Capitol musings from the people who brought you the Newsbreaker Lunch.
A Horse Is a Horse
31 December 2003
Okay, so I think I have been doing this wrong. I am blog-challenged. Or just stupid. Lots of the people who write these are just plain stupid. I swear, I was reading one of the public blogs and this guy spelled Christmas wrong. And I don't even celebrate the holiday (I am also Christmas-challenged) and I can spell it. Christmas. Christmas. Chrissmas. Damn typos.
Okay, enough out of me.
29 December 2003
22 December 2003
So if Howard Dean is the angry warrior, what is Clark?
"Clark in Search of Following as Antiwar Warrior "
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A20171-2003Dec21.html
18 December 2003
This will be my last post as a fellow. I've had a great time here and I will miss everyone a lot. I don't like goodbyes very much. I didn't say goodbye to the lady at the Worldly Deli because I didn't want her getting all weepy on me. And, as Laura said, tonight's not really a "goodbye" but more of a "see ya later."
This is a great place and I've come to understand how really important the work is, as slow and daunting a process as it might be. I think of government as a campfire, a focal point that allows people to come together, to communicate, to sing Indigo Girls songs. There's something natural about gathering around a campfire, something necessary, like it's a place we've all created to keep us warm and safe. Without us it would go out, and without it we would get confused, cold and, perhaps, eaten by bears. Just like government.
And so if government is the fire, then federal employees are the keepers of the flame.
Which I guess makes the Partnership the keepers of the keepers of the flame.
I've been proud to be a part of this team and grateful for the work I've gotten to do. Thank you guys and good luck.
See ya later.
16 December 2003
On SNL's 10/4/03 Weekend Update, Tina Fey reported the following:
>"As of yesterday, the Bush administration still hadn't found the source of
>the White House leak that outed a woman as a CIA operative. To recap, here
>are the things President Bush can't find: The source of the leak, weapons
>of mass destruction in Iraq, Saddam Hussein, Osama bin laden, the link
>between Saddam and Osama bin laden, the guy who sent the anthrax through
>the mail, and his butt with two hands and a flash light."
It was funnier before they found Saddam, but it still has appeal, I think.
Is it just me or is there something discomforting about watching the UN medics check out Saddam's teeth with a flashlight?
13 December 2003
12 December 2003
I am so proud to be invited to join you two in your quest for further knowledge. I promise to add very little but try very hard.
I think I am better at Blogging when I talk about stupid stuff (ie, Plyocene cow) instead of pseudo-intellectual stuff (ie, politics).
And then there was the world's largest Plyocene cow in Mercer, PA, near my uncle's house! THe thing is chained to a telephone pole. Seriously!
I never saw that story, but I once saw the world's largest rocking chair in Beaver, Utah. It looked kind of lonesome, actually, just rocking there on this giant porch, back and forth. I mean, who's gonna sit on it?
Does anyone remember the day that CNN's main story of the day was "the world's largest Cheeto"? Man, those were the days...
Problem is, if you don't have someone who's divisive, then you're doomed as "boring." It's the curse of John Kerry. Kerry is probably the best qualified in my opinion to be our president, and he has the most well-thought-out positions, but those come across as boring and Inside-the-Beltway through the media lens. I hate to be such a cynic, but I really do feel there is a vicious cycle here and no really easy answer .. seems to me you are either divisive and dynamic and the media darling, or collegial and boring and the media's dartboard.
Then I suppose the question is, can a candidate exist whose words and deeds hold up under this new 24-hour intense talking-head scrutiny? Is there a candidate (past, present or future) capable of the kind of consistent integrity of character, lucidity of thought and clarity of speech that is required to pass the modern-day media political icon test?
The leading candidates on both sides lead by division; Bush is widely-regarded as the most polarizing president in history, and I see Dean as the popular response to that, not just the alternative but the opposite, Bizarro Bush, President-Elect of Liberal America. I know this argument has holes (gun control, etc.) and that Dean is not as liberal in his policies as he is on a personal level, but the truth is that he will be as vehemently despised by the Bushies as Bush is by the Deanocrats.
