A follow-up to this post, with the technologically savvy Obama team meeting the constraints of federal bureaucracy:
What does that mean in 21st-century terms? No Facebook to communicate with supporters. No outside e-mail log-ins. No instant messaging. Hard adjustments for a staff that helped sweep Obama to power through, among other things, relentless online social networking."It is kind of like going from an Xbox to an Atari," Obama spokesman Bill Burton said of his new digs.
Welcome to life with the feds, Bill. Trust me, it won't change quickly between the lovely combination of outdated laws & regulations - about which Congress could care less - coupled with bureaucratic inertia.
Meanwhile, back home we can watch the continued stark differentiation between the rhetoric of the gubernatorial campaign trail versus the reality of addressing a well over $6 billion budget shortfall. Essentially, the lion's share of the evil budget policies for which Dino Rossi was pilloried as an insensitive demon will come to pass...because Frank Chopp knows what a massive tax hike would mean for a number of members of his caucus.
Posted by Eric Earling at January 22, 2009 08:48 AM | Email ThisI'm not sure how many singles or families there are in Washington, but the Washington population is about 6.4 million total, so that number of families and singles is in the ballpark.
Posted by: Stuart Jenner on January 22, 2009 09:02 AMMany people are not careful of what they put in those messages.
Ergo, hand signals rule the day.
Posted by: swatter on January 22, 2009 09:05 AMGood luck.
Posted by: Jeff B. on January 22, 2009 11:36 AMIt's good to know that they are protecting the public from semi-trucks that have mud on the license plate or a burned out marker light.
Posted by: Vince on January 22, 2009 11:40 AMI also think you first point is a little vapid, considering I can find the EFF, the state Republican Party, and numerous conservative figures on Facebook pretty easily.
Posted by: Ryan on January 22, 2009 12:00 PMLegislation currently is before Congress that would reinstate a federal communications policy known as the "fairness doctrine." The legislation, entitled the "Fairness in Broadcasting Act of 1993," is sponsored in the Senate (S. 333) by Ernest Hollings, the South Carolina Democrat, and in the House (H.R. 1985) by Bill Hefner, the North Carolina Democrat.
http://www.heritage.org/research/regulation/em368.cfm
Posted by: Hellpig on January 22, 2009 12:32 PMAnd no, I haven't been stopped in years and years.
Posted by: Saltherring on January 22, 2009 01:18 PM:)
Posted by: Truth Teller on January 22, 2009 02:51 PMMost of us hope that Obama will turn into the leader we can support, with policies that move America in the direction our Founding Fathers hoped. But one thing that Obama will never face in a nation where the Pravda media is his biggest fan, is the kind of venom that President endured for 8 years while trying to be civil and mend the polarization driven by the irrational and sometimes outrageous actions and comments from the left.
Karl Rove himself became a target of this venom, and generally for no better reason that being an effective advocate of the president and being good at defeating the left on policy matters. So there is little doubt that many will assault his comments on this presidency, simply because they must to remain consistent. But for those that would like to read a version of history quite different than that of the Pravda media and the Obama worshipers, this column today in the Wall Street Journal is that record of Bush achievements.
Bush Was Right When It Mattered Most
For you Bush-haters out there, there can be no doubt that your belief systems will suppress any chance that you can give Bush credit for anything, but we all know all to well that Liberalism is a mental disorder. So if it makes you feel better...
Posted by: Reality on January 22, 2009 03:12 PMBut, that is well and good and fits the "transparency" stuff. But, Obama still hasn't shown that blasted birth certificate that is under lock and seal and can't be looked at. I know it is not an issue that will get traction, but the guy is for "transparency" unless it involves him.
Posted by: swatter on January 22, 2009 04:01 PMLike Clinton, most of the BO initial cabinet picks will wash out embarrassingly in the next 12 months, or less as incompetents at best, criminals at the worst.
Hopefully first dumpster bound nominee is world class liar and intentional tax cheat Treasury Secretary. As a 4 decade tax professional, this guy Geithner is tax trailer trash extraordinaire, and I apologize to mobile homeowners humbly and profusely.........
Posted by: Hank on January 22, 2009 04:32 PMIt is so nice to see unabashed Bush "love" on this site. I tells me that some republicans still have not learned the lessons of the masive defeat in November. Good.
If you think Bush was right on Iraq - then you have not been paying attention. The war was unnecessary - period. Iraq was never a threat to us. There were no WMDs (and even if there were, Saddam had no missiles to deliver them to the US). The other excuses for the war (to bring democracy, to stop a bad guy) are just that - excuses.
Over 4,000 of our troops are dead. Over 75,000 are wounded and can't get enough government help to get by. Between 100K and 1 million Iraqis died. Over 1 million Iraqis refugees fled Iraq. the war will cost us over 1 trillion dollars.
All for an unnecessary war. In the meantime, bin laden has regrouped and Afghanistan is worse than ever. Our former European allies won't join with us (after Iraq) to go after Afghanistan.
I call this an unmitigated failure.
The economy, the deficit, the stock market and the jobless rate are in the worst state since the great depression.
Another unmitigated Bush failure
The lack of reality (by reality) shows how oblivious some republicans can be. But I have to say thanks to these Bush supporters (all 22% of you), because you have created a semi-permanent democratic majority.
Posted by: correctnotright on January 22, 2009 06:53 PMWhen you spew total lies like this:
"The economy, the deficit, the stock market, the jobless rate are the worst since the great depression," it just makes you and your fellow BDS scumbags look like the total morons you are.
Didn't we learn you better after you looked like such a total asshat on the "how much Obama won by" fiasco of yours?
Does your mother know you're pissing all over the internet?
I mean, seriously?
@9 gave us an article from 1993, without apparently realizing that it was 15 years old.
@11 says that the Fairness Doctrine will be introduced by Charlie Rangel this June, even though he's political poison right now. He'll be a great rabbi for the issue.
@15 says that Pelosi supports it (with a link that isn't 15 years old! w00t!), but also acknowledges that she hasn't brought legislation.
There is no Fairness Doctrine. There is no impendign danger of a Fairness Doctrine. Those who trumpet it are arguing against a boogeyman.
Posted by: Ryan on January 23, 2009 04:49 PMI'm sure that if the Fairness Doctrine comes up in any way, shape, or form, you'll be on the front lines of demanding the President, Senator Reid, and Congresswoman Pelosi kill the bill, right? You'll pledge your support to killing it?
Posted by: Shanghai Dan on January 25, 2009 10:16 PM