A Politician’s Guide to Merriam-Webster’s New 2012 Word Entries

Joe Biden looks gassed.

When you order a “skim milk” latte at Starbucks, you have Shakespeare to thank. That’s right, he’s the one who first penned the word “skim milk.” He also gave us “swagger,” “zany,” and “gossip.” If Shakespeare were alive and “tweeting” in 2011, he might have had a few 140-character sonnets that included “helicopter parents,” “bromances,” and “duathlons” (those are three-part races, go figure). Those were Merriam-Webster’s new additions last year. On Tuesday, the dictionary institution announced its new entries for 2012. In case you don’t know how to use them, we’re providing you with some “aha moments” (yes, that’s one).

Bipolar Diagnosis Doesn’t Buy Jesse Jackson Jr. a Free Pass

He’s still being investigated for serious crimes.

If Jesse Jackson Jr. has bipolar disorder, we should all be concerned about his well-being and hope he gets the treatment he’ll need to cope. I think it’s a good thing that we can use Jackson’s struggle to inspire a larger conversation about mental health in this country. That said, I think the media is failing us with its coverage of Jackson’s abrupt disappearance from Washington. I fear that any emerging discussion on mental illness will soon be derailed by Jackson’s alleged wrongdoings.

Your Cocktail Party Guide to Ayn Rand

In 2005, Paul Ryan, said: “The reason I got involved in public service, by and large, if I had to credit one thinker, one person, it would be Ayn Rand.” If all you've learned about Rand is that her name letters the spine of some thick paperbacks you've been lugging around since college with an intent to read, here's a quick guide to all things Rand-ian. Because really, you're never going to read Atlas Shrugged. Ayn Rand, the Basics Born: Alisa Zinov’yevna Rosenbaum, 1905, Russia Died: Ayn Rand, 1982, New York City (as a U.S. citizen) Her life’s work: Rand was a writer and philosopher famous...

Paul Ryan for President

Too bad we can’t flip the GOP ticket.

Mitt Romney might have mistakenly introduced Paul Ryan as “the next president of the United States,” but I wish it hadn't been a mistake. I wish Paul Ryan, the 42-year-old, seven-term House GOP member, was indeed at the top of the ticket for the Republican Party.

Why Obama Should Thank Rush Limbaugh and His Friends

How conservatives made the President the nicest guy in the world.

Apparently, President Obama is the most likable Muslim-Kenyan-socialist this country has ever known. In the world of polling, an eight-point advantage is not a small one. And this is exactly what Obama has in the category of likability. According to Gallup, 54 percent feel favorably about Obama, whereas only 46 percent feel the same about Romney.

How to Bring Gun Lovers and NRA Haters Together

We all agree on more than you think.

If you love hunting, either because you’ve been raised in a hunting family or because you’ve taken a liking to it later in life, I do not understand you, but I cannot, honestly, despise you. After all, many of us will wear the fur of an animal or eat the guts of an animal, but are too cowardly to kill the animal ourselves. Some of us even fancy company in bars where walls are the postmortem home of many halves of deer and buffalo.

Penn Prof Helps Struggling Philadelphia Students

While politicians and activists argue over budgets and testing, Howard Stevenson talks to students.

While Philadelphia politicians, activists and researchers continue asking the same, tired questions about school reform, one bold professor has been asking a much simpler one: Can we talk?

Mitt Romney Can’t Hear America From His Penthouse Perch

Why it’s time to change the conversation about the private sector.

Much has been made of Barack Obama’s comments at a June 8th White House press conference, during which he said, “the private sector is doing fine.” Conservatives rushed to seize on what they saw as a few seconds of election-year gold. They argue that Obama’s remarks demonstrate the extent to which the President is out of touch with the pain of the American people. They say Obama has shown himself to be hopelessly insensitive to the severity of our ongoing economic malaise.

Of Course Obama Is Playing Politics. We All Are.

The Republicans need to come up with better "insults."

Two months ago, President Obama told ABC's Robin Roberts that his position on same-sex marriage had officially evolved. Just over a month later, the President announced in a press conference that he'd be signing an executive order that would effectively grant 800,000 "illegal" children temporary immunity from deportation. Then, this week, the President took to the East Room of the White House to insist that Bush-era tax cuts for the middle class should be extended for another year, while these same cuts for the rich should be allowed to expire.