Comment away-I will update the Minnesota recount in a bit.

Happy New Year

UPDATED 10:15  CST  I don’t really have time or inclination right now to update the Minnesota recount.  Somehow they recounted a ballot the other day and Franken dropped from +50 to +49.  Here is the Startribune site for news

http://www.startribune.com/

I did the regular site and not for a specific story as I have been checking this site daily for news and I have become quite enamored with news in the Twin Cities.  There is a great story there about a city worker from rural Polk county.  He was clearing roads on his snowplow when he decided to help clear a path to the boat ramp to help ice fisherman.  Well as he was going downhill the snowplow rolls onto the ice and then broke through the ice. The Plow sinks  to the bottom of the lake.  I guess at some point the driver decided not to go down with the ship.  The city fired him for this error after 28 years of employment. 

Then few days ago there was a riot at a roller rink in Coon Rapids Minnesota which is in suburban Anoka county.  This town has 65,000 people.   I can only assume that Minnesota like Tennessee is bountiful in raccoons.

Sorry for being late but I had to wash the dishes plus family & work time.   No recount update tonight.  Its way too complicated to rush so perhaps tomorrow.  Let me put it this way Minnesota is trying to define what the words “wrong” and “error” mean.

 Talk about error.  Gov. Bagman has appointed Roland Burriss to the US senate or has he? Senator Reid vows not to seat Burriss even as its clear that he is not a weak or tainted choice.  Obama supports Reid and I suspect that’s the end of it. 

 Okay its the 1st over/under.  Tim Russert.  Tim was okay, but really does he deserve all the hoopla  when he died?  Now many year end reviews (certainly at NBC and MSNBC) have him listed 1st or second or in the top ten.  I mean in the political world Jesse Helms died, Bill Buckley and Solzhenitsyn.   So Russert to me is way over estimated.  Am I wrong or what?

 Brett Favre-over/under ?  Mercy this guy has been taken huge hits over all the sport blogs-talk radio-newspapers.  Were the Jets Super Bowl contenders last year?  I think they were 4-12.  This year they went 9-7 and by my Delbov curve calculation thats +5 games.  They were often the center of the football world and just missed the playoffs.  I say way under estimated   for Favre and if he does not return look for a 4-12 for the Jets in 2009.

As long as I can remember there has been articles on those pass during a given year at the end of the year.  The LA Times has a great section devoted online to the 2008 deaths 

http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-obits08,0,5839617.htmlstory

I love the old movies so I will comment a little on a few of the giants who passed in 2008

Paul Newman recently died and what a great actor and human being he was.  Its hard to know where to start looking at his movies but perhaps just consider the letter “H” as in “HUD”, “Hombre”, “Hustler” and “Harper”.  Great flicks and “HUD” actually led to the creation of a cabinet department. Who forget “Cat on a hot tin Roof” or “Cool Hand Luke”.  Or the two Redford match-ups in “Sundance” and “Sting”.  Great stuff.  So buy some Newman’s Own salad dressing or his popcorn and rent some DVD’s.  Newman by the way a dedicated liberal who very active in CT’s politics. 

Next is Charlton Heston.  One could argue that his 1st few movies were nearly impossible to top as he soared in deMille’s “Greatest show on earth” and “Ten Commandments”.  Of course ”Ben Hur” gives new meaning to the word epic.  If you want to know what Film Noir is watch “Touch of Evil”.  Or how about “Planet of the Apes” and the primal scream at what electing democrats to office do to the world.   Two other movies that foreshadow the future under liberalism are “Omega Man” and “Soylent Green” . I could go on and on.  Heston was the classic Hollywood liberal for many years as he help organized the movie industry for JFK.  He marched with Dr. King in DC and was  mourner at the funeralof RFK.  Heston believed in all ten of the amendments in the bill of rights and devoted much time to the right to bear arms.  Watch the “Omega Man” flick and you can that guns come in handy in the future. 

Then comes Richard Widmark.  His a tier below Newman and Heston but I have always enjoyed his movies.  Put a hat on that man or a uniform or make him a cowboy.  It just seemed in whatever role he had Widmark was worth watching. 

