December 2002

Best Pop Culture References of the Day

ArchPundit December 9, 2002 No Comments

Goes to today’s Note:

David Greenberg’s must-read Washington Post Outlook piece on Sunday about why President Bush keeps giving jobs to star Watergate and Iran-Contra players was written, we assume, for two purposes: 1) to make loopy those Democrats in the El Sid Grassy Knoll camp ("We are doomed, doomed, I say!"); and 2) to inspire those in the Senator Clinton camp ("We MUST fight back!") LINK

It’s not The Stugots, but something noisy sure is going on in Vice President Cheney’s yard, and it’s rattling the neighbors. LINK

And really do check out David Greenberg’s piece. Everyone looking through my tiny window to the outer office thinks I’ve gone totally mad.

I said when Bush won the Presidency that one has to look for the silver lining. Doonesbury was great, and with this stuff it can only get better. And now we even have The Boondocks which, if MacGruder ever gets on schedule, should be a riot as well. If you can’t beat ’em, at least laugh at ’em.

New Secretary of the Treasury

ArchPundit December 9, 2002 No Comments

same as the old Secretary of the Treasury. For a party that celebrates Ronald Reagan, it sure is going back to the administration of the guy Reagan hated for personnel an awful lot.

Interesting Analysis on Fitzgerald

ArchPundit December 6, 2002 No Comments

Rich Miller argues that attacking Fitzgerald as LaHood and Hastert are plays into his hands.

Miller is correct. If they continue this path, they are going to build him up into a folk hero amongst social conservatives who have the better ground operation especially downstate. Andrew McKenna could well take the suburbs and lose badly in the primary. I have little doubt that Fitzgerald will win the nomination. However, payback is a bitch and a bruising primary fight for the man who refused to intercede in the Governor’s race between J-Ry and O’Malley should be expected to as a whole lot of hunka burning love payback. Fitzgerald had the chance to try and move O’Malley to the AG race to avoid a bitter primary feud and he refused.

The ICFST is in a circle of retribution between the Combine/moderate elements and the social conservatives. The only people this cycle benefits are Democrats. Keep up the good work boys.

Allowing the Market to work

ArchPundit December 6, 2002 No Comments

For too long state and federal officials have coddled airlines and given into their every request regardless of the effect on consumbers. From the ridiculous Wright Amendment, to Saint Louis and Missouri’s coddling of they dying TWA, to the Kansas City gate disaster, big airlines have received benefits when their problem was poor management. The Bush administration has demonstrated one of those few benefits for those periods when Republican administrations are safe, legal and rare by declinining United Airlines request for federal loans. Jackson is complaing along with the unions, but if United and the other large carriers aren’t forced to deal with their inefficiency, consumers will be hurt again.

Morons, absolute morons

ArchPundit December 6, 2002 No Comments

Via Jeff:

Wired reports the Department of Homeland Security sees Wi-Fi as a potential threat and will consider mandating security procedures. Right, like the government is going to understand the best way to secure proprietary networks. Gotcha. Sure. And I’m a member of the Party of Big Government? Not a chance.

Chicago Budget

ArchPundit December 6, 2002 No Comments

Benevolent dictator charges bring laughs:

Burke (14th) waited for a resolution honoring Ald. Burton Natarus’ 31 years in the council. Coincidentally, Natarus (42nd) had already planned to give his colleagues Natarus bobblehead dolls, a tribute dreamed up by a public relations company.

"This could be a new economy move for the Chicago City Council," smirked Burke, holding up his Natarus doll. "All we need to do is get these bubble [sic] heads to go up and down, say `yes,’ we can reduce the size of the City Council …"

Burke paused as the aldermen loudly booed. An expert at timing, he waited for Mayor Daley to finish scoffing, "Awwww!" "… from 50 to three!" Burke continued. "We’d only need three aldermen, one for each aisle, to start these things going, nodding up and down!"

Wrought Iron! More Wrought Iron I Said!

Just when I wonder if I’m too harsh

ArchPundit December 6, 2002 No Comments

The Chicago Tribune puts my mind at ease over trashing Pate.

Strategic Account of Judicial Politic

ArchPundit December 6, 2002 No Comments

Below Kevin asks for on-line references to strategic accounts of judicial politics. I’d recommend starting with this review essay by Epstein and Knight. Their book is also a good starter.

From there I’d recommend hitting the literature starting with Eskridge’s ’91 paper in the bibliography.
"Overriding Supreme Court Statutory Interpretation Decisions," 101 Yale L.J. 331 (1991)

Caldiera, Wright and Zorn

Other selected articles that I don’t believe are freely available on the web include

1998. "Marshalling the Court: Bargaining and Accommodation on the United States Supreme Court." Spriggs, Maltzman and Wahlbeck American Journal of Political Science 42(January):294-315.

This is only a small sampling, but they are the best places to start.

Wow, screwed that one up

ArchPundit December 6, 2002 No Comments

Frank Watson of Greenville was elected to the Senate Minority Leader position. Watson has largely flown below my radar so I don’t have much analysis in terms of his personality or interests. He does appear to have more of an interest in policy which is a good thing in general–not that I want any of those policies.

Geographically, it might be an important shift. As DuPage County grew, it took over the state Republican Party apparatus from downstate communities and suburban Cook. Suburban Cook has now gone Democratic, and DuPage isn’t as solid as it once was. With Cross an exurban legislator and Watson a true downstater, we may see an increase in urban rural tensions. This would not bode well for the Republicans because rural issues such as concealed carry and concern over suspect classification based on sexual orientation do not play well overall. Given Cross has strong Chicagoland ties, that might be overstating the immediate impact, but if the divide in Illinois moves more and more towards an urban/rural split, the Republicans will lose in an increasingly urban/suburban state.

Much to the chagrin of many in outstate, the county Republican Party operations have largely been hijacked by the Christian Right. If Watson is a continuation of this, the Illinois Republican Party may actually be in more trouble than even I thought in the long term.

What Google turns up

ArchPundit December 5, 2002 No Comments

Apparently Dust in the Light feels he is in need of an apology for my comments regarding his pot kettle issues over finding a white guy. Ummmm..actually, the strategy he kept pushing (searching for Arab/Muslim terrorists) would have been just as ineffective as searching for a white guy. Hence, he had pot-kettle issues. Unless he is still trying to sell the stale idea that these two clowns were terrorists?