Ken Rudin

Why Don't We Pay (More/Any) Attention To Los Angeles Mayoral Elections?

Ken Rudin — Tue, 21 May 2013 18:36:00 +0000

Horace Greeley may have suggested at one point that going west might be a good idea, but he probably wouldn't be happy to see what's going on with Los Angeles as of late. The Dodgers are in last place in the National League West, the Angels are hovering near the bottom of the American League West, and the Lakers' appearance in the playoffs was brutally short.

It's ScuttleButton Time!

Ken Rudin — Wed, 15 May 2013 15:43:00 +0000

We know how the president feels about it. "We don't have time to be playing these kinds of political games in Washington," Barack Obama said on Monday, in what many took to be a full attack on ScuttleButton, America's favorite political game.

I beg to differ. I say we DO have time to play these kind of political games, especially when a tee-shirt and Political Junkie button are at stake. With Talk of the Nation going off the air in ks a month-and a half and the future of ScuttleButton at risk, I say this is the BEST time to be playing.

It's ScuttleButton Time!

Ken Rudin — Wed, 08 May 2013 20:46:00 +0000

Disgraced but asking for redemption.

I'm describing me, of course, after a spate of uneven ScuttleButton puzzles. Though, I must admit, I liked last week's offering.

ScuttleButton, of course, is that once-a-week waste of time exercise in which each Monday or Tuesday — or, as they call today, "Wednesday" — I put up a vertical display of buttons on this site. Your job is to simply take one word (or concept) per button, add 'em up, and, hopefully, you will arrive at a famous name or a familiar expression.

Joe Biden Has History On His Side But Little Else If Hillary Clinton Runs

Ken Rudin — Tue, 07 May 2013 10:33:00 +0000

It's pretty much a truism in American political history: If the president is not running again and the vice president wants his party's nomination, it's his for the asking.

That was the case in 1960, with President Eisenhower term-limited and Vice President Richard Nixon's path to the GOP nomination unimpeded.

It was also true in 1968, when President Johnson decided not to run again and his vice president, Hubert Humphrey, won the Democratic nomination despite not having entered a single

Open Democratic Senate Seats Again Give Big Opportunity For GOP, Or Not

Ken Rudin — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 21:59:00 +0000

The headlines have not been especially kind to Senate Democrats lately as they, for the second consecutive cycle, head into an election with a numerical disadvantage and more open seats to defend.

But looking at an election by simply counting the number of seats up that year or where incumbents are retiring misses the point. In 2012, the mantra was the Republican Party was going to win a Senate majority because the numbers so clearly favored them; they needed a net gain of just four, and of the 33 seats up that year, 23 were held by the Democrats.

It's ScuttleButton Time!

Ken Rudin — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 18:58:00 +0000

An openly gay basketball player? Next thing you know, there will be openly clever ScuttleButton puzzles.

Only not this week.

ScuttleButton, of course, is that once-a-week waste of time exercise in which each Monday or Tuesday I put up a vertical display of buttons on this site. Your job is to simply take one word (or concept) per button, add 'em up, and, hopefully, you will arrive at a famous name or a familiar expression.

It's ScuttleButton Time!

Ken Rudin — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 10:43:00 +0000

Lots of people have been inquiring about the future of ScuttleButton. While I wish I had an answer — I don't, not yet — I'd like to suggest that you sign up for the Political Junkie/ScuttleButton mailing list. That way, I will be able to share the information once I have it (see info below).

And what exactly IS ScuttleButton, you may ask?

It is, of course, that once-a-week waste of time exercise in which each Monday or Tuesday I put up a vertical display of buttons on this site.

It's ScuttleButton Time!

Ken Rudin — Fri, 19 Apr 2013 10:18:00 +0000

Hopefully, the disappointment/frustration of that April Fool's ScuttleButton has subsided and now you're ready for the real stuff.

Sanford And Weiner: Different Humiliations, Same Remorseful Script

Ken Rudin — Wed, 17 Apr 2013 16:11:00 +0000

In the past three decades or so, when writing about political sex scandals became an art form, the tendency has always been to lump everyone together. There are many differences between, say, what Anthony Weiner did and what Mark Sanford did.

It's ScuttleButton Time!

Ken Rudin — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 10:08:00 +0000

I'm on vacation this week, and thus no Political Junkie column, Talk of the Nation appearance or podcast for me. But giving up ScuttleButton? No way.

It's ScuttleButton Time!

Ken Rudin — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 16:42:00 +0000

In the thousand-plus or so emails I get each time a ScuttleButton puzzle is posted, I invariably will get dozens and dozens of complaints that it was just too easy, that it insulted their intelligence, that I need to make them more challenging. That was clearly the case last week, as there were nearly 100 such emails.

Well, be careful what you wish for. This week's puzzle is one of the most difficult.

ScuttleButton, of course, is that once-a-week waste of time exercise in which each Monday or Tuesday I put up a vertical display of buttons on this site.

Is It 2016 Yet? Moves By Hillary Clinton & Rand Paul Suggest Yes

Ken Rudin — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 20:57:00 +0000

If you have any interest in politics at all, you pretty much know two things. One, that the next presidential election, on Nov. 8, 2016, is only 1,324 days away. And two, you won't be surprised if people are focusing on it in March of 2013.

Sometimes the speculation is silly, but sometimes it's not.

It's ScuttleButton Time!

Ken Rudin — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 18:32:00 +0000

An absolute pleasure running into so many old friends on Saturday at the meeting of the American Political Items Collectors in Tyson's Corner, Va.

Yes, such an organization exists. No, I was not the craziest person there. But the best part was learning that so many people there are diehard ScuttleButton fans!

ScuttleButton, of course, is that once-a-week waste of time exercise in which each Monday or Tuesday I put up a vertical display of buttons on this site.

Gay Marriage, DOMA And The Dramatic Shift In Public Opinion In One Year

Ken Rudin — Mon, 18 Mar 2013 10:18:00 +0000

It is remarkable how fast the issue of same-sex marriage has moved the American public. Of course, some long-time proponents will argue the opposite, that it has taken far too long for it to gain acceptance.

It's ScuttleButton Time!

Ken Rudin — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 15:02:00 +0000

If any of you happen to see the "white smoke" in the next day or so, you should immediately know what that means: I've been once again using hallucinogens to come up with the new ScuttleButton puzzle.