When Mighty Casey struck out, he may have disappointed the fans of Mudville, but he didn’t insult them. He didn’t brand them racists. Or at least Ernest Lawrence Thayer–the poet who immortalized Casey’s big whiff–didn’t mention any such calumnious castigations
by Gregg Opelka19 Apr 2011, 9:25 AM PST0
The Coffee Party is at it again. Desperately seeking a raison d’etre other than NOT to be the Tea Party, the Brew Crew has just issued a Congressional chain-letter which it hopes its tens of followers will co-sign. Pulling no
by Gregg Opelka9 Apr 2011, 8:25 AM PST0
After watching the spectacle of blame unfold during the days following the tragic January 8th Tucson shootings, one angry community is no longer biting its tongue. Saying it will no longer be victimized by political opportunists on the left, the
by Gregg Opelka21 Jan 2011, 4:39 AM PST0
The loud clanging alarm clock went off promptly at 6:00 a.m. as it always did. I hopped off my government-issue twin mattress right away. As an unmarried single dweller, I’m not permitted to own a queen-size mattress, and concealing a
by Gregg Opelka26 Nov 2010, 7:23 AM PST0
By now you’ve probably seen one of those TV ads where 84-year-old small-screen legend Andy Griffith blatantly shills for ObamaCare. If not, take a look below at the first spot, entitled “1965.” Put your feet up on the antebellum veranda
by Gregg Opelka15 Nov 2010, 9:12 AM PST0
Jon Stewart’s October 30th bout of rally envy–despite the comedian’s rickety attempts to disavow the patently invidious nature of the convocation–was hubristically (not to mention wishfully) titled “Restoring Sanity.” (Because of its obvious facetiousness, the Colbertian “Restoring Fear” portion of
by Gregg Opelka7 Nov 2010, 3:04 PM PST0
Jon Stewart’s October 30th bout of rally envy–despite the comedian’s rickety attempts to disavow the patently invidious nature of the convocation–was hubristically (not to mention wishfully) titled “Restoring Sanity.” (Because of its obvious facetiousness, the Colbertian “Restoring Fear” portion of
by Gregg Opelka4 Nov 2010, 10:47 AM PST0
I don’t regularly watch MSNBC, but curiosity got the better of me tonight. For no special reason, I found myself wondering what THE Place for Politics–I can’t bring myself to use the network’s new slogan–would say about the midterm elections
by Gregg Opelka4 Nov 2010, 8:57 AM PST0
Tea Pluribus Unum. The brew of individual liberty. What’s good for One is good for the Many. That’s my simple message to Paul Krugman, who, along with Frank Rich, serves as the New York Times’ chief peddler of Tea-ophobia these
by Gregg Opelka30 Oct 2010, 3:37 PM PST0
Forget Waldo. Where’s Gloria? Gloria Allred–the lawyer who put the “rude” in jurisprudence–is mysteriously missing in action of late. Surfacing recently from beneath her rock in a cellophane effort to shore up Jerry-the-Clown Brown’s gubernatorial aspirations, Allred came riding to
by Gregg Opelka20 Oct 2010, 10:13 AM PST0
Joe Klein is one angry man. In fact, Joe’s so pissed-off I think he could shoot the next Twelve Angry Men sequel all by himself. Why is poor Joe so unhappy? Because we–well, actually, mostly you conservative women out there–are
by Gregg Opelka19 Oct 2010, 10:37 AM PST0
Most pundits agree John McCain ran at best a lackluster and at worst a completely feckless 2008 presidential campaign. Yet if the GOP does in fact gain control of one or both chambers of Congress this November, its members should
by Gregg Opelka7 Oct 2010, 3:01 PM PST0
While browsing the “Antiques” category on eBay today, I came across a most remarkable ad. I had to do a double-take at first but on second glance I saw it really was true. Someone is actually auctioning off Gloria Allred,
by Gregg Opelka2 Oct 2010, 4:01 PM PST0
The Washington Post‘s E.J. Dionne has just given us a new line of attack on the Tea Party: now the movement is just a giant scam out to hoodwink the American public. Is the tea party one of the most
by Gregg Opelka29 Sep 2010, 7:37 AM PST0
Remember the Coffee Party? Yeah, me neither. But don’t worry. You haven’t missed your chance to hang with some of the mellowest, most laid-back-est, nicest political activists who ever strummed an E-A-B chord progression on the old six-string or crooned
by Gregg Opelka23 Sep 2010, 12:51 PM PST0
Et tu, Karl? Only Miles Monroe, Woody Allen’s character in Sleeper, could have missed the firestorm Karl Rove touched off during his appearance on Fox News’ Hannity show on Tuesday night. But for the benefit of Mr. Monroe and other
by Gregg Opelka20 Sep 2010, 9:48 AM PST0
E.J. Dionne reminds me of all those fin-du-siecle losers back in the late ’70s and early ’80s who still touted the supremacy of their 8-track tapes long after the industry had moved on to the smaller, more convenient cassette. Demodé
by Gregg Opelka19 Sep 2010, 5:28 PM PST0
In her latest Hail Mary effort to replace the flag of conservative Reason with the flag of liberal Emotion, Maureen Dowd goes talons-out for Newt Gingrich, for “making outrageous, unsubstantiated comments to appeal to the wing nuts among us. ”
by Gregg Opelka16 Sep 2010, 11:09 AM PST0
If he were alive today, Saul Alinsky would be beaming over President Obama’s Labor Day speech at the Milwaukee Area Labor Council Laborfest. It hit all the right divisive, class-warfare notes, each one sounded to prod the down-trodden Have-nots into
by Gregg Opelka8 Sep 2010, 9:37 AM PST0
If you’ve never seen the movie The Women, don’t feel bad. You can get a much better lesson in girl-on-girl bitchiness by reading Gail Collins’ much nastier New York Times op-ed “Sarah’s Amazing Race.” With all the outrage over frivolous
by Gregg Opelka3 Sep 2010, 7:26 AM PST0
Paul “The End Is Near” Krugman thinks conservatives are seeing witches but it’s really the Nobel Laureate who’s fighting his own liberal demons. In his August 29 New York Times op-ed, “It’s Witch-Hunt Season Again,” Krugman showcases both his traditional
by Gregg Opelka1 Sep 2010, 9:12 AM PST0
According to his August 30 “Obama Needs to Relearn Politicking” column, E.J. Dionne thinks all Obama needs to acquire the legendary cult status of an FDR or a Ronald Reagan is to get in touch with his inner salesman. In
by Gregg Opelka30 Aug 2010, 12:16 PM PST0
A funny thing happened on the way to ABC’s This Week round table yesterday. The circle turned into a hexagon. Instead of the usual balance of two–occasionally three–commentators from both political perspectives, ABC’s special Independence Day edition featured a 5-on-1
by Gregg Opelka5 Jul 2010, 7:44 AM PST0
No sign of desperation at CNN these days. Nooooooooo. After all, what TV producer wouldn’t jump at the chance to premiere a new prime-time political show this fall with a disgraced former attorney-general/governor-turned-high-end-john? Yes, that’s right–CNN jumped first. They’ve just
by Gregg Opelka29 Jun 2010, 7:55 AM PST0
It’s like a doctor who smokes. You’d think the last person to be done in by his own words would be a journalist. Shouldn’t a purveyor of words know better? Yet as today’s forced resignation by WaPo columnist David Weigel
by Gregg Opelka25 Jun 2010, 3:49 PM PST0