So the question remains: who? What does it take for you to capture the hearts and votes of everyone in this country, not just your own (I have to say it) radical base? Both Dean and Bush (and every political candidate in the history of political candidates) claim to be "unifiers," but how can you unify when you incur such wrath from the other end of the spectrum? Who values balance in the process anymore? Where's the love?
I don't mean to exonerate the media, and it may be a vicious circle, but I think the responsibility ultimately falls to individuals to lead in the best interests of the country. If only the federal civil service was able to recruit and retain excellence more effectively...
I wonder though if external factors contribute to the fact that none of these super-leaders have emerged. I mean think about the media. In a good and a bad way, the media is a major factor. Decades ago candidates would not have their every word analyzed and hyperanalyzed by talking heads 24 hours a day. (Not that I am against the talking heads...I eat that stuff up like candy, as a matter of fact). But the media christens people leaders (or losers) and that draws trend lines from the beginning.
Hey, do you still think we need pseudonyms? I have a couple of ideas in mind. Not that I'm worried about landing in any hot water, but you're a major national media figure. Just a thought.
That NYT column is frighteningly on point. Especially interesting about the 'high ground.' On my end, I don't think the party is the real problem; it's the individuals who emerge as its leaders. No one seems to be able to step to the plate and connect. Even Dean, whose support is based on the fact that he has taken the most swings, has yet to really hit a dinger. As Herbert practically said, the truth is on the side of the Democrats this time around, but that fact alone is not enough. Someone needs to expose that truth to the American people, who, for better or worse, often need that kind of leg work done for them, and it needs to be done in such a credible manner so as not to be off-putting, personally disagreeable, or creepy in any way. It's a lot to ask for both tact and courage in the same person, it will take a lot of work, but it's not unreasonable, I think, and it is necessary: for the people, the lands, and the prospects of peaceful international coexistence that depend on the members of this party, at this moment, to get it right. I guess we'll just have to wait and see if they can.
It's so embarrassing how blog-challenged I am. Oh well, I'll give this a try ...
Great column by Bob Herbert in today's NYTimes. Here's an excerpt:
"[If Dean is the nominee] The Dems may indeed sink like the Titanic next year. But I don't think Dr. Dean is the problem - at least, not yet. The problem is the party itself. God and the Republicans have blessed the Democrats with the high ground on one important issue after another, from the war in Iraq to national economic policy to healh care to education to the environment.
But like the Union general George McClellan, the Democrats have been too timid to take full advantage. It's a party for the faint of heart. The Republicans are hijacking elections and redistricting the country and looting the Treasury and ignoring the Constitution and embittering our allies, while the Democrats are - let's see, fumbling their way through an incoherent primary season and freaking out over Al Gore's endorsement of Howerard Dean."
Amen!
11 December 2003
I want to talk about spam for a second. I just got an email with the subject line, "Stop getting emails like this one." Are you kidding me? No, seriously, are you kidding me. It made me think of in Mission: Impossible 2, when they steal the vaccine to the deadly virus so they can unleash the virus on the world, and they're the only ones with the antidote. Creating a problem to sell the solution--evil genius. Part of me wants to engage Mr. Dan Burns of netscape.com in a similarly violent motorcycle chase and just be like, what. But then I think, his plot was a lot less dastardly than the guys in MI2. But then I think, that was just a movie. I actually have to deal with this crap.
Oh, snap. From today's Note:
Carly Simon took the stage last night at a fundraiser in John Kerry's hometown and during her second number began gushing over the guest of honor. "You're my … handsome Howard Dean." From backstage, Dr. Dean blushed while behind him in the distance three 20-something protesters held a sign against a window reading "SKI-ET NAM."
"It's hard to believe he hurt his back when he has no spine," said one of the protestors.
10 December 2003
So, I guess we just start talking. Did you see the debate last night? My favorite part was when John Kerry accused President Bush of "dissing" other countries. Also, Kucinich was a Jedi. He really put the screws to old Koppel. You know he can't be president, though, because after he spoke the candidates on his left and right were so impressed that they started petting him. I really don't think they were being patronizing, there's just something about a tiny idealistic man with giant ears that demands petting. And while we love teddy bears, we rarely elect them (with one notable exception).
I have to admit, this is pretty cool.
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