As President Obama prepares for his meeting tomorrow with Senators at the White House to discuss clean energy and climate change legislation, he might want to check with the White House staff on an important matter first. No, not the details of the legislation, although that’s important of course. Instead, what President Obama might want to make absolutely sure about is the non-trivial matter of whether the White House air conditioning is in tip-top shape. I say “non-trivial,” but these days it’s more like “life or death.” How hot is it in the Washington, DC area? As NBC Washington puts it, “We’re Talking Spontaneous Combustion.”(UPDATE: it’s more likely this is apocryphal than literally true, but it sure feels like plants could catch on fire these days in Washington, DC!)

You lost my vote, hoss, I’m done with you, and Feinstein, Boxer and Matsui, too.

a diary asking others to have their Senators address Senate bill S372

Government regulators are like the referees in any sports game. They are supposed to make sure there is fair competition and everyone plays by the rules. Without refs you can’t really have a fair game, you would pretty much have anarchy.

So, for example, if Toyota is making cars that speed out of control until they crash, you would need a government regulator or ref to make sure that doesn’t happen. We also need refs to make sure that the food we eat is safe and the drugs we take don’t kill us.

The media spent a full day on Monday, January 11th, dissecting and reconstructing the surface meaning of Sen. Harry Reid’s remarks on Obama, which most pundits and political leaders have characterized as racist. But was the comment really racist? Was it correct but said the wrong way? Does it mater how it was said? And how much more damage did the media do to the public’s already existing inability to unflinchingly address and discuss real issues concerning race?

PCCC PETITION TO PROGRESSIVE SENATORS RUSS FEINGOLD, BERNIE SANDERS, ROLAND BURRIS, AND SHERROD BROWN

Never doth a Senator pass up the opportunity to grandstand.

an effort to inform people of how the mechanisms of power are being used by those best characterized as religious zealots.

The fight for health care reform has moved to the States and districts as the August recess begins. It is time to get out there and let our Reps and Senators know what we think. This post gives some advice on making your time there most effective.

We are unlikely to be able to keep Congress in session until they act on health care. This does not mean we have to let them forget about it for a whole month.