This is It.

Filed Under About my lover, Random | 1 Comment

The big trip.  I hit publish and I walk out the door. 1740 miles to go.

Blago appoints Burris for Good or Ill

Filed Under Barack Obama, Domestic Politics, In the News, Politics | Leave a Comment

If you’ve been following this at all, I doubt anything I say here will come as a revelation but here goes anyway (if it helps at all, at least I’m not posting a “year end” a “resolutions” or a “2009 predictions” entry).

Blagojevich’s appointment of Roland Burris is upsetting and wrong but neither as upsetting nor as wrong as some would have us believe.

The governor’s credibility is ruined and anybody appointed by him carries the taint of this scandal with them to the Hill. Legitimacy  is one of the many intangibles of governance that is easy to deny when your guys lacks it and absolutely praiseworthy when he has it in spades. Blagojevich is nobody’s guy right now which makes it really clear to see that legitimacy is a real thing and he doesn’t have it. Sure, sure, “innocent until proven guilty” and all that, but facts is facts, legitimacy, like charisma, is not based in the Spock part of the brain, but somewhere else. It simply doesn’t matter that Blagojevich is “still the governor.” He should resign and everybody but he knows it.

On the other hand, anybody who has listened to Blagojevich talk over the last few years (or even just the last few weeks) who thought he would actually resign was being horribly naive. He has an instinct to annoy that preceded and will succeed his ability to lead.

We also know that anybody appointed by Blagojevich should do the classy thing and turn down the appointment. Burris should have said that he was honored to be considered for the position but he knows that earning the seat via the appointment of Blagojevich right now, would, as unfair and unfortunate as it may be, prevent him from properly representing the fine folks of Illinois.

But that was unrealistic too. Blagojevich would not appoint anybody he thought would embarass him that way. We could have hoped for a misjudgment of character, but that was just hoping, not likely.

We could have hoped that Blagojevich would have heeded Harry Reid’s warning that no senator appointed by him would be seated. But that too was naive. Blagojevich has at his disposal  lawyers that know the Constitution the same as Reid does. He would have known that was a bluff. It is even possible that Reid’s bluff is the reason that Blagojevich decided to be a thorn in Reid’s paw. Of course, that’s just speculation.

The reality of all this is that as a junior senator replacing a junior senator Burris will have almost no power in the Senate. His vote is wanted but as a lifelong, loyal Democrat he’s likely to give it anyway. If he doesn’t (out of spite for not being seated in the Democratic caucus, for example) his vote isn’t required. Dems have a majority with or without him and they neither reach nor lose “filibuster proof” with or without him. He’s a procedural nonentity one way or the other, legitimacy or not.

The only real downside is that whoever got to takeover Obama’s seat would have a possible headstart come election time two years from now.  As a Democrat (and knowing the Dems will likely have several at-risk seats in 2010) I have a preference for a Democrat staying in that seat and so giving a Democrat a leg up would be nice.

However, the seat is likely going to a Democrat regardless. It’s Illinois and Obama is president. And, more importantly, from a purely theoretic standpoint, using appointments to give potential unearned advantage for an elected representative seems…really undemocratic.

What the whole Blagojevich fiasco does is highlight the worst aspects of the concept of the gubernatorial appointment system. It doesn’t really matter that what’s happening is technically legal it’s still really disturbing. And it doesn’t really matter that this is not what I would prefer for the reasons outlined here, but it’s also not the worst tragedy to befall the Republic. It doesn’t even rank in the top 50. (I woulde guess; I haven’t really counted).

The Last Midwestern Hurrah

Filed Under MetaBlogging, Travel | Leave a Comment

It’s the holidays, hombres y mujeres, and so blogging was going to be sporadic anyway but this holiday is more sporadic than usual. Events have conspired (a lot of them) to send me packing to the mesas. Amigos, I’m moving to Tucson, Arizona, effective in about one week from today–give or take a day or two caused by road delays.

I’ve already begun reading Tucson and Arizona blogs. I’m familiarizing myself with the norms and mores (that’s pronounced MOR-ays) of the great southwest. I’m reading history books and guides to plants. I bought a map.

While this blog’s calendar runs from February to February, the next to makeover will occur on January 1st (or 2nd) when I start talking about desert things along with the normal national and international things.

I suspect that I’ll still keep up with Indiana/Indianapolis news, but I’ll probably comment less frequently on it as I do now.

And I anticipate more pictures of murderous fauna.

It is not my opinion that this blog will suffer from the move in the long run, which should be good news for you 15-50 regular readers.

If you are familiar with the area and have good advice, specifically camping, hiking, music, food, and art advice I would love to hear it. I would double love it if it was cheap/free.

It is about freaking time…

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Now, where’s my moonbase?

Also, you should go ahead and click on the picture to see some pretty awesome other pictures taken this year…including that frightening one that starts the show.

[h/t Ezra]

You have to have Brass Balls…

Filed Under In the News, Politics | Leave a Comment

…this big.


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