Stories by Mary Katharine Ham
Two Fathers and a Wedding
Mary Katharine Ham on power-gardening
Jun 27, 2011
There is an apple tree in my parents’ backyard. Its bark is blackened, limbs reaching unevenly and feebly into the sky. If an art-house filmmaker needed a metaphor for resilience in a war-ravaged country, he would choose this tree. It looks like it’s growing in spite of something, straining against some great force. That great force is my father. Ever since I can remember, the flora of our backyard has shrunk in the face of his single-minded determination to mold natural growth to his exac Read more
Taliban Stats: Grayson Knocks Poll Showing Him Behind
11:40 AM, Oct 01, 2010
When Talking Points Memo is calling him the "poster child for the angry Left" and tweaking him in headlines—"That poll is bogus. I'm totally winning."— surely some of the shine has worn off this lefty Internet folk hero. Grayson chatted with TPM about a poll by Susquehanna showing him down seven to Republican opponent Daniel Webster: Grayson categorically dismissed the poll, which was published in the right-leaning Sunshine State News and was conducted by a firm owned by Republica Read more
Rick Sanchez: I'm Way More of a Minority Than 'Bigot' Jon Stewart Because the Jews Run CNN
11:30 AM, Oct 01, 2010
Rick Sanchez is the host of CNN's "Rick's List" and the author of newly released "Conventional Idiocy: Why New America is Sick of Old Politics." He's apparently also got a pretty huge chip on his shoulder regarding "The Daily Show's" Jon Stewart, who has picked on the sometimes hapless Sanchez. In a conversation with satellite radio host Pete Dominick today, Sanchez declared Stewart a "bigot" unable to relate to minorities in America because, after all, the Jews are a very powerful people w Read more
Gibbs: You Don't Have to Have a Bill for Republicans to 'Hold it Hostage'
6:06 PM, Sep 30, 2010
So great are the powers of nefarious, progress-blocking Republicans that even in the vast congressional minority they can hold hostage bills that do not even exist : TAPPER: David Axelrod said something that the president has been saying for a long time, which is that Republicans are holding the middle-class tax cuts hostage. I understand it, Democrats haven't introduced a bill in the Senate, and the Republicans have. Wouldn't there have to be a bill that Republicans are threatening Read more
Report: Rahm Emanuel To Announce White House Departure Friday
Outta here.
11:57 AM, Sep 30, 2010
The rumor is he'll be campaigning for mayor of Chicago by Monday: White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel is expected to announce Friday that he is leaving to run for mayor of Chicago, said two people familiar with his plans. The two spoke on condition of anonymity so as not to preempt Emanuel. Emanuel, a former congressman from Chicago, is looking to replace long-time Mayor Richard Daley, who announced his retirement earlier this month. Obama advisor and former Daschle adv Read more
White House Message: News With a View Bad, Except When It's Not
5:20 PM, Sep 29, 2010
Obama, to Rolling Stone , in an interview released yesterday: "We've got a tradition in this country of a press that oftentimes is opinionated. The golden age of an objective press was a pretty narrow span of time in our history. Before that, you had folks like Hearst who used their newspapers very intentionally to promote their viewpoints," Mr. Obama said. "I think Fox is part of that tradition -- it is part of the tradition that has a very clear, undeniable point of view." Bill Read more
The Daily Grind
9:54 AM, Sep 29, 2010
Bill Clinton channels Friedrich Hayek. "US and European officials said Tuesday they have detected a plot to carry out a major, coordinated series of commando-style terror attacks in Britain, France, Germany and possibly the United States." "The more they know," Ms. Blackburn observes, "the less they like Washington." Alan Grayson gets smacked around by...Contessa Brewer? The Democrats' women problem. "Predominantly white crowd." Valerie Jarrett is the real center Read more
Poll: Grayson Falls 7 Behind Webster After Smear-tastic Campaign Blitz
9:20 AM, Sep 29, 2010
It turns out smearing your mainstream Republican, Baptist opponent as Talibanesque by altering video of him doesn't play that well in a moderate House district or among Independents. Thanks to his ridiculous rhetoric and just-released "Taliban Dan" ad , Rep. Alan Grayson is now running seven points behind Republican Dan Webster, according to a Sunshine State Poll. Webster, a former state senator, leads the freshman congressman 43-36 in the survey of 559 likely voters conducted Sept. Read more
Youth Vote Shifts Right
Rock the vote poll shows voters support Arizona immigration law, oppose Ground Zero mosque.
