Political Heat

A lot of speculation has been going on lately as to whether or not Barack Obama is going to select New Hampshire Republican Senator Judd Gregg as his Commerce Secretary. Gregg is highly qualified to take the position, but it's more what will happen to his senate seat should he accept the position. New Hampshire has a Democratic Governor who would select the replacement should Gregg's seat become vacant. So there's a strong chance that a Democrat would take over his seat. Add to that the fact that Al Franken is more than likely to win in the battle still going on over Minnesota's senate seat, and the Democrats would have a 60-seat majority in the Senate (independent Bernie Sanders caucusing with them). I doubt that any of this is even going to happen. Consider the position that Barack Obama would find himself in. If he offers the job to Gregg and he accepts, it looks like political maneuvering. But if he offers the job to Gregg and he declines , it looks even worse; not ...

It is my firm belief that it would do America a lot of good if Rush Limbaugh were to develop a case of laryngitis. The long-time right wing talk radio host has nothing intelligent to say, and appeals only to the pathos of his listeners. Nothing logical comes from his lips. Most recently, Rush stated he would like to see the Obama administration fail. When asked if this made him un-American, Rush said he simply meant that he wanted Obama's policies to fail so that America would not see his liberal policies enacted. I argue this: whether Rush wants Obama to fail simply because he is in opposition to him, or if he wants him to fail because he wants a conservative government, does not matter. You do not wish for your opposition to fail simply for your own benefit. Many liberals who did so under the Bush administration were criticized for it; thus, Rush is fair game for such criticism. But many more liberals -- myself included -- did not want the Bush administration to fail. America wou...

My name is Chris Walker. I am a liberal, I vote Democratic, and I love my country. I hold a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, with a minor in Journalism and Mass Communications. While in college, I wrote a weekly column for the UWM Post that dealt primarily with national political issues as well as some local topics that mattered deeply to me (among them, the right to free speech and dissent within our campus and a ban on gay marriage in the state of Wisconsin). I believe there are many misconceptions held by mainstream Americans and conservatives about liberalism in our country. For example, liberals are perceived to be anti-family and anti-religious. Yet, using myself as an example, I pray daily (to the Lord, in the privacy of my own mind ) and have my own family that I care deeply about. Do I go to church as often as I should? Probably not, but I don't fault my liberalism with this -- it's more my own desire to get some sleep when my son decides to sleep in on S...