Month: October 2011

Non-black men:

Wilkinson ponders the divide:

The most obvious thing here is white Americans have been and remain much more likely to support the death penalty than black Americans. Indeed, the gap between white and black support for the death penalty appears to have widened significantly since about 1970. Perhaps this is not surprising, as blacks have been and remain much more likely than whites to be executed. But blacks are also more likely to be murdered than whites. If the death penalty is a deterrent, as if often alleged, it ought to benefit blacks more than whites. In any case, if there is a deterrent effect, black Americans are not too impressed.

It took place during the middle of 20th century:

During World War II, literally half the population, 70 million people, were reading comic books. I’d knew the numbers were high, but I didn’t know they had that kind of penetration, most of which I’d have to guess were due to the fact that superheroes were fighting the same war Americans were, and it was a war where people could feel unironically good about seeing mayhem perpetrated on the bad guys. Michael Chabon suggests in the documentary that G.I.s, in particular, wanted to read comics, but not superhero comics, because the superheroes didn’t seem relevant without a world war.

Scientists are using Google Earth to track down the sources of typhoid outbreaks in Nepal, the "typhoid fever capital of the world”:

Researchers say they have used GPS signalling and the latest DNA sequencing 
techniques to plot the course of the disease — and have discovered the source of outbreaks is usually communal water spouts. … "Until now, it has been extremely difficult to study how organisms such as the typhoid-causing bacteria evolve and spread at a local level," said Stephen Baker, a scientist with Oxford University’s Vietnam unit. … Health workers visited typhoid patients’ homes and used GPS technology to capture the exact location, which was then plotted onto Google Earth, which maps the Earth by superimposing images from satellites and aerial photography. They took blood samples from hospitalised patients to isolate the organism — which mutates as it spreads — and allow analysis of its genetic make-up to identify where the disease had started. 

Kathryn Holt, who worked on the paper, provides more detail.

(Image via Wellcome Trust)

Jonathan Rue demands creative thinking about a new US military posture:

Perhaps it’s unsurprising that the toxic domestic political climate has skulked into the realm of foreign policy in the form of ideological simplicity. Tax. Spend. Cut. Three words dominate political discourse in a stark duality without a middle ground. Our foreign policy debates shouldn’t be similarly reduced to black or white affairs. We don’t have to choose between total isolationism and global primacy. There is a middle ground, and we desperately need to find it, sooner rather than later.

Today on the Dish, Andrew live-blogged the Nevada debate and we collected reax here. Herman Cain and his 9-9-9 plan faced serious scrutiny, Cain blurred the line between comedy and actual policy proposals, and he worshipped "the perfect conservative." Rick Perry's campaign ads reflect an impressively high production value, Harry Schliefer anticipated that Perry would recapture Cain's support as the Hermanator embarked on book tour, and the Texas governor contemplated his own rise and fall. Gingrich rode a fake following to frontrunner-status in the Twitter primary, and the "giant, gaseous asshole" won an award for faux intellectualism. The indignant anti-Romney right tried to suppress the inevitability narrative, and Andrew took on the Mormon question. In our video feature, he explained that he doesn't have a filter (except for the rotoscoping). 

Friedersdorf infiltrated OWS as the protests took hold in countries with high youth unemployment, Calvin and Hobbes illustrated Wall Street's baffling business model, and we recognized the demonstrators in South Park. OWS doesn't need the NYT, Beinart admired the movement's powerful populist instincts, and we assessed its marginal anti-Semitism. 

Tunisia readied for democratic elections, the Israeli police and military condoned terrorism, and a victim of the LRA confronted Limbaugh's brazen storytelling. Montag put forth an enterprising solution to our futile war against Afghanistan's drug trade, Jeremy Salt made excuses for Syria's unforgivable mukhabarat state, and Rachel Abrams celebrated Gilad Shalit's freedom with a sickening diatribe. 

Bruce Bartlett joined the Dish in championing Reagan-style tax reform, Peter Frase witnessed the unhealthy convergence of partisanship and ideology, and Douthat noted that Pinker's thesis on violence neglects the brutal history of the "civilizing process." Joel Kotkin predicted that China's growth would fizzle, criminals harnessed the social ingenuity of "flash mobs" for ill, and Bryan Caplan explained why a bad husband is incapable of being a good father. Andrew defended David Brooks against the Straussian charge, marijuana legalization achieved record public support, and Sam Harris pondered the evolving reality of consciousness. Readers invoked Felix Feneon's "Novels in Three Lines," we delved into the tricky morality of pheasant killing, and sociology students were tested on Jay-Z. Uzbekistan was forced to assert its geopolitical relevance, housing prices affect birth rates, and a baby was introduced to the world of Angry Birds.

Dissent of the day here, app of the day here, MHB here, FOTD here, VFYW here, and VFYW contest winner #72 here. 

