Our elected leaders in Washington, DC are finally, at long last, sitting down to examine how the NCAA crowns its Division I-A football champion. The Senate Judiciary Committee is examining the current system.
Luckily, a vote before the full Senate won't end up in a tie since there are only 99 Senators - if you're scoring at home, we still haven't figured out who the other Senator from Minnesota is.
Growing up, there were certain television personalities that were so familiar they seemed like family. Johnny Carson was one of these - I distinctly remember one of the few times I saw the Tonight Show when I was in elementary school, thinking that it wouldn't be odd to run into Johnny Carson at one of my grandfather's St. Patrick's Day parties. I bet many people felt that way about Carson - and about Ronald Reagan, too, which as big a reason as anything for his political success.
That type of connection is hard to forge, and the bond is strong enough to withstand quite a bit of stress - which is why folks who wouldn't otherwise agree with conservative policies voted for Reagan, and why Carson was the King of Late Night even if a joke fell flat now and then.
I thought of this when I read Judith Warner's Friday blog post at the New York Times. Warner recounts several anecdotes from people who share that level of false familiarity with Barack Obama and his family. From folks who feel a jealous respect for Obama's accomplishments to those that think about the activities of first family just a little too much, there's a similar connection that Carson and Reagan enjoyed.
Immediately, this has ramifications on the debate over the stimulus package - the bipartisan opponents will have a better chance of defeating something if they can hang it on the "Democrats" in general rather than on a popular and apparently approachable President. Long term, it means that defeating one unpopular bill will not completely turn the tables, and that opponents of the President's agenda won't carry as much momentum from one victory into the next battle.
Even when Johnny Carson bombed, people still tuned in the next night, ready to laugh.
Recent comments on the economy have shown just how much confidence we can place in our representatives. There are lots of companies out there that are failing or in debt because of irresponsible spending. Now that those companies are being supported by the taxpayers, President Obama and his pals are setting strict regulations - for instance, the people who caused this mess aren't allowed to give themselves raises. And they've come out strongly against those fancy "retreats" that are really just subsidized vacations.
It's good to see that folks with business sense are making decisions on the economic recovery.
The morning news was abuzz with video of President Obama's reactions to accusations that his "stimulus bill" is just a pork spending bill: "What do you think a stimulus is? That's the whole point."
That's refreshing honesty, and it would have been nice to hear the same candor last year when he promised to work with Democrats, Republicans, and independents. Though there have been attempts by moderate Senators from both parties to reach across the aisle, Obama's team of die-hards see no reason to engage in such niceties.
This may be a departure from campaign rhetoric, but it is consistent with Obama's "I won, you lost, I make the rules" brand of "cooperation"over the last two weeks. Despite the misgivings of fiscally responsible Democrats, he has a big enough cadre of his own team behind him and eager to push out a bill. "Has bipartisanship been a failure? So far it isn't working," claimed Chuck Schumer. The left has enough votes that they don't need moderates and conservatives.
Obama remarked last night that the American people didn't vote for "petty politics." It sounds like we're getting that anyway.
Some corners of the mainstream media continue to chide Republicans for opposing President Obama's stimulus/bailout/recovery/handout/train wreck bill. But on the day where the new face of the GOP will be chosen, consider this:
Opposition to the bill was bi-partisan, with 11 Democrats joining the Republicans in voting "Nay." The same can't be said for the support.
To celebrate the launch of the Congressional YouTube channels, Nancy Pelosi Rickroll'd Your Nation's Capital this week. Here's the video that has Washington talking:
You may not be able to see it by the time this post is up - YouTube has been cracking down on the use of copyrighted music, and it has already been removed once from Pelosi's official YouTube channel. But it doesn't matter. The video - which started with a couple of cats frolicking in the Capitol before launching into Rick Astley's "Never Gonna Give You Up" - has already made a media splash.
Aside from being funny and a good media hook, it shows the Speaker's office understands the folks who use modern media - Rickrolling is an older prank, but new enough to be relevant (it's no Dancing Jesus) and wholly unexpected from a federal officeholder. Kudos to Pelosi for running with what was probably the suggestion of a younger staffer.
That said, it's telling that the Democrats in Congress are harnessing the awesome power of online video to bring us images of kittens and Rick Astley.
YouTube is trying to encourage Congress to use its service by launching pages that aggregate channels from Representatives and Senators.
You read that right: a free video service has to find ways to encourage people to use its product – people who, every 2-6 years, spend hundreds of thousands (and at times millions) to buy time on television stations.
Some light reading for the previous evening: the Congressional Management Foundation's study on Communicating with Congress. I didn't get through it all but started with the parts for grassroots organizers - that's the part that directly applies to my day job.
Lots of discussion about communicating with Congress online deals with opportunities; the CMF deals with realities. For instance, email to Capitol Hill is so routine that it has lost almost all effect. If you're a constituent hoping to make an impact, it's better to put pen to paper than finger to keyboard; yet citizens are eager to communicate with their elected leaders online because, well, citizens communicate with everyone else online, as well.
It presents daunting challenges for Capitol Hill. A well-funded grassroots campaign can generate calls or letters; an organic movement is more likely to be online. The study offers some solutions, but 535 offices will have to come up with answers of their own.
