Driving home tonight I heard a radio story about efforts by gun rights group to "make sure" that "we" don't overreact and over regulate gun shops and gun sales.  And so, I decided to blog about it.

I know I haven't written in a while - the combination of the bar… Read full post »

There’s something weird going on in politics this time around and its been nagging me for a few weeks.  Since the conventions I’ve been trying to articulate exactly what’s been bothering me and I think Mitt Romney stumbled into it or at least 47% of it.  When the video sur… Read full post »

In campaign for the Presidency in 2008, I spoke with many evangelical Christians and conservative Republican voters in Central PA.  Having grown up in a Congressional district where the Republican candidate often won 90+% of the vote, it was not surprising that then-Senator Barack Obama was… Read full post »

All across this country in primaries like the one held this week in Illinois Republicans are voting for President Obama and some don't even know it! I know.  Hard to believe.  

"But PPP, I thought the Republicans hated President Obama?"

Ah, dear Reader (I can say Reader cause I only… Read full post »

And now it's time for a segment that I like to "borrow" from Seth Meyers and Amy Poehler at Saturday Night Live called "Really?!?!? an homage to Seth and Amy."

Really, GOP? Really? Rick Santorum?

The other night my friends and I watched Ides of March which not surprisingly led dir/… Read full post »

Count it.  It was a great speech. Was it epic? No. Will it be remembered forever? No. Will it be remembered in election season? Unlikely. 

What makes me call it "great" is the fact that it measured, appropriate and honest.  It was better than good and fell short of "a moment." &nb… Read full post »

I found Newt's victory last night in the South Carolina primary quite surprising.  Even after reports started coming in early in the day that Newt had strong support, I still didn't believe it would make much of a difference.  Like CNN columnist, John Avlon, I assumed Mitt was inevitab/… Read full post »

I found Newt's victory last night in the South Carolina primary quite surprising.  Even after reports started coming in early in the day that Newt had strong support, I still didn't believe it would make much of a difference.  Like CNN columnist, John Avlon, I assumed Mitt was inevitab/… Read full post »

Having 7 more minutes before my last first day of school, I decided to try to go 3 for 3 on posts over the last three days.  I thought about promising that it will be quick.  But let's be honest, that term is relative.  Speaking of relativity...

I found another "pickle"… Read full post »

Noting that this year's Republican nomination process has drawn to a close (perhaps from reading The Pickle), The Detroit Opportunity Project responded to yesterday's request to "go deeper" and find something "more interesting" to discuss.  Bradford Frost of the Detroit Oppor/… Read full post »

After Iowa but before New Hampshire, my computer crashed.  Thus, no posts about New Hampshire.  No posts about Jon Huntsman.  No posts about Mitt Romney.  Frankly, it was a convenient time to lost my computer.  Because...

THERE WAS NOTHING TO SAY.  Breaking news (with ap… Read full post »

Honestly, for a few weeks, I forgot Rick Santorum was running for the GOP nomination.  Growing up in Pennsylvania, I guess I have a tendency to dismiss Santorum.  Not because he wasn't a good Senator or something like that, but rather because his message was not broadly received in PA… Read full post »

We've all been there.  Getting too caught up in an argument and suddenly realizing that the other person is right.  Defending an actor or musician who's work is only average but the course of the conversation has you saying things like  "____ is the most underrated actor of our time."… Read full post »

Granted, I called it "whack-a-mole" and Alex Roarty at the National Journal has actual polling data but it's basically the same thing, right? The Pickle is just ahead of the curve, I guess.  Just kidding.  Or maybe The Pickle has a wider readership than originally thought.  D/… Read full post »

The question I'm asking is, who? 

Today, Paul Krugman opened his column calling the GOP nomination process a "desperate search" for a candidate other than Mitt Romney.  I'm having trouble deciding if this is accurate.  I've made it clear on the Pickle before that I/… Read full post »

It's fairly evident that anyone with a blog involving their name and politics is both cheesy and a junkie.  Political junkie, that is.  I tried to avoid that title in college, but there is no denying it.  Seriously, who walks around on a random Tuesday trying to figure out how to… Read full post »

According to author/thinker/colleague/friend/activist/blogger/Detroit Revitalization Fellow (and all around great guy) Bradford Frost, the difference between adversity and opportunity is one of timing.  When viewed in our "windshield" its adversity, when viewed in our "rear view" it was an/… Read full post »

If silence is golden and actions speak louder than words, the lack of posting on the Pickle for the last two months is a 24-karat megaphone.  Believe it or not, I did not have much to say.  I think that the most interesting political news over the past 2 months has… Read full post »

Imagine for a moment that you're watching some cheesy sci-fi movie on a rainy Sunday afternoon.  The main character is an inventor and/or a misunderstood college professor (think Son of Flubber, the 1963 Fred MacMurray classic) that was attempting to create a time machine and instead miracul… Read full post »

Quote from Iowa’s Ames Tribune:

“And as nominee for the Republican Party, I will not rest until I elect 13 more titanium-spined senators, and we’re going to finally repeal Obamacare, Dodd-Frank, turn the economy around, create jobs, and it won’t take more than three months… Read full post »

Today's column by Paul Krugman is hard to argue with.  In fact, I think he's right.  Usually, I assume he knows what he's talking about on the economy stuff.  I mean, he has a Noble Prize, teaches at Princeton and calls the President of the United States to chat.  I'm a… Read full post »

I haven’t seen the movie Network. But I have seen The American Film Institute’s semi-annual lists of great movies, great movie moments or what have you.  So, I know the famous line from Network – “I’m mad as hell and I’m not gonna take it anymore.”

I&rsq… Read full post »

Say what? It's simple really.  History repeats itself.  Take a little 2004 and a little 1984 add a dash of 2008 and 2012 predicts itself.  Obama wins by a relatively safe margin.   No matter what you think you want to happen, you've got to admit - there's no… Read full post »