BREAKING NEWS: A student has self-inducted himself in the Will Hall of Fame

In today's meeting with Howard Steinman, former student that went by the name of Kevin Tutasig states that his name is in fact Will, hahaha.

With Big Will and Little Will already taken, is there room for a Medium Will in the Hamilton Washington D.C program???

Attention job hunters

Freedom Plaza Last Week

Harry Reid on the rules of the Senate

Thought this was an interesting (if, for obvious reasons, partisan) piece.  Somehow I'd missed hearing about this rules change when it happened, but it seems like the right decision to me; then again, I am a Democrat.  But the Senate is so ridiculous and convoluted in its procedure that I think I'd still support this move if it was controlled by Republicans.

Joe the Plumber Files Papers to Run for Congress

Christie to throw his weight behind Romney

Is Dishonesty part of the Power Game? Checkout the Facts!

Mind boggling!

The Times They Are A Changin!

Should Dems embrace OWS?

California Allows College Aid to Illegal Immigrants

Because of our Dream Act Debate, I found this article interesting. California is now following in the footsteps of Texas and New Mexico and is allowing state-funded aid for illegal immigrants. Previously, they allowed illegal immigrants in-state tuition. The new law would affect 3,633 students, or less than one percent of the 440,000 students enrolled in the current school year. Thoughts?

Tampering With the Electoral College

What if state lines were redrawn based on population?

the faithless elector

Some states enacted legislation to ensure that electors vote in line with the party/popular vote, but nothing constrains electors in other states to vote for the candidate with popular support. Thoughts?

The Electoral College--Where the only voices that matter are in battleground states

Interesting article arguing how with the Electoral College system, presidential campaigns are predominantly based on electoral politics in swing states and not ideas.

Why WE need the Electoral College

Interesting article for this week's debate.
Impact Electoral College can have on voter turnout...

Obama, a loner president

I have never been a fan of Obama, I'll admit that upfront. But with my partisanship aside I had high hopes for him. I was hopeful that he would deliver on many of the things which he campaigned for. As a college student I was (maybe dumbly) hopeful that he would be able to jumpstart the economy and recreate a jobs market which would be at least somewhat more welcoming to recent graduates. I realize and fully accept that you cannot hold the president wholly responsible for the economy, as much relies on Congress and the president's ability to do business with it. However for the first 2 years of his presidency Obama had a favorable Democratic majority in both the House and the Senate. Even with the support of both sides of the Congress, Obama was largely unable to deliver significant tangible results for the American people. The comprehensive health care reform bill which I was actually in support of from an ideological standpoint was, from most perspectives, a failure. It failed to provide comprehensive health care to an entire population, leaving 23 million still uninsured according to the CBO, and did such at a huge cost to the American taxpayers. I agreed with the principles on which the bill was set forth and wholly supported them. In my opinion though the high costs associated with the bill, would only be warranted if the end-result was comprehensive coverage for the entire population.

The interesting op-ed article here describes how Obama has been an ambitious policy driven president but one who has been either incapable or unwilling to play the politics game in order to achieve the very ends he seeks. The article refers to Obama as a loner president who has a small group of advisers and not many political "friends" who will explain or defend his policy initiatives. Take a look. What are your thoughts on his ability to deliver?

Timely piece for next debate

No cookies, no peace!

OWS

Better slogans and signs, please.

Could Herman Cain be an actual contender...

... or is he yet another flash in the pan? Personally, I'm still skeptical that his campaign seems "serious" enough to win, but with the way this election is going so far, who know? If Romney were to become involved in some gaffe or scandal within the next few weeks, Cain could be in a position to pick up quite a few votes. The linked article provides some interesting analysis. What do you guys think?

DC Statehood a No Go.

If it were the Hamilton Program in charge, the chances of Statehood for the residents of the District of Columbia would be slim. In an informal showing of hands conducted at the end of tonight's debate, 10 of the 11 audience members sided with the opposition, citing a number of reasons as to why the Nation's Capital should not be granted statehood. Among them were the following:

-DC's adding of Democrats to Congress (2 in the Senate, 1 in the House)
-DC's lack of economic stability.
-DC's status as a small, urban center rather than a larger, more varied area
-DC doesn't feel like a state.

Although the arguments for statehood were not accepted, I do think the results affirmed the pro-statehood side's position that the motives for denying statehood are rooted in partisanship and discrimination and that these, as opposed to precedent and procedure of the past, are what keep the full rights enumerated by statehood from being granted to the 600,000 disenfranchised Americans in the Nation's Capitol.

What did he know and when did he know it?

Steve Jobs and American exceptionalism

Does DHS need fixing?

Leon Panetta, a Bureacratic Entrepreneur

It is always interesting to see a real-world example for our class time readings. We recently discussed how leaders in the bureaucracy exert influence in order to champion either their own agenda or the agenda of their immediate superiors in the executive. Leon Panetta in this New York Times article urged NATO allies to increase their own defense spending because the Pentagon is facing serious budget cutbacks and America can no longer afford to provide the bulk of military support for NATO-backed missions. Pointing to the relatively successful NATO operation in Libya, Panetta hopes to persuade our key NATO allies that it is their future responsibility to lead NATO missions rather than rely entirely on the United States for the majority of military firepower.

