Our American Flag
by The American Illuminati.
Our Capitol
by The American Illuminati.
Our First Flag
by The American Illuminati.
Sierra Wireless' dual form factor AirCard 504 for AT&T gets FCC'd originally appeared on Engadget Mobile on Sat, 12 Dec 2009 15:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsActually passing legislation that matters True/Slant There are a few ways to change the votes of politicians: 1) kick them out of their jobs and hope for more progressive or conservative candidates, ... |
Fmr. Hewlett-Packard CEO on Climate-Gate FOXNews He has been seen as a far more conservative � or he is at least portraying himself as a more conservative Republican � Republican than you. ... Senate hopeful stops in Yuba City |
Some movies seems made specifically for Blu-ray's abilities. Some just don't get anything out of hi-def. So why is Hollywood so completely unable to tell the difference between the two? Let's pull it together, studios. For all our sakes.
Take a look at your Blu-ray library for a minute. See anything missing? If not, you're not looking hard enough. Because for every high-def release of The Proposal that Hollywood shoves out the door, a Raiders of the Lost Ark stays on the shelf. Right now, whether it's a rights issue or a matter of strategic timing, a team of highly qualified artists and technicians are putting the finishing touches on Cheaper By the Dozen 2's Blu-ray release instead of dreaming up interactive features for Alien.
That's just scratching the surface. Right now on Amazon you can buy a 20th Century Fox Blu-ray bundle of three genuinely funny comedies—Napoleon Dynamite, Office Space and Young Frankenstein—that have nothing in common other than being completely unnecessary to watch in high-def. You know what three movies Fox hasn't put on Blu-ray at all? A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi.
This shouldn't be so hard, Hollywood. Whatever problems you're working through right now, get it figured out. You've only got like 2.5 more years before broadband puts the whole Blu-ray concept completely out of business. To help get you started, here's a list of 20 movies we need right now, and 10 that you should pass on altogether, before you waste any more time.
Palm Pixi clears FCC with Verizon frequencies and WiFi in tow originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 13 Dec 2009 12:38:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | Email this | CommentsSo, in Rational Nation USA's search for what may actually be considered reasonable concerns as well as representing the truth, the following link to just a conservative girl is as close as it gets. The letter from Doctor F.E. Fraser, ...
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David Carr's Monday media column, �Tilting Rightward At Journal,� found a conservative slant at yet another Rupert Murdoch-owned media outlet, The Wall Street Journal. The text box: �Under Murdoch's rule, a new tone in the news pages.
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Filed under: Downloads, Expansions, FPS, Multiplayer, Trailers
Combat Arms gameplay trailer bring home some Roadkill originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Fri, 11 Dec 2009 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsIn our weekly Web Faceoff series, we place opposing social media tools and products into the hands of you, the readers, to determine which one deserves to come out on top. Some of our past competitions were between search engines, wireless networks, browsers and Twitter clients.
Yet while past editions of the Web Faceoff series have featured direct competitors, this week’s battle explored the rapid changes that mobile has brought to gaming. Specifically, the question we posed to you is this: Are the iPod touch and iPhone better for mobile gaming than stewards Nintendo DS and Sony PSP?
As even Apple has stated, the iPhone App Store contains far more games than either the PSP or the DS, are significantly cheaper, and utilize the unique and versatile iPhone OS touchscreen interface. But was that enough to secure your vote?
After nearly 2,000 votes, The iPod touch and iPhone have come out on top. In one of our closest polls yet, Apple’s mobile devices secured 704 votes (36 percent) while the Sony PSP gathered 639 votes (33 percent) and the DS earned the confidence of 482 people (25 percent).
While nobody was able to secure a majority, the sheer fact that the iPhone and iPod touch have grown so fast as legitimate gaming platforms should alarm Nintendo and Sony. Could we see a major change of the guard in the mobile gaming space soon? Will Nintendo and Sony still be major players, or will Apple continue to make inroads and change the game? We want to know what you think in the comments.
