Kerwin Swint's Blog, page 6

Playing with Fire

Both political parties are being awfully cavalier with our country's fiscal and economic health during this debate over raising the debt ceiling. Raising the debt ceiling has never been this kind of long, drawn-out partisan warfare before, at least not this close to the deadline.

It seems a deal has been close a couple of times, but both sides have pulled back. Reading the statements of some Republicans for example, they seem pretty convinced nothing bad is going to happen if we drag this...

Clinton Loses His Mind…

"the validity of the public debt of the United States … shall not be questioned"

This passage from the 14th amendment has led some, including Saint Bill, to suggest that President Obama could ignore the whole debt ceiling debate. Yeah, right.

Showdown at Gucci Gulch?

Is this Obama/Cantor confrontation over the debt limit issue going to be a defining moment? It reminds me a little of the showdown between Newt Gingrich and Bill Clinton in 1995 over Medicare and the federal budget, that culminated with the government shutdown. Clinton won that one – it was politically disastrous for Gingrich and the Republicans and set Bill Clinton on the road to political recovery.

I'm not saying this is the same thing. The characters are different, the situation is...

Today I answer questions on CNN's "In the Arena" blog

This follows my Friday appearance on The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.

The topic is Roger Ailes, Fox News, and the Nixon White House.

Republican Isolationism?

All of a sudden, the Republican Party is calling for restraint when using the military in Libya and elsewhere. John Boehner even went down to the basement and drug out the War Powers Act, for heavens sake. Pretty weird stuff for the GOP. But they better be careful. Do they really want to limit the President's ability to use military force? If they're successful in doing so (which is unlikely) they will surely regret it the next time there is a Republican in the White House. They will be on...

Romney's to Lose?

Perhaps Mitt Romney is a continuation of the Republican Party's historic tendency to nominate for president the "next in line." Starting with Nixon and continuing through John McCain, the GOP seems to go with the best known person who has been there before. This year, particularly with Mike Huckabee out of the picture, that would be Mitt.

The candidate that gained the most from the New Hampshire debate last night was undoubtedly Michelle Bachman. Her crazy-looking, goofy media performances...

Did Ron Paul Inherit Lyndon LaRouche's Supporters?

Some of you may remember Lyndon LaRouche, the conspiracy-mongering fringe presidential candidate from the 1980s. When I lived in Washington, D.C. it seemed like his supporters were on every street corner, pushing literature and holding signs, either denouncing Israel or warning about that leftist Ronald Reagan. And some of these people were downright spooky. There were the kind of folks you were afraid were going to follow you home, stuff your mailbox with pamphlets, and then crucify your...

Yes the Republican field for 2012 looks horrible, but wait…

it didn't look very good in 1980 either. There was that actor from California written off as an old joke by the experts, and bunch of other wanna-be presidents. The candidate to watch, according to Republicans in the know, was supposed to be former Texas Governor John Connolly. When he floundered, all the excitement turned to George H.W. Bush as the anti-Reagan candidate. (Yawn) Reagan was supposed to be someone incapable of winning the presidency – too old, too extreme, not serious enough, ...

The King Whisperers just came out in the UK

If you're in London, look for it at Foyle's bookstore – great place. I'll never forget the thrill of seeing my previous book Mudslingers on the shelf at Foyles. Actually, the city of London and the UK in general were a big inspiration to me in writing The King Whisperers. Many of the characters are British, and tales of intrigue and political maneuvering among the powers behind the throne are central to much of the book. Now, it would be nice if some other European and Asian markets adopt a ...

Interesting origins of terms from The King Whisperers –

#amwriting #amreading #newbooks #history

One of the things I enjoyed about researching the book was learning the origins of some phrases used in popular culture.

For example, the term "Major Domo" used to describe a big shot. Charles the Hammer, in the chapter on The Generals, was the "maior domus," a Latin term for an administrative supervisor. That's where we get the term Major Domo. The Franks used the term to describe the "Mayor of the Palace," who commanded the King's army and held...