Here’s my Nation cover story on the Failed State of California. An excerpt: Let’s make it easy to understand. California might be suffering its worst drought in decades, but the entire Golden State is underwater. Goodbye to those timeworn, bubble-gum-colored fantasies of the Endless Summer, California Girls and gleaming, pool-pocked suburbs. Hello to a new [...]

I was going to do some work today but then had a guilt attack. As a member of the media, you understand, my job is “to make things up,” according to former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin who formally exited stage right today.  And, as Sarah also pointed out, American soldiers have been dying precisely for [...]

I’ve been jamming this week and therefore silent.  But I feel compelled to say a few words about that demagogue and modern-day Father Coughlin i.e. Lou Dobbs. Unfortunately, those few words would be unprintable here. Dobbs’ insistence in continuing to stir up the absolutely manufactured wingnut “storuy” about Barack Obama’s birth, apparently in defiance of [...]

George Carlin, who I had the privilege watching perform two days before he died recently, had a great opening for what would be his final routine. He would strut out on stage and open his act by yelling at the top of his lungs: “F*** Lance Armstrong! And while we’re at it,  f**** Tiger Woods!” [...]

Truthdig Presents POP CULTURE, POLITICS AND THE PRICE OF MASS DISTRACTION Are our national obsessions with celebrity and consumerism undermining our most fundamental democratic and moral values? Are we living in an era dominated by trash culture and junk politics, as some critics contend, or does popular culture offer unique opportunities for progress and political [...]

The Brilliant Daughter has wrapped up her four part series on the murder trial and conviction of Jesse James Hollywood.  I gotta say, with no objectivity whatsoever, it’s a compelling piece. She was there for the final arguments. Here’s her report and the links to the entire series. She’s also been doing some Gawking by [...]

This is the chart the GOP has come up with to trash Obama’s health care proposal. They make an excellent point.  Its way more complicated than the Republican plan. Here’s their plan:

If you live in SoCAl think about coming to see me, Chris Hedges and Sharon Waxman this Sunday afternoon in a debate over popular culture and a fundraiser for Truthdig.com . BTW, I will be defending bubble gum culture.  Here is Hedges’ latest column. Looks like I’m going to have to defend Disneyland.

Thank Jesus that there’s actually some interesting news to distract us from the sordid and deadly boring (and meaningless)  Sotomayor confirmation hearings. I mean, what would you rather do? Read once again how racist Jeff Sessions baited Sotomayor as a racist and how Lindsey Graham postured like a jerk to appease Rushbo….or… read how perennial [...]

That’s right, a freak show. That’s what the first day of Senate “hearings” on Sonia Sotomayor’s nomination to the Supreme Court sounded like today. She sat there like a potted plant for three hours as members of the Judiciary Comittee aired their own diverse pathologies.  She spoke for a total of 7 minutes. The rest [...]

It’s a pretty simple story.  The CIA was enmeshed inone more “Bush-era torture and anti-terrorism” program (as CBS frankly puts it) when then-Vice President Dick Cheney ordered the agency to NOT brief the appropriate members of Congress on its existence. This is what is called a clear-cut violation of the law. It violated The 1947 [...]

This video is really something worth seeing. Like a train wreck. It’s 15 minutes of pontificating from the “reader’s rep” at the Cleveland Plain-Dealer. And one more world-class example of just how totally and completely lost some of these Newsosaurs continue to be. Lost, arrogant and full of hot air, I might add. Weekly chat [...]

Like million of other hooples — and not wanting to ignore the national zeitgeist– I briefly tuned into the Michael Jackson Death Marathon this morning and what I saw was a LOT of very talented performers.  The likes of Smokey Robinson, Jennifer Hudson, Stevie Wonder, Lionel Ritchie and Magic Johnson are not to be sneezed [...]

Flash:  Michael Jackson is still dead. Meanwhile, an individual who arguably had more impact than the King of Pop on arguably more lives of others has also died: Robert Strange McNamara (yes, that’s his real name). I have to say, I’d much rather turn on CNN tonight and watch an hour retrospective on the legacy [...]

As I noted in the post directly below, while out here in the desert this weekend — and after the surprise resignation of Sarah Palin — I was REALLY looking forward to basking in the pool and reading the lonnnggg piece on the Alaskan Governor in Vanity Fair. Hey. Graydon Carter, gimme back my 7 [...]

La Quinta, California It’s only fitting that a new Ice Age, albeit a political one, should begin in Alaska.  And a Republican Ice Age is precisely what California GOP strategist Mike Murphy predicted a few weeks ago.  And it didn’t start with Sarah Palin’s bizarre and sudden resignation on Friday. Nope, it began last summer [...]

I spent a half hour Wednesday on local public radio talking about TMZ, CNN  and the current Michael Jackson Tsunami. You can listen here. I’ll also be reprising this act this weekend on the CBS Sunday Morning show (the one with Charlie Osgood). =================== Please subscribe to my Twitter feed at http://twitter.com/marc_cooper Watch my regular [...]