The Inauguration.

It really was the event of a lifetime... and way better than playing ping-pong in racquets. I was glad so many teachers had it playing in their rooms. It was a truly historic day, and I'm glad i at least got to watch it. His speech was good- a little more depressing than i originally expected, but it was very fitting for the occasion. He is one of the most eloquent speakers i have ever heard- aside from the one little mishap in the oath... It marked the beginning of what will hopefully be an unforgettable term. He's got a lot of sleepless nights ahead of him with the way Bush left the office, and a lot of promises left to fulfill from the campaign trail. I really hope he can pull it off.

Mock Congress.

I actually enjoyed the mock congress we had in class, although I'm pretty sure it was a rather sketch imitation of what Congress would actually look like. I, for one, forgot that i was voting on behalf of my constituents the first day and voted based on my own personal beliefs... Everyone basically had their minds made up about the bills before they hit the floor, which i imagine is also how it goes down in real life. Our bills-for the most part- were rather outrageous, and with all our different amendments and provisions would have taken forever to actually pass had we taken the time to be realistic. The whole thing is a really long, drawn out process, and this little activity helped piece it all together for me.

Current Event 1

The article i read was from CNN.com and titled "Crowley: Balance of power trying to find balance"
It discussed how Congress is already steaming with the Democrats now in control. While you would expect the main power struggle to be between the Democrats and the Republicans, it seems as if the struggle to find balance is between Obama, Reid, and Pelosi. With the Democrats in control, Pelosi and Reid have more power than even in their respective houses, and they're not letting go. Pelosi is pissed because she wants to see the Bush tax cuts rolled back now, while Obama has remained rather silent on this issue since taking office. She also wants to launch an investigation in the Bush administration, while Obama feels there are more important things to handle: like the war and the economic depression we're currently facing.

Little battles like this usually happen when a new president takes over, but i personally think Pelosi is getting a little ahead of herself here. Instead of spending so much time establishing her own power, she should focus on accomplishing what's necessary now. I dont think it's a really huge issue at this point, but it could become rather annoying as Obama tries to move forward and bring the change he promised.

This article was relevant to what we are studying in class because it deals with the executive branch working with the Speaker of the House to get legislative bills passed in Congress.

Mr. Smith

I'll start by stating that i absolutely hate watching movies on YouTube- almost as much as I hate blogging about them.

Overall, though, I thought this movie wasn’t half bad. It showed how screwball politics can be, and how Donald Trump is probably running the entire country. Smith plays the innocent and passionate good guy who gets screwed by his lifelong hero. Trump/Taylor rules all his little political puppets and convinces them that the "compromises" he is suggesting are for the greater good. Smith catches on, throws a fit, Taylor doesn’t like it, and tries to have Smith kicked out. Smith wants to run away and give up, but his secretary is there to pick up the pieces and convinces him to stay and fight. He launches a filibuster that takes FOREVER, and Paine tries to kill himself-but he can’t even do that right- so he goes back to Washington and clears Smith's name.

After seeing this movie i realized that anyone who ever wanted to be a Senator has got it all wrong- being the rich manipulative one is where it’s at.

Pork.

I actually thought this article was interesting and made a lot of sense. I think pork is an important part of American politics- in moderation. I have to agree with Starobin when he says "I've always been a defender of pork-barreling because that's what I think people elect us for." We scrutinize our government officials for pork-barreling just to get reelected, but when someone fails to bring home the bacon they get thrown out on the street. Personally, i am a fan of what Starobin refers to as "green pork" but I also think that we have something to learn from the Jews during this whole economic depression thing and should probably cut back. In the end, I do believe that pork is a good thing when used wisely and appropriately, but according to our massive deficit, us Americans have been gorging ourselves a bit lately...

David Price

Like most of the government related articles I read, I found this one to be hideously boring. I get it, life in Congress is busy. Pretty sure everyone who ran for Congress knew how hectic their daily schedule would be and decided to take the job anyways. Personally, I would never want to do anything like that.

While I didn’t particularly enjoy this article I did like it when he stated "All of us feel occasionally that "I'd rather vote against this than to have to explain it," but we should worry if we find ourselves taking this way out too often or on matters of genuine consequence." Apparently they're as bored and apathetic as the rest of us...

The ReDistricting Game

After failing numerous times to get my plan passed by the courts, I realized that gerrymandering is not one of my strong points. While my sketchy looking Democrats were very pleased with my different attempts, apparently I forgot about all the Republicans. Rather than spending my time trying to please both fictitious sides, I decided to go on living my life.

