http://donklephant.com Big Teeth. Huge Ass. Surprisingly Reasonable. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 23:48:41 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en A great video for today. What do you love about the United States? And, on the other hand, what do you think we could be doing better? http://donklephant.com/2009/07/04/penn-teller-on-patriotism/ Happy Independence Day everybody. Hope you and yours have a fun and safe 4th. And, as always, thank you so much for reading and joining the conversations here. http://donklephant.com/2009/07/04/and-the-rockets-red-glare-the-bombs-bursting-in-air/ Sarah Palin’s sudden resignation as Alaska’s governor may be the result of a soon to break scandal involving the building of a sports complex while she was Mayor of Wasilla. It is rumored that federal indictments are pending involving construction projects in Wasilla dating back to 2002. The indictments may involve corruption ... http://donklephant.com/2009/07/04/did-palin-resign-because-of-wasilla-building-scandal/ If that's true, her announcement today makes a lot more sense. Here's the story from MSNBC: And, if true, she'd be doing the GOP a huge favor by not being a focal point in the coming years. More as it develops... http://donklephant.com/2009/07/03/andrea-mitchell-claims-palin-is-out-of-politics/ First, a portion of the video. I can't find the entire thing yet, but when I do I'll just swap it out. Did you catch that? She's resigning because she doesn't want to be a lame duck Governor and waste taxpayer money. Well, I do know one thing that's lame.... In any event, ... http://donklephant.com/2009/07/03/sarah-palins-resignation-speech-video-text/ If Sarah Palin really does have presidential aspirations, today's move was the worst she ever could have made. I discuss why over at True/Slant. http://donklephant.com/2009/07/03/palins-resignation-proves-shes-a-lightweight/ In a surprise move, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin has announced she is resigning, effective July 26th. She claims that because she is not running for re-election, she doesn’t want to be a lame duck and subject herself to politics as usual. Odd excuse. Either some scandal is about to break or ... http://donklephant.com/2009/07/03/palin-stepping-down-as-alaskas-governor/ The Washington Post has found itself embroiled in an ethics scandal involving a poorly conceived money-raising venture that the paper has moved fast to cancel and excuse: Washington Post publisher Katharine Weymouth said today she was canceling plans for an exclusive "salon" at her home where for as much as $250,000, ... http://donklephant.com/2009/07/03/the-washington-posts-questionable-moneymaking-scheme/ In a show of good faith, Vice President Joe Biden flew to Baghdad Thursday evening on his unprecedented three-day visit. Typically, a high-level official – like Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Dick Cheney – only remains in the country for a day or less, so the trip is unusually ... http://donklephant.com/2009/07/03/bidens-iraq-trip-sparks-hope-and-protests/ Why? Because wages are going down, down, down... Basically, people won't be spending more if they're earning less. So don't worry about inflation...yet. (h/t: NY Times) http://donklephant.com/2009/07/03/worried-about-inflation-dont-be/ Most people don't realize that the insane gas prices last year had nothing to do with increased demand and had everything to do with market speculation and hoarding encouraged by the top investment banks. Now True/Slant's own Matt Taibbi uncovers the truth behind the scam. Read the rest at True/Slant. http://donklephant.com/2009/07/03/rolling-stone-blows-the-lid-off-oilgas-speculation-by-goldman-sachs/ So, Franken has finally won. Now comes the hard part: establishing credibility. Read the rest at True/Slant. http://donklephant.com/2009/07/02/franken-to-follow-hillary-clinton-route-to-credibility/ 2012 is already ramping up for some folks. From Radio Iowa:A friend of mine in Des Moines, Iowa, got a phone call last night, testing out the names of potential 2012 GOP presidential candidates. It was an automated survey and did not indicate who the sponsor of the call might ... http://donklephant.com/2009/07/02/republicans-testing-gop-hopefuls-in-iowa/ He's not below 50% yet, but between these numbers and Gallup's, the trend is clear. Here's more...President Barack Obama's first five months in office have seen his job approval remain stable overall - currently at a politically healthy 57 - 33 percent, but his disapproval has risen 8 - 10 points ... http://donklephant.com/2009/07/02/polls-show-obama-losing-independents/ http://donklephant.com/2009/07/02/afghanistan-again/ If we’re headed towards economic recovery, the path is unlikely to be a smooth one. At least that’s what June’s unemployment numbers indicate as the nation lost 467,000 jobs, more than 100,000 above estimates. With unemployment now at 9.5%, a 26 year high, most economists foresee double-digit unemployment before the end ... http://donklephant.com/2009/07/02/more-jobs-lost-in-june-than-expected/ Curious to learn more about Iran? Good. Recently, I was sent 50 links to a bunch of great lectures on Iran, so I'll share a few here and then send you over to True/Slant for more. Islam and Modern Science: "Many people feel that that in fact there is no such thing ... http://donklephant.com/2009/07/01/50-lectures-to-help-you-understand-iran/ Amid fresh revelations that Sanford crossed a physical line with more women than his previously acknowledged Argentine affair, Republicans in South Carolina are letting the embattled Governor know publicly (and privately) that he should get with the program and scram. From The State: On Wednesday afternoon, Senate President Pro Tempore Glenn ... http://donklephant.com/2009/07/01/south-carolina-gop-calls-for-sanford-to-resign/ Listen, I thought they should have done a revote in Minnesota, and I said as much on this blog. But nearly every single court decision went Al Franken's way, and that's just how it went down. Norm Coleman lost. And when I watch the following inanity, I genuinely wonder if the ... http://donklephant.com/2009/07/01/fox-news-coordinated-attempt-to-discredit-al-franken/ I'm looking to add 3 bloggers to the roster, and the following is a list of some qualifications I'd be looking for and expectations I'd have:You must understand the basics of blogging (linking to other sites, embedding pictures and video, etc.), and having a blog is preferred but not absolutely ... http://donklephant.com/2009/07/01/want-to-write-for-donklephant/