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June 28, 2005
The Numbers Game
It's always a good day when the CNN politics section carries the headline "Poll: Disapproval of Bush at a High Point". The problem is farther down in the article, where it's revealed that "The lone bright spot for the president in the poll was his handling of terrorism, which scored a 55 percent approval rating, compared to just 41 percent who disapproved." For me, and I'm assuming for most liberals as well, the President's handling of terrorism has been the most troubling of all his actions in office. Even for a lot of non-liberals the growth of federal powers has been troubling, which is one of the reasons ACLU membership grew so much in the years after 9-11.
The centerpiece of the administration's anti-terror, the Patriot Act, has never seemed to enjoy much popularity, so that 55 percent approval is definitely worth studying.
Posted by Elizabeth Tangora at 01:42 AM | Comments (9)
June 25, 2005
All about Hilary
Stopping in to a Borders to enjoy their air-conditioning, it was hard not to notice the wall display of the new release "The Truth about Hilary", by Edward Klein. I scanned the book description for an idea of the content, and I'll admit the words that stuck with me were "the culture of lesbianism at Wellesley". There are other things, the parts I skimmed in the bookstore were mainly accusations of Hilary being so aware of her husband's cheating that she had delegated people to handle it. I doubt the Wellesley parts are that interesting though, since the Publishers Weekly review sumarizes what looked like multiple chapters as "Oh, and as a Wellesley student in the 1970s, she had lesbian friends ad didn't shave her legs or underarms".
The general consensus seems to be that the "Truth" is trying to be another "Unfit for Command", the book that supposedly undermined John Kerry's reputation as a war hero. Which if you think about it is pretty mindboggling; right-wing media so incensed by the idea of Sen. Hilary making a run in '08 that they're going after her at least a year early.
For a comprehensive assault on Klein's sources, Media Matters does a good job. Though if you have the time and patience, it's always better to read the book yourself before you make a judgement.
Posted by Elizabeth Tangora at 01:51 AM | Comments (20)
June 10, 2005
Mean Girls
Newsweek reports that the latest crisis in homeland security is the rise of violent behavior among girls. An excerpt from the article:
"Girls are not what people think they are," says Dr. Howard Spivak, director of Tufts University Center for Children and coauthor of a new book, "Sugar and Spice and No Longer Nice: How We Can Stop Girls' Violence."
Newsweek also explores the possibility that the women's movement might be to blame. At least they didn't blame Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan in the lead, right?
The trend of violence can even be seen in the heartland, with claws out in Iowa.
Posted by Mandy Smithberger at 08:32 PM | Comments (15)
June 04, 2005
Kansas Senator Wants to be the Little Woman...or Secretary of State
In 2001, Sen. Kay O'Connor said that if men would just take care of women, women would have no need to vote and could stay at home. But since men still aren't doing their job, she's hoping to become secretary of state, though I'm sure she would rather perfect her domestic duties-- sticking to her guns.
Posted by Mandy Smithberger at 11:46 AM | Comments (1)