Wednesday, January 24, 2007

The State of the Union: Civil and Spririted

Except for that troubling few minutes when new House Speaker, Nancy Pelosi, seemed to get a mint horribly stuck to the roof of her mouth, the 2007 State of the Union Speech served as a showcase of how competing political groups, with opposing viewpoints, can work together in harmony. Following a unusually divisive campaign season, Speaker Pelosi maintained the traditional repect shown by Congress for the President. While she seemed greatly challenged by sitting up and sitting still, she’s fairly new at that, and really deserved an A for effort. Wisely, Speaker Pelosi has chosen to keep the television cameras solely under the control of the House; maintaining Congressional Dignity as well as making good use of a very cramped space.

Despite many comments on Senator Pelosi’s apparent problem with new contact lenses (hopefully, she’ll realize that there isn’t much to see during these speeces, and switch to glasses or just uncorrected vision in the future), from the tone of last night’s political exercises in DC, the nation is in good shape; people are talking about solutions; there is an air of civility. Hopeful signs, all.

In the aftermath of President Bush's speech, the Democrats couldn't wait to get their turn to speak. Sen. Barack Obama, the man who can’t forget the State who elected him fast enough, had his press release out before the President left the floor of the House. Unfortunately, his lack of experience in the Senate didn’t hold up to Charles Gibson's questioning and he seemed ill prepared on a number of the issues.

Sen. Hillary Clinton currently has no issues, just a request for the good thoughts of the American people before she takes a stand on anything. Jim Webb was selected to give the Democrats response to the President, who of course had no surprises in his speech. It's likely Webb made an number of exellent points. I wish I could remember what he said. Unfortunately, Webb's hidden message turned out to be why people should think twice before placing their faces into the hands of a cosmetic surgeon. Not to concentrate on appearances, I just couldn’t get beyond the obvious overdosing on Botox and Restyla.

3 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Agree with you on Pelosi, a role we've not seen her in, somewhat flummoxed. Just found your blog, very reasonable and even keeled.
wilmette needs more of you! I checked your link to how to aply for village board and it led me to WTTW. Just looking to see how much of a time commitment this would require. Help? Thanks, Madcow.

Jan 25, 2007, 12:41:00 PM  
Blogger Publia said...

Hi Madcow, thanks for stopping by.

If you think my blog is reasonable, Wilmette needs you to run as a Trustee! The vast majority of Trustees have both full time jobs and families. Most of the actual work is done by a comprehensive group of Wilmette employees, so I would encourage you, if at all possible to run. I have lived in Wilmette for a long time, and Trustees have not been resigning over the years over a work issue or complaining about the job interfering with their lives.Trustees vary in their involvement, and while it does take some time it is very worthwhile.

What the Wilmette Trustee job absolutely requires is someone who can look into the face of craziness and say "This is nuts!" We really need people who are dedicated to the village and its future who are able to realize that a good sales job does not mean a good plan. We need people who understand that a sound future means keeping taxes from soaring, so that older Wilmette residents, who face the financial challenges of retirement, can stay in their homes.

In short, we need people who are thinkers, and capable of analyzing a situation without getting emotionally swept up in it. Honesty, integrity, and ethics are really good, too. You can always write me at publia D0T padena AT gmail D0T com and I'll be happy to publicize your candidacy.

Jan 26, 2007, 1:42:00 PM  
Blogger Publia said...

Madcow, reread your post. I fixed the bad iink, which should have been http://www.wilmette.com/election/candidacy.pdf

It's on the Village of Wilmette website.

Very bad mistake on my part, and I am sorry.

Jan 26, 2007, 1:46:00 PM  

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