Who would win in a fight: Nintendo DS, Sony PSP, or the iPhone/iPod Touch?(online surveys)
Web Faceoff: Overall Results
Week 1:
- Mozilla Firefox vs. Google Chrome
- WINNER: Firefox, 4600 votes (Chrome: 3310 votes, Tie: 911 votes)
Week 2:
- WINNER: Tumblr, 1809 votes (Posterous: 1496 votes, Tie: 256 votes)
Week 3:
- WINNER: Last.fm, 1187 votes (Pandora: 1156 votes, Tie: 122 votes)
Week 4:
- WINNER: Facebook, 2484 votes (Twitter: 2061 votes, Tie: 588 votes)
Week 5:
- WINNER: WordPress, 2714 votes (Typepad: 267 votes, Tie: 357 votes)
Week 6:
- WINNER: Windows 7, 3632 votes (Snow Leopard: 3278 votes, Tie: 121 votes)
Week 7:
- TweetDeck vs. Seesmic Desktop
- WINNER: TweetDeck, 3294 votes (Seesmic Desktop: 1055 votes, Tie: 260 votes)
Week 8:
- Microsoft Office vs. Google Docs
- WINNER: Microsoft Office, 1365 votes (Google Docs: 994 votes, Tie: 315 votes)
Week 9:
- Apple iPhone vs. Google Android
- WINNER: Google Android, 3323 votes (Apple iPhone: 1494 votes, Tie: 228 votes)
Week 10:
- WINNER: Verizon, 1161 votes (AT&T: 538 votes, Tie: 118 votes)
Week 11:
- WINNER: Google, 2180 votes (Bing: 519 votes, Tie: 97 votes)
Week 12:
- iPod Touch/iPhone vs. Nintendo DS vs. Sony PSP
- WINNER: iPod Touch/iPhone, 704 votes (Sony PSP: 639 votes, Nintendo DS: 482 votes)
Reviews: App Store, Bing, Chrome, Facebook, Firefox, Google, Google Docs, Pandora, Posterous, Seesmic Desktop, Tumblr, TweetDeck, Twitter, TypePad, WordPress, iPhone
Tags: gaming, iphone, iPod Touch, Nintendo, nintendo ds, sony, Sony PSP, web faceoff
Under Brooklyn's elevated JMZ subway sits a curious clothing label. On one hand, their apparel often appears in rap videos. On the other, they've released a t-shirt featuring He-Man in S&M gear. Welcome to the wonderfully warped world of Mishka.
Since the mid-2000s, Mishka NYC has been at the vanguard of popular streetwear. A cornerstone of their success has been designing clothing influenced by gonzo horror, Z-grade sci-fi, and the overall dank and stanky underbelly of pop culture. Indeed, their gear is worn with equal aplomb by metalheads and hip-hoppers (Lil Jon and Lady Sovereign have sported Mishka in music videos), and the label's past collaborators have ranged from everyone from Iron Maiden album artist Derek Riggs to erotic photographer Ellen Stagg to electro-reggae supergroup Major Lazer.
Label heads Mikhail "Mike" Bortnik and Greg Rivera were nice enough to sit down with io9 and answer some questions about Mishka's design philosophy, winter line, and how Stan Lee cold lamps it at Comic-Con:
What's the Mishka origin story?
Mikhail Bortnik (left): It started sometime in '03. My job I was working at was going to close, so I decided to take a stab at t-shirt design, which I had wanted to do since college. This was about the same time I met Greg. A few months into it, I realized I was in over my head so I asked Greg to join on-board and sell the line. Greg immediately came on as a full-time partner. The basic idea was we wanted to sell street wear, but we soon realized there were so many fans who were into both street wear and scifi that there was absolutely no reason we couldn't incorporate these two things.
In terms of scifi, what were your earliest influences?
Greg Rivera (right): A lot of our influences have come from B-horror films, straight-up scifi films, and comic books, especially for Mike. I was big into horror comics when I was kid and also things like The Twilight Zone, Tales from the Darkside, anything with the ironic twist at the end. Both of us are also big toy fans. Being in our early thirties, we grew up with 1980s toys, which ended up being a huge influence in our designs.
