The Disappearance of the The Emerging Democratic Majority: The Failure of a Thesis

Interesting:

Ron Radosh » The Disappearance of the The Emerging Democratic Majority: The Failure of a Thesis: "In 2004, John B. Judis and Ruy Teixeira wrote an acclaimed and seemingly prescient book, The Emerging Democratic Majority. Their thesis was based on a demographic analysis, which led them to predict the end of any future Republican ascendancy. As Judis summed up their thesis after the Obama landslide of 2008, Obama’s “election is the culmination of a Democratic realignment that began in the 1990s, was delayed by September 11, and resumed with the 2006 election. This realignment is predicated on a change in political demography and geography."

Bummer

Dirtiest election ever?

Demographic Problem

I would like to know where they are getting all of their stats.  Also it is not taking into consideration the rate of Christian growth among Muslims in Europe (those born Muslim are counted Muslim forever) and the political climate that is changing in Europe with the rise of Geert Wilders and the admission by Merkel in Germany that multiculturalism has failed.

Concerning the North American continent.  I don't know what the Canadian demographics are but the US is in no danger of becoming Muslim.

The Horror, The Horror... and the Pity | Foreign Policy

Other countries are clueless on what makes the US the US.

The Horror, The Horror... and the Pity | Foreign Policy: "Thanks to outsized personalities like Sarah Palin and Christine O'Donnell -- as well as recent controversies over immigration and Islam -- this year's midterm elections have attracted more international attention than usual. But as this survey of the foreign press shows, each country seems to have its own unique take on America's anti-incumbent movement."

Midterm blowout: 50 or more Democratic seats set to fall in Tuesday's election - TheHill.com

Yes! But let's not get cocky:

Midterm blowout: 50 or more Democratic seats set to fall in Tuesday's election - TheHill.com: "Republicans are headed for a blowout election win that seems certain to seize more than enough seats to knock out the Democrats and take control of the House.

The Hill 2010 Midterm Election poll, surveying nearly 17,000 likely voters in 42 toss-up districts over four weeks, points to a massive Republican wave that, barring an extraordinary turnaround, will deliver crushing nationwide defeats for President Obama’s party."

Dems getting outspent? Not so fast

And their still losing:

Dems getting outspent? Not so fast - POLITICO.com Print View: "To hear top Democrats tell it, the party is being wildly outgunned this year in the fight for campaign cash as Republicans rely on outside groups to funnel money to GOP contenders.

But the numbers tell a different story.

It’s true that conservative third-party groups are outspending their Democratic rivals. But the Democrats still have a sizable cash advantage in their party committees – making this year’s elections a lot more of a fair fight than Vice President Joe Biden and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi let on.

So far, the latest figures show that the Democratic Party machinery has outraised its Republican counterpart in this campaign cycle by almost $270 million."

2010 Election: Five Signs Your Party is Doomed - The Daily Beast

Very good:

2010 Election: Five Signs Your Party is Doomed - The Daily Beast: "Democrat or Republican, party leaders and pundits all turn to the same spin when they’re staring down a tidal wave. Benjamin Sarlin offers this handy list of signs that your team is in deep trouble, from mythical last-minute surges to impotent attacks on the next Speaker."

Rep. DeFazio Investigating Impeachment of Chief Justice Roberts

Another reason I'm not voting for DeFazio:

The Volokh Conspiracy » Rep. DeFazio Investigating Impeachment of Chief Justice Roberts: "The Huffington Post reports that Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Or) is investigating articles of impeachment for Chief Justice Roberts in response to the Court’s decision in Citizens United."

“I mean, the Supreme Court has done a tremendous disservice to the United States of America,” Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) told The Huffington Post on Tuesday. “They have done more to undermine our democracy with theirCitizens United decision than all of the Republican operatives in the world in this campaign. They’ve opened the floodgates, and personally, I’m investigating articles of impeachment against Justice Roberts for perjuring during his Senate hearings, where he said he wouldn’t be a judicial activist, and he wouldn’t overturn precedents.”

