Steve Martin Becomes President of Europe
Someone once said that Steve Martin is the unlikeliest of comedians, with an appearance so dull that he could be mistaken for the Prime Minister of Belgium. The current one, Herman Van Rompuy, certainly fits that description. After featuring in the early speculations on who would be chosen as the first permanent President of the European Council, it was announced today by the last person to hold the temporary title, Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt, that Van Rompuy had indeed been selected. In its breaking-news article, CNN called Van Rompuy “the first president of Europe”, which some non-Europeans might mistake for a literary title….
politik eu politics
Giuliani Confirms His Loyalty to Darth Vader
On CNN’s State of the Union yesterday, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani made an appearance to talk about the Obama Administration’s recent decision to have five men suspected of plotting the 9/11 attacks tried in civilian court in New York City rather than military tribunals. Attorney General Eric Holder’s announcement has been heavily criticized by Republicans who have reminded him that the nation is at war and that A) terrorists belong in Gitmo, and B) if they now have to be tried in court it should be a military tribunal. It’s as if they’ve forgotten who the American people elected President a year ago…
politik usa politics
Palin Reloading: Explaining 2008
Former Alaskan Governor and potential 2012 presidential candidate Sarah Palin is on a mission to improve her reputation, but she’s facing an uphill climb. Independents don’t trust her and even among Republicans she is constantly defeated in polls by the likes of Mike Huckabee and Mitt Romney. However, everybody loves discussing her and her book “Going Rogue” (due to hit bookshelves tomorrow) is already number one on Barnes & Noble’s bestseller list. Excerpts from it have already been thoroughly dissected on political talk shows and today she appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show to continue the crusade…
politik usa politics
Hurricane Sarah Brings Down the GOP
Republicans seem to be cheering after winning the New Jersey and Virginia governorships a week ago. They should be; the elections were much needed morale-boosters. However, it is telling that they managed to screw up the NY-23 congressional race so badly that they lost the seat in a district that has been solidly conservative since the 19th century. Polls also tell us that the American people still don’t like Republicans a lot. And the party still doesn’t have any real leaders; the most talked-about figures are controversial and tend to divide the party…
politik usa politics
Some Say That Fox News Is Biased
| The Daily Show With Jon Stewart | Mon – Thurs 11p / 10c | |||
| For Fox Sake! | ||||
| ||||
Thank God that in this era of talking heads like Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh and Bill O’Reilly, there’s Jon Stewart to counter them. On the last edition of The Daily Show he attacked Fox News with admirable passion and conviction – and even found the time to accuse the White House of not waging its war (if that’s what it should be called) against the channel in a convincing way…
politik usa politics
Happy Halloween! Europe's Scariest Pols
I love Sweden, the country where I was born and where I live. I also love Europe, the most diverse and fascinating continent on Earth. However, there is one thing that I hate about Europe and it is the tendency of many of its voters to support far-right parties, a fact that seems to hark back to the continent’s tragic history of starting wars and committing genocide. It would seem that a large part of the European electorate is prepared to never learn something from our past. Before I introduce a list of some of the most despicable politicians in Europe, I’d like to make a few things clear. I’m not directly accusing all of these people of being racists…
politik usa politics
The New Jersey Race: A Look at Two Corzine-Christie Ads
Tuesday is the day when the citizens of New Jersey go to the polls and elect their next Governor. Rasmussen shows that the race is essentially in dead heat, with a slight advantage for the Republican candidate. It would seem now that the only chance the Governor has to win is if a lot of people decide that they have something to gain from voting. The Democratic Party has frequently used superstars like Bill Clinton and Barack Obama to promote the Governor, but voters are simply not too impressed with their chief executive…
politik usa politics
The White House vs. Fox News
Last June, White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs was asked if the deficit keeps President Barack Obama up at night. “Fox is what puts him to sleep,’‘ was the reply. At the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner last April, Obama said “I am Barack Obama. Most of you covered me. All of you voted for me… Apologies to the Fox table.’‘ The relationship between the Obama White House and Fox News has been just as contentious as the relationship between the administration of his predecessor and… basically every other news organization but Fox News…
politik usa politics
The Virginia Race: A Look at Two Deeds-McDonnell Ads
On November 3, Virginians decide on their next Governor. There’s no incumbent defending his job; Governor Tim Kaine is barred from seeking another term. It is up to Creigh Deeds to defend the colors of the Democratic Party against Bob McDonnell, the Republican looking to secure the position for his party. According to Rasmussen, Deeds is not looking too god; McDonnell has a pretty comfortable lead. I’ve watched two ads for the candidates, but let us first take a look at the men…
politik usa politics
Who Is David Cameron?
It would seem now that the next general election in Britain will take place on June 3, 2010. Prime Minister Gordon Brown is unlikely to emerge as a winner, judging from the polls; Tories leader David Cameron looks set to capture that post. I can certainly understand why. After 12 years, Labour looks just as tired as the Conservatives did in 1997 when Tony Blair won his historic victory. And, in fact, they look just as tired as the administration of Social Democratic leader Göran Persson in Sweden three years ago when the center-right coalition led by Fredrik Reinfeldt won the general election in Sweden…
politik storbritannien politics
A few thoughts on politics in the U.S. and, occasionally, elsewhere. All goodies brought to you by Stefan Hedmark.