4:39 PM, Sep 28, 2010
President Obama will hold a rally in deep-blue Madison, Wisconsin today in an attempt to rally one of his most enthusiastic voting blocs from 2008. But as the president tries to fire up young voters, recent polling shows they're increasingly cool on the president's policies. A September Rock the Vote poll showed the Democratic advantage in party affiliation has been cut in half since 2008—down to 9 percent from 18. Democrats get 35 percent, Republicans 26 percent, and Independents 29 percent. Read more
Obama Takes Another Swipe at 'Destructive' Fox News
11:40 AM, Sep 28, 2010
It's about as predictable as Alan Grayson airing a hateful, dishonest ad caricaturing conservatives, but alas, it's news because the president said it. The headline at CNN gets right down to the nub of Obama's criticism in a way that's a bit more explicit and creepy than coverage of his past comments: Obama: Fox News 'destructive' to America That's probably because Obama's being a bit more explicit and creepy than in the past. The whole quote, from a Rolling Stone interview, with t Read more
Surprise: Insane 'Taliban' Ad for Alan Grayson Backfires
The wisdom of the Netroots.
10:35 AM, Sep 28, 2010
This is a tale in which we learn that becoming a folk hero for the online left, under the guidance of former MyDD scribe Matt Stoller, does not necessarily endear one to a center-right district that went Democrat for the first time in 25 years in 2008. In Alan Grayson's latest ad, he distorts video of his Republican opponent talking to a gathering of religious conservatives to make it appear as if he's unequivocally endorsing the scripture, "wives submit to your husbands," dubbing him "Taliba Read more
The Daily Grind
8:15 AM, Sep 27, 2010
The San Francisco Chronicle doesn't endorse Boxer. Laura Bush, back in the spotlight. Uh oh: "From Ohio to Iowa , there’s a yawning stretch of heartland states whose citizens voted for Obama and congressional Democrats in 2008, but who have lost patience waiting for an as-yet undelivered economic revival that was first promised in 2006, and then two years later. Now, they look set to stampede toward the out-of-power party." E.J. Dionne declares the Northeast the new Democratic Read more
Surprise: Colbert Testimony Becomes Side Show Dems Will Regret
The audacity of jokes.
