State of the Hobby: Stronger Than Ever By Rick Klein | May 23, 2012 The state of our hobby is strong. That's not the fashionable take these days -- not with books and TV segments focused on the sharp decline in things like card show attendance, revenue, and the overall number of people who've found a happy home among cardboard. But as someone who has rediscovered the joy of cards in the last few years following a too-long absence in my 20s, I can report that the hobby is stronger than ever. There's just one catch: You have to remember that it's a hobby for just about all of us. We know the woes -- the corner stores are going or gone, kids aren't getting ... Continue reading →
State of the Hobby: Stronger Than Ever By Rick Klein | May 23, 2012 The state of our hobby is strong. That's not the fashionable take these days -- not with books and TV segments focused on the sharp decline in things like card show attendance, revenue, and the overall number of people who've found a happy home among cardboard. But as someone who has rediscovered the joy of cards in the last few years following a too-long absence in my 20s, I can report that the hobby is stronger than ever. There's just one catch: You have to remember that it's a hobby for just about all of us. We know the woes -- the corner stores are going or gone, kids aren't getting ... Continue reading →
State of the Hobby: Stronger Than Ever By Rick Klein | May 23, 2012 The state of our hobby is strong. That's not the fashionable take these days -- not with books and TV segments focused on the sharp decline in things like card show attendance, revenue, and the overall number of people who've found a happy home among cardboard. But as someone who has rediscovered the joy of cards in the last few years following a too-long absence in my 20s, I can report that the hobby is stronger than ever. There's just one catch: You have to remember that it's a hobby for just about all of us. We know the woes -- the corner stores are going or gone, kids aren't getting ... Continue reading →
Earlier this month, Thomas Mann and Norman Ornstein made quite a splash with a lengthy piece that, when boiled down to essentials, blamed the Republican party for what’s gone wrong in Washington, D.C. This weekend, they were back with a list of reforms to fix the problem. I was a bit surprised that they didn’t suggest a constitutional amendment banning the GOP! After all, that seemed to follow most directly from their thesis. But at any rate, here are their four ideas for alleviating partisanship. 1. Campaign finance reform to increase disclosures and cut down on coordination between parties and candidates.2. Independent commissions for redistricting.3. “Restoring majority rule” to the Senate by reforming the filibuster.4. Boosting turnout through things like automatic registration. What a terrible ... Continue reading →
Strong public support for same-sex marriage exceeds strong opposition by a significant margin for the first time in ABC News/Washington Post polls, and African-Americans have moved more in favor, perhaps taking their lead from Barack Obama on the issue. Overall, 53 percent of Americans say gay marriage should be legal, steady the past year but up from 36 percent in just 2006. Thirty-nine percent “strongly” support it, while 32 percent are strongly opposed – the first time strong sentiment has tilted positive. Six years ago, by contrast, strong views on the issue were negative by a broad 27-point margin. See PDF with full results here. Further, this poll, produced for ABC by Langer Research Associates, finds that support for gay marriage has reached a new ... Continue reading →
Top Line Scholar Norman Ornstein is pointing fingers in a new book, "It's Even Worse Than It Looks," co-authored with Thomas Mann. Congress is partisan and polarizing, and one party, said Ornstein, bears the brunt of the blame. "I wouldn't say it's all Republicans," said Ornstein, "it's 80-20 at this point." "When you look at the data, including voting records ... the Democrats have moved left, to probably their own 25 yard line. President Obama's probably around the 40," said the American Enterprise Institute scholar. "The Republicans have moved behind their own goal post." Check out this week's Top Line to hear Ornstein break down recent history and the gridlock in Washington. Continue reading →