MB: One example of this influence was in our Fall 2008 Skyway Trippers collection � we tweaked an Israeli Special Forces design to include the phrase "Spaceknights" in Russian, as a homage to the old Spaceknights comic and toy line.
ROM Spaceknight allusions? That's wild. On a similar note, Mishka has a roster of kaiju-like characters who appears on a lot of your apparel � i.e. the half-serpentine, half-ursine Death Adder and the Cyco Simon skull. What's the story behind them?
MB: Actually the notion of bringing characters into the clothing brand goes back to metal bands. Cyco Simon is a reference to [Megadeth's ] Vic Rattlehead and Eddie from Iron Maiden, and we wanted our own. As for the Death Adder, we use our designs to tell a story with him � he's often seen teaming up with our Soviet super-soldier character.
Are we going to see an Adult Swim series with these guys anytime soon?
MB: I'll be honest, Greg and I would love to be able to a comic book or cartoon series with them.
What was the first sci-fi influenced Mishka piece?
GR: "They Live" was probably one of the first ones. It's hard to remember since we've had so many designs over time.
One of my early favorites was your Judge Death-inspired "Kill Motherfucking Depeche Mode" logo.
MB: That was a mixing of the old Brian Bolland artwork with what people guessed [what the name of German industrial band] KMFDM stood for. KMFDM actually gave us a cease-and-desist for that one.
Really? Not the 2000 AD people?
MB: We figured we'd get something from them or Depeche Mode, but no, it was from the KMFDM people!
On a similar note, when was that moment when you said to yourselves, "Holy crap. We can't believe we just put that on a t-shirt."
MB: The "Tom of Eternia" t-shirt.
GR: Mike had the idea of doing a Tom of Finland-style shirt [featuring He-Man].
MB: If you've never hear of Tom of Finland, he's like the homoerotic artist. There was this impetus [to create this shirt] early on when someone made the comment that all we do is put naked girls and 80s cartoon characters on our shirts. Street wear on a whole seems more macho than we are as a brand, so Greg and I were like, let's do this.
GR: Our friend Robin Nishio � who is this amazing illustrator � met up with us and Mike pitched him the idea. Robin actually went and bought two big books on Tom of Finland and aped the style exactly. That was the coolest because we got so much shit from our customers because it was like, "Here's Skeletor as the master and He-Man down on his knees, gay porn style."
What sort of pieces are in the pipeline at the moment?
GR: We did this series of shirts for [the new heavy metal-themed video game] Brutal Legend and we're working with Dark Horse Comics on a project.
Oh wow, are you at the liberty to talk about that right now?
MB: Not really, but if anyone has followed our brand, you'll know that one particular Dark Horse character particularly sticks out.
As far as the Winter 2009 line goes, you seem to have strong robot theme going. You have the Terminator cyclops, the Decepticon hearse, and my favorite, the Ultron bear. Why robots this season?
MB: We've gone so far doing themes that this season just happened to be robots. This was probably one of our most rigid designs themes. The Ultron shirt's been particularly popular.
You guys hit up the San Diego Comic-Con this year. How was it being a street wear brand at what's been historically a comic and scifi show?
MB: We were selling some things there, but we were mostly there as fans.
GR: It's been a little calculated � and not to reveal all our secrets � but if a lot more other brands saw the potential of that market, you'd see a lot more people doing it. It's hard for us to do business, because Mike and I go and we're just geeking out. Besides going out there to meet Tim and Eric [from Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job!], we're both really into Japanese kaiju and we had the chance to show off our own kaiju designs.
MB: Comic-Con 2008 was my first one. We wanted to see the Lost panel, but after we saw it spilling into the street, we just said "fuck it" and went to the Battlestar Galactica panel. That crowd was pretty big too, but Dean Koontz was still speaking. So yeah, we killed two hours listening to Dean Koontz.
