The Truth Should Always Matter

This past week, a Washington Post article detailed how former Vice President Joe Biden has been using a compound anecdote on the campaign trail. The anecdote appears to combine three different stories into one. Biden has been telling the story of how, while he was in Konar province of Afghanistan, he presented a Silver Star … Continue reading The Truth Should Always Matter

Google News Fail: Gay Pride & Prostates

I happened to glance at Google News today, and saw that their image matching algorithm was on the fritz. These are actual, non-Photoshopped screen captures: I’m not quite sure what Hillary Clinton has to do with the presidency or gay pride, but apparently Google thinks she’s the best match. Freudian slip, perhaps? Special bonus points … Continue reading Google News Fail: Gay Pride & Prostates

Best. Campaign. Rundown. Ever.

I just finished reading Newsweek’s behind-the-scenes look at the presidential campaign. Wow. It is an astonishingly rich and detailed piece of reporting, filled with surprising stories and facts, and carrying the ring of truth. While anyone who was ever been in the papers knows that journalists will never get the story exactly right, it seems … Continue reading Best. Campaign. Rundown. Ever.

Chick Hearn on Hillary Clinton: This Game Is In The Refrigerator

Hillary Clinton has done the impossible. As a confirmed political junkie, I had been looking forward to the 2008 elections for years. I thought that I enjoyed the cut and thrust of politics, the oratorical flourishes, the careers made and destroyed. But if there’s anything I can’t stand, it’s pointless activity. Like him or not, … Continue reading Chick Hearn on Hillary Clinton: This Game Is In The Refrigerator

Quote of the Day: Spike Lee on the Clintons

“The Clintons, man, they would lie on a stack of Bibles. Snipers? That’s not misspeaking; that’s some pure bullshit. I voted for Clinton twice, but that’s over with. These old black politicians say, “Ooh, Massuh Clinton was good to us, massuh hired a lot of us, massuh was good!” Hoo! Charlie Rangel, David Dinkins—they have … Continue reading Quote of the Day: Spike Lee on the Clintons

Is the Blogosphere Changing the Way We Debate? (The Obama-ization of Discourse)

Thesis:The blogosphere is fundamentally changing the nature of public debate. In this new regime, the way to successfully shape the debate is with supported facts, rather than striking claims. Argument:In an interactive and Google-ized world, the old propagandist’s strategy of anchoring the debate with extreme claims and ad hominem attacks is more likely to rebound … Continue reading Is the Blogosphere Changing the Way We Debate? (The Obama-ization of Discourse)