The National Hustle

With 100 senators, 435 house representatives, and literally thousands of congressional and Executive branch staffers running around Washington, it’s nearly impossible to keep straight who’s who and who they “pal around with” (thank you, Mrs. Palin).

Fortunately, the folks at WhoRunsGov.com have removed the guess-work from this process and introduced a valuable resource that “offers a unique look at the world of Washington through its key players and personalities. It’s your window into how deals get made and policy is shaped in the new Obama administration that is remaking the nation’s capital.” Continue reading

New America Foundation is a nonprofit, nonpartisan (some suggest post-partisan is a more accurate term) thinktank based in Washington D.C. with a satelite campus in Sacramento, CA.  The organization invests in new thinkers and new approaches to solving today’s most pressing issues.

I first came across New America due to my facination with this organization’s President and CEO, Steve Coll, after reading his epic detailing of the CIA’s Afghan operations in Ghost Wars.  I will almost certainly discuss this book in future posts, but in the meantime, I highly recommend visiting New America’s web site, which includes their Big Ideas discussing national policies for the common good, issue-specific programs, and their event schedule of speakers from all over the political landscape.

Continue reading

I don’t know about you dear readers, but I for one liked my celebrities a lot more when they were pretty faces, marginally talented musicians or drunken reality-TV stars. Now, it seems that I can’t get through a US Weekly issue (my main source for political commentary) without hearing about this celebrity or that celebrity who is in love with Obama and trying to influence my decision in the matter. Why do we care what celebrities have to say about politics? Continue reading