serious thoughts

in light of recent events, this post now seems rather insensitive. i set myself up for that a lot, i'd reckon.

as much as i loathed his role in and effect upon journalistic institutions in this country, by all accounts tim russert was a good and decent man who was loved and will be missed by many. certainly it is hard not to feel some urge to celebrate when villains die, but in no way should that extend to those we simply disagreed with or opposed. if the passing of any public figure is an opportunity for any of us, it should be one of taking a little perspective.

tim russert, rest in peace.

i'm back

that's right. in response to overwhelming demand, i have returned to blogging to make this observation:

gordon smith put out an ad trying to link himself to barack obama, which is a real dumb idea for all the reasons todd beaton details here. but beyond that, to bounce off an idea put forth by the fabulous nate silver, oregan voters tend to be either very, very liberal or very, very conservative. therefore, for a republican senator to try to link himself to the leader of the opposition party seems far more likely to repel the very conservative republicans of oregon then it would to attract the very liberal democrats. i guess he's going for the small sliver in the middle, but in such a polarized state one needs high turnout from one's base far more. in short, gordon smith is dumb and deserves the ass-whooping jeff merkley will soon hand him.

also, if anyone has an extra job lying around, i'd be glad to take it off their hands.