10:25 AM, Sep 24, 2010
Here is video of comedian Stephen Colbert testifying before the House Judiciary subcommittee at the request of Democratic Rep. Zoe Lofgren, on the subject of illegal migrant workers. The pretense for his being an expert witness was Colbert's one day laboring with migrant workers in New York. There will be plenty of replays on the nightly newscasts, illustrating that Democratic control of Congress guarantees that important issues are dealt with in only the most sensitive, serious, and mature Read more
The Pledge to America: The Basics
9:25 AM, Sep 23, 2010
The GOP will officially release its modern Contract With America today at an event in Sterling, Va., but the commentary on the 21-page document is already plentiful. CBS has the full document , which is split into sections on Jobs, Cutting Spending, Repealing and Replaceing Health Care Reform, Reforming Congress, and Defense. The National Review deems it bolder than the Contract With America, but wishes it were bolder in spots. The editors declare the jobs section weakest, but notes t Read more
The Daily Grind
7:54 AM, Sep 23, 2010
"Just eight months after taking office, Mr. Christie is in demand by Republican candidates across the country, political consultants say, receiving many more invitations than he can accept. His appearances with Ms. Whitman are the first of many he has scheduled over the coming weeks, including events Thursday with Susana Martinez, the Republican candidate for governor of New Mexico, and a trip next week to Ohio." John Podhoretz: Sean Duffy, Christine O'Donnell, and how TV fame can make or Read more
GOP: Murkowski to Lose Committee Position
3:28 PM, Sep 21, 2010
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who has launched a write-in bid for reelection after being beaten by Tea Party favorite Joe Miller in the Alaska Republican primary, will lose her committee position tomorrow, according to Senate Republicans: Senate Republicans just said they will move tomorrow to strip Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, from her post as ranking Republican on the Senate Energy Committee. Republicans say Wednesday they will vote to elect an acting ranking member and then the ful Read more
The Daily Grind
9:21 AM, Sep 21, 2010
Hey, how come no one's talking about what's happening to Molly Norris? Murkowski fever: "Some Republicans had feared that Murkowski's decision to launch a write-in bid would split the GOP vote, paving the way for Democrat Scott McAdams to squeak by with a victory. In fact, the poll suggests that Murkowski is actually taking more votes from the Democrat than she is from Miller." Shudder: "The UK's tax collection agency is putting forth a proposal that all employers send employee paych Read more
Oops: Florida Dem Mailer Reveals GOP Challenger's Social Security Number
11:25 AM, Sep 20, 2010
The Florida Democratic Party sent out a mailer this week that disclosed the Social Security number of a Tea Party favorite in Florida's 22nd District race. Allen West, who rose to national prominence on the strength of a 2009 speech that went viral on YouTube , is a retired Army Lt. Col. running against Ron Klein, a Democrat elected to his first term in 2006. Florida Democrats' latest attack on West is likely to produce more backlash than erosion of West's support: The Florida Dem Read more
White House Weighing Last-Minute Fearmongering Against Tea Party (Update: WH Denies)
Hope.
8:20 AM, Sep 20, 2010
Because demonizing the populist movement has been so successful thus far, Obama aides may be thinking about a national TV ad campaign to rally the base with the idea of zombie Christine O'Donnells... or something. President Obama ’s political advisers, looking for ways to help Democrats and alter the course of the midterm elections in the final weeks, are considering a range of ideas, including national advertisements, to cast the Republican Party as all but taken over by Tea Party e Read more
The Daily Grind
7:19 AM, Sep 20, 2010
Lefty activist: Chris Coons harrassed me for my political activism Academic at University of Illinois: The students' "nativist display" on 9/11 of chanting "USA" at a football game is offensive to Muslims. Fired up, ready to go: The president arrived late, forcing emcee Drucilla Winters of "The Young and the Restless" to awkwardly stall, asking the black tie audience, "So...have you had a good week... Do we have any 'Young and the Restless" fans here?" Red flags for Dems: "Today Read more
Thrift in the Age of Twitter
Mary Katharine Ham, frugalista
Sep 20, 2010
I bought an accordion coupon organizer last week. It’s a wallet-sized device that straps to the cart as you’re grocery shopping. It comes with 24 durable tab dividers, to prevent the coupons for meat, dairy, and Hannah Montana paper dishware from commingling. It cost $11. To date, that far eclipses any savings I’ve realized by actually using coupons, but a mission must start somewhere. And I am on a mission. It started with the coupon evangelists. There I was, enthusiastically engaged in the Read more
Are O'Donnell Skeptics Sexists? RINOs? Both?
Can't all us grizzlies get along?