Any good Mishka Comic-Con party tales?
GR: We crashed an Activision party at the Hard Rock Café and saw Stan Lee. If you're at a Comic-Con party and you see Stan Lee, you know you're at the coolest party.
MB: He was just hanging out with this girl on his arm.
GR: (laughs) She looked like she was twenty years old.
MB: I don't if she was, like, hitting on him or he was hitting on her, but Stan Lee's exactly how you picture him. He really says "true believer."
I wouldn't want him any other way. Do you find yourselves getting calls from influences who've enjoyed your work?
MB: Other than the artists who we're huge fans of and end up working with � like Derek Riggs and L'Amour Supreme � no, not really. A lot of our influences are grumpy old men.
What would you say is the most quintessential Mishka design?
GR: On our first trip to Japan, we stayed in this little town outside of Tokyo and found all these old Japanese horror and sci-fi press kits. These kits would take the coolest part of the movie and turn it into poster art. We found this great Westworld kit and Mike added some comic book stuff, like Ultron and Cyborg from Teen Titans to the design. To this day, it's still one of my favorite ones.
MB: We also found this Motel Hell kit in which we used for our "Electric Funeral" shirt. We electrified the faces and it turned out great.
Alright guys - some final lightning round questions. Kim Cattrall in Big Trouble in Little China or Kirstie Alley in Wrath of Khan?
MB: Kim Cattrall. I'm a Next Generation fan, what can I say.
Zardoz or Troll 2?
GR: Troll 2.
MB: Zardoz.
Would you rather have John Carpenter compose you a personal theme song or direct a movie about your life?
MB: I'd rather have him direct the movie because then he'd have to compose the film's theme song.
Shit! I hadn't thought of that loophole. Any final words to io9 readers?
GR: By all means check Mishka out - you'll definitely find something you like.
Mishka apparel is available at their website and their Brooklyn store at 350 Broadway in Williamsburg, NYC. Store photography courtesy of Dave Digioia.
Actually, according to the EA press release we just received, the demo for Army of Two: The 40th Day will be released in significantly less than 40 days. It'll arrive on the PSN and Xbox Live Marketplace on December 17, and the PSP demo will drop on January 7 (January 14 in Europe). The preview will allow players to get a sneak peek at most of the game's first level, which takes place in Shanghai -- but you know what? None of that is important. What is important is seen in the trailer for the demo, which we've posted above.
Now, jump to a little bit before the halfway mark, and keep an eye out for the strange interaction between the game's two beefy protagonists. What is that? It's like ... the future of fist-bumping technology. The forearm-bump. More subtle, yet still triumphant. Less aggressive, but still dripping with bravado. An alternative manly salutation or congratulation for the gentleman's mercenary. Study the technique, friends. This thing's gonna catch on like wildfire.
Army of Two: The 40th Day demo coming in less than 40 days originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Filed under: Company News, Columns, Economy, Investing, Earnings, Media
For those looking for yield this winter, here are the top-yielding electric utility stocks._____________
The market is up 62% in the past nine months. When has this happened before?
_____________
My top 10 stock picks for 2010.
_____________
Continue reading Daily Blogwatch: Does the market go up when the sun shines?
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Continue reading Google Phone / Nexus One makes first Twitter appearance? (update: new pics!)
Google Phone / Nexus One makes first Twitter appearance? (update: new pics!) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 13 Dec 2009 11:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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We have always been entranced by the history, both cultural and architectural, of the grand country houses of England. The London-based magazine Country Life has long been the essential chronicle of these iconic estates, having featured a different country house in each weekly issue since it was founded back in 1897 and advertised many hundreds more in its property pages. A stunning new book, The English Country House, by Mary Miers from Rizzoli is sourced from the magazine's incredible archives. More than 400 images, mostly in color, highlight 62 houses encompassing a range of architectural styles spanning seven centuries beginning with the medieval Stokesay Castle and also examining the decoration, gardens, and landscapes, settings that inspire a continuing tradition of sporting style via country pursuits pursued with panache such as hunting and shooting, as well as whole schools of interior design.
