Todd Akin is a nobody in American politics, or at least he was until he opened his mouth and revealed his stupidity a few weeks ago.  Akin is the Republican candidate for the U.S. Senate in Missouri.  He earned that position by winning his party’s primary election, thereby earning the right to run against […]

            With the broadcast of its tenth episode this week, HBO brought the first season of “The Newsroom,” Aaron Sorkin’s comedy/drama about the cable news business, to a close.  A second season, to air next spring/summer, has already been announced.             Mr. Sorkin is, if nothing else, one heck of a writer of crisp dialogue.  […]

            Several weeks ago (before the selection of Paul Ryan as Romney’s running mate), I listed the voter suppression laws in states like Pennsylvania and Florida as one of the reasons Barack Obama was likely to be defeated in his re-election bid.             In response to that column, I received a number of happy e-mails […]

            In selecting Paul Ryan as his vice-presidential running mate, Mitt Romney revealed that his campaign was in trouble.  Ryan doesn’t guarantee the electoral votes of his home state (Wisconsin is no more likely to vote for Romney now than it was before), doesn’t especially appeal to independents, is a turn-off for seniors, and has […]