| Topic: CJP | See All |
Pardon Our Dust…By CJP | December 18, 2008
In the meantime, happy holidays, Janes! Patricia, Nisha and Kate |
Janes, for the next two weeks, CJP will undergo a New Year’s renovation to switch over from Campaign 2008 to the changes coming with the 111th Congress, the departure of President Bush and the inauguration of Barack Obama.| Topic: Women in Politics | See All |
Family Ties a Common Thread in the SenateBy CJP | December 17, 2008
And last but not least:
And even though the Senate will loose a Clinton, a Dole and a Sununu, it will welcome two Udalls, Mark Begich (whose dad was in the House), and if everything goes according to some people’s plans, a Kennedy in 2009 and a Bush in 2010. Beyond the Senate, modern American politics is full of the children and relatives of famous people with famous names- Roosevelt, Bush, Udall and Romney to name just a few. For women, having a father or husband in politics was once the only way to get into political office- the first woman elected to the Senate, Hattie Caraway, had been appointed by the governor of Arkansas to fill our her late husband’s Senate term when he died in 1931. Our point is this: When people say naming a Kennedy to the Senate seat is “un-American,” we say a gander at American history tells us that’s just not so. |
As Caroline Kennedy receives criticism for having nothing more than a last name to qualify her for the U.S. Senate, what better time to review who, currently serving in the Senate, had a parent or spouse in the family business before getting their start, in no particular order: | Topic: Morning Jane | See All |
Wednesday Morning JaneBy CJP | December 17, 2008
It’s not so hard, Bag Lady! We’ll show you how. And we’ll even throw in news about the world beyond 5th Avenue for free (we think you need it). We call it the Morning Jane… Top Domestic Story: The stupid economy, stupid.
Top International Story: OPEC will announce its largest ever cut in oil production today to battle the still sliding price of oil. Oil dropped to near $40/ barrel last month, but the King of Saudi Arabia said he thinks $75/ barrel is a “fair” price. CJP doesn’t remember him saying that when oil was at $140. Just sayin’. [Times of London] An aide to Jesse Jackson, Jr. has said that the Congressman, a.k.a. Senate Candidate #5, is a whistleblower in the Blago case, having called investigators to report the governor told him he had not appointed Jackson’s wife to a job because Jackson would not raise enough money for his troubles. [New York Times] The best way to ruin a perfectly good inaugural ball is to walk in and see another woman wearing your dress. To avoid such a calamity, one man has created DressRegistry.com, an online tool to see if anyone is wearing the black Ralph Lauren to the Commander-in-Chief’s ball (she is- keep shopping!) [Washington Times] Boy George, you never disappoint. [Daily Mail] |
Good morning, Janes! Today’s | Topic: Morning Jane | See All |
Covering Obama, with Christina BellantoniBy CJP | December 16, 2008
Bellantoni has been with the Times for five years, working her way up from covering Virginia politics to covering Congress to following the Obama campaign for nearly two years. Beginning in January, she’ll complete a team of three covering the Obama White House for the Times. She sat down with CJP recently to enlighten us about the presidential pool report, or for our purposes, the president-elect protective pool assigned to Barack Obama. The pool process is a system of rotating reporters from different outlets to ensure that a print, radio, television and wire service reporter be with the president-elect at all times. Bellantoni took her turn as “the scribbler” recently, and told us about reporting for the pool, covering Obama in 2008, and whether she thinks Obama will get a honeymoon from the press or whether the honeymoon’s already over… To read Bellantoni’s stories every day, you can pick up a copy of the Times, or check out her blog on the WashingtonTimes.com. |
| Topic: We digress | See All |
The ‘Beck has a Beef with the BushesBy CJP | December 16, 2008
“Every year I wait by the mail for Christmas cards- I love Christmas cards, I love getting them, I put them up all over the house. For the past few years, I’ve gotten a nice invitation to the White House Christmas party. Not the big one, but like, the 20th one down the road where you get the leftovers at the party….(pause)…No invitation this year. “Maybe I didn’t do ENOUGH for the Republican party this year? You’re always asking me to maybe see the otherside of things, and today, I am with you Joy. Only today, on this one subject. But I am a little miffed– not that I would have had time to go to that party anyway– I have my own cookies and chocolates to make…” Learn from Rosie, RNC! Don’t hassle the ‘Beck. |
| Topic: Morning Jane | See All |
Tuesday Morning JaneBy CJP | December 16, 2008
Now that you know about politics in history, let’s get you up to speed on what’s happening today. Here’s your Morning Jane… Top Domestic Story: Washington, 2009
Top International Story: Five sticks of dynamite were found in a restroom of the Paris department store, Printemps, this morning. A note sent to the French news agency Agence France Presse threatened violence in France if French troops are not removed from Afghanistan. Yikes. [BBC for English and Le Monde for French] As impeachment proceedings moved forward in Illinois, First Lady Patti Blagojevich has sent a note to her neighbors. “My husband and I would like to apologize to you and your family for the media barrage that descended on our neighborhood. While we signed up for this kind of attention by choosing a life in public service, you didn’t…” See the whole letter at the Chicago Tribune. Sarah Palin’s church was torched over the weekend in what authorities said was most likely arson. Sunday services were moved to Wasilla Middle School, but a congregant said, “I didn’t sense from a single person or hear from a single person that anybody felt we were somehow compromised now without our building.” [Anchorage Daily News] Oh gals. We could NOT be more excited. [Atlanta Journal Constitution] |
Good morning, Janes! Today is the 225th anniversary of the Boston Tea Party, the day that American colonists, led by Sam Adams, protested British rule by tossing crates of English tea into the Boston harbor. More than two centuries later, the British and Americans are fast friends, Sam Adams has a beer named after him, and we all pay $3 for a cup of Indian tea at Starbucks. Funny how it all works out. | Topic: Senate | See All |
Senator Kennedy, in a Skirt?By CJP