News

Down To Earth, Grounded Superman Finds His Humble Home (And Men Should, Too)

Andrew Belonsky :: Friday, July 2nd, 2010 10:00 am

Superman has had a hard time: his long-lost planet, Krypton, recently came back from the dead, only to be destroyed again. Now he’s back on Earth, celebrating the 700th issue of his titular comic book. And the Man of Steel, like so many of us, is feeling a little downtrodden.

Unsure of where to go with his life, he realizes that he’s been flying far too fast, letting the heart and soul of America go by in one big blur. So, for the next few months, Superman will embark on a storyline called “Grounded,” walking, strolling and perhaps even jogging from coast-to-coast. This archetypical hero’s self-imposed humility may be more powerful than his laser vision, and provides a potential road map for the American male.
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Clinton Breaks With Obama to Endorse Romanoff

Andrew Belonsky :: Tuesday, June 29th, 2010 7:00 pm

Bill Clinton broke rank with the Obama White House today, when he officially endorsed Colorado Democrat Andrew Romanoff for the U.S. Senate Clinton had previously come out to help fellow Arkansas lawmaker Blanche Lincoln. By backing Romanoff, however, Clinton has broken beyond his party’s established barriers. Will this help Romanoff? You bet your sweet bippy! MORE »

Rep. King’s Obama Race Baiting Alienates Right, Sort Of

Andrew Belonsky :: Wednesday, June 16th, 2010 2:00 pm

Republican Rep. Steve King this week insisted that President Obama has a “default mechanism” that makes him favor black people. King’s intimations aren’t winning him any friends. Not in public, at least…
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Obama’s Oil Speech: We Need a Prayer

Andrew Belonsky :: Wednesday, June 16th, 2010 10:37 am

For all the hubbub over Barack Obama’s big oil spill speech, his first from the Oval Office, last night’s display was a huge flop. Rather than outlining a “battle plan” to combat the Gulf Coast catastrophe, the President’s seventeen-minute address simply brought us up to speed with what has already happened, while offering little in the way of forthcoming tactics. Other than his tepid threats to make BP “pay,” whatever that means, Obama offered us little more than political theater and suggested what we all already know: we’re damned. MORE »

When Voters Consume, Does Democracy Win?

Andrew Belonsky :: Wednesday, May 26th, 2010 11:00 am

With primaries well underway, and midterm campaigns heating up, Americans will soon be inundated with mass mailers, commercials, and a host of other politically minded marketing materials. Candidates advertise in much the same way as brands. We American citizens are not just voters: We’re consumers, ingesting civil servants the same way we do a favorite soda. And private businesses are making bundles in the process. This may not be a bad thing.

The Inverted “Gusher”

Andrew Belonsky :: Monday, May 24th, 2010 11:00 am

President Obama has finally started taking more administrative control in the Gulf oil spill by sending three cabinet officials to survey the BP-led cleanup. It’s unclear whether Obama’s action will help stem the criticism flowing his way. In fact, this story, like the oil itself, shows no idea of stopping and, as it continues to spread, “gusher,” a word once upheld as the pinnacle of oil-based success, will come to symbolize disaster, not dollar signs.

Political Innuendo: From Subtle to Sledgehammer

Andrew Belonsky :: Thursday, May 20th, 2010 10:00 am

Any mention of the census provides the right an opportunity to attack “big government” and the man at its helm, Barack Obama. Sometimes, though, rather than taking on the president full force, subtle forces work together to create an innuendo too perfect to be coincidence, like this image that links a sex-offender who worked for the census to Hooker-loving Eliot Spitzer and Barack “Joe-Bama” guzzling beer with white ladies.

Do Specter’s Loss and Paul’s Win Really Mean Anything?

