfall: Pershing

(Newser) - House members were only given a chance to salvage the world economy—why do it? There are several reasons why 95 Democrats and 133 Republicans turned down Henry Paulson's $700 billion bailout plan, Ben Pershing writes in the Washington Post. The simplest? “A lot of members just didn't like...

Scare Easily? You May Be a Conservative

Study suggests political leanings could be hard-wired

(Newser) - People who startle more easily at loud noises or frightening images may be more prone to taking conservative political stances, reports the Washington Post. A new study suggests that there may be a biological basis for people's stands on contentious issues, with those who react less strongly to perceived threats...

Why McCain Longs for 19th Century Fuels
Why McCain Longs for 19th Century Fuels
OPINION
Sep 14, 2008 3:00 PM CDT

Why McCain Longs for 19th Century Fuels

He's making every debate, even energy, a 'cultural wedge issue'

(Newser) - Why are Republicans chanting "drill, baby, drill," a call for an outdated, 19th-century technology like fossil fuels? Because they are turning every political debate into a cultural "wedge Issue," Thomas Friedman writes in the New York Times—"including even energy policy, no matter how stupid...

Chafing Under Term Limits, Local Pols Act

Elected officials nationwide push for more time in office

(Newser) - Local politicians across the country are mounting campaigns against the term-limits laws that threaten to force them from office, reports the New York Times. More than 20 governments—including New York City's—are considering repealing term limits, with term-limited politicians spearheading the challenges. "We do a lot of churning...

Slumping Far-Right Party Sells Paris HQ

Far-right, anti-immigrant politics in decline in France

(Newser) - France's declining far-right party is selling its Paris headquarters to pay an €8 million debt, the Guardian reports. Jean-Marie Le Pen's National Front party has agreed to sell the building, overlooking the Seine, for an estimated €12 to €15m—several million less than it had hoped. The...

Gourmet Writer a Threat to Beijing?

Baffled food journalist denied Olympic visa

(Newser) - She's not a Tibetan activist, a human-rights watchdog, or a political correspondent. So why couldn't Karen Coates, a food writer for Gourmet, get a visa to cover the Beijing Olympics? She recounts the mind-numbing bureaucratic hoops she jumped through to submit her application, which seems to have vanished into a...

'Young Old People' Defend McCain From Age Attacks

'What was the question?' quips one

(Newser) - A group of fit Florida seniors have stepped up to the plate to defend candidate John MCain from criticism that he's too old to competently govern the country. "I think he could do the job in his 90s," said a supporter, one of several men born within days...

Obama May Signal The End of Black Politics

Younger politicians are leaving elders and history behind

(Newser) - Barack Obama may be the most successful black candidate in American political history, but his prominence and possible presidency could be the death knell for black politics as we know it, Matt Bai writes in the New York Times Magazine. While he's not quite the “post-racial” candidate some have...

Obamas Leave for Hawaii
 Obamas Leave for Hawaii 
Aug 8, 2008 4:08 PM CDT

Obamas Leave for Hawaii

Trip is for family time, to see aging grandmother, Dem says

(Newser) - Barack Obama departed for Hawaii today to kick off a week-long vacation with his family, Reuters reports. He’ll take part in a welcoming rally and fundraiser there, but will otherwise rest from campaign rigors. John McCain attacked his rival’s “beach vacation” in light of the hardships facing...

Republicans Continue House Protest Over Energy Vote

They want Pelosi to reconvene lawmakers

(Newser) - A group of House Republicans continued their protest on the floor of Congress today against Nancy Pelosi's decision to adjourn for summer recess without a vote on their energy plan, which calls for offshore drilling. The lawmakers, speaking in a dimly lit chamber witout a public-address system for the third...

When Music, Politics Collide, It's Usually Cringe-Worthy

Rowdy rockers make strange bedfellows for pols

(Newser) - As Barack Obama prepares for an appearance at Lollapalooza this weekend, Radar revisits odd moments when music invaded the political arena. Sometimes scary, sometimes silly, but always strange, here are some highlights:
  • Elvis and Nixon: The King visited the White House and offered to help in the fight against drugged-out
...

Israeli PM to Step Down in 2 Months

Olmert's move may threaten peace effort, national stability

(Newser) - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert announced today he will resign in September, throwing his country into political turmoil and raising doubts about progress for US-backed Mideast peace efforts. Olmert's brief address included harsh criticism of police investigations of corruption allegations against him. He said he was choosing the public good...

Here Comes Era of Activist Government
Here Comes
Era of Activist Government
OPINION
Jul 18, 2008 10:17 AM CDT

Here Comes Era of Activist Government

It's necessary, and McCain is better suited for the job: Brooks

(Newser) - With daunting issues demanding immediate action—energy, the markets, and crumbling infrastructure to name but a few—the US is about to enter a phase of "government activism," writes David Brooks in the New York Times. Bad news for John McCain, right? Maybe not. As past periods of...

Indian Politician Bridges Caste Divide

Kumari Mayawati, an untouchable, has risen to prominence, power

(Newser) - Kumari Mayawati, the 5-foot-tall, unmarried member of the so-called untouchable caste, has gained unprecedented power and stature in Indian politics. The leader of the nation's most populous state, Mayawati is positioning herself to become India's next prime minister, a feat that would have been unthinkable until recently and for which...

NYC Biz Leaders Search for Next Mayor/CEO

Bloomberg's city-as-business style likely hard to replicate

(Newser) - New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg will vacate his office in 18 months, the New York Times reports, and local business honchos are already hunting for a replacement candidate who shares Bloomberg's financial independence and city-as-a-business approach. "What the business community wants is not just a businessman but a Bloomberg-type...

Flip-Flopping Pols Are Just Channeling Inner Hypocrite

They know it's wrong, but benefits too great

(Newser) - Think all politicians are self-justifying hypocrites? You're probably right, John Tierney writes in the New York Times. As a recent psychological study demonstrates, all of us, given enough time and mental wiggle room, will succumb to the "self-halo effect," justifying in ourselves and our allies moral lapses we...

Congress Short on Gas, Long on Gasbags
Congress Short on Gas, Long
on Gasbags
Opinion
Jun 26, 2008 9:39 AM CDT

Congress Short on Gas, Long on Gasbags

Capitol Hill can't do much but talk—but man, is it talking

(Newser) - There’s nothing much Congress can do about gas prices, writes Dana Milbank in the Washington Post, so in an effort to look busy it's doing what it always does—blaming the other party. Yesterday Capital Hill saw no less than 12 events on energy costs, and every last one...

Ailing Fidel Appears on TV
Ailing Fidel Appears on TV
Jun 18, 2008 5:58 AM CDT

Ailing Fidel Appears on TV

Former Cuban president chats with Hugo Chavez about food, fuel crises

(Newser) - An animated Fidel Castro appeared on state-run Cuban TV yesterday, in the first such broadcast of the ailing revolutionary since January. Castro, standing in some parts of the video, was seen chatting in a garden with his brother Raul, the current Cuban president, and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, the AP...

Democrats Balk at Obama's Donation Ban

Lower-level candidates need the cash; policy offends lobbyists

(Newser) - Barack Obama won't accept contributions from lobbyists and PACs, but the rest of his party is unlikely to follow suit, reports Politico. Democratic lobbyists and fundraisers are outraged that the donations they secure are automatically considered suspect, while Senate and House candidates simply need the cash to compete. "You...

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