Malaria deaths in India 10 times as many as thought

This makes the ban on DDT look criminal:

Malaria deaths in India 10 times as many as thought - health - 22 October 2010 - New Scientist: "Malaria has always been one of humanity's biggest killers, but it may be far bigger than we realised. An unprecedented survey of the disease suggests that it kills between 125,000 and 277,000 people per year in India alone. In contrast, the World Health Organization puts India's toll at just 16,000.

Other countries using similar accounting methods, such as Indonesia, may also be underestimating deaths from malaria. That means it could be killing many more than the WHO's official estimate of nearly 1 million people a year worldwide, suggesting more money should be spent to fight it."

Estimates of malaria deaths in India are based on death rates recorded in clinics. They are corrected in an attempt to account for people missed by the health system, but a new study by an international team of researchers has found that these numbers have been vastly underestimated. This is partly because so many cases never make it to a clinic and because these people are more likely to die than those that get medical help.

Senator Mam (video)

Gateway Pundit

TaxProf Blog: Rasmussen: Only 25% Prefer a Government With More Services, Higher Taxes

Not surprising:

TaxProf Blog: Rasmussen: Only 25% Prefer a Government With More Services, Higher Taxes: "Most voters (65%) say they prefer a government with fewer services and lower taxes rather than one with more services and higher taxes. A new Rasmussen Reports telephone survey finds that only 25% of Likely U.S. Voters favor a government with more services and higher taxes instead.

Consistent with past polling, most Republicans (86%) and the majority (77%) of voters not affiliated with either political party prefer a smaller government, while most Democrats (50%) favor a more active one. But nearly one-third (32%) of Democrats now like a government with fewer services and lower taxes."

DeMint Threatens To Leave GOP If Agenda Is Not Limited Government

Hmm:

RealClearPolitics - Video - DeMint Threatens To Leave GOP If Agenda Is Not Limited Government: "'I don't want to be in Washington another six years and watch the Republican party betray the trust of the American people again. I mean, we had the White House. We had a majority in the House and the Senate. We voted for more spending and more earmarks. Most of our senior members seem to be focused on taking home the bacon. I'm not going to be in a Republican party like that and that's not what the Republican Party is across America,' Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) told FOX News."

New theory links depression to chronic brain inflammation

Interesting:

New theory links depression to chronic brain inflammation: "According to the new theory, severe stress and adverse life events, such as losing a job or family member, prompt neurobiological processes that physically alter the brain. Neurons change shape and connections. Some die, but others sprout as the brain rewires itself. This neural remodeling employs basic wound-healing mechanisms, which means it can be painful and occasionally incapacitating, even when it's going well."

Glenn Harlan Reynolds: Tea Party dominance was inevitable -- and I told you so | Washington Examiner

This pretty well sums it up:

Glenn Harlan Reynolds: Tea Party dominance was inevitable -- and I told you so | Washington Examiner: "For now, Republicans are (sort of) the beneficiaries. Though Tea Partiers aren’t happy with the GOP, they’re much less happy with the Democrats. In this election cycle, Republicans will benefit. But Tea Partiers are also taking over the GOP from the bottom up, running for precinct chairs and state committee seats.

This makes sense: There are barriers to entry for third parties, and it makes more sense to take over an existing party than to start from scratch, if that’s possible.

But those establishment GOP figures who think that they’ll cruise to victory and a return to the pocket-stuffing business-as-usual that marked the prior GOP majority need to think again. This election cycle is, in a very real sense, a last chance for the Republicans. If they blow it, we’re likely to see third-party challenges in 2012, not only at the Presidential level but in numerous Congressional races as well.

For the national GOP, it’s do-or-die time. So guys, you’d better perform -- unless you want me to be writing another “I told you so” column in 2013. And trust me, you don’t."

Tea Party Rocks the Right and Left

Yep, they just don't get the tea party:

Commentary » Blog Archive » Tea Party Rocks the Right and Left: "One should never underestimate the historical illiteracy of the liberal intelligentsia. And it is also the case that the left did not merely misunderstand the Tea Party movement but actively distorted and vilified it. When unsubstantiated claims of “racism” start flying, you know the left is running scared. Certainly the Tea Party was the repudiation of the notion that the recession and the election of Obama had moved the country to the left. It simply couldn’t be that there was a broad and principled objection to this hypothesis. And when the rabble — that would be fellow citizens — showed again and again that the movement was genuine, determined, and deeply principled, the left had a collective meltdown, railing at the supposedly crazy citizenry."