Andrew Belonsky :: Wednesday, May 19th, 2010 10:05 am

With primaries in Kentucky, Pennsylvania and elsehwere yesterday, our nation’s now firmly embedded in midterm election madness. Considering two-term Congressman Joe Sestak’s win over long-term Senator Arlen Specter’s, and Rand Paul’s Tea Party supported rise in Kentucky, pundits and pollsters are going to be scrutinizing every little detail to further predict America’s political climate. Though yesterday’s results suggest anti-incumbent predictions were correct, the picture’s still hazy. That could actually be good news for progressives. Or at least progress.

Militias: An Unyielding, Volatile American Tradition

Andrew Belonsky :: Thursday, April 22nd, 2010 10:00 am

Everything old, they say, is new again. And that apparently applies to militias. With the arrests of extremists in Michigan, the anniversary of the Oklahoma City Bombing, closer ties to the Tea Party – not to mention the forthcoming Waco, starring Russell Crowe – militias are a hot, scary trend. Once essential to the nation’s formation, militias could end up tearing us apart.

The New $100 Bill: A More Badass Benjamin

Matt Kiebus :: Wednesday, April 21st, 2010 3:00 pm

Counterfeiters need to start copying the yen or the peso because the United States Treasury just made the most complicated piece of currency my eyes have ever seen. This morning our wonderful government issued a press release for the new design of the hundred-dollar bill. To make their adoring public even more excited, the government went all “new media” on our asses. They made a video, and damn it made me proud to be an American! MORE »

Kumar Leaves Barack to Reunite with Harold

Matt Kiebus :: Tuesday, April 13th, 2010 1:15 pm

Apparently early in 2009 Kumar traded in his bong for a few suits and has been working for our Federal Government. Kalpen Modi, better known by his stage name Kal Penn, helped campaign for Obama and in doing so procured himself a position in his administration. This is just another reminded famous people do whatever they damn well please, like work at the White House or teach at an Ivy League school. Earlier this month Kal Penn left his post as associate director of White House Office of Public Engagement to return to his craft. The thespian is turning his back on his commitment to his country. Don’t be quick to judge Mr. Modi, because he left to pursue a noble cause: A Very Harold and Kumar Christmas in 3D! MORE »

We Need a Gay Tea Party

Andrew Belonsky :: Monday, April 12th, 2010 1:50 pm

It’s nearly tax day. That means that Tea Party activists are gearing up for a series of protests across the country, including a massive gathering in D.C. on April 15. Despite all the movement’s race-tinged rhetoric and attacks on Obama’s alleged socialism, it’s easy to forget that it originally based itself in an opposition to taxes. That’s bunk, because the tea party movement could have been truly progressive. Not to mention totally fabulous.

Barack Obama At His Snarkiest Is Still Pretty Tame

Amy Rose Spiegel :: Friday, April 9th, 2010 4:30 pm

Sarah Palin shoots her mouth off a whole hell of a lot for someone without much to say. She’s constantly taking potshots at basically every movement the President makes, most recently saying Barack Obama and his nuclear policies are akin to a schoolchild saying “Punch me in the face, and I’m not going to retaliate.” Right, because trying to make sure that nukes are used responsibly and only in times of dire need is cowardly. MORE »

Obama’s Nuclear Posture a Shift, But Changes Little

Andrew Belonsky :: Tuesday, April 6th, 2010 5:40 pm

President Obama revealed his new Nuclear Posture Review today, and people are debating what it all means. Does his pledge not to make new nukes make us look weak and threaten security? Should Obama go further, pull a Superman and launch all atomic bombs into the sun? The fact of the matter is that, as the document’s name suggests, this announcement has to do more with mindset than might.

Democrats, For Life?

Andrew Belonsky :: Friday, April 2nd, 2010 11:10 am

Abortion’s a touchy subject, and certainly not one you bring up at a dinner party. If you’re the Democrats, you try not to bring up within the party itself. Yet Obama and his peers have been talking a lot about it lately, thanks to the pro-life Democrats who held out during health care reform. After that legislation’s passage, the group Democrats for Life released a statement insisting the President’s executive order “brought pro-life Democrats firmly within the Democratic coalition.” That coalition doesn’t extend as far as you imagine.