I hereby recuse myself from analyzing the debate performance of President Barack Obama, Gov. Mitt Romney, and moderator Candy Crowley. I reserve the right to criticize the performance of the cable TV commentators. Their constant analysis of the debates in the past few weeks has been over the top. — John
UNIVERSAL HEALTH CARE — Possible or impossible? It’s already happening, to a limited extent. Where I live, in a remote corner of Maryland, the hospital has been providing free flu-shot clinics on multiple dates and locations throughout the county, every fall for several years. Highly efficient, low-cost, preventive health care. Are you for it or against it?
AFTER THE FIRST DEBATE: “Never mind.” The election goes down to the wire. Probably it will be close. The pundits on MSNBC were bitterly disappointed in President Obama’s performance. Mitt Romney took two weeks off to rest and prepare, and it paid off. He denied repeatedly that he’d cut taxes for the wealthy. He pounded the president on investments in green energy. He accused the president of cutting Medicare funding. All Romney had to do was stand on the same stage and look like a plausible candidate. Mission accomplished. — John
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BEFORE THE FIRST DEBATE: After tonight’s domestic-policy debate between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, the outcome of the November election will be settled. That’s what I’m thinking. Romney’s ace has always been the economy, but a growing consensus says things are improving. If Mr. Romney can’t find a way to break that mildly optimistic economic consensus tonight, he’s done. — John
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“CASUAL VACANCY” NOTE NO. 1 I’ve read the first 97 pages of J.K. Rowling’s “Casual Vacancy.” It’s going to be one heck of a story! More complicated than I expected. Many characters, introduced rapid-fire. I do believe Ms. Rowling is going to dissect contemporary social mores and put the whole bloody mess under a high-powered microscope. Probably not for the faint-hearted. I’ll start on the review as soon as my head stops spinning. — John
Walmart’s free-standing display for J.K. Rowling’s “Casual Vacancy” has room for 12 hardbacks. Early Sunday evening, only two copies were left. Don’t know when it was last restocked, but the book is selling briskly. I’ve been so busy I haven’t had time to even start reading it. But I promise, a first installment on the review will appear here shortly.
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Mitt Romney should see Trouble With The Curve. He’s in a slump. Right now, Mr. Romney couldn’t hit water if he fell out of a boat (to borrow a line from Bull Durham).
American ambassador killed in Libya. As century follows bloody century, does humankind learn anything? The cycle of violence and war never ends. It seems, in fact, to accelerate.
Adriano Gasparri photo
An amazing “business” story is on Forbes: “WordPress Rules the Web.” It’s the story of WordPress; its founder, Matt Mullenweg; and his unusual and counterintuitive approach to software, blogging, and profit.
sub rosa racism. I’ve been casting about for a way to explain the great divide in American politics. Thanks to Jonathan Yardley, a Washington Post book critic, for getting to the root of the problem: sub rosa racism. I looked up “sub rosa.” Sure enough. I’m thinking sub rosa racism explains most of the anger in American politics. Simple economics explains the rest.
Living Simply And Still On The Grid 