Who Suffers From the Foreclosure Mess? Just About Everyone

Wow, I didn't realize it was this serious:

Who Suffers From the Foreclosure Mess? Just About Everyone - Megan McArdle - Business - The Atlantic: "Already, it's apparently impossible to sell a foreclosure--and people who have bought foreclosed homes are starting to sweat, wondering if they're going to get embroiled in a lawsuit. But what about short sales? Again, if a company doesn't have the authority to foreclose, it doesn't have the authority to authorize you to sell it for less than the value of the mortgage. Things seem cleaner with ordinary sales, but what if some other company comes out of the woodwork to claim that the note wasn't properly registered, and you paid the wrong guy? Does the lien go back on the house? Who owes the money?"

American Thinker: Faith and the Rescued Chilean Miners

Lesson to be learned from South America:

American Thinker: Faith and the Rescued Chilean Miners: "Chilean President Miguel Juan Sebastián Piñera Echenique, Ph.D, declared that what 'started as a possible tragedy' ended up 'as a real blessing from God.' Piñera, in contrast to American President Barack Obama's actions during the BP oil spill disaster in the United States, was intimately involved in the rescue operation. The Chilean president, his wife, and his top-level staff -- Mining Minister Laurence Golborne, Health Minister Jaime Manalich, and the engineer who coordinated the rescue, Andre Sougarret -- were visibly present and obviously competent throughout the crisis, informing and rallying the nation and declaring their commitment to the miners' rescue. Piñera said, 'It will take time, but it doesn't matter how long it takes to have a happy ending.' As 'experts' from around the world began second-guessing the Chilean plans, Golborne showed his competence: 'There is no need to try to start guessing what could go wrong. We have done that job, and we have hundreds of different contingencies.' One of the miners' relatives summarized the determination of the nation: 'This won't be a success,' she said, 'unless they all get out.'"

Xenophobia grows in Germany towards Turks, Arabs and Jews

I don't buy his entire premise but the rise of xenophobia is definitely on the rise:

Xenophobia grows in Germany towards Turks, Arabs and Jews: "From the point of view of Generational Dynamics, unfortunately none of this is a surprise. The survivors of WW II saw how 1930s xenophobia led to wars of extermination, and as long as they were in charge, xenophobic tendencies have been kept to a minimum. That’s why we would have seen very few of these tendencies in the 1990s. What we’re seeing today is truly remarkable — the rapid growth of xenophobia around the world, in many different forms, for the first time since the 1930s. The path to world war is becoming clearer and clearer."

Anatomy of Petulance

Change:

Works and Days » Anatomy of Petulance: "I was fascinated watching the recent Obama campaign stops, particularly the contrast with 2008. Gone are the faux columns and classical backdrops. There are no more vero possumus seals (now they fall off the podium). All pretense of “no more red states, no more blue states” nonpartisanship has long ago been dropped. Even the shrill, boilerplate evocation of “Bush-Cheney did it” sounds strained. The blatant divisive appeal to unions, young people, and “black folks” is now unapologetic. Them versus Us is the new theme. Gone is the pretense of inclusivity. Even the fainting now seems rigged rather than spontaneous, the faux cadences forced and more Rev. Wrightish rather than inspired. The eyes of the crowd roll, and have lost their glazed zombie look of 2008. It all reminds me of the failed comeback tour of the proverbial fading rock star, the desperate promos for the sinking supposed blockbuster Hollywood movie, or perhaps something akin to Jerry Ford’s WIN buttons or the Carter desk thump."

Few signs at tea party rally expressed racially charged anti-Obama themes

Confirmation of what we already knew:

Few signs at tea party rally expressed racially charged anti-Obama themes: "A new analysis of political signs displayed at a tea party rally in Washington last month reveals that the vast majority of activists expressed narrow concerns about the government's economic and spending policies and steered clear of the racially charged anti-Obama messages that have helped define some media coverage of such events."

