Category Archives: Politics

“Stop. Trump. Tonight.” A Caucus Speech

by James J Heaney Posted on 3 March 2016

On Super Tuesday (1 March 2016, for those of you reading this on a Multivac archive in the far future), Minnesota went to the caucuses. For those of you who aren’t from caucus states, let me explain them quickly: caucuses … Continue reading →

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The Longest Confirmation Battle in History

by James J Heaney Posted on 16 February 2016

President John Tyler had a very bad relationship with Congress. Tyler had been elected Vice-President in 1840, and, like many Vice-Presidents, was added to the Whig ticket as an afterthought, his purpose to balance out William Henry Harrison and win votes … Continue reading →

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Chris Christie May No Longer Receive Communion

by James J Heaney Posted on 4 February 2016

This morning, Gov. Chris Christie (R-NJ), who is running for president, attacked Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), who is also running for president, by arguing that Rubio is too pro-life. From the New York Times:

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The Cynic’s Guide to 2016: Unflattering Assessments of Presidential Candidates

by James J Heaney Posted on 14 July 2015

Every time I see a presidential candidate, there’s a little voice in my head that asks, “Sure, that’s what they’re saying.  But what are they really thinking?”  This is a cynical voice, and it’s often quite wrong, but, in politics, it’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Pith, Politics | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

The President Should Be Impeached For Suspending the Employer Mandate

by James J Heaney Posted on 5 July 2015

I wrote a version of this post on reddit about nearly two years ago.  I finally got sick of digging out the link, so I am finally getting it up on De Civ. BACKGROUND On July 2, 2013, Assistant Secretary of … Continue reading →

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5 Hacks for Identifying Legit (or not) News Sources

by James J Heaney Posted on 20 April 2015

A friend asks, “How do I know what news sources are legit?  Like, ThinkProgress, for example?  Do they suck?  I know many sites, but I have no idea which ones are regarded as actually having good information.” This is a … Continue reading →

Posted in Mere Opinion, Politics | Tagged , , , | 7 Comments

Net Neutrality: A Sorta-Technical Overview

by James J Heaney Posted on 4 February 2015

This is the text of a talk I recently gave at the monthly meeting of Twin Cities Catholic I.T. Professionals, Inc..  It is aimed at computer professionals who want to get a deeper understanding of net neutrality, and goes into … Continue reading →

Posted in Analysis, Law, Politics | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

The Average American Wants BOTH Gay Marriage AND Extreme Abortion Restrictions

by James J Heaney Posted on 20 October 2014

One of my occasional themes here at De Civ has been the fact that one of the most common, most influential tropes in American politics is completely wrong.  Most commentators think that abortion and marriage are politically linked: if abortion restriction … Continue reading →

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No, Republicans Have Not Blocked 82 Obama Nominees

by James J Heaney Posted on 22 November 2013

SPOILER ALERT: At the end of this article, we will reveal that Republicans have in fact blocked only 8 Obama nominees. The golden rule of infographics: the vaguer the source cited, the falser the claim. Today, Senate Democrats under Sen. … Continue reading →

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