Tuesday, September 15, 2009

And one more thought on Blanche Lincoln...

Why? Look, I disdain ag subsidies as much as the next guy, but the fact that Harry Reid agreed to put Lincoln as chair of the Ag Committee suggests that he doesn't take global warming seriously. That's my real issue here. Yes, I know, the position will probably help her get another term, but we shouldn't be working toward giving Lincoln another term...we should be mounting a primary challenge against her, to keep her honest if nothing else.

I suppose it's possible that giving her such a plum position gives the Democrats some sort of leverage over her--she loses her gavel if she kills the climate change bill--but I tend to think that these sorts of spots should go to hard-charging party members that have demonstrated legislative skill and loyalty to core principles, not to backbench hacks who haven't adjusted to the new (i.e. post-Clinton) state of affairs: that being a good Democrat and taking tons of special interest money don't mix. Or, they shouldn't. But, then again, Harry Reid couldn't even bring himself to kick Lieberman's butt to the curb when he endorsed the other party's presidential nominee so I don't really expect tough leadership from him. The wait for Majority Leader Chuck Schumer continues.

The Man, The Myth, The Bio

East Bay, California, United States
Problem: I have lots of opinions on politics and culture that I need to vent. If I do not do this I will wind up muttering to myself, and that's only like one or two steps away from being a hobo. Solution: I write two blogs. A political blog that has some evident sympathies (pro-Obama, mostly liberal though I dissent on some issues, like guns and trade) and a culture blog that does, well, cultural essays in a more long-form manner. My particular thing is taking overrated things (movies, mostly, but other things too) down a peg and putting underrated things up a peg. I'm sort of the court of last resort, and I tend to focus on more obscure cultural phenomena.