Today on the Dish, Andrew live-blogged the Michigan debate and we collected reax here (quote for the night here). The GOP is a party in free-fall that also doesn't understand that it is, voters pushed back against Tea Party overreach, and the Cain campaign got more chaotic and reckless. Gingrich stands to benefit, there's mounting evidence that Cain is a liar, and the Clarence Thomas narrative won't work. The evangelical soul is preoccupied with "redemptive utopianism," Romney would be completely beholden to the worst instincts of the Republican base as president, and Huntsman may get a second look. We revisited mandatory voting, Millman anticipated that Obama would be re-elected based on "weak but improving" economic fundamentals, and we wondered if the Fed could get more aggressive. In our video feature, Andrew explained that the Democrats are useless, and he addressed the horrors at Penn State.
The Syrian rebellion forged on, the brutality of Assad seems to know no bounds, and it's too soon to panic over Al Qaeda in Libya. Europe has a leadership problem, Italy has a problem with good governance, and according to Barclays, it's also mathematically beyond the point of no return. Jackson Diehl issued a statement on behalf of Netanyahu in the Washington Post, Bibi is a "piece of work," and China is decelerating.
Binge-eating is about powerlessness, "party rock" is not really about rock music, and parenting is self-expanding. Douthat relished the "devastating near-miss" in sports, most people go to college for personal fulfillment, and our social norms and instincts are not scaling at the rate of communication. A reporter agreed to be circumcised with bamboo sticks in exchange for an interview, daylight savings is bad for your health, and if you gay, you gay.
Christianist watch here, President Obama's Dungeons and Dragons Character Sheet here, VFYW here, FOTD here, MHB here, and handstand peeing dog here.
— M.A.
(Photo of student-led riots at Penn State sparked by news that Joe Paterno was fired tonight for his involvement in the school's sex abuse scandal. Follow @DailyCollegian for up-to-the-minute updates.)
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