Elsewhere in the blog world

I read far more than I write online, which isn't saying much. But the blogs I choose to read do say a great deal worth reading. Here are some of this week's sightings:

From 1982-1984, the White House spreads a new infection: the AIDS joke.

Thanks to Insomnia for bringing this callous, irresponsible behavior to my attention. I'm old enough to remember the atmosphere of permissive ignorance about AIDS and HIV, but too young to have recalled these comments firsthand. The 1980s seem to be a forgotten decade in terms of what really went down. Statements like those by Larry Speakes should wake Gen Y types to our recent history. We often take the tolerance and pluralism of the 1990s for granted.


Josh Marshall follows up on his observations about Republican attempts to denigrate the non-white vote. I discussed examples of this sorry behavior yesterday. Today, Marshall responds to the WSJ "Best of the Web's" attempt to pooh-pooh the significance of the racial voting gap. Marshall correctly notes that the WSJ site ignores the real question, "Why do blacks vote so disproportionately for Democrats?" It's not as if Republicans could win over half of the black vote. If they did, it would be the result of changing policies and attitudes, which might alienate a huge chunk of the Southern white vote (on which the modern Republican Party depends for its margins. Anyways, Josh Marshall says it better so read him!


Finally, a shout-out to Haggai's Place: Mr. Elitzur keeps tabs on both American and Israeli politics with similar detail and insight. I came across the blog of my fellow quiz-bowl alum last fall, in trying to find an old New Yorker piece on Wesley Clark.