Oh democracy, you resplendent purveyor of joy. Only in a country like ours could a guy like this, a perennial last place dodgeball pick, get elected and rise up to be a respected, influential figure in government. Is there any doubt that Henry Waxman is the most powerful moustachioed man in history? (Disclaimer: Previous statement omits figures that were not leaders of totalitarian regimes or U.S. Presidents Grant, Arthur, Cleveland, Teddy Roosevelt, or Taft.)

He may not be nerdier than he looks, but he is a bit older than he looks. At 69, Waxman is a statesman, having served in the House since 1975. That’s right: 34 years of uninterrupted service to the country and fuzzy upper lips from sea to shining sea. He’s so money he ran completely unopposed in 2008.

Surprisingly, this glitz-less, glam-less guy is the hometown Congressman for the swank and superficiality that is LA. He represents California’s 30^th district, which includes Hollywood, West Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, and Malibu. Yes sir, you are correct sir: he is literally a Hollywood liberal.

Though, he defies that stereotype in many respects. He has a fair amount of street cred, because he grew up Straight Outta Watts, nearby cousin of Compton. He probably has more childhood reference points in common with Dre and Snoop than Michael Douglas and Elizabeth Taylor.

God, it must be great when he gets a call from Gary Busey in the middle of the night asking why the minimum wage is so low. And he has to take the call because Gary says those 3 words that no elected official can ignore: “I’m a constituent.”

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I have a bunch of friends who say they are Republicans because they are fiscally conservative, but don’t agree with the GOP on social issues.  Perhaps they should re-affiliate with the Blue Dogs, because that is precisely what they are: fiscally restrained, socially liberal.

These days being a Blue Dog is a big deal.  Suddenly, 15 years after their creation, they are the most influential part of the political spectrum.  As a coalition of what media outlets often label “moderate Democrats” in the House of Representatives, they are having a tremendous impact on what legislation comes to pass in Congress.  Chief among these is health care reform.  It’s not as simple as all Democrats jumping on board and voting in a bloc.  Only Republicans know how to do that.

As written in The Hill yesterday, “The fate of the House health care proposal rested in the hands of the Blue Dogs on Tuesday morning as the coalition review[s] the health care compromise offered Monday night by Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA.).”

Later in the day, Rep. Baron Hill (D-IN) said this speaking for Blue Dogs: “We’re not ready to support a bill yet. We’ll get there. We are going to pass a health care bill, whether it’s now or in the fall remains to be seen.”  Rep. Earl Pomeroy (D-ND) added, “I think there’s still a bit of daylight between the positions. I think the bottom line of Blue Dogs has not been met as of this time.”

Thus, today they have swayed party leaders to hold off on a full House vote until after the August recess.

Can they just get something done?  Why can’t they be more like Blue from Blue’s Clues?  Blue is so much more productive and upbeat.  Plus she solves mysteries. Read the rest of this entry »

At times it seems we are more interested in who is going to be president, as opposed to who is president. It’s generally easier to craft into an enticing storyline by pitting oversimplified stereotypes against each other and manufacturing a horserace that rivals the Triple Crown. Except from now it will take 3 years for us to hear “…and down the stretch they come!”

Nonetheless, Gallup (pure equestrian coincidence) is on the case, supplying the early odds we need to fill out our betting cards for the Republican primary race at OTB, Off-Track Balloting. A handful of these would-be nominees have hurt their chances worse than Barbaro did out the front gate of the Preakness. (Rest in peace you classy Colt.)

Mark Sanford, international man of adultery, is dead in the water, joining domestic adulterer Senator (hey, how’d a Senator get in there?) John Ensign of Nevada who was outed for having an affair with a top staffer’s wife. Well, what is there to say? At least he didn’t outsource it? Or, he’s not as boring as Harry Reid? Read the rest of this entry »

Remember how I covered Congressman and former naval officer Joe Sestak talking about how he was considering running against Arlen Specter for Senate in Pennsylvania?  Well, Sestak hasn’t even officially declared his bid but Specter attacked him anyway!  And of all things… for not being a true-blue Democrat!  This is astounding in its irony and lack of forethought.  Here’s Specter’s opening salvo:

“Congressman Sestak is a flagrant hypocrite in challenging my being a real Democrat when he did not register as a Democrat until 2006 just in time to run for Congress.  His lame excuse for avoiding party affiliation, because he was in the service, is undercut by his documented disinterest in the political process.”

It takes a certain kind of cajones to call out a fellow member of your state’s delegation for not being a real party man when you yourself have just staged a monstrous coup of overt political expediency: re-affiliating as a Democrat for the first time since 1965 to win a nomination.  When President Obama was 4 years old.  It’s true Sestak raised questions of where Specter lies on the political spectrum after the senator switched parties back at the end of April, but isn’t that a given when a guy hasn’t been a Democrat in 44 years? Read the rest of this entry »

I started writing feverishly about Sarah Palin when the news of her resignation broke, but then I cut off and thought better of it.

We have seen so many stories about her decision.  Perhaps I was not mentally prepared for another Palin media bonanza so soon (they take a lot out of you), rife with skeptical snarky segment teases and tired old puns.

So, for now I will just say this.

There’s a maelstrom around her, big as ever and less concrete than ever.

Her and her messengers did a frightful job of pitching how leaving her position of leadership positions her better to be a leader.  This was not a story that was sprung upon them; they made it, and thus should have prepared better responses.

Despite this, I am reserving judgment for now, because inevitably we will see something else happen with her soon and I am going to wait that out.  It’s part of a multi-step plan that will come into focus.  As Nancy Gibbs wrote in Time, “It’s important to note that Palin never said she was leaving office to spend more time with her children.”  The media is hair-trigger and pouncing on the immediacy of the story. Read the rest of this entry »