Climate Change Issue Claims a Scalp

Climate change is the major issue behind John Howard's defeat both as prime minister and as a member of parliament:

John Howard has delivered economic growth to Australia throughout his lengthy stay in office. However, he too has been rather nonchalant about environmental matters. The prolonged drought in the Land Down Under has done much to raise questions in the minds of the electorate as to whether Howard is still the man in an era of heightened environmental concern. Just as Bill Clinton once said "It's the economy, stupid," what we may have here is "It's the environment, stupid" as environmental concerns trump economic ones--at least in the case of Australia where folks have become used to economic growth.

Via Slate.

Moyers on FDR

Moyers on FDR and ideology:

We can't revive the man and certainly we wouldn't want to revisit the times, but we can rekindle the spirit. There are 37 million people in this country who are poor; there are 57 million who are near poor, making $20,000 to $40,000 a year--one divorce, one pink slip, one illness away from a free fall. That's almost one-third of America still living on the edge. They need a friend in the White House. My father, with his fourth-grade education and two fingers with the missing tips from the mix-up at the cotton gin, got it when Roosevelt spoke. "I can't talk like him," he said, "but I sure do think like him." My father might not have had the words for it, but he said amen when FDR talked about economic royalism. Sitting in front of our console radio, he got it when Roosevelt said that private power no less than public power can bring America to ruin in the absence of democratic controls.

Don't think for a moment he didn't get it when Roosevelt said that a government by money was as much to be feared as a government by mob, or when he said that the political equality we once had won was meaningless in the face of economic inequality. My father got it when he heard his friend in the White House talk about how "a small group had concentrated into their own hands an almost complete control over other people's property, other people's money, other people's labor--other people's lives." My father knew FDR was talking for him when he said life was no longer free, liberty no longer real, men could no longer follow the pursuit of happiness--against economic tyranny such as this. And my father listened raptly when his friend the President said, "The American citizen"--my father knew the President was speaking of him--"could appeal only to the organized power of government."

Heritage Blowing Smoke

More today on the relationship between movement conservatism and facts. The Washington Times today reported on the Heritage's study on congressional district voting patterns and wealth (the Times validating Heritage? you don't say). Greg Sargent did a takedown:

So 84 of 167 of the wealthier House districts are controlled by Dems. That's a hair over 50% -- supposedly proving that Dems are the new party of the "rich."

But here's what's funny about this. Right now, roughly 54% of all House districts are controlled by Dems. So in reality, the percentage of the wealthier House districts controlled by Dems is actually lower than the percentage of districts Dems control overall. What's more, the households where the median income exceeds the national average are hardly all "rich." So this chief data point just doesn't support the claim.

See also Paul Krugman and Andrew Gelman. It seems Heritage sliced and diced its numbers pretty carefully, so if you just so much as sneeze, its case blows away.

Why is this so predictable?

Endorsements

There's an old story about segregationist/proto-movement- conservative George Wallace when he spoke at Harvard. When he was boo'ed (which he repeatedly was) he'd say, "I accept your nomination!"

Well us "Moveon.org bloggers" (whoever we are--Moveon doesn't have bloggers) accept their nomination. Paul Krugman does too.

Brooks vs. Krugman

Steve Benen has a good rundown on the debate between Brooks and Krugman over the issue of race and the modern Republican party.