15 March 2009

a word from team u.s.a. economy

christina romer knocked it out of the park this morning on meet this press. she knew her history, she understood what caused the great depression and was able to articulate (there's that word again. will someone remind me what's it code for?) her knowledge. and she was confident in the administration's plan, and that confidence beamed off the screen, presenting a much sunnier vision of the treasury dept (we all know tim's ain't the personality you want in the media), that once the government gives the economy just the tug it needs, confidence will cautiously but quickly rebound. when david grilled her on the spending the government is proposing in areas where "maybe it would be better to wait", she smiled and said (i'm paraphrasing here), "i'm glad you asked. we have to deal with education, health care, energy, _to_ restore the economy, and it'll be a healthy change for the country." (or in my thoughts, the beginning of a new revolution. not just going green to chase after a buck, but it's because it's the right thing to do. fixing schools and bettering the educations of all so america can be the best and brightest nation on earth. providing health care with an emphasis on prevention (instead of all these goddamn pills doctors push on its patients (except my doctor who never encourges me to take that crap) - pills pushed on doctors by big drug manufacturers run by big greedy assholes (oops, off subject)) and living a healthy life because a healthy america is the most innovative and admired america. and cleaning our rivers, lakes, and air of the toxicity left by our use of fossil fuels, while assisting in the development of an industry (and a whole slew of new jobs) that will eliminate our need for those toxic fossils.)

i thought she did well presenting a good case for the treasury department's handling of the crisis.

p.s. i had an amazing day today.

~k

moved by a daily dish

earlier this week, andrew sullivan wrote one of the most moving posts i've ever read (seriously, if you haven't seen it, you should check it out http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2009/03/believing-throu.html ), and it's still with me.

it's not just that he's a disappointed conservative, but it's his pained recognition about being repeatedly beaten down by a party he can no longer call his own. his words, the emotion, the personal agony over what has become of his once beloved and ever-defended republican party leap from the page of his blog with such passion, it still weighs heavily at the bottom of my heart. his admission that, "I do not have liberalism's confidence in government activism, I do not share its collectivist instincts, I find its interest groups unappealing. I do not and never will belong," are words of man searching for answers to the question of his own identity. so painful and heartwrenching, so honest and open, so beautiful and authentically human.

'tis my goal as a writer to leave such a lasting impact on my readers...

as for andrew sullivan, i hope he doesn't give up on his party. i mean, i'm a liberal. i believe in government activism, i shares its collective instincts, and i am drawn to its interest groups. part of me revels in seeing the republican party crashing and burning in a tailspin of fire and confusion, and i am angry that they have the nerve to cry fiscal conservativism after spending eight years throwing fuel on the firey shores of lake deficit. but the american part of me appreciates that we have a system of checks and balances, that i can enjoy my moment of liberal leadership directing our country toward a place of better equality and more opportunity, knowing that the conservatives will get their shit together and launch a comeback just in time to keep the country from crossing a line too far left for a safe return to center. and the cycle will repeat itself again so that we will be ready to take back over, just when the right-wing nutbags have brought us once again to the brink of catastrophe.

if andrew sullivan sticks it out, he can be an integral leader in the right's search for its post-dubya identity. and i think he's just the guy for the job. keep on a keepin' on, andrew sullivan, your party needs your sense more now than ever before...

~k