SCOTT BROWN AND ‘IT GETS BETTER’
“I have been trying to imagine what US Senator Scott Brown thought he would gain by declining to take part in the latest ‘It Gets Better’ video . . . We were kicking it around on Twitter yesterday, and several people thought Brown wanted to avoid stirring up the right so that he won’t face a primary challenge when he comes up for reelection next year. I’m not buying it. At worst, Brown might face a token right-wing opponent in the Republican primary. Being able to position himself as the moderate alternative to that kind of nuttiness would only help his campaign.’’
- DAN KENNEDY
“If, as the old saying goes, you’re known by the company you keep, than the voters of Massachusetts deserve to know who Democrat Party operatives are teaming up with to spread outrageous attacks on Scott Brown’s character. It’s truly reached a new level of desperation in their efforts to tear down Scott Brown, but we look forward to hearing whether state and national Democrat leaders agree with Dan Savage’s long history of lewd, violent, and anti-Christian rhetoric. Given their press conference call today, one has to presume at this point that they do.’’
- NATIONAL REPUBLICAN SENATORIAL COMMITTEE
GAMING THE LOTTERY
“The sole appeal of these lottery tickets is their randomness - they are peddling the possibility that anyone can win. But I think it’s becoming increasingly clear that that’s not always the case, and that several of these games have been systematically broken. It would be bad enough if these lotteries run by state governments were simply a regressive tax, encouraging those who can least afford it to spend their income on a form of gambling with terrible odds. But the reality appears to be even worse than that. These odds aren’t just terrible - they’re unfair.’’
- JONAH LEHRER
“But essentially, the game remains the same, with the odds and payout system unchanged. Something tells me there will be a lot more players as word gets around, though. A LOT more. Like with most lotteries, nearly all of them will lose.’’
- BRAD TUTTLE
