Romney’s defenders argue that he was taken out of context when he declared, “I’m not concerned about the very poor,” pointing out that he also said, “We have a safety net [to help the very poor]. If it needs repair, I’ll fix it.” If anything, the context is more disturbing than the initial gaffe. To understand why, Romney needs to listen to the words of Ronald Reagan.

It's comfortable living in a cocoon -- associating only with those who share your views, reading journalism and watching news that only reinforce them, avoiding those on the other side of the cultural divide.

Liberals have been doing this for a long time. In 1972 the movie critic Pauline Kael said...

Liberalism has been schizophrenic about democracy for about a century.

Of all the unlikely developments in American politics over the last two decades, the most astonishing is this: liberals suddenly love Ronald Reagan.

Congress has never before passed and the Supreme Court has never upheld a law requiring individuals to buy a commercial product, as Obamacare does. On this the Obama Democrats, not Clarence Thomas and judges following his lead, are the ones sweeping aside precedent.

There is a longing on the left for the golden years of the 1940s, 50s, and early 60s. However, America of the past is a different country to which we cannot return.

The resignation of Unicredit Bank's CEO is an indication of how in Italy, the operators of the financial system are part of a political system in which freedom, democracy and participation have been claimed in the name of sectarian and nepotistic particularism.