The end to this election saga means that Democrats will now have a 60-seat majority that should theoretically allow them to block filibusters and pass whatever kinds of crazy commie legislation they want. However, a key stumbling block to this new found electoral dominance is the fact that the Democratic caucus is a bunch of weenies.
Democrats will need all the votes they can get to pass the Waxmen-Markey bill, which is the country’s first set of laws trying to stem the tide of climate change. Tom Friedman has a great column today pointing out that, while the bill kind of stinks and it is absurd we couldn’t do better, it is critical that the Senate pass it and pass it quickly. If reading isn’t really your thing, his key points are that the U.S. government needs to do SOMETHING to prove it is serious about climate change and that this bill is better than nothing.
And we are back! Let me tell you, ANYONE can do year-end wrap up in the year they actually occurred, but only this blog can bring you on a nostalgic tour of 2008 with the distance and perspective that comes from the first week of 2009. So this week, now that the trees and “menorahs” have been taken down and the New Years hangover is over (replaced with a regular Monday hangover) we will be looking at some of the highs and lows of last year. But first! The news.
If you have really checked out over vacation and are only just coming back to the world, you may have missed that news that Israel has invaded the Gaza strip. Responding to the endless, if sporadic, rocket attacks coming from within Gaza, the Israeli army retaliated through massive air strikes and now with a ground offensive that has cut the strip in half. Fighting has left over 500 Palestinians dead (100 civilians) and a rapidly developing humanitarian crisis is putting millions in danger of starvation. Many experts are saying that Israel chose now to strike because they knew the Bush administration would support them pretty much no matter what they did. That has proven to be the case as the US has blocked moves in the UN to condemn Israel. This will be a major challenge for President-elect Obama when he takes office.
Your favorite, formerly bearded, New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson has withdrawn his name from consideration for Secretary of Commerce. Apparently, he is the subject of an ongoing investigation into political donations made to him by a company with massive business interests in front of the state. This might not be the last we hear of him; President-elect Obama has signaled that he is interested in reviving the special envoys to deal with global crisis areas. I am not sure but I don’t think that requires legislative approval.
Because Republicans can’t stand building roads or feeding the hungry, President-elect Obama’s massive stimulus bill *titter* will contain almost $300 billion in tax cuts designed to attract Republican support for the parts that will actually help. Cha-CHING.
Al Franken is going to be the likely winner of the Minnesota senate seat by a margin of about 200 votes. That is awesome in so many ways.
Well, the economy still stinks. Yesterday the stock market fell to its lowest point in 6 years. The drop was fueled by fears of deflation, which is when the costs of goods and services actually go down. Why is deflation bad? It represents the fact that consumers arn’t spending money. Companies will begin to take in less money and react by slowing production and cutting jobs, which causes consumers to scale back spending even more. Deflation is often an indicator of a depression, but you know what else it is an indicator of? BARGAINS! With goods and services costing less, you paycheck (or unemployment checK) will spread further. But what should you spend your money on?
A shopping guide including Gay Marriage, Missouri, Childhood Obesity, Joe the Plumber, and Guns N Roses after the jump.
I was a Gordon Ramsay skeptic for a long time, mostly based off of his crappy American shows on Fox. But these BBC originals with Ramsay getting hands-on with failing restaurants are totally addictive. Even better is Kitchen Nightmares Revisited, where he shows up months after whipping them into shape, only to usually find the establishments back in disrepair. Standard British series warning applies: it seems like BBC America only has ten or so episodes, so get used to lots of repeats.
9:00 – Friday Night Lights (DirecTV 101)
I feel bad mentioning this here since it’s only available to DirecTV subscribers (of which I am not one), so I will make it up by linking to a BitTorrent site.
9:00 – Larry King Live: Sarah Palin (CNN)
She’s still here! Alive and kicking! It’s pretty funny how these days Governor Palin seems to be in front of any microphone that someone’s left on, as opposed to a couple weeks ago…
Late Night
That British comedian character of apparently rising importance Russell Brand is on Letterman, that American comedian character of potentially waning importance Steve Carrell is on Leno, Tom Brokaw is on Conan, T. Boone Pickens builds a windmill on the set of the Daily Show, and Bob Woodward begs Colbert for a scoop.
So, you were this guy, and now you are having a bit of an identity crisis. After being part of such a historic election it is pretty hard to feel hip by pulling out the ol’ “You Have Died of Dysentery” shirt.
The good people at Pipeline have the answer. They highlight a t-shirt from creative visual agency Print Liberation. This is a political t-shirt that I can endorse (and hope that someone buys me for my birthday). Get one of these to impress the liberal ladies at your local bar/concert venue. Just make sure you get it soon, this shirt will go out of style as soon as President Obama makes his first deal with the Republican minority.
At only $22, this is not only a great shirt, but a good deal.
The Minnesota Supreme Court yesterday declared Al Franken the winner of the state’s hotly contested 2008 U.S. Senate race. It has been eight months since the November elections and both sides have been locked in legal battles while the state has gone without a second Senator. Republican Norm Coleman officially conceded the election and Franken will be sworn in next week. For those keeping track, Norm Coleman has now lost elections to this guy and this guy.
Well, the economy still stinks. Yesterday the stock market fell to its lowest point in 6 years. The drop was fueled by fears of 
