Saturday has come again and once again PJ lies dreaming in his bed, the dogs curled submissively nearby. As he dreams of sugarplums (I’m sure that’s what he dreams) the world continues with its dramas large and small.
Here, in NYC, Mayor Mike Bloomberg has decided that the City cannot do without him in this fiscal crisis, and so he and the city council have decided to change a term limit law that was enacted by referenda, twice. The Council thought it was a great plan because each of them will get to run for a third term too, and Ronald Lauder, who bankrolled the term limits campaigns, agreed to NOT fund a third referendum because HE thinks we need Bloomberg. (He was also promised a seat on the next charter commission so he can reinstate term limits after Bloomberg leaves.)
So, we’ve got the rich Rethug deciding who can and cannot run for that third term. Very democratic!
This also happened to Giuliani, who decided that only he could run the City after 9/11 and wanted the Council to simply extend his term, sans election. Fortunately, by the time Rudy had been in office for 8 years, he was so hated that he could not muster any popular support and the plan quietly died.
But, now the state legislature is about to consider a bill that will force the term limit question to once again be put to a public vote. Sounds like fun.
Of course the election goes on with 3 senate sets still undecided. Obama continues to choose his cabinet. (I hope he doesn’t clear the senate of all the strong Dems he’s going to need to push his plans.) Don Siegelman will get his day in court and maybe, this time, the prosecution will not be in cahoots with a love struck juror.
I think PJ earns his weekly respite from writing the opening post for this blog but it would be a lot more interesting if someone else would write next week’s Saturday rant.
Have a good one.
Does anyone else have concerns about the number of Clintonistas being chosen for Obamajobs? If they’re being used to keep seats warm until the real officeholders take their places, fine, but this Hillary shit concerns me. Bill Richardson would be a much more qualified candidate for State.
I don’t care if Hillary already knows most of the players. So does W.
And I find it hard to believe that Obama would be willing to be Bill and Hill’s hand puppet on foreign policy for four years, which gives me some hope that this will not happen.
But I still have concerns. This is NOT the change I voted for. I need somebody to talk me down.
:omg:
You should leave the country, Kevin. Move to Dubai. How’s that for some counsel?
I’d rather see HRC become the heir to the mantle of Ted Kennedy becoming a dominant figure in the Senate, maybe even Majority Leader. I have no problem with her as SoS, though.
I think Clinton people are transitional. It makes sense to go to people who know how things work (or used to) in the beginning. It takes a long time to sort through taking over and there is a multitude of folks in the pool from the campaign who will populate a truly Obaman administration.
Who else ‘Clinton’ has been named to an actual permanent position yet except for Rahm?
Morning! Nice opening, Sue.
I agree with Vern. I think a lot of this is transitional. Clinton was faulted for not drawing on experience so it seems ironic that we are concerned about Obama using folks with experience. Also, the only ones with that kind of experience have to come from the Clinton regime. The thugs never hire folks across party lines (except Tenant who was their patsy.) Obama has to “hit the ground sprinting,” as I saw it written. He does not have time to break in greenhorns at the start. I do believe that Obama makes up his own mind. We’ve seen this and I’ve been aggravated by it at times, actually. Especially like not filibustering Alito. :rant1: He did not follow the more senior Senate dems. He also has ties to the d triple c and i think we all knew that. Hard to get them away from it under the current state of party politics.
I see Hil as sos as a brilliant move, but man, she would be giving up an awful lot. But maybe she doesn’t want to fade in to Kerry/Senate obscurity. I wanted her on the High Court, but read she’s not interested. I think it’s a shame, as we need someone with her brains and passion on the Court.
Did that help, Kev?
Didn’t hear from mr fk for almost three days (felt like a week). He’s at a forward base now. Tragically, a soldier was killed and all communications were down until next of kin was notified. Once things opened up, there were long queues for the phones. Oh my.
Muqtada al-Sadr is evidently vehemently opposed to the new security agreement and is making noise – threats- about it…..
Juan Cole has info on Muqtada al-Sadr’s position. But I found this interesting on his web site:
So far there are lots of Clinton people on the transition team, which seems to make a lot of sense to me. You need to know how things work and who’s who in order get things going. Rahmbo was in the Clinton Administration, but he’s also tight with Obama from Chicago, so I don’t see that as very surprising, and you need a Leo McGary type as CoS. Anyhow, you don’t want Obama to have the early problems that Jeb Bartlett had in his first administration. And no cabinet appointments have been made yet.
That being said, if you think Obama is going to be a whole lot different from Clinton, I think you’re going to be a bit unhappy with him. I see him as being a moderate Republican type (the olden days Republicans – like Eisenhower – not whatever it is that party seems to have turned in to).
