September 2011
10 posts
7 tags
Beer in Boerne
So, we stopped off in Boerne, TX tonight for dinner at The Dodging Duck Brewhaus (if you go, you’ll get the name). I got their beer sampler which featured their Duck Vader Imperial Stout, Leapin’ Lizards IPA, Tucker’s Irish Red, and Luckenbacher Hefeweizen (pictured below).
I really enjoy IPA’s, and the Dodging Duck’s IPA was no exception. The Imperial Stout and...
August 2011
9 posts
6 tags
Obama Offers More Change Post-2012 →
Writing in the Washington Post, David Nakamura talks about the Obama campaign’s new messaging. One has to wonder whether some voters have become disillusioned, especially new voters, who were inspired by Obama’s candidacy, and whether or not those voters will stay home in 2012 (I don’t think one can assume they will vote Republican). Get out the vote efforts are incredibly...
7 tags
Whither Independents Go, So Goes...?
Writing in GovExec, Charlie Cook - of the Cook Report - tells Republicans they will need independent voters to win. Or do they? The conventional wisdom is that candidates have to move to the center after sew up their nomination victory in order to not offend moderates/independents, and I admit to falling as victim to conventional wisdom as much as anyone else. But are Mr Cook’s concerns...
8 tags
Book Review: Kingfish
Kingfish: the Reign of Huey P. Long by Richard D. White, Jr. is a brief, but insightful, look at the career of Huey P. Long. I’ve long had a fascination with Huey Long, just as I have with Lyndon Baines Johnson. I am not quite sure what the fascination is, but Long is one of the more intriguing characters of the American political drama. The lengths he went, and the means he pursued, to...
8 tags
Twelve States in Play in 2012 →
The Gallup approval ratings numbers for the President have received a lot of attention recently, especially as the President’s approval rating recently dipped below 40 percent. According the Los Angeles Times analysis by David Lauter, the states in play are Florida, Ohio, Iowa, Virginia, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Georgia, Oregon, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado. This list is...
6 tags
Seven Best Political Novels →
An interesting list from the csmonitor. I’ve only read two of these novels - 1984 and Brave New World. I own All the King’s Men, but I’ve yet to read it. It’s part of my collection of books about Huey P. Long, including Long’s autobiography Every Man a King. I’m currently reading Richard D. White’s biography of Long - Kingfish. (Huey Long is fascinating...
3 tags
5 tags
Ten States Important in 2012 →
Looking at Gallup’s approval rating numbers (here), Chris Cillizza looks at the key states which will be key in the 2012 general election. Of the states Mr Cillizza looks at, McCain won only one (Arizona). Those states are listed below with the 2008 results, as well the approval rating for Bush:
Iowa - Barack Obama won 53 percent to 44 over McCain in 2008, Bush’s job approval rating...
6 tags
Republican Primary Calendar Punishment
As some states consider moving up their primary dates, the RNC is considering harsher punishments; the current punishment is that only half of the delegates will be seated. If those states move their primaries before March 6th, they could lose their VIP guest passes and guest privileges could be revoked (Source). John Ryder, Republican national committeeman from Tennessee, notes that this will...
8 tags
Electoral College Math: The Rust Belt
A new Quinnipiac University poll shows a continuing trend for the President in the Rust Belt states (Sources: CNN, Washington Post). The Quinnipiac poll is of Pennsylvania, and no Republican has won in Pennsylvania since 1988 - so, that’s something to keep in mind - but the trend for Obama in Pennsylvania (and trends are important) has not been good. Rather, the trend seems to keep...
