Penn on politics

By Jennifer J. Foster

When I first saw CNN teasing commentary by Penn Jillette on its web site this morning, my first thought was, April Fool’s.

You may not know Penn Jillette by his full name. But you have heard of his work: He’s one half of the magician duo Penn and Teller.

This dude is all about sleight-of-hand, eating fire and making stuff disappear. And there was that “Dancing with the Stars” thing. Commentary from him on domestic policy and international politics? Come on.

I’ll admit that I was also biased by my own frustrations. I’ve been seeking syndication for my commentary, with no success, for more than a year now. At first blush, I thought, how is it that a magician can get this kind of exposure, but I can’t? What gives?

Well, as it turns out, Jillette’s column was pretty good.

Take a few minutes to read his piece. He breaks down America’s financial crisis—and President Obama’s plan to get us out of it—in a way that will make you think.

‘War on Terror’ update

By Jennifer J. Foster

(Oh, I forgot ... we’re not calling it that anymore.)

Yesterday I mentioned the Pakistani Taliban leader who has vowed an amazing attack on Washington in coming months (click on the link above).

Today we have an update on this fellow and the seriousness of his threats.

It seems he’s attached not only to the December 2007 assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, but also to September’s bombing of the Islamabad Marriott that killed 54 people.

“Terrorism experts call Mehsud a ‘rising young star,‘“ according to this story from FoxNews.com.

Hey, let’s just sit down with the guy and talk it out. I’m sure he’s a reasonable individual. After all, he just wants peace and prosperity throughout the world. His values are just different, and we just need to do a better job of understanding his culture.

Yeah, right.

April Fool’s Day

By Jennifer J. Foster

The jokes about April Fool’s Day and politics and government are so easy, it’s like shooting fish in a barrel.

But if you want a different spin on it, check out Rich Galen’s column today.

He has lots of points that would be great jokes ... if only they weren’t true.

Read it here.

... And tread carefully around the coffee at the office today.

What is ‘progressive’?

By Jennifer J. Foster

There’s an interesting thread over on Left in Alabama asking readers to list Alabama’s progressive leaders. The idea seems to be to create a list of “progressive folks who might/should be persuaded to run for office.“

“Progressive is the obvious requirement,“ post author Mooncat writes.

And therein lies the rub: What’s “progressive?“

This word re-entered the American political lexicon back when former U.S. Sen. John Edwards (D-N.C.) ran for president in 2003-2004. Edwards, a self-proclaimed progressive, focused on worker’s rights and America’s middle class. (Who can forget the whole “Two Americas” theme?)

But I’ve heard pundits and candidates alike define progressivism in a variety of ways—incorporating themes including environmental advocacy, tax reform, health care reform, education policy and more.

So what is it, exactly?

And whatever it is, is it a standard set of beliefs and principles, or does it change in relation to the prevailing themes dominating the two major political parties?

And is it the same basic thing to most of its adherents? Or is it different things to different people?

Let’s think critically about this. “Progressivism” has become a buzzword, and it’s being thrown around a lot these days.

What do you think? What does progressivism mean to you?