I love the little news scrolls coming across my desk today, as the Republican National Committee seeks to elect a new chairman — the guy who will lead the Republican Party. The first ballot had Mike Duncan in the lead. Mike Duncan has been the head of the RNC, which mounted massive losses in Congress in the 2006 and 2008 … Read More
Chart Of The Day
Just who is Republican nowadays? Not many: Gallup concludes that there are only five solid Republican states — representing a grand total of 2% of the population — left in the entire country. Full report here.
Obama Throws An Elbow
Sure, Obama is willing to talk with, and listen to, members of the GOP — and solicit their views. But it's nice to know that he's no pushover: President Obama listened to Republican gripes about his stimulus package during a meeting with congressional leaders Friday morning – but he also left no doubt about who's in charge of these negotiations. "I … Read More
Another Good Beginning
Obama reversed the gag rule: THIS WEEK marks the 20th anniversary of a profound and misguided change in US foreign policy: the Reagan administration's "global gag rule," which was first announced at an international family planning conference in Mexico City in August 1984. The "Mexico City" policy prohibits US dollars and contraceptive supplies from going to any international family planning … Read More
The “West Wing” Opening Sequence Reworked
Emily will dig this… Sadly, I don't know who a lot of these people are (yet)….
Gillabrand Takes Clinton’s Old Seat
Who? I still don't know why Carolina dropped out. And the first thing I heard about Kirsten Gillabrand was that she was endorsed by the NRA. That doesn't bode well.
Hitting the Ground Running
From closing Gitmo to transparent governing, from freezing last-minute Bush regulations to slowing the government-lobbying revolving door, the Obama administration has been very busy these past 24 hours. WaPo has the full rundown, all of it extremely gratifying to read. Glenn Greenwald praises: Barack Obama will have spent his first several days in office issuing a series of executive orders … Read More
Do-Over Done
Obama was sworn in again. Hope restored. UPDATE: Well, you would think that would be the end of it. I mean, it wasn't necessary in the first place (George Washington wasn't sworn in until seven weeks until his administration). But no. NOW the gripe is going to be that Obama, when he re-took the oath, did not have his left … Read More
What’s Different About This Picture?
Well, the obvious. It's President Obama, rather than President Bush. But there's something else. Scour photos of the Oval Office over the last eight years and there is one thing you won't see — a man sans jacket. That's because Bush had a rule — jackets always in the Oval Office. Obama, consciously or subconsciously in keeping with his … Read More
Was Condaleeza Rice Our First Black (and Woman) President?
Section 1 of the 20th Amendment: The terms of the President and Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of January, and the terms of Senators and Representatives at noon on the 3d day of January, of the years in which such terms would have ended if this article had not been ratified; and the terms of … Read More
The First Dance
It happened only a few hours ago, but the dance of the President and First Lady is already going viral. It really is kinda sweet:
About The New White House Website
First of all, it's got a blog. Secondly, to its credit, it reflects Obama's commitment to open and transparent government. Case in point: The President's executive orders and proclamations will be published for everyone to review, and that’s just the beginning of our efforts to provide a window for all Americans into the business of the government. And even better: … Read More
Prediction
A certain segments of wingnuts — the same ones who claim that Obama isn't a natural born citizen — will claim that Obama isn't actually president because of the flub-up of the Presidential Oath (which, by the way, was Chief Justice Robert's fault). Here's the vid for those who missed it:
It’s Official
NOTE: The White House website has changed already — in the span of 3 minutes. UPDATE — The full text of the address below the fold… THOUGHTS: Good speech. Lofty and inspirational. A bit tweaky of the Bush policies, but I'm sure unintentionally so. Cheney in the wheelchair looked like Mr. Potter from "It's A Wonderful Life".
Stay Classy, Religious Conservatives
Oops. Too late. Over at WorldNetDaily, the Christian News service, we get this editorial from WND CEO Joseph Farah: Pray Obama Fails That's why I do not hesitate today in calling on godly Americans to pray that Barack Hussein Obama fail in his efforts to change our country from one anchored on self-governance and constitutional republicanism to one based on … Read More