Everything Else

January 2024

What's Everything Else? 

It's national politics, so it's Washington, Democrats, Republicans, and Congress; it's issues and insurrections, candidates and curmudgeons, and incidents and accidents, as the song goes. 

It's what's happening with the Supreme Court, with state legislatures, and sometimes, things from around the world.

Both parties are fighting amongst themselves - progressives and moderates on the left, and 'normal' Rs and MAGA Rs on the other side. 

We're heading into the thick of the 2024 presidential primary season; we've got the least-effective Congress in years, led by the GOP;  and the Dems still control the Senate.  How ineffective is the 118th Congress? Does fewer than 25 bills sound effective to you? What about this: "The vast majority were uncontroversial bills that passed either by unanimous consent or with minimal opposition, including multiple measures to rename Veterans Affairs clinics and another to mint a coin commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Marine Corps."

Yeah, it's that bad. 

Are we still a divided nation? Yep. Are some (many?) pols happy with that? Yep. Do we have a solution on how to come together? Nope - at least, not yet. I can't solve the problems, of course, but I can try and educate myself, and others, by talking about things and trying to engage people - emphasis on trying.

Some of the long-standing recurring themes under the 'Everything Else' heading include

• TGIF. If it's Friday, I'll usually take a stab at a good week/bad week list. 
• Wondering on Wednesday. A popular theme, it's a (generally) weekly look at some of the head-scratching things that catch my eye.
• Sunday School. A recap of what I found interesting in the Sunday talk show lectures. 
• Poll Watch. This eponymous, randomly scheduledtheme tracks public opinion from a variety of sources and on a variety of topics.
• The Update Desk. Any story, under any heading, that gets a second look when new information becomes available. 
• Sunday School Extra Credit. When there's more than one can reasonably digest in the Sunday Shows, this is where I'll tackle the overflow.
• In Case You Missed It. I get it - sometimes it's hard to stay on top of everything, including blog posts. This is a quick look at posts from the prior week, with snippets and links. 

Drop me a line if you've got ideas or if you're looking for something that I'm not covering.