Republican paranoia, fear and discouragement, word-cloud edition
A Democratic-led study of the GOP (PDF link) placed evangelical, Tea Party and moderate Republicans in focus groups to share their “passions, nuances and divisions.” It’s a fascinating, if obviously biased report: according to its conclusions, conservatives believe they have essentially lost a war with Obama and that the Republican party let him walk it.
The Shutdown: Forty years in the making
What is going on in the United States? Why the first government shutdown in nearly two decades? Kay Dilday sits down with Colin Greer to trace the origins of the current crisis.
As has been widely reported, the United States government has shut down because the House of Representatives refuses to pass a budget that provides financing for the Affordable Care Act and without a budget, there is no official funding for government programs.
Good News: The United States Still Isn’t a Failed State
Yes, the U.S. government shutdown is equal parts embarrassing and infuriating. Yes, it is putting the kibosh on services as basic as food programs and flu shots. But no, the United States is still not a failed state, much as many people seem to be enjoying asking the question –at least not according to the judgment of the folks at the Fund for Peace, who put together the annual Failed States Index in collaboration with FP.
Today?s guest blog post is by Jessica Cunningham. Ms. Cunningham is a Social Anthropology undergraduate student from Queen?s University Belfast, Ireland. This past summer she has done field research, based in Austin, Texas, on American gun-owners and their attachment to their guns.
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