Followed by

Following

Badges

What's this?

No Badges

Become my Rival Become my Ally

Andrew O'Shaughnessy

A proud Brooklyn native, Andrew graduated from the University of Chicago, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in political science and classical studies. He has worked for the Office of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and for Alltuition, an education finance startup.

Hey, It's me! Interesting image
Mitt Romney Looks Set to Win Illinois Republican Primary

The newest poll has Romney well ahead of Santorum.

NYC vs. D.C.: What's the Better City For 20-Somethings?
NYC vs. D.C.: What's the Better City For 20-Somethings?

Here are the differences between NYC and D.C. from the perspective of a single, 20-something female.

Andrew O'Shaughnessy

Andrew O'Shaughnessy A cutting expose on New York's superior character and vitality.

  • 1
  • 0
  • 4 months ago
Hey, It's me! Interesting image
Ron Paul, Americans Elect, & Social Media App Culture Pose Problems For Millennial Voters

Our generation is seduced by a social media app culture, where the ease of discovery and expression biases us against tough decisions and promotes superficial solutions — like Ron Paul.

Hey, It's me! Interesting image
As Arizona's Immigration Law SB 1070 Debated, Do We Actually Need More Immigrants?

Join the debate: Is the real immigration crisis that there isn’t enough of it?

Andrew O'Shaughnessy commented 5 times
Hey, It's me!

Andrew O'Shaughnessy I am hugely skeptical of your first claim, which is not supported by the Cato study I cited when I posed the question, above. Cato--hardly the bosom-friend of the liberal elite--advocates for legalization precisely because it would allow illegal immi...

  • 0
  • 0
  • 5 months ago

Poll: Ron Paul Has a 20-Point Lead Over Romney in Iowa Amongst Young People
Poll: Ron Paul Has a 20-Point Lead Over Romney in Iowa Amongst Young People

With the odd mix of supporters attracted to Ron Paul's campaign, could he actually be the most viable candidate against Obama?

Andrew O'Shaughnessy commented 3 times
Andrew O'Shaughnessy

Andrew O'Shaughnessy Fair enough. It really depends on how the economy looks (or looks like it will look) when the ballots are cast. Predicting outcomes ahead of time is a bit of an empty exercise, but it's the one we're entertaining ourselves with here.

  • 0
  • 0
  • 5 months ago
Hey, It's me! Interesting image
7 Military Weapons That Might Be Cut

Congress may force the Pentagon to make as much as $1 trillion in cuts to the defense budget in the next ten years. Here are some programs that could get the ax.

America Is Hardly Exceptional
America Is Hardly Exceptional

America is only exceptional because it has the arrogance to think so, and the clout to prove it.

Andrew O'Shaughnessy commented 3 times
Andrew O'Shaughnessy

Andrew O'Shaughnessy Tony, thanks for the article. It was a great read. Here's a distinction I'd raise about it, though. Engelhardt writes, "[In the 1950s], there was no need for presidents or presidential candidates to get up and repetitively reassure ...

  • 1
  • 1
  • 5 months ago
Hey, It's me! Interesting image
American Exceptionalism: We’re Not Going Anywhere

Young Americans are deeply pessimistic about their country’s future. They’d do better to help keep it the “indispensible nation.”

Andrew O'Shaughnessy commented 7 times
Hey, It's me!

Andrew O'Shaughnessy Don't be absurd. First, I'm not advocating the conquest of the earth. But the British Empire did promote free trade and did work to exterminate slavery wherever it could reach (eventually). Those are historical facts. As to trade, the ri...

  • 0
  • 0
  • 5 months ago

Open Mic: Do You Support Huntsman's Plan To Create Jobs?
Open Mic: Do You Support Huntsman's Plan To Create Jobs?

In this Open Mic, we look at Jon Huntsman's plan to create jobs. What proposals do you agree with? Which proposals do you disagree with?

Andrew O'Shaughnessy

Andrew O'Shaughnessy Can someone explain to me how ANY of the energy sources listed there are both "safe and environmentally-sound"? China is No. 1 in green technology and manufacturing. Catch them! Invest in the future, not the past. Trade sounds great, and...

  • 3
  • 0
  • 6 months ago
Hey, It's me! Interesting image
The Kindle Fire in an Age of Distraction

We probably won’t use Amazon’s popular new tablet to read more, but, in an age of distraction, there will be serious consequences if we don’t.

