Jonathan Miller's Blog, page 429

The RP's Weekly Web Gems: The Politics of Wellness

What's worse than finding bedbugs in between your sheets? Finding bedbugs in between your sheets with MRSA! [Time]

Should your doctor be on Facebook? [NY Times]

The experts agree: there's only so much sunscreen can help, no matter the SPF level. [Washington Post]

Fox News recommends some natural allergy remedies, in case that Zyrtec isn't helping. [Fox News]

A $2 million research project funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture will photograph Texas students' lunch trays before they sit down ...

Paul Hodes: On the Way to Recovery & Renewal

I first ran for office as an ordinary citizen from New Hampshire in 2004. My hope when I ran was to help change the course of the nation and to effectively represent the people of my state with independence, integrity and imagination. I was fortunate to meet those goals before joining the ranks of The Recovering Politician.

I was part of a historic new majority in the House of Representatives and was chosen by my peers as President of the Freshman Class of 2006. I served on the Oversight and G...

Tomorrow at The Recovering Politician

Thanks for your HUGE day of reading The Recovering Politician – the 3rd most traffick'ed day in the site's short history.

We're sure some of you were clicking on Jeff's Smith piece yesterday on the Missouri redistricting brouhaha (Thanks http://JohnCombest.com for the link!); others loved Robert Kahne's first essay on film; some liked the RP's take on the Ah-nuld/Maria spilt, and many of you wanted to see why the heck the RP thought that God had asked him to run for Congress.  But we know the ...

The RP's Weekly Web Gems: The Politics of Speed

The Politics of Speed

Animal Kingdom (shown left, in the lead) was the eventual winner of the most exciting two minutes in sports. Animal Kingdom and owner Barry Irwin now look forward to the Preakness where they will attempt to win the second out of the three triple crown races. [ESPN]

In contrast to the jubilation from the Animal Kingdom camp, there is also sadness. After the race concluded it was announced that Archarcharch would retire from racing due to a fractured front left leg that was ...

The RP: Why did Ah-nuld and Maria Separate? NYFB!!

The political blogosphere is abuzz with the news of family strife within a bi-partisan family dynasty: the separation of former California Governator Arnold Schwartzenegger and Kennedy scion Maria Shriver.

The mainstream news and political media want to know why, and they're making their best guesses:  Read here and here and here and here.

My response? 

It's None of Your Freaking Business! 

Yes, he's an international movie star who served two terms as Governor of our nation's most populous...

The RP's Weekly Web Gems: The Politics of Immigration

The Politics of Immigration

How does an American president, fully aware of the need for immigration policy reform and the ROI that progressive immigration reform could bring to the economy, convince a jittery public that it's in the American interest to provide people with a path to citizenship? Read more here from NPR.

In the same speech on the U.S.-Mexican border, President Obama also mocked Republican lawmakers for "never be[ing] satisfied" with border security. "Maybe they'll need a moat," ...

Robert Kahne: The Politics of Film & The Decline of Originality

Originality: Dead.

A sad fact: the politics of film will always eventually mesh with the politics of money.  While original films do eventually make it big in the mainstream, this is often a function of someone's star power, the insistence of a bankable director, or just plain luck.  It's too bad that original film very rarely makes big money.  I think this is a problem, and I think it is a problem with a very clear source–us.  Yes, I don't blame money grubbing film producers, nor do I blame t...

BREAKING — Jonathan Miller: "God has called me" to run for Congress

The RP swore that he wasn't going to run for office again any time soon. But it looks like he's falling off the wagon after only a month of political sobriety.

Of course, he has a helluvan excuse: The Ultimate Authority has pushed him into a race for the U.S. Congress.  As Alison Knezevich of the Charleston Gazette reports (h/t Aaron Ament):

Jonathan Miller, a Berkeley County Republican,  announced online today that he plans to run for Congress in 2012.

Miller told me he would run in the 2nd...

The RP's Weekly Web Gems: The Politics of Fame

The Politics of Fame

BREAKING NEWS: President Obama resists the urge to nuke the world for another day. [The Onion]

It had to happen eventually: Batman arrested in…wait for it…Michigan. [The Smoking Gun]

Bristol Palin: "It wasn't plastic surgery, it was corrective surgery." [The Huffington Post

The Politics of Fame: The European Court of Human Rights rejects a limit on celebrity tabloid stories. [All Headline News]

Don't be haters: NJ Police voice outrage over First Lady Michelle Obama's White...

Abigail Miller: What Being a Politician's Daughter Did for Me

Growing up as a politician's daughter, I've learned different skills of those of my peers. 

For example, I know for a fact that most of my friends haven't spent 3 hours walking around a people-filled building, shakings strangers' hands and smiling with no underlying emotion until their face hurts.

Most of the time I wouldn't understand what the purpose of this was, and why every single person we saw would choose to elaborate on how big I've gotten since they last saw me five years ago.

I've had ...