— M.A.

(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images.)

Josh Marshall captions the above video:

This is a classic case of gaffe as excessive candor — not ‘that’s outrageous, you can’t have illegals working on my property’ but ‘dude, I’m running for office, hiring illegals will kill me’

Stephen Green:

You know what? Republicans got sick of the Illegal Nannies debate back around February, 1993. Perry’s not doing himself any favors here.

 John J. Pitney, Jr:

Did Rick Perry really think that he could trip up Romney by talking about the aliens who worked at his house?  In a debate on Nov. 28, 2007, Giuliani went after Romney on the very same issue. Romney had seen this one coming for four years, so it’s no surprise that he had an answer ready.

Allahpundit yawns at Santorum's attack on Romneycare (video directly above):

It’s … not so great, actually. Santorum does okay in taking it to him, but Gingrich practically shrivels when Romney calls him on his own past support for the mandate. Honestly, I’m not sure how productive these RomneyCare attacks are anymore at the debates. … the real damage done by attacks on RomneyCare will come via ads.

Andrew Sprung:

[W]hat nobody managed to do was to spell out the extent to which the Affordable Care Act was modeled on Romneycare– that the national plan borrows the subsidized exchanges composed of private health plans conforming to minimum coverage rules, with the whole structure made economically viable by the individual mandate and the employer mandate.  Romney was again allowed to emphasize that he created a free market solution for the uninsured, though he didn't get around this time to the lie that the ACA is by contrast "government controlled," as if it weren't structured the same way.

James Fallows:

Mitt Romney is not a likeable figure (IMO), but he knows what he is doing in a debate and has gotten steadily better at it. He can use logic (more of a distinguishing trait in this field than you would think); he can control his emotions; he can make others lose control of their emotions — especially Perry, who looked like he wanted land a big haymaker upside Mitt's head…

Ramesh Ponnuru:

Romney has won every debate so far, and tonight was no exception. His moment of greatest vulnerability came when Senator Santorum attacked him over health care, but Santorum was so rude about it that he ended up looking worse than Romney did. Romney took more hits than he has in previous debates, though, so this debate was a narrower win than its predecessors. 

Taegan Goddard:

The fifth Republican presidential debate since Labor Day — and by far the most entertaining — had the same winner as the previous four. Mitt Romney is the only person on the stage who understands — or can at least speak clearly on — the full breadth of issues that face the president. Romney took heavy fire from nearly everyone, but his rivals usually did more harm to themselves. 

W. James Antle III analyzes the Cain 9-9-9 pile on (video directly above):

On the merits, the 999 portion of this debate should be devastating for Herman Cain. The plan is not holding up well under scrutiny, which is why it is already being changed. Cain can point to no other analysis but one commissioned by his own campaign to support some of his central contentions about the plan. Cain seemed irritated under fire. Yet if the primary electorate has begun to deeply sympathize with Cain, there could be some backlash against the entire Republican field ganging up on him in that fashion.

Kevin Drum:

Everyone took shots at Herman Cain's 9-9-9 plan tonight, but they mostly didn't draw much blood. Cain just out-blustered them, and he was helped by the fact that the rest of the field had a hard time really going after him hard. After all, how can a bunch of conservatives attack a plan that's basically conservative flat-taxism on steroids?

Howard Kurtz:

For all the Cain hype as he has surged in the polls, the former pizza executive seemed to fade as the debate wore on, especially when the subject turned to foreign policy, where he is visibly less confident. Despite the pundits’ predictions, the spotlight moved inexorably back toward Mitt Romney, who actually showed flashes of the passion that has been so conspicuously missing from his campaign. Las Vegas should adjust its betting odds: Romney just moved one step closer to the nomination.

Will Wilkinson:

My biggest problem with Cain is that he doesn't seem to have much of a grasp on the necessarily political nature of policy implementation. You see it in his fantastical three-stage tax plan. You see it in his apparent surprise that the bailouts weren't executed the way he would have preferred.

Stanley Kurtz:

The real problem is, and will remain, that Cain has no political experience and apparently a complete lack of familiarity with foreign policy and national security issues. No matter how appealing Cain is, no matter how bold his plan, no matter how badly conservatives want and need to support a challenger to the right of Mitt Romney, it’s difficult to take Cain seriously as a potential nominee. That leaves Perry, with all he still needs to prove.

9.57 pm. The bottom line: Cain trod water, but his plan sank. Santorum excelled at forensics but probably shouldn't be touting his skill at winning swing states when he lost Pennsylvania the last time around by 16 points. Ron Paul outdid himself by bringing up Iran-Contra. Bachmann seems to have one decibel level, around 11, and seems to assume that it is now a given that an incumbent president equally polling his major rivals is already a dead electoral letter. Gingrich made sense on Yucca Mountain, I think. Perry gave petulance a whole new universe of meaning, and was so personal with Romney he lost the crowd. I wonder if Romney will appeal to Western Republicans more than Southern ones. But this felt to me like a settling. On Romney. And learning to like it.