Lesson learned: the redistricting process is both arduous and tedious.

Ritter Appoints Michael Bennet to Senate

Ritter announced Friday that Denver Public Schools Superintendent Michael (NOT Bill) Bennet would be filling Ken Salazar’s vacant Senate position. This appointment came as a shock to many, including myself, as Bennet is relatively unknown outside Denver and has never held elected office before. Although Bennet defiantly lacks legislative experience, he looks good on paper. He graduated from Yale Law School and went on to make bank as a corporate restructuring specialist. Bennet first served as an aide to Denver Mayor Hickenlooper, and proceeded to takeover Denver public schools in 2005. Bennet appeared to be the black horse in the competition for the vacancy, as he was up against Andre Romanoff, Ed Perlmutter, and John Hickenlooper, all who have more legislative experience than Bennet. While it is hard to say whether or not he was a good appointment so soon after the decision, many feel he was a risky choice for the Democratic Party. While his stance on education is somewhat well known- Bennet was among those who advised Obama on education- many voters have never even heard of him. His lack of a public image and legislative experience will make it difficult for him to be reelected in 2010. Bennet will have to work hard (and spend harder) to convince Colorado voters who have never seen his name on ballots. Overall, I think that Bennet was probably one of the riskier choices for the open Senate position, but he seems like an intelligent guy who is capable of upholding his Senate obligations.

Obama Announces VA Choice

Obama formally announced Sunday that Army Gen. Eric Shinseki is his pick to be secretary of Veterans Affairs. At a press conference, he went on to say, "There is no one more distinguished, more determined, or more qualified to build this VA than the leader I am announcing as our next secretary of Veterans Affairs -- Gen. Eric Shinseki."

Obama said the nation must focus on helping troops who have served their country especially during bad economic times, and believes Shinseki is just the one for the job because he "understands the changing needs of our troops and their families. And he will be a VA secretary who finally modernizes our VA to meet the challenges of our time."

Shinseki is most commonly known for his testimony in Feburary of 2003, in which he said we would need several hundred thousand soldiers to pacify Iraq. Although this infuriated the Bush administration and Shinseki retired a few monthes later, Obama says Shinseki was right, and is excited to have someone who will put patriotism above politics.

2012

I saw this article on CNN.com, and threwup in my mouth a little...

"Barack Obama is still more than six weeks from White House, and the next Iowa caucuses are more than three years away — so naturally, it’s time to start talking 2012, as a new national poll suggests that Sarah Palin and Mike Huckabee top the list of potential 2012 Republican presidential hopefuls.

In a CNN/Opinion Research Corporation survey out Friday that serves as an early measure of potential support for the next GOP presidential nomination, Huckabee tops the list. Thirty-four percent of Republicans and independent voters who lean towards the GOP say they are very likely to support the former Arkansas governor if he were to become their party’s nominee in 2012. Huckabee surprised many by winning this year's Republican caucuses in Iowa and seven other contests before ending his run in March.

Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, John McCain's running mate in this year's election, draws nearly as much support: 32 percent of those polled said they would get behind a Palin nomination. And with the survey's sampling error of plus or minus 4.5 points, Palin and Huckabee are statistically tied."

Maybe the Mayans had it right when they said the world would end, supposedly with catastrophic consequences, in 2012...

Inaugural Package for the "Distressed"

Earl W. Stafford, the founder of a Centreville technology, bought the JW Marriott's $1 million "build-your-own-ball" offer. Included in the offer is 300 rooms, four suites, $200,000 worth of food and drink, and a site overlooking the Pennsylvania Avenue parade route. Stafford said he wants at least 30 percent of those staying in his rooms and participating in the events to be disadvantaged or needy in some way. "Our objective is to bring in a cross-section of society -- those who are distressed, those who are terminally ill, those who are socially and economically disadvantaged, those veterans who are wounded and served our country." I think it's great that someone with the financial ability to buy such a huge inaugural offer is donating it to the people who would not otherwise be able to attend, but I wonder what his definition of "distressed" is...

No More Water-Boarding...

In a recent interview with 60 Minutes, Obama said "I have said repeatedly that America doesn't torture. I'm going to make sure that we don't torture. Those are part and parcel of an effort to regain America's moral stature in the world." He has put that plan into action by sending Eric Holder, his choice for Attorney General, to meet this week with 12 retired generals and admirals to discuss changing the U.S. government's current interrogation policy. All 12 retirees had endorsed the Bush administration's plan for enhanced interrogation techniques, including practices like water-boarding. They have now urged the adoption of a single- and far less controversial- standard of interrogation and detainment across all intelligence and other agencies.

