A Finish to an Historic Year in Presidential Politics

In so many ways, this has been an historic year in politics. Some good, some bad, some stranger than fiction, but mostly it has been good.

From a final Presidential race between a mixed-race political neophyte with a strange and potentially damning name running against an aged former POW who had already been counted out several times, to the first close-to-successful female candidacy who despite her struggle against the President Elect was still his nominee for Secretary of State, to an engaged and energized electorate in one of the most economically dangerous times in our country's history, this has been quite a year.

To celebrate, perhaps you would like to attend the Inauguration. Not well-connected? No problem. Just write from your heart and you have a chance. The Presidential Inaugural Committee is giving away tickets to those who write the best essay on why they want to attend.

Without a doubt, 2009 will be a very interesting year, if just to see how this great drama unfolds. But whatever happens, don't expect the same dog and pony shows you have been accustomed to from past presidencies. This Obama dude is one cool character.


This is our 100th and final Blog entry for 2008. A lot more to come in 2009 as the results of The Voting Booth turns into the Obama Presidency.

Keep it Cool in 2009.

What is a Senate Seat Worth Anyway?

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich is probably guilty of many things, but the most recent indiscretion and the one that forced the hand of US Attorney (and my former classmate) Patrick Fitzgerald to take immediate action was Blagojevich's attempt to sell the senate seat vacated by Barack Obama. In perhaps the most blatant and public version of "Pay to Play" in history, we see just how low a public figure can stoop.

However, we also have a great chance for an Economics lesson. If you were in the market to obtain a U.S. Senate seat would be a fair value? I could regale you with my Economic acumen, but we are all much better off seeing the analysis done by Leigh Caldwell director of think tank Intellectual Business.

His analysis comes up with higher totals than I would and seems to discount that Senators actually have to work to acquire these rewards or they will certainly not be re-elected. However his analysis that the most valuable part of a Senate seat occurs after one leaves the Senate is spot on. Which brings us to think about what other things are there that you would buy and they are more valuable to you after you relinquish them?

Another Senate seat about to be awarded is the New York seat being vacated by new Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton. In a totally different fashion than the Illinois seat, NY Governor David Paterson (himself filling a seat initially won by defrocked Eliot Spitzer), is playing it very close to the vest, but is close to naming his nominee. The most likely candidates are familiar family names, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo and Caroline Kennedy, but I wouldn't be too surprised if someone else is named.

Obama Appoints Clinton as Secretary of State AKA The West Wing Imitates "The West Wing"

Today, in a move anticipated for several weeks, but still stunning in many ways, President-Elect Barack Obama has named former campaign rival Hillary Clinton as his Secretary of State.

If this combination sounds a little familiar, perhaps you just need to venture back a few years to another election, but this one was only on the small screen.

In the second to last episode of the great TV series "The West Wing", President Elect Matt Santos (Jimmie Smits) offers the position of Secretary of State to his former campaign rival Arnie Vinick (Alan Alda).

Granted, Alda played the Republican candidate, not a challenger for the Democratic nomination, but there are many other similarities. I think it is telling to recount dialog between Alda's character, Senator Arnie Vinick as he goes over the offer of Secretary of State with his spouse:

"I disagree with him about everything...."
"You don't disagree on foreign policy. You think about it differently. You use different rhetoric but you agree on the objectives—"
"He just wants to take me out of the campaign. He's afraid to run against me again...." He looks at Sheila, "You really don't think I can win, do you?"
"Maybe if you were ten years younger.... It's not just your age.
Stevenson got the nomination twice in a row fifty years ago and he lost both times. You can enter the history books as maybe the last honorable Senator and a great Secretary of State. Or you can be the guy who just didn't know when to quit."

Interestingly, this episode was directed by Tim Matheson, who played Vice President Hoynes earlier in the series. No, I doubt Vice-President Chaney (or Al Gore or even Dan Quayle) had anything to do with directing Obama's offer to Clinton.