The moment of hope? Romney's defense of no religious litmus tests in American politics. I wish I could be as certain of the sincerity of this if he weren't a Mormon but an evangelical.

9.55 pm. A pause for a Bachmann appreciation. A reader writes:

Dude i listened to it 3 times – Bachmann said 'henious'

Indeed she did. She also seemed to imply that Libya wasn't in Africa.

9.48 pm. Great! We're back with the Rick and Mitt show. The crowd actually seems to like Romney tonight. They're even booing Perry. I don't think Perry has helped himself tonight. And Gingrich has now ensured he won't win: seven three-hour debates with Obama?? I'll need way more Vicodin.

9.46 pm. Santorum is on a roll against Romney. It's been Santorum's best debate so far – scoring real points against Perry and Romney, articulate, clear and consistent. Can't stand him. But fair's fair. His debating skills are under-rated in terms of forensics. If not in charm or persuasiveness.

9.43 pm. Some reader response:

Far-right barometer Robert Stacy McCain believes that a real backlash against Mitt is finally taking hold:

Just as the Republican elite's attempt to anoint Crist backfired, sparking a Tea Party uprising that carried Rubio to the Senate, there may be a possibility that the behind-the-scenes effort to anoint Romney could ignite a grassroots movement to unite conservatives behind Herman Cain's surging candidacy. The strength of Cain's surge may have been underestimated in the conventional wisdom of late September, when Florida Republicans made the decision that scrambled the campaign schedule. And the Atlanta businessman got an unexpected boost on Oct. 5 when former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin announced she would not be a candidate in 2012.

Politico spotlights "Romney's most glaring weakness":

"There’s no one region and there’s no one issue where he really dominates, but he has the most overall points,"  [New York Rep. Peter] King said. "He’s not the type whose supporters are going to fall on their sword for him." 

Rich Lowry, whose magazine endorsed Romney in 2007, puts it this way:

There’s a human element that was missing in 2008 and still is.

Michelle Malkin, for one, is prepared to hold her nose. Rick Moran warns against prematurely anointing the former governor, but notes that "it will take a lot to overturn the psychology of Romney’s momentum." Jennifer Rubin pushes back against the "inevitability" narrative:

Romney is without a doubt the front-runner with considerable momentum and weak opposition. But lots can happen, and there are dangers from attaining not only front-runner but media-denominated “inevitable” status. … Romney can overplay the establishment consensus angle.

(Photo: Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney prepares to sign into law a new health care reform bill during a ceremony at Faneuil Hall April 12, 2006 in Boston, Massachusetts. The law made Massachusetts the first state in the country to require that all residents have health insurance. Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images.)

Peter Frase argues that we tend to conflate the two, as elites eschew "clear distinctions of political principle":

[O]rdinary people hate partisanship, and elites hate ideology. Hence the elite is constantly attempting to misrepresent the latter as the former. And the masses sometimes respond by repudiating ideology when they mean to reject partisanship. By partisanship, I mean adopting positions or taking actions based purely on what is immediately advantageous to your "side", party, or faction. 

Along similar lines, James Poulos explains how protest politics could subvert the two-party system by going local:

Whatever their stark differences, tea partiers and Occupiers share a similar susceptibility to act as if that notion requires them to mimic the national abstraction of the two parties — even while claiming to reject their terms of political practice. All too swiftly, our protests fall in line with the hallmarks of party machines — the symbolism and the slogan-mongering, the clotting around established power centers, the divorce of political action from the places we call home.

(Hat tip David Kurtz)

The war on Afghanistan's drug trade isn't working:

Afghanistan’s counter-narcotics minister Zarar Ahmed Moqbel said that the profit from producing one hectare, or 2.5 acres, of opium rose from $4,900 last year to $10,700 this year. The area under cultivation in 2011 covered 131,000 hectares and produced 5,800 tons — up 61 percent from the 3,600 tons produced the previous year.

Montag proposes a solution: instead of trying to eliminate the drugs, buy them:

[T]he entire crop could be purchased for about $560 Million which is far less than we spend each year to stop Afghan poppy cultivation. And if we left them alone and bought all their crop each year they would be much happier and friendlier to us than they are now. And it would be much cheaper.

(Photo: Poppy plants bloom in a field May 25, 2011, in Faizabad, Badakshan, Afghanistan. Afghanistan is the greatest illicit opium producer in the entire world. Production in Afghanistan has been on the rise since U.S. occupation started in 2001 and more land is now used for opium in Afghanistan than for coca cultivation in Latin America. By Paula Bronstein/Getty Images)