I think it's great that Obama has really shown some initiative in this area and is trying to clear up America's name.

Iraq Approves U.S. Pullout Plan

Iraq's presidency council approved the U.S.-Iraq security agreement today. The three-member council- including the Kurdish president, the Shiite Vice President, and the Sunni Vice President- approved the agreement unanimously, just one week after the Iraqi parliament passed the measure.

The pact allows the presence of American troops in Iraq for three more years and sets the official deadline for all U.S. combat troops to withdraw from Iraq at June 30, 2009. The date for all U.S. troops to leave Iraq is December 31, 2011.

Obama told reporters Monday in Chicago that he still thinks 16 months is the "right time frame" for removing U.S. combat troops from the country.

Obama Names Richardson Commerce Secretary

Obama named New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson as commerce secretary today, filling another top economic post and placing a second former campaign rival in his new Cabinet.

Obama seems to have high hopes for his presidency, and is speaking confidently and optimistically about the economic depression. Obama said, "We have everything we need to renew our economy, we have the ingenuity and technology, the skill and commitment — we just need to put it to work."

I have high hopes for Obama and the rest of his cabinet, and I'm starting to think this depression wont be as bad as I originally thought...

Obama Chooses Economic Team

On Monday, he announced two top economic nominations that were well received by financial markets: Timothy Geithner for treasury secretary, and Lawrence Summers, for the National Economic Council. On Tuesday he named the current director of the Congressional Budget Office, Peter Orszag, as his budget director. Along with Orszag, Obama named Robert Nabors as deputy budget director. Nabors has been the top staff aide on the House Appropriations Committee, which prepares spending legislation. Obama also said he would have additional appointments to his economic team in the coming days.

Overall, I think he's made good choices in his appointees. His economic team is full of experience, and I think that by the time of his inauguration, they’ll be up and ready to go.

Obama's White House

Obama has supposedly selected Senator Hillary Clinton as secretary of state and Timothy J. Geithner as secretary of the Treasury, and it looks as if both will accept the positions. In choosing these two, Obama seems to be looking for pragmatists rather than ideologues when it comes to his cabinet.

18 Months?

During the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, leaders of the Pacific Rim nations seemed confident that the economic crisis would be over by mid 2010.

“We are convinced that we can overcome this crisis in a period of 18 months,” the leaders said in a statement. “We have already taken urgent and extraordinary steps to stabilize our financial sectors and strengthen economic growth.”

Although they seemed sure of this bold statement, they failed to provided details as to how this would be done, or how they planned on helping. Overall, I think putting such a distinct timeline on this economic crisis is more wishful thinking than anything else.

Rahm Emanuel

Obama's first official move was to ask Rahm Emanuel to serve as his Chief of Staff. I got this article from the New York Times, and I thought it summed up what he will bring to the White House pretty well.

An unusual hybrid of high-level experience as a top adviser to President Bill Clinton together with proven expertise as a Congressional leader and political strategist. Mr. Emanuel is also a close friend of Mr. Obama, a fellow Chicagoan.

As the No. 4 Democrat in the House and an architect of the Democratic majority, Mr. Emanuel knows Congress from the inside out after winning his seat in 2002. In the Clinton administration, he was aggressive, frequently profane and instrumental in shaping domestic policy on issues like health care, welfare and trade.

He earned the nickname Rahmbo for his determination and take-no-prisoners approach — an advantage when trying to bring a thorny issue to resolution, but a style that can be off-putting to those accustomed to gentility. In resigning his seat, Mr. Emanuel will be relinquishing a promising House career and aspirations to become speaker.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/06/us/politics/06emanuel.html

The Mac is Back?

Pennslyvania, although it has voted Democratic in the last four presidential elections, is HUGE in this year's election. Analysts say neither candidate will have an easy time winning without Pennsylvania's 21 electoral votes.
Statewide polls consistently show McCain trailing Obama — though the race has gotten
tighter in the past few days. McCain is still keeping hope alive, though, saying, "We're a couple points behind in Pennsylvania. The pundits have written us off, just like they've done before. My friends, the Mac is back!!"
Personally, i dont think that McCain will take Pennsylvania, but it would mean serious trouble for Obama if he did...

We're Making History

No matter how the vote turns out, Americans will make history today. Obama could become the first black president. John McCain could become the oldest president elected to a first term. Sarah Palin could become the first woman elected vice president. But most importantly, all the phone calls and horrible TV ads and class blogs end today. I'm excited.