As a result of its famous series of beautifully illustrated and authoritative articles, Country Life amassed an "astonishing library of photography and scholarship that provides a fascinating record of changing tastes and approaches to the country house and its garden over the past century," Miers notes. The book is illustrated almost entirely with images from its famous picture library, many of them by leading photographers of their day. The focus is not on the world-famous palaces that have now become museums, but rather the sort of houses to which Country Life has had privileged access over the years, many of which are still private homes often occupied by descendants of the families that built them. In the gallery you can preview photos from the book of Parnham House in Dorset, Honington Hall in Warwickshire, Claydon House in Buckinghamshire, and Renishaw Hall in Derbyshire.
Filed under: Decor, Estates, Books, The Classicist
The Classicist: Celebrating the English Country House originally appeared on Luxist on Mon, 09 Nov 2009 09:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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The Conservative party's lead has slipped from 19 per cent in October to 9 per cent.
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Continue reading YoGen ripcord charger available for the fidgety and eco-friendly
YoGen ripcord charger available for the fidgety and eco-friendly originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 14:21:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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What do you get people who have everything? A very stylish coffee table book, of course! A bevy of beautiful tomes have been published in 2009 on everything from fashion designers' favorite recipes to those who've been accused of Russian espionage. Here are a few that caught our eye.
American Fashion Cookbook: 100 Designer's Best Recipes (Assouline, $45). The Council of Fashion Designers of America book of cooking recipes with a forward by Martha Stewart and text by Lisa Marsh. Check out Isaac Mizrahi's Mushroom Truffle spaghetti, Mark Ecko's "Adults Only" Chocolate Chip Cookies and John Varvatos' Calaloo Soup.
Resort Fashion: Style in Sun-Drenched Climates by Caroline Rennolds Milbank (Rizzoli, New York, $65) with a forward by Amy Fine Collins. From Chanel's beach pajamas to sailor stripes, this is a visual history of color, ease and playfulness that resort fashion is all about.
Russian Style by Evelina Khromtchenko (Assouline, $60). From Erte and Faberge to Lolita and Anna Karenina, leaf through photographs and witty stories about the elements of Russian style and culture that have influenced the world.
Valentina: American Couture and the Cult of Celebrity by Kohle Yohannan (Rizzoli, New York, $75) with a forward by Harold Koda and preface by Phyllis Magidson. Some 250 photographs and research tell the rags-to-riches story of the Ukrainian-born beauty by the same name who shot to the top of American fashion design (pictured above). Valentina is a forgotten part of American fashion history but her stories are incredible. Some said she was a Russian spy. Others claimed she arrived in the U.S. as a dancer in Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. She herself maintained she was a duchess in exile. She apparently lied about everything but was devastatingly chic and brilliant at capturing the public's attention.
100 Contemporary Fashion Designers by Terry Jones (Taschen, $59.99). Perfect for the Project Runway addict in your life, this is a two-volume compilation of today's fashion superstars, up-and-coming talents and the stars of the future.
20th Century Fashion: 100 Years of Apparel Ads by Alison A. Nieder (Taschen, $39.99) Full disclosure: I used to share an office with Nieder when we both wrote for fashion news trade California Apparel News in Los Angeles. Nieder now heads up the paper and has come out with a very fun, nostalgic look at the ads of modern fashion-from high-end to mass market.
Norman Parkinson: A Very British Glamour by Louise Baring with contributions from Grace Coddington and Jerry Hall (Rizzoli, New York, $65). Not exactly a household name, but Norman Parkinson was one of fashion's most influential taste-makers from the '30s to the '80s having served under Alexander Lieberman and Diana Vreeland at American Vogue among other publications. This is a must for photography and fashion legacy enthusiasts.
