One of the sillier Obama rumors going around questions whether Barack Obama ever graduated from Columbia. The primary arguments are that (1) supposedly no one remembers him, and (2) Obama’s picture is not in the yearbook. This rumor is easy to explain and debunk: 1. Contrary to some assertions, Obama was indeed remembered by both […]
Author Archive | Jim Lindgren
Obama’s first fulltime employer, Business International, had substantial SDS ties in the 1960s.
After graduating from Columbia in 1983, Obama’s first fulltime job was to work for an international business newsletter firm, Business International. From all accounts (including Obama’s), it appears that this company was business-oriented and mainstream politically, unlike his other fulltime employers before law school. For that reason, it is a strange coincidence that in the […]
Comments Welcome on Business International.
If you worked for Business International in the 1980s or with Barack Obama at NYPIRG in 1984-85, feel free to leave comments here.
Polls Hold Firm for Obama.
The slight move toward McCain in the national polls appears to have stalled. In most polls, Obama has gained a bit in the last few days. The only exception among those outfits who polled through Saturday is the IBD/TIPP poll, which shows only a 2% lead for Obama. The betting services are even more encouraging […]
Can Sen. Stevens Vote for Himself?
The Politico raises the question of whether Senator Ted Stevens, now that he is a convicted felon, can vote for his own reelection to the U.S. Senate. Under Alaska law, those convicted of a felony involving moral turpitude are disenfranchised. So, it seems, whether Stevens can vote depends on a) whether making false statements constitutes […]
Huizenga in a Hurry:
Miami Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga is reportedly in a rush to sell a portion of the football team so as to avoid Barack Obama’s proposal to increase the tax on capital gains. A spokesperson for the Obama campaign commented that Huizenga has overstated Obama’s proposed increase in the capital gains tax and that middle-class tax […]
Judge Limits Halloween Limits on Sex Offenders (But Leaves Scarlet Pumpkins Intact):
The NYT reports: A federal judge in Missouri on Monday temporarily blocked parts of a new state law that requires sexual offenders to remain in their homes on Halloween evening and to avoid any contact with children related to the holiday. The judge, Carol E. Jackson, of United States District Court in St. Louis, said […]
Sen. Stevens – Guilty:
A jury has found Alaska Senator Ted Stevens guilty on seven felony counts of making false statements about gifts he received. The deliberations took five hours. Despite the verdict, Senator Stevens insisted he is innocent, decried alleged prosecutorial misconduct, and announced that he will appeal the verdict. In the meantime, he is still running for […]
Was Sarah Palin Right about the Vice Presidency?
Glenn Reynolds of Instapundit graces the NYT op-ed page today with a short piece on the nature of the vice presidency. Article I of the Constitution, which describes the authority of the legislative branch, says that “the vice president of the United States shall be president of the Senate, but shall have no vote, unless […]
Wagner & McGarity’s Bending Science:
In a new book, Bending Science: How Special Interests Corrupt Public Health Research, law professors Thomas McGarity and Wendy Wagner make the case for new safeguards to protect against the misuse and manipulation of scientific research in toxic risk regulation. In their view, ideological and economic interests use a “range of sophisticated legal and financial […]
“Ashamed” to Be a Journalist:
Technology writer Michael Malone thinks media bias is at an all time high. In his view, it is so bad that he is “ashamed” to call himself a journalist anymore. The sheer bias in the print and television coverage of this election campaign is not just bewildering, but appalling. And over the last few months […]
Brig. Gen. Hartmann Under Investigation:
The LA Times reports that Brigadier General Thomas Hartmann is under investigation for allegedly interfering with the prosecution of enemy combatants held at Guantanamo Bay. The Air Force is reviewing allegations that Hartmann bullied prosecutors, logistics officials and others at Guantanamo — resulting in cases going to trial that were not ready and the prosecution […]
Sunday Song Lyric:
Guns N’ Roses’ Appetite for Destruction is easily one of the best hard rock albums ever. It was raw an exciting, at times nearly over-powering, and occasionally outright offensive. It is a classic. The band — or, at least a band featuring Axl Rose and using the GNR name — has been due to release […]
Campaign Staffers Withdraw Voting Registrations:
From a Columbus Dispatch story on election developments in Ohio: Starting today, county elections boards can begin verifying voter eligibility for absentee ballots cast and discard envelopes to process ballots for scanning. Those envelopes are the only way to link a ballot with a particular voter. With that deadline looming, 13 Obama staff members sent […]
Were Background Checks on “Joe the Plumber” Illegal?
The Columbus Dispatch reports that state officials are investigating whether state employees illegally accessed the BMV records of Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, aka “Joe the Plumber.” Public records requested by The Dispatch disclose that information on Wurzelbacher’s driver’s license or his sport-utility vehicle was pulled from the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles database three times shortly […]