Hey, It's me!

Andrew O'Shaughnessy I'll have to add Toffler to my reading list, since I think that's spot on. The only problem is that an enormous amount of information is now available, but much--most?--of it is worthless. Even in an age of magical connectivity, parsing inf...

  • 1
  • 0
  • 6 months ago

Why the Military Needs Our Top Students
Why the Military Needs Our Top Students

Recruiting more students from top universities is good for the military and the country.

Andrew O'Shaughnessy

Andrew O'Shaughnessy Seems a trifle self-serving, Mr. Cory. Kidding, of course. Surprised that you didn't bring a personal perspective to this excellent article, but I suppose your argument speaks for itself.

  • 0
  • 0
  • 6 months ago
Hey, It's me! Interesting image
Sen. Franken and Johanns's Secret Santa Plan to Save Congress

A bipartisan plan in Congress to exchange small gifts this December is one small step in a long journey back to collegiality.

Why Are Today's GOP Candidates So Darn Radical?
Why Are Today's GOP Candidates So Darn Radical?

In the past, being a conservative meant being cautious and careful. Today, the GOP has been taken over by radicals bent on cutting government to the extreme.

Andrew O'Shaughnessy

Andrew O'Shaughnessy Bravo. I'd be a Republican if Republicans still existed. I appreciate the conviction of those congressional Republicans who haven't signed onto Norquist's new orthodoxy, but I am dismayed that I can count them on two hands.

  • 2
  • 0
  • 6 months ago
Hey, It's me! Interesting image
Why the Super Committee Failed

From the Balanced Budget Amendment to the Super Committee, Washington seems now to be a town full of small ideas, destined — if not intended — to fail.

Andrew O'Shaughnessy commented 2 times
Hey, It's me!

Andrew O'Shaughnessy Naw, I'm going to hew to the line that the BAA is a dumb idea. First, any benefit is illusory, since the weasels will just... er, weasel out of it by slinking off book. It would strongly encourage accounting tricks that would do incredible damag...

  • 1
  • 0
  • 6 months ago

U.S. Can't Afford to Abandon East Asian Allies
U.S. Can't Afford to Abandon East Asian Allies

Despite the budget-cutting fever pervading Washington, it is vital that the U.S. continues to honor its security commitments to East Asian allies.

Andrew O'Shaughnessy

Andrew O'Shaughnessy I agree on all counts, especially as regards how we are obligated and incentivized to protect Japan. It's past time we re-oriented ourselves towards East Asia. One thing I'm a little confused about is how the administration plans to do t...

  • 2
  • 2
  • 6 months ago
Nuclear Weapons Key to Peace in South Asia
Nuclear Weapons Key to Peace in South Asia

The development of nuclear weapons by India and Pakistan initiated a new era of peace and stability, instead of creating a dangerous scenario for a volatile region.

Andrew O'Shaughnessy commented 3 times
Andrew O'Shaughnessy

Andrew O'Shaughnessy Agreed; let's.

  • 0
  • 0
  • 6 months ago
U.S. Should Handle Politicians' Sex Affairs More Like Europeans
U.S. Should Handle Politicians' Sex Affairs More Like Europeans

The American media and public should view politicians' extramarital affairs in a more European way in order to focus on the more important political issues at hand.

Andrew O'Shaughnessy commented 2 times
Andrew O'Shaughnessy

Andrew O'Shaughnessy Jonathan, that's precisely what I mean, and what I did say, after all. Granted, I could have been more pointed, but Berlusconi was not a man interested in governing and did not try seriously. His long-term neglect of economic reforms finally ...

  • 0
  • 0
  • 6 months ago
Hey, It's me! Interesting image
Can Italy's New Government Save The Euro?

Despite the rise of Italy’s new government, the future of the Euro is still very much in question.

Hey, It's me! Interesting image
A Nuclear Iran Is Safer Than a Nuclear Pakistan

U.S. policymakers should not let last week’s IAEA report on Iran’s nuclear ambitions distract them from a greatest danger: The nuclear arsenal scattered throughout unstable Pakistan.

Andrew O'Shaughnessy commented 4 times
Hey, It's me!

