I  had the whole weekend and 48 hours of chatter, including the abominable Sunday shows, to digest the significance of barack Obama’s historic question and answer session with the House Republican caucus.  Trying to avoid being a simple  fanboy of Obama, I have to say he did some pretty serious booty-kicking. it’s rather historic for [...]

From the Venezuelan Paradise of Hugo Chavez.  As student protests against his government policies of censorship grow, troops of the “revolutionary” National Guard have surrounded and threatened the universiy campuses.  Here we see the debut of a new weapon being deployed — a sort of medieval ball of hooks on a chain. “21st Century Socialism. [...]

This is great news for my fabulous crew at Neon Tommy.  We will be working with the Times on its highly popular and innovative Homicide Blog. Here’s our first contribution from grad student and A-1 reporter Andrew Khouri. Here’s the statement from the Times: The Los Angeles Times and USC’s Annenberg School for Communication & [...]

That Obama gave a very good speech seems indisputable. It’s enough to look at the CNN post-speech snap poll. A massive 78% found it either somewhat or very positive. Only 21% had a negative view. Also, while 53% of those polled before the speech thought that Obama was moving the country in the right direction, [...]

So far, two students have been killed and some three dozen injured in nationwide protests against Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’ closure of opposition cable TV stations. Some 3,000 protesters came into the streets of Caracas in a relatively peaceful march to denounce what might be the temporary closure of cable network RCTV. In 2007, the [...]

Here’s one difference between the Clinton and Obama administrations.  The former capitulated to the idea of downsizing government immediately after the catastrophic defeat in the mid-term elections.  The latter now seems inclined toward making the capitulation nine months earlier in order to insure a mid-term catastrophe. I was never very good in math but I [...]

Evidently there is and never was any Plan B. A week after the Mass. earthquake, the Democrats are still dazed and stumbling around in the rubble, looking skyward for a parachute drop of CARE packages. Or better said, health care packages. I’m no political genius, I assure you, but even I knew a full 3 [...]

The Supreme Court has lifted all limits on corporate expenditures in political campaigns gutting the 2002 McCain-Feingold laws. This would include spending by foreign corporations as well. Absolutely no limit or regulation. This is what conservative “change” looks like — giveaways to the wealthiest. And, of course, thank heavens we don’t have an activist bench [...]

I’m not going to waste your time speculating on what is or is not going to happen in the wake of Scott Brown’s election. As I suggested in my previous post, I suspect it will be not very much at all… that we may be condemned to another decade of political stasis and continuing dysfunction [...]

So there goes Mass of all places and, with it, perhaps health care. And maybe the Obama presidency. Or maybe not. Here are a quick few conclusions I draw from this spectacle: – We knew all along that the Democratic victories in 2006 and 2008 owed in great part to rejection of George W. Bush [...]

Good News for CNN! After days of abject non-cooperation, some of the poorest, most desperate. most God-foresaken people on earth start fighting over candles right in front of the cameras. Can you imagine such barbaric lawlessness. “Robbers…Looters!” Whoopee! But have no worry. Anderson Cooper comes to the rescue! Not only does he save an “American [...]

Through the bedazzling technology of my new iPhone app — FuggedFuture– I am able to advance you an exclusive photo of what the U.S. Senate will look like 24 hours from now. Astounding, no? The betting line on tomorrow’s by-election Senatorial race in Massachusetts is now hovering at 3 to 1 in favor of the [...]

For the first time since 1958. the Chilean right-wing  won a presidential election Sunday. Conservative billionaire Sebastian Pinera edged out a 52-48% win over the candidate of the ruling center-left coalition Eduardo Frei. Frei had served previously as President slightly more than a decade ago. Pinera’s victory came as no surprise to anyone as Frei [...]

From USC Annenberg. There’s still time to join in today. Stream videos at Ustream

Look, I am just as shaken as anybody by the scale of the Haitian disaster.  I have been urging people to donate money via what I consider the absolute best of relief organizations, Operation USA. Do it and do it now. And if you live in the Los Angeles area, and especially if you have [...]

Like most of you, I was rocked by the events in Haiti. I was also morbidly fascinated by the round-the-clock cable news coverage that included absolutely no news.  At some point, I don’t remember when exactly, in the anchor/reporter banter on CNN, there was actually a line uttered that went something like this: “So, Bob, [...]

The Big Story about Harry Reid is basically a ridiculous waste of time. Ok, so Reid is an arhcaic Old Fart who isn’t nimble enough to achieve the level of political correctness now mandatory for effective politicians. His use of the word Negro is ridiculous. The calls from faux-enraged Republicans that he resign are ridiculous. [...]

I’ve just returned from this year’s Consumer Electonics Show extravaganza in Las Vegas and I can confidently report: I have seen the future and it ain’t that exciting.  Not unless you dream of looking like the guy who plays Larry David’s pop on Curbed Your Enthusiasm. The show was pretty much dominated by one over-riding [...]

I’m not ready to formally come back from Winter Break yet. I will be in Las Vegas this entire week at the Consumer Electronic Show. If you’re good, I’ll bring you back a cardboard replica of a Google Phone. Might post a few updates from the show. Also will be tweeting it. Cee ya soon.