The other day my Popdose colleague Ted Asredagoo posed the question of how President-Elect Obama — once he is wrapped up in the business of actually, you know, governing —…
Political Culture
101 Articles
Jon Cummings
2 Min Read
I didnÁ¢€â„¢t cry for an hour and a half. I watched dozens of other people weep and shout and wail and fling themselves to the floor with happiness; I watched…
Jon Cummings
1 Min Read
On Tuesday, citizens of California will have an opportunity to place our indelible stamp on the forward progress of civil rights in the United States. IÁ¢€â„¢m not talking about the…
Jon Cummings
2 Min Read
DoesnÁ¢€â„¢t it seem like just a decade since the protagonists of our current national melodrama began taking the stage? John McCain announced his candidacy on David Letterman Á¢€” only to…
Jon Cummings
3 Min Read
Last night I had a dream Á¢€¦ of long-faded memories, and basic-cable infomercials: Voiceover: RememberÁ¢€¦this? John McCain: Á¢€Å“Who is Barack Obama?Á¢€ VO: ThatÁ¢€â„¢s right Á¢€¦ they’re the hits youÁ¢€â„¢ve come…
Jon Cummings
1 Min Read
Jon Cummings: Why am I so bummed that the debate season is over? Please, Barack, take McCain up on his pleas for a dozen more town halls! I know, I…
Jon Cummings
1 Min Read
Make no mistake: The new right-wing comedy, An American Carol, is just as bad as you imagine it to be, if not worse. Even as I walked into the theater…
Jon Cummings
2 Min Read
Bill MaherÁ¢€â„¢s aversion to religion is well documented, thanks to his regular, tangential diatribes on Real Time and the occasional scripted bit in his Á¢€Å“New RulesÁ¢€ segments. This weekend, however,…
Jon Cummings
1 Min Read
What a confluence of events this week! A few hours after this column posts, Sarah Palin takes the stage for what might turn out to be her one unscripted, real-time…
Jon Cummings
2 Min Read
This past Sunday, in a coordinated effort to flout a federal law banning political endorsements from the pulpit, 33 evangelical and fundamentalist pastors in 22 states used their sermons either…
Jon Cummings
1 Min Read
John McCain and Sarah Palin enjoy a light moment on the campaign trail, between feedings. From yesterday’s New York Times: “Laura Chase, the campaign manager during Ms. Palin’s first run…
Ted Asregadoo
1 Min Read
Jon: What were your impressions of Ted & the Kennedys? He looked pretty good, considering. Ted: He did a very good job. Kennedy finished probably his last political speech, and…
Jon Cummings
2 Min Read
John McCain trotted out an oldie-but-a-goodie on Monday at the VFW convention Á¢€” proclaiming once again that, unlike a certain current president who allowed Osama bin Laden to give him…
Jon Cummings
2 Min Read
Charlie Daniels Band – The Devil Went Down to Georgia My apologies in advance for taking occasional license with the meter… Johnny Mac went down to Georgia, he was lookinÁ¢€â„¢…
Jon Cummings
1 Min Read
Á¢€Å“Napoleon once said, when asked to explain the lack of great statesmen in the world, that to get power you need to display absolute pettiness. To exercise power, you need…
Jon Cummings
1 Min Read
Nearly lost amid the fantastic PR (so far) and blind luck of Barack ObamaÁ¢€â„¢s Middle East tour Á¢€” and the horror show that has been John McCainÁ¢€â„¢s pathetic, flailing response…
Jon Cummings
1 Min Read
For four days now, the left side of the electorate has been scratching its collective head and asking itself, Á¢€Å“Why donÁ¢€™t I think this is funny?Á¢€ Of course, Á¢€Å“thisÁ¢€ is…
Jon Cummings
2 Min Read
On the day we celebrated my daughter CatieÁ¢€â„¢s first birthday, my good friend Robert Simonson came out to the suburbs for the party and marveled at the mountain of toys…
Jon Cummings
2 Min Read
If youÁ¢€â„¢ve watched the TV news carefully this week, you may have noticed that somewhere amidst the all-Russert-all-the-time lovefest there were other events taking place Á¢€” some of which might…
Jon Cummings
2 Min Read
This was a tough weekend for political junkies Á¢€” particularly those whose televisions generally find themselves tuned to NBC-related channels. Tim RussertÁ¢€â„¢s death on Friday at the far-too-young age of…
Jon Cummings
2 Min Read
Yesterday afternoon I was shopping around for a new mattress for my sonÁ¢€â„¢s bedroom, and I happened upon a brand-new AmericaÁ¢€â„¢s Mattress outlet in my town with a flashy Á¢€Å“Grand…
Jon Cummings
1 Min Read
15. His trash-talking during high school basketball games inspired White Men CanÁ¢€â„¢t Jump 14. Until 2004, his last name was X 13. His actual grandmother? Oprah 12. HeÁ¢€â„¢ll only put…
Jon Cummings
2 Min Read
The strange case of Joe Lieberman just gets curiouser and curiouser. Had things gone slightly different in Florida eight years ago, the current Á¢€Å“IndependentÁ¢€ senator from Connecticut might be wrapping…
Jon Cummings
3 Min Read
It happened again last night, a sight that many liberals have come to love. Veins a-poppinÁ¢€â„¢, eyes a-bulginÁ¢€â„¢, ears a-steaminÁ¢€â„¢, limbs a-twitchinÁ¢€â„¢, looking generally like his head was about to…
Jon Cummings
2 Min Read
I’ve been feeling a lot of pressure to see Standard Operating Procedure, the new Errol Morris documentary about the goings-on at Abu Ghraib. I had already seen Taxi to the…
Jon Cummings
1 Min Read
Some fascinating new polling data has surfaced on the most intriguing political battle of our time. HarvardÁ¢€â„¢s Institute of Politics conducted an online survey of the showsÁ¢€â„¢ key demographic Á¢€”…
Jon Cummings
3 Min Read
As the Democratic primary campaign slogs onward to Indiana and North Carolina this week, Hillary Clinton Á¢€” despite her still-overwhelming deficits in votes, delegates and cash Á¢€” is reveling in…
Jon Cummings
2 Min Read
One year ago today, my hometown of Blacksburg, Virginia, came face to face with a horror few American towns have had the misfortune of witnessing. To mark this somber anniversary…
Jon Cummings
2 Min Read
I know IÁ¢€â„¢m a few days late, but may I please be the one who gets to pry the gun from his cold, dead hands? Forgive me if I decline…
Jon Cummings
1 Min Read
In our current age of hyper-partisan combat and contempt Á¢€” to which I have proven myself at least as susceptible as my fellow fifth-rate political blatherers Á¢€” it sure does…