There’s really nothing about his brief political career or his campaign that would lead me to think he’ll be substantially different from Clinton (either one of them; if you look at their records, they are virtually indistinguishable.
I also wouldn’t expect to see Obama appoint any flaming liberals to SCOTUS. Nice, safe, moderates who respect Roe is about all we’re likely to see.
I think Hillary would make a good SoS (Richardson has an excellent resume as well). She’s quite well liked outside of the US, and reportedly was used rather extensively in ‘back door’ (insert anal sex joke here) diplomacy when Bill was preznit. I think I’d prefer to see her as Senate Majority Leader, but she doesn’t really have the seniority at this point, and would probably have to work her way up. She can probably get some pretty good committee chairmanship by backing the right dog in the next fight for Majority Leader. She’s also been very well respected as our Senator here in NY, and I would like to see her stay on in that capacity. She’s earned the respect of the Republican-leaning Upstate NY areas, and is loved by union people, teachers, nurses – pretty much everybody.
The Clinton people know where all the phones are located if there’s ever a 3:00 am ring.
:billcat: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sZmZeeZZNuE&feature=related :cat:
I think you’re right, PJ. Obama is not a great liberal, but he’s not a Rethug. He’s a moderate Dem. I will be OK with moderates appointed to the court, because I never expected more. I am hoping for healthcare. That is one of the most glaring problems here is Rethug
heavenhell. If we get near universal coverage, it will be far from perfect but a lot better than the ridiculous system(?) we have now.Cross burnings. Schoolchildren chanting “Assassinate Obama.” Black figures hung from nooses. Racial epithets scrawled on homes and cars.
Incidents around the country referring to President-elect Barack Obama are dampening the postelection glow of racial progress and harmony, highlighting the stubborn racism that remains in America.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/11/15/presidential-election-spu_n_144095.html
Heart and Soul from the Beeb
Lily Dale is a small village in the rolling hills of southwestern New York state in America – it’s the home base of Spiritualism – a uniquely ‘made-in-America’ religion in which communication with the dead is both desirable and possible.
Audio link
Wow, Vern! :yippee:
That’s awesome!!! :pup: :reaper: Thanks!
Let’s do a Morning Seditionist Meet Up at Lily Dale in 2009!
:reaper: :nixon: :reaper: :dancers:
Re:11
Well, I hope that all this racism bubbling to the surface will be skimmed off. It’s always been inside people and like a good detox/cleanse, the bad stuff has to be washed out as it’s purged from the cells, blood and muscles of the body. Things will get worse before they get better. I’m seeing it in my own life and the economy too. This is our chance to evolve.
Clintonistas in the Obama administration are good. Think about it. They managed to accomplish a tremendous amount of stuff with a Congress so hostile it impeached a Democrat over a blowjob. These people are very, very focused, very competent and very respected around the world. And we need every ounce of respect we can get right now. Some of the Eurpoean heads of state would rather have tarred and feathers W then listen to his broken record on protectionism and deregulation – the very things that put the entire world economy in a deep, dark hole.
The flare up of overt racism will hopefully be a wake up call. There is so much of it that is hidden and buried. Maybe to actually have it visible for a change will help to start something of the purge Sue is referring to. Maybe some of the people who don’t think they are racist in any way will check themselves with this stuff in their face and recognize some of their own shit. Hopefully most will recoil at the ugliness and hate of it and re-double the effort to eracism as the old bumper sticker went.
Also, it might dispel the notion that wrongy gasbags like Bill Bennett have been trying to pass that O’Bama’s election has proved that America is not racist and it is the Euros who own that problem.
The new dog is coming home tonight. :pup: I’m excited. The room mate went up to pick her up because I had to work. She took Nellie with her to get her shots and check up because it’s cheaper up there in Tuba City. So, Nellie got to meet her new friend and was not so good in the vets office, but then was much better with her outside and now, in the car she’s trying to be alfa dog but new dog doesn’t care cuz she’s sedated.
Yay for sedation! :pup:
KP. congrats on the new pup and I’m glad Nellie got to see the vet.
If the dog came sedated, maybe you can name it Joey or Ramone or Ramona, unless, of course, it already has a name.
Vern! :rofl2: That’s good! I’ll keep it in mind!
I tend to like old lady names for my dogs. And names with a double consonant in the middle, like Stella, Nellie, Molly etc…
It’s so nostalgic to see music videos from the 80’s in the context of what we’re going through now.
New dog is home and Nellie is being very jealous. We have some work to do. New dog is very submissive but it doesn’t seem to be good enough for Jelly Nellie. Got some pics up in member photos, look under Lil Sweetie 1 and Lil Sweetie 2.