Hey it's Friday. How about that. The New York City school district is closed, generally an apocalyptic sign given that this is only the fourth time in six years that has happened. The weather in the Big Apple is apocalyptic, however, as they are comparing the storm sitting over it right now to the "great storm of 1888." So, you know, it's big.

We, thankfully, are getting only the edge of that storm, which has led to wind gusts in the 60 mph range. If I turn up missing, just check down wind.

Oh yeah, and there was some event up near the White House yesterday too.

A summit on health care.

The Paul Krugman, New York Times take, noting that this whole reconciliation thing was used pretty recently - to pass two Bush tax cuts. That's also being called the "nuclear option." Somehow, I don't think people will care what it was if the bill gets done.

My own note to the reconciliation part: I am watching Fox News as I write this and they have a former Senate Majority Leader (Bill Frist) talking. He is saying it has only been used for things like the Bush tax cuts and welfare reform in the 1990's. In other words, bills that help rich people. I'm not sayin', I'm just sayin'.

I think it is safe to call this an opposing look at the summit (also, why is everything a summit now? Just like anything bad that happens is a "-gate". Can't we come up with a title?) Anyway, read the whole thing as it has some good political analysis near the end.

Yesterday, I was actually able to watch parts of the seven hour summit. Not sure how anyone with a real job would have been able to, which is another reason why this whole "transparency in government" is a joke. No one has time to sit around watching CSPAN. But I was watching at seemingly all of the times that Obama just admonished Republicans, including the whole McCain thing. Actually thought that his almost literal backslapping of Minority Whip Eric Cantor (VA) was great television. To Cantor's credit, he heard what the president said and turned his talking points into real policy issues.

The exercise was not pointless. Not by any means. It was useful if only to show how truly far apart the two sides are. Which is why I liked what Obama said in his closing statements, saying that the Democrats are going to push this through and then let the voters decide. Amazingly, that is how this is supposed to work. Voters elect representatives to represent them. If voters agree with their policies, they generally stay in office. If they don't, someone else usually gets a shot. Obviously that isn't how it really works, but it is supposed to. Elections matter. Or at least they used to. Maybe the will again.


Other links:

The Obama administration is quietly introducing its education agenda, using some tweaks in the No Child Left Behind Act a few weeks ago and things like this op-ed in WaPo by Arnie Duncan today. You'll note in the story that, in a shocking development, the president's student loan proposal has passed the House and...waits for consideration in the Senate.

New York Rep. Charlie Rangel, chair of the Ways and Means committee (one of, if not the most powerful committee in the House), got "Beach Slapped" according to Fox News. I'll just say what it is: Rangel was admonished by the ethics committee for a questionable trip he took. This investigation has been going on for a while now, but it could lead to Rangel losing his position.

Cool story from the Olympics and I also like the writer, Greg Bishop, who used to write in Seattle.


On this date in 1983, Thriller hit #1.

Also, it is apparently Johnny Cash's birthday, which means there are doughnuts in the office. Our resident Texan (who once told me he knew he was a Cowboys fan before he knew he was an American), dressed for the occasion, saying this is as close as he comes to a religious holiday.