1:40 PM, Sep 17, 2010
Jeri Thompson, a political commentator I admire and wife of former Sen. Fred Thompson, wrote a column for "The American Spectator" this week suggesting anyone skeptical of Christine O'Donnell is skeptical because they're sexist, boys-club types afraid of strong, anti-establishment women. She uses Karl Rove, already RINO enemy No. 1 this week, as her example: A strong, vocal woman upturned the political tables in Delaware, a state where both political parties have been run like blue-bl Read more
The Daily Grind
9:15 AM, Sep 17, 2010
"This fact marks our political age: The pendulum is swinging faster and in shorter arcs than it ever has in our lifetimes. Few foresaw the earthquake of 2008 in 2006. No board-certified political professional predicted, on Election Day 2008, what happened in 2009-10." Jim Geraghty: The rout is on. "I’d say that if O’Donnell breaks 40%, that’s enough to give encouragement to a Palin bid , and it would take a really substantial wipeout to make a plausibly discouraging case." Krauthamm Read more
Charlie Cook Moves Connecticut Senate to Toss Up
1:26 PM, Sep 16, 2010
Cook giveth and Cook taketh away. Yesterday, the Cook Political Report moved Delaware from Likely Republican to Likely Democrat in light of Christine O'Donnell's primary upset of Rep. Mike Castle. Today, Connecticut goes the other direction, moving to Toss Up from Lean Democrat. "McMahon has made steady progress against Blumenthal," Cook analyst Jennifer Duffy wrote on Twitter. Linda McMahon has pulled to within single digits of Dick Blumenthal , who was seen as a shoo-in once Chris Read more
Say What? Bruni Book Says Michelle Called First Lady Job 'Hell'
11:20 AM, Sep 16, 2010
Last month, everyone was wondering if the First Lady, whose approval numbers are higher than Obama's at 66 percent, would take to the campaign trail for Democrats. That popularity has been the work of 18 months of carefully crafted messages and feel-good issues. But going out on the trail, experts warned , would raise the specter of an '08-style Michelle Obama misstep like, "for the first time in my adult lifetime, I'm proud of my country." It was that gaffe from which she's been recovering Read more
The Daily Grind
8:35 AM, Sep 16, 2010
Greg Mankiw answers, "How much would the president actually raise the top tax rate?" Chris Matthews praises... the Tea Party? Not a parody: Roland Martin launches ascot line. Rove: It's too late for a makeover, Mr. President, and demonizing Boehner and threatening to raise taxes aren't helping you. AP-GfK poll: "Tilted toward the GOP from the start of the year, the political environment has grown even more favorable for Republicans and rockier for President Barack Obama and Read more
Weird: Harry Reid Says 'My Pet' Coons Sure to Win DE Senate Seat
4:51 PM, Sep 15, 2010
Well, this is odd... and quite helpful to Christine O'Donnell's message when facing Coons: "I'm going to be very honest with you — Chris Coons, everybody knows him in the Democratic caucus. He's my pet. He's my favorite candidate," Reid said. "Let me tell you about him: A graduate of Yale Divinity School. Yale Law School. A two-time national debate champion. He represents two-thirds of the state now, in an elected capacity. I don't know if you've ever seen him or heard him speak, Read more
Kelly Ayotte Wins the Republican Senate Primary in N.H.
12:27 PM, Sep 15, 2010
The country's first primary state was hardly first with its returns last night, as glacial vote-counting in New Hampshire had Republican Senate candidates Kelly Ayotte and Ovide Lamontagne unsure of the outcome of their close race until this morning. The New Hampshire Secretary of State announced today that Kelly Ayotte won the nod for Republican Senate candidate by more than 1,600 votes. Lamontagne had carried a small lead most of Election Night, and had even addressed his supporters optimis Read more
Hold Your Predictions, Pundits: Democrats Have a New Logo!
Game changer.
12:20 PM, Sep 15, 2010
Well, well, well, Charlie Cook. Maybe you'd like to retract some of your earlier projections for a Republican tidal wave? Because Democrats are about to design their way to victory! The Democratic National Committee has revamped both its logo and website in hopes of taking on a sleeker, less bureaucratic perception among voters. The re-design went live on Wednesday morning with an accompanying tag line: "Democrats: Change That Matters." In place of the former logo -- DNC in block le Read more