Sometimes Dramatic Historical Events Are Perfectly Mundane

OMG! It's a miracle! In 1948 the country was at peace, the economy was growing, real disposable income was rising, and the incumbent president was re-elected! It's a miracle!

Sometimes I hate popular historians.

I Suppose I'm A Novelist Now

If one's definition of being a novelist includes "writing a complete novel" and then " starting another one the next day." No I'm not published. No my first novel isn't fully polished, or even ready to be disseminated. There's still quite a bit of editing to do, and I've decided to let it sit a while so I can take a fresh look at it in a few months.

But I did it. It took two long, often frustrating two years, but I have a completed story. No matter what, I won't be one of those people with a half-finished novel sitting in a trunk in the attic.

Obama Discovers Populism and Common Sense, Yay!

Or so everybody seems to think. Pardon me for being cynical, but I believe this more likely explanation is that Obama is just saying all of these things to rally his base and try to get re-elected. Once he is, I suspect he'll go right back to pursuing the neoliberal policies he was pushing before. You know, like every other Democratic president has done over the last generation.

It's frustrating that it's so difficult for people to realize that most candidates for national office, Democratic OR Republican, campaign to their left and govern to their right. We need to start holding these people accountable after they're elected. I don't care what Obama says - I care what he's done.

I feel this way all the time.

Underlying Political Dynamics

All other things being equal, the underlying political environment determines elections. Which means that 2012 is looking like it's going to be ugly ugly ugly.