This is a perfect example of Panetta turning towards the East of his metaphorical Haas compass in order to successfully resolve an issue that is clearly important to both the Department of Defense and the White House. NATO allies do not directly report to the President of the United States and as a result they need to be persuaded to go along with U.S. goals and military objectives. The article also highlights how Panetta has chosen to expend political capital on an issue where he believes progress can be made without risking future influence with NATO and where he believes success is very possible. The Libyan conflict may have reinvigorated NATO as a legitimate military force at a time where many believe the alliance to be losing its legitimacy or necessity. Panetta hopes to continue the re-invigoration of NATO in order to assure greater world security. Always interesting to see how our readings connect with examples in the real world.

DC Statehood -- Not Without a Constitutional Amendment

Arlington Cemetery

Perfect DC day for visit to Kennedy graves, Tomb of the Unknowns, and home of Robert E. Lee.

On Saturday, I went down to the National Museum of American History, to see the Original Star Spangled Banner. I was in awe of the flag that flew over Fort McHenry and inspired our National Anthem. The presentation of the flag had brought reverence to the room, and I felt humbled to view it.

Unfortunately, I was not able to get a picture inside of the room, so if you haven't already, you should definitely go see it.(also its free)

Also in the Museum is the original C-3PO that Anthony Daniels won in Star Wars!
I also headed over to the Smithsonian Castle, the Botanical Gardens and the National Air and Space Museum before they closed. I'll have to go back to the latter two, since the botanical gardens has a 'jungle room' where the air feels and smells like Hawaii and I was only able to spend a little bit of time in the Air & Space Museum before it closed.
I also checked out the Grant Memorial up in front of the Capitol, which is pretty cool, especially with the reflecting pond right in front of it.

Finally, I went to the National Museum of Natural History, where they have an Imax theatre, where they are showing Transformers 3 on a 60x90 foot screen through the month of October. Unfortunately I was not able to capture the magic of 90ft robots and explosions with my camera, but it probably would have looked lame in a picture anyway.

I knew they trashed Chicago in filming the movie, but I had no idea that nearly half the movie takes place in DC. The robots wreck the Lincoln Memorial, The Grant Memorial(pictured above) and a few other places in the mall.

Black President, Double Standard: Why White Liberals Are Abandoning Obama

Electing President Obama proved that white Americans are no longer unwilling to vote for a black president, but Harris-Perry (HP) claims Obama’s re-election bid reveals a subtler form of racism is currently at play. What HP wishes to address is whether or not white liberals hold black leaders to a higher standard than white counterparts. HP believes this new form of racism, termed liberal electoral racism, “is the willingness to abandon a black candidate when he is just as competent as his white predecessors.”

HP chose Bill Clinton as a “relevant comparison” in order to prove her liberal electoral racism theory a reality. She detailed the two President’s records on health care reform, gay rights, unemployment, and rated their general effectiveness. Overall, she determined that Obama has been more effective than Clinton, yet Clinton was re-elected with “a general election result more favorable than his first win.” Thus, if support for Obama in the upcoming election is dramatically different from the previous election “it may be possible to read that result as the triumph of a more subtle form of racism.”

The President's fatal missteps

according to a GOP operative.

Is Congress buried in mail?

Senate clears way for China currency bill debate

Democrats & Republicans are working together to pass a bill that would allow the U.S. to impose tariffs on imports from countries such as China found to be artificially undervaluing their currency.

Some republicans argue that the bill would only start a Trade-War. At the same time, senator Chuck Shumer states that we are already fighting a Trade-war.

Would this bill encourage job growth in America?

Or would implementing tarrifs anger China and hurt the U.S. economy?

Can the left stage a Tea Party?

Has the absence of liberal criticism caused Obama to be falsely labeled a left-winger? Is he a true moderate that is simply misunderstood? According to E.J. "a real left could usefully instruct Americans as to just how moderate the president they elected in 2008 is--and how far the right conservatives have strayed."

Will this work?

Found this very interesting and to a point, insightful. Longterm payoff of importing shoppers: "1.3 million new jobs and an $859 billion shot in the arm for the economy over the next decade."

Good Call Mr. Secretary?

Bill Clinton's new political game "What is Clinton really up to?"

What are Clinton's intentions?

Should Clinton back off and let Obama govern the way he sees best?

Don't forget the rest of the world

If the focus shifts away from the economy leading up to the 2012 presidential elections, Obama will have several strong cards to play regarding his record on foreign policy and in particular, national security.

While republicans in past elections have played off the perception that their party is the stronger of the two on matters of protecting American ideals abroad, how will they go up against a President who oversaw the mission that eliminated Osama Bin Laden and helped topple a dictator in Libya without having to fabricate stories about weapons of mass destruction? I'd almost hope the economy stays sour.

Even Biden Admits Economy is Current Administration's Problem

Joe Biden admits its time to stop blaming George Bush.

His only hope now is to paint the Republican alternative as worse than what we've got now. Hey, thats an idea for a new Obama Bumper Sticker: "It could have been worse!"

New Hampshire in December?

Like 2008, Florida has moved its 2012 primary to January 31, a month earlier than the RNC's specified date. And now New Hampshire Secretary of State William Gardner is playing it coy, causing speculation that he will move the state's primary to December. According to Iowan tradition, New Hampshire's move could schedule the Hawkeye state's caucus even earlier.

Campaigning and voting around the holiday season could be awkward (though Newt Gringich would make a great Santa Claus). And early races risk losing delegates and relevance if the RNC disagrees with the schedule. But the earlier the GOP can get a presumptive nominee after a long, contentious, and highly followed race, the more time they have to rally their possibly fractured base behind their nominee, and proceed against BHO.

Is sizeism the last acceptable prejudice?