Filed under: The Fashion Statement
The Fashion Statement: Book 'Em! originally appeared on Luxist on Thu, 03 Dec 2009 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Filed under: Downloads, Sports
It's the start of a new work week and that means there are a few PC game sales to give you the 411 on. One of the sales is pretty interesting considering the current news about its cover endorser.Monday PC game download sales include last Tiger Woods PC game originally appeared on Big Download Blog on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Continue reading JVC intros cord-free TH-BA3 and TH-BS7 soundbar audio systems
JVC intros cord-free TH-BA3 and TH-BS7 soundbar audio systems originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Dec 2009 10:24:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Continue reading BlazBlue PSP fires up a new trailer
BlazBlue PSP fires up a new trailer originally appeared on Joystiq Playstation on Fri, 11 Dec 2009 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
RPT-BAY STREET-Canadian fund investors seen equity shy in 2010 Reuters "If there were a theme in 2010 it would be investors saying, 'Give me exposure to a conservative asset mix'," said Doug Coulter, president of RBC Asset ... |
 guardian.co.uk | Conservative columnist: Sarah Palin is 'a joke' Raw Story "Some conservatives think they have found in Sarah Palin a Republican William Jennings Bryan," he said. "Now, why would they want someone who lost the ... Will Sarah Palin's 'Going Rogue' boost her political fortunes? Is Palin's book tour merely an opening chapter? Palin is great for the GOP, Giuliani says |
Last-minute NY 23 poll: Conservative Doug Hoffman surges but... Los Angeles Times And even if the Republican/Conservative candidate holds it, absolutely nothing changes with the Democrats' lopsided control of the House of Representatives, ... The Most Important Number in Politics Today GOP now embraces �conservative values� after attacking �conservative ... Pataki joins others in GOP who back Conservative |
 MiamiHerald.com | NY congressional race not yet certified Washington Post Owens's lead over Conservative Party nominee Doug Hoffman has tightened from about 5300 votes on election night to about 3000, but officials in both parties ... Could the Newest Member of the House Be Kicked Out of Congress? Dede Scozzafava on the NY-23 Contest on "Rachel Maddow" NY-23 Won't Flip, but It's Fun to Watch Owens's Lead Shrink |
 New York Times | Does Voting For Health Reform Hurt Conservative Dems? Democratic Polling Says No. Atlantic Online (blog) The Republican side isn't releasing its polling, but it hints that health reform is unpopular in its target districts. "If health care is so popular, ... Conservative group targets Democrats House Republican running for Senate slams Pelosi Bill Conservative Principles Will Defeat Harry Reid |
 Mother Jones | First thoughts: Here comes Sarah Palin msnbc.com Several years ago Newt Gingrich was considered very conservative. Now he is not conservative enough and has been discarded by the right-wing. ... Times Watch Quotes of Note - 'Fiercely Conservative' Protesters Just Parroting ... It's clear the grown-ups are not in charge Liberals refuse to admit Obama's policies look a lot like Bush's |
Chris Wallace Hosts Fox News Sunday R & D Magazine It makes me think that maybe they're a little scared of her being a very popular Republican, a conservative, but it's up to her whether she made mistakes. ... |
The new wave of female firebrands striking fear into liberal America guardian.co.uk But what makes liberal Americans laugh or cry has got the conservative wing of the Republican party extremely excited. In an article that sent shockwaves ... Rising star of the right follows in Palin's steps This GOP crazy train might be unstoppable |
 The Star-Ledger - NJ.com | Gov.-elect Chris Christie's victory will energize New Jersey conservatives ... The Star-Ledger - NJ.com Lonegan, who unsuccessfully challenged Christie in the Republican primary, said the election proved voters identify themselves with core conservative ... Christie victory should bring cautious optimism for New Jersey Republicans Earth falls into sun and no one dies The Record: Letters, Nov. 8, 2009 |
Could the US Republican Party pick up steam? Xinhua In New Jersey and Virginia, Christie and McDonnell ran on tax cuts and other traditionally conservative principals, Edwards said, adding that he believes ... Republicans win major elections Republicans can keep 'running to the right' Young: Moderates rule! |
