Three Points of Light

Joe Scarborough, Anderson Cooper, David Stockman

by Emily Steinberg

In the murky darkness of our present political discourse three voices have arisen which reassure me that not all has been lost, that the land of the brave will survive and that reason still has a place in our modern day cacaphonist echo chamber (how's that for word twisting?) David Stockman, Ronald Reagan's Budget Director, Joe Scarborough, Former Republican Congressman and Anderson Cooper CNN man are three points of light, as former President Bush would say, in an otherwise cold and grim December sky.

David Stockman, the man who championed trickle down economic theory in the 1980's, now says that the current GOP insistence on extending tax cuts for millionaires is the most ridiculous thing he's ever heard. Today's GOP is too far to the right for David Stockman! You can't make this stuff up. If Ronald Reagan was alive, we'd be seeing him on TV, telling the Republicans to act responsibly. Then Rush, Palin and Beck would tweet furiously to refudiate The Gipper.

Joe Scarborough, host of MSNBC's Morning Joe and former Republican Congressman from Florida, wrote a spot on article about the GOP's Palin problem this week for Politico. In Joe Scarborough Tells GOP To Man Up and Confront Sarah Palin, he risked the ire of the Republican right wing by telling the truth about what Palin really is, a frenetic three ring circus.

"Everybody knows that Palin is a busy woman. The former half-term governor of Alaska stays so busy these days that one wonders how this mother of five manages to juggle her new reality show, follow her eldest daughter’s dancing career and launch her latest frenetic book tour while still finding the time to insult a slew of revered presidents and first ladies."

Anderson Cooper did a star turn on his program this week, relentlessly debating Texas Rep. Leo Berman's belief that President Obama is not an American Citizen. Read the whole article and and watch the video, it is well worth it. Anderson Cooper Demolishes Birther Claims in Interview with Texas Rep. Leo Berman. It seems like there's been a bit of a weather change in Washington, D.C. and perhaps the dialogue is starting to shift in a more, shall we say, sensible direction. One can only hope.