Global warming fraud: the tide begins to turn

Read the whole thing. HT: Ken

Global warming fraud: the tide begins to turn – Telegraph Blogs: "The true hero of the hour is Professor Lewis for having the courage to stick out his neck and say what so many thousands of other scientists around the world would dearly love to say too: that the global warming industry is a scam and sham.

But they can’t because, like all of us, they have to make a living. I’ll leave it to a commenter called Scotchman to explain how it works:"

The Boycott We Need - Walter Russell Mead's Blog - The American Interest

This is a boycott I endorse:

The Boycott We Need - Walter Russell Mead's Blog - The American Interest: "Boycotts can be profoundly meaningful and morally compelling; they can also be pointless and trivial. But there is one boycott I wish would catch on among Hollywood actors, college activists and idealists of all ages: a boycott of the international industry in illegal drugs.

There is no commercial product widely consumed in the United States whose production, sale and distribution does more harm than the illegal drug industry. I am not referring to the harm that drug users do to themselves, or even the harm that the drug dependencies that so often grow from the use of illegal drugs do to the family and friends of the drug user."

Michael Totten » The Muslim Brotherhood’s Declaration of War

Hmm.

Michael Totten » The Muslim Brotherhood’s Declaration of War: "In August 1996, al-Qaida declared war on America, the West, Christians and Jews. Nobody important paid much attention to this. Almost exactly five years later, September 11 forced them to notice. Let it be said that in September 2010 the Muslim Brotherhood, a group with one hundred times more activists than al-Qaida, issued its declaration of war. What remains is the history of the future."

The Rise of Conservative Christian Women

True:

The Rise of Conservative Christian Women: "Like it or not, the rise of the evangelical women of the GOP signals a power shift that is here to stay. Evangelicalism shows no sign of flagging, culturally or politically, and women have a more prominent place in the evangelical firmament than ever. Whatever her faults as a politician, Sarah Palin has tapped into a formidable segment of the American electorate: conservative Christian women (along with legions of admiring evangelical men). She has also helped to dissolve remaining hesitations some evangelicals felt about the public role of women in American politics. The Left will no doubt successfully brand some of these candidates -- O'Donnell is the ripest target -- as 'extremists.' But these are candidates who represent the public faith of many average churchgoers, including tens of millions of American women."

Gary Hubbell: The Redneck tree hugger

Heh:

Gary Hubbell: The Redneck tree hugger | AspenTimes.com: "Barack Obama is the best thing that has happened to America in the last 100 years. Truly, he is the savior of America's future. He is the best thing ever.

Despite the fact that he has some of the lowest approval ratings among recent presidents, history will see Barack Obama as the source of America's resurrection. Barack Obama has plunged the country into levels of debt that we could not have previously imagined; his efforts to nationalize health care have been met with fierce resistance nationwide; TARP bailouts and stimulus spending have shown little positive effect on the national economy; unemployment is unacceptably high and looks to remain that way for most of a decade; legacy entitlement programs have ballooned to unsustainable levels, and there is a seething anger in the populace."

He Lives: Fundy Irony on Young earth creationism

This is something that comes up periodically. It is ironic that Scofield can no longer be "trusted".

He Lives: Fundy Irony: "So, back to the fundy churchs that demand fealty to both dispensationalism and YEC-ism.

What about the hero of dispensationalism, the undisputed heavyweight champion, C. I. Scofield? He needn't apply. Maybe the Methodists will take him. Why?

Because C. I. Scofield was an Old Earth Creationist.

It is interesting--dispensationalism is the only systematic theology developed in the scientific era. As such, Scofield was well aware of fact that geology teaches us that the earth is old. So he embedded a particular form of OEC into his notes: the gap theory. He taught of an unknowable (from scripture, at least) long period of time between the first verse of the bible and the second. When he picks it up in the second verse he sounds like a YEC--he taught literal 24-hour days and even included Bishop Usher's calculations (with the dreaded 4004 BC result) in his original notes. So many people think was a YEC. But he wasn't."

