10 Things You Need to Know About Politics at Harvard
Staff Writer Harleen Gambhir walks prospective students through the politics at Harvard
On the Newsstand:Washington Post
Romney and Gingrich Fight over the Airwaves in Florida
The battle of the Sunshine State will be decided by airtime, and Mitt Romney has an expensive leg up.
Countermajoritarian Confounder
The least democratic part of American government is unlikely to change anytime soon.
Little Oversight in Afghanistan
War spending is out of control and a cause for worry. We get weekly reports of the costs of the war and the burden placed on tax payers. This week the Washington Post reported that U.S. government agencies cannot account for spending in Afghanistan before 2007. This presents yet another point for citizens and the White House to rally behind ... Read More
Drill, Baby, Drill: Searching for Nuance
In the aftermath of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill,there has been no shortage of finger-pointing. There’s plenty of blame to go around, no doubt, but there is one group that the Right has mysteriously implicated in this disaster: environmentalists. In an editorial in the Washington Post last Friday, Charles Krauthammer wrote that environmentalists are partially to blame for the spill ... Read More
Representation on the Court
[The Supreme Court's] purpose is not to uphold the interests of individuals (at least not directly), but to faithfully interpret the Constitution.
Update: Creators of “Draw Muhammad” Contest Drop Gag
I wrote this weekend that the contest was in poor taste, and that it was likely to attract extremely offensive submissions, but this seems to have surprised many of the people who publicized May 20 as “Draw Muhammad!” Day to begin with. LA Times reports: In declaring May 20th to be “Everybody Draw Muhammad Day,” Seattle artist Molly Norris created a ... Read More
Print is Dead. Right?
For the first time in a long time, there’s serious newspaper competition in New York—actually, newspaper competition anywhere would be newsworthy… But, New York is the big leagues. NYT vs. WSJ, fight! David Carr says: The fight bears watching for a few reasons. This is New York, a crucible of city journalism, a place that has seen newspaper wars for almost ... Read More
The challenges of anonymity in public, political discourse
Obama and Democrats in Congress had a new proposal last week: require groups making public statement to show their face with their messages, reported the New York Times. For a country plagued with people using the veil of anonymity to mask unnecessary baseness, this can only be a positive change and a hopeful sign of a push for changes in ... Read More
Paper and Ink (Online)
As the business manager of a print publication, I can’t help but jump into a discussion about the issues raised in Jeffrey Kalmus’s article in the most recent issue of the HPR about the decision by the New York Times to charge for online content. Two experiences last week stirred my thinking about the economics of print journalism. The first ... Read More
GOP Losing to Dems in Fundraising Battle?
So says the Washington Post. This is probably the worst news we’ve heard for the GOP since the revelations about the RNC-funded trip to a lesbian-themed bondage night club in LA. Or was it a bondage-themed lesbian night club? Speaking of which, how much of this fundraising shortfall can be attributed to Michael Steele’s gross mismanagement of the RNC? Or does it ... Read More
Rahm-ed Out
New York Times Magazine, I know you’ve probably been working on this magnum opus on Rahm Emanuel for weeks, but I feel like this take from the New Republic was more than enough. Oh, and this. And this. But, yes, I’m a sucker and read all of them anyway. PS. And this. Photo credit: spdpurtill’s flickr.
Reconciliation Is Not An “Abuse of Power”
I hope everyone understands that when the Wall Street Journal calls Obama’s “up or down” vote on health care reform an “abuse of power,” they’re lying through their teeth. To be clear: the bill on the floor has already passed a supermajority in the senate and a majority in the house and more — it’s gone through Max Baucus’ bipartisan “Gang ... Read More
Scott Brown Endorses Health Care Reform
Coakley’s loss was a lot of things — but a repudiation of Obama’s health care reform it was not. Massachusetts is an odd state to be signing the death sentence for Obama’s health care reform because Massachusetts actually enjoys a universal health care program that’s very similar to the one in congress today. And Scott Brown’s an odd angel of ... Read More