Andrew O'Shaughnessy Fair enough, fair enough. But there are finite resources in the world, and if ever U.S. strategic commanders have to make a snap decision between two of those three supreme contingencies, I know which one I'd rather they pursued. Not that we ...

  • 0
  • 0
  • 6 months ago

Hey, It's me! Interesting image
Berlusconi Repercussions: Bond Yields & Auction Signal Progress for Euro

Global markets signal only the most cautious optimism in the first day of trading. The future of the euro is still very much in question.

Hey, It's me! Interesting image
Americans Want Partisanship, Leadership From Obama in 2012

Americans bear a secret love for partisanship, because we recognize in political struggle the thing we really crave: moral leadership. If Obama provides this, he can win in 2012.

Andrew O'Shaughnessy commented 5 times
Hey, It's me!

Andrew O'Shaughnessy What makes Krauthammer's take so self-serving is that it blames Obama for two failures that were predetermined, and not caused by the administration. First, the "failure" of the Obama administration to broker a multi-party unity gov...

  • 0
  • 0
  • 6 months ago

Space Exploration Is Best In Hands of NASA, Not Private Sector
Space Exploration Is Best In Hands of NASA, Not Private Sector

Virgin Galactic might make it tempting to think that space is best in the hands of private companies, but NASA is still the best option.

Andrew O'Shaughnessy commented 2 times
Andrew O'Shaughnessy

Andrew O'Shaughnessy I think we're all in agreement here that NASA and private ventures will have to work together if we are going to succeed in space. Overall, I think NASA will be the National Science Foundation in space, sponsoring basic research and footing t...

  • 0
  • 0
  • 7 months ago
Herman Cain's Foreign Policy Problem
Herman Cain's Foreign Policy Problem

Cain's complete disregard for foreign policy issues should disqualify him from running for president.

Andrew O'Shaughnessy commented 2 times
Andrew O'Shaughnessy

Andrew O'Shaughnessy I aim to please! As, I suppose, does Mr. Cain, in his own way.

  • 1
  • 0
  • 7 months ago
Using Partisanship As a Weapon: What Obama Can Learn From Clinton, Nixon
Using Partisanship As a Weapon: What Obama Can Learn From Clinton, Nixon

Obama must learn from past presidents who actually exploited partisanship in order to promote their agendas.

Andrew O'Shaughnessy

Andrew O'Shaughnessy I agree. The comparison to Clinton's situation with Gingrich is spot on in several ways. Not least of all, the two forged a powerful compromise that produced our last surplus (ever?) as well as Clinton's initiatives. You have to stake out y...

  • 1
  • 0
  • 7 months ago
How Whisteblowers Can Revolutionize the Role of Government
How Whisteblowers Can Revolutionize the Role of Government

Wikileaks, Bradley Manning, and Daniel Ellsberg are bringing transparency to government and also changing the way we think about the role and rights of government.

Andrew O'Shaughnessy

Andrew O'Shaughnessy I know this isn't Robert's main point, but I think we can drop the quotation marks from around the phrase "endangers lives." That's what WikiLeaks did by publishing the Iraq War Logs. Everyone should read the Salon article...

  • 1
  • 0
  • 7 months ago
Turkey Flexes Its Political Muscle in the Middle East
Turkey Flexes Its Political Muscle in the Middle East

A move towards radical Islam is not to blame for Turkey's recent bouts of aggression towards the Middle East. Rather, a reemerging imperial attitude is.

Andrew O'Shaughnessy commented 2 times
Andrew O'Shaughnessy

Andrew O'Shaughnessy Michael, I certainly didn't mean to impugn your even-handedness. My mistake if that's how it came across. The problem here isn't fairness so much as tone. I maintain that it's quite dramatic: states protect their interests, and...

  • 0
  • 0
  • 7 months ago
We Need A Fiscal State of the Union
We Need A Fiscal State of the Union

For today's No Labels congressional reform, former Comptroller General Dave Walker offers his proposals for how to improve the country's financial literacy and the government's accountability.

Andrew O'Shaughnessy commented 2 times
Andrew O'Shaughnessy

Andrew O'Shaughnessy What we deserve is decisive leadership on economic issues, and I see no reason to believe that this proposal would promote that. Should the public be more familiar with important officials like the Comptroller General, the EPA Administrator, or ev...

  • 2
  • 0
  • 7 months ago