John Sweeney revisits the Church of Scientology

Very interesting:

BBC News - Panorama - John Sweeney revisits the Church of Scientology: "In 2007, while investigating the Church of Scientology for Panorama, reporter John Sweeney had a dramatic on-camera confrontation with a church spokesman named Tommy Davis. The church was accusing the reporter of bias and it attempted to stop the documentary from being broadcast - a campaign backed by Scientology A-lister John Travolta. Sweeney has returned to investigate the church again."

Obama as Roman emperor -- the rise and fall of the propaganda master

Very interesting:

Obama as Roman emperor -- the rise and fall of the propaganda master - CSMonitor.com: "To understand Obama's fall, we must understand his rise; and to do that, we must look to ancient history. It was neither for his resume nor his policies that America fell in love with him. In fact, Obama's policy priorities have turned out to be quite unpopular.

It was instead by following the lead of Rome's greatest emperors that Obama won (temporarily) America's awe and devotion. This sort of ruler cult begins to crumble, of course, when the ruler is required to make decisions and take positions under unprecedented media scrutiny."

Tax hikes to drive a second collapse?

Let's hope not:

Tax hikes to drive a second collapse? « Hot Air: "Congress left Washington without addressing the massive tax hikes that will come at the end of the year as the tax-rate reductions of 2001 and 2003 expire. Absent action on Capitol Hill, those increases will take $4 trillion out of the economy over the next ten years — and even if the lower tax bracket reductions get extended, $700 billion of capital will get redirected from the private sector to Washington. How will that impact economic growth in the US? Peter Ferrara argues that it will create not just a double-dip recession, but a second economic collapse — one worse than what we experienced in 2008."

British columnist: Sure, I’d put a pillow over my child’s face if it was “deeply suffering” « Hot Air

Lovely.

British columnist: Sure, I’d put a pillow over my child’s face if it was “deeply suffering” « Hot Air: "Miss Ironside said: ‘If a baby’s going to be born severely disabled or totally unwanted, surely an abortion is the act of a loving mother.’…

The writer said she recognised that disabled people could lead active and fulfilling lives.
But she said there were millions of disabled and unwanted children around the world who were left suffering in institutions.

‘To go ahead and have a baby, knowing that you can’t give it some kind of stable upbringing, seems to me to be cruel,’ she said."

To Cram or Not to Cram: 10 Recent Studies on Studying and What They Tell Us

Timely advice:

To Cram or Not to Cram: 10 Recent Studies on Studying and What They Tell Us: "“Sit up straight in a well-lit area with no distractions” is what we’re told when it’s time to prepare for that big exam, presentation, or similar task. But how well does that old chestnut work? With more sophisticated technology in their hands, scientists have been able to uncover new advances in the field of how people learn like never before.

For once, you can actually take a break from studying or preparing to actually read ten recent studies on studying and what they tell us. Conducted by scientists, universities, and international experts, “cram” is a word you may grow to love or hate."

Video: Greta vs Gloria « Hot Air

This is good:

Video: Greta vs Gloria « Hot Air: "It’s every bit as good as rumored from the Twitter stream. Greta van Susteren calls Gloria Allred “insane” and “delusional,” and even gets Allred to admit at one point that her client, illegal immigrant Nicki Santillan, won’t ever end up in court on this complaint. Susteren calls Allred’s ethics into question for exposing the woman and her children — “putting a big neon sign” on them, in van Susteren’s words — for a case that Allred not only admits she can’t win but won’t even survive to an actual trial."

How Stuxnet is Scaring the Tech World Half to Death

Wow:

How Stuxnet is Scaring the Tech World Half to Death | The Weekly Standard: "The computer worm Stuxnet broke out of the tech underworld and into the mass media this week. It’s an amazing story: Stuxnet has infected roughly 45,000 computers. Sixty percent of these machines happen to be in Iran. Which is odd. What is odder still is that Stuxnet is designed specifically to attack a computer system using software from Siemens which controls industrial facilities such as factories, oil refineries, and oh, by the way, nuclear power plants. As you might imagine, Stuxnet raises big, interesting geo-strategic questions. Did a state design it as an attack on the Iranian nuclear program? Was it a private group of vigilantes? Some combination of the two? Or something else altogether?"

But it’s worth pausing to contemplate Stuxnet on its own terms, and understand why the tech nerds were so doomsday-ish about it in the first place. We should start at the beginning.