Finally this month Van Johnson died.   Johnson was tall and good looking as well as a great actor.  He did okay singing and dancing, but his handsome looks and smiles just said “MGM movies-1940’s”.  Watch “a guy named Joe” or “30 seconds over Tokyo” or “last time I saw Paris”.    For drama go see “The Caine Mutiny” with Bogart as Captain Queeg. 

For those who are not classic movie fans I say just wait as you will be one day.  Pardon the pause from politics.  I see a few new movies as the kids have to be  escorted or dragged to them.  I wonder just what Hollywood is thinking these days?  Oh its just not politics, but lousy movies seem so common these days.  Give me good old black and white  movies any old day.

PS  there is a little good nature politcal ribbing in this post.  Tongue in cheek is the word. 

Is it too soon to speculate as to what the 1st 100 days of the Obama Presidency will be like?  To date Barack has put together what seems like an experienced and savvy team.  His economic team is experienced and has lots of wall street and treasury years.  Where he has Washington outsiders (education and Energy) we were not looking for much new stuff from them so those picks seem okay.  As far as Defense and Foreign policy there seems to be continuity in the Clinton/Bush eras.  Fairly seamless there in fact.

 So the big Obama push will be economics and while I suspect Joe Biden is not exactly coordinating everything.  I think its safe to say that the Obama camp and congress are intensely negotiating this stimulus package.  I think we say a hint of the strategy over the weekend.  Dire times will require a big spending package.  I read reports of 10% unemployment unless we do something right away.  So look for lots of talk like that.

I did see last week that John Dingell is going to head up the house efforts on Health-care.  I wanted to say “Nationalized Health-care”, but the democrats right now are being cagey about that.  There is only so much political capital out there for Obama and I suspect the stimulus package will be the 1st and only priority.

I think the auto bailout may postpone or doom “card check” as political paybacks seem unseemly as Congress tackles more money for Detroit.  Perhaps even “don’t ask and don’t tell” is left in place as the military is asked to slide out of Iraq and perhaps move more into Afghan areas.

A crucial question is will Obama govern from the left or from the left/middle or from the middle?  Will we see a slew of liberal judges and liberal executive orders? 

Wait and see.  Comments?

Over night there was Israeli rocket attacks on Hamas strongholds in the Gaza strip. 

No big news on the Obama stimulus package yet, but rumours are that the states may be in  line for a bailout check.

Finally this is probably worthy of a separate thread, but it is a holiday weekend.  Census 2010 could have major impacts

http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/reapportionment-to-benefit-sun-belt-2008-12-25.html

The numbers are not set but TX may gain 4 plus AZ, NV, FL and GA gains one seat.  MI, MA, PA, NY, PA, NJ and MN should lose one each.   The numbers are tight and not set in stone.  This article does not get into all the projections, but OR could gain a seat at CA’s expense and SC & NC could gain seats at the expense of OH & MO. 

Generally speaking if you buy the blue state driving people and jobs away theory by having liberal/high taxing policies you can find some backup in this report. 

Whether Providence or just dumb luck here’s the story of Tatum Bell

http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/2008/dec/23/chargers-broncos-tatum-bell/?chargers

Yup less then two months Tatum was washed up as a football player.  He was hustling cellphones and cellphones at a local Denver mall.  This weekend he will starting in the backfield for the Denver Broncos. The Broncos are playing the San Diego Chargers for a playoff spot.  Tatum may be called upon with the game tied and its 4th and inches at the 1 yard line.  Or perhaps Denver will pass, but either way only in America.

On the flip side there is always this happening too

http://cbs11tv.com/local/stolen.from.veteran.2.895108.html

Yes some creep broke into this vet’s car and stole his Christmas presents plus his laptop.  Sadly this so common this time.  The thiefs are out there working overtime to take your stuff.  Yet you read stories like this too

http://www.freep.com/article/20081223/NEWS01/812230369?imw=Y

Some kind souls get money from their credit union, then gets a police escort and hands out money to those who are in need.  I prefer to think that many more people are like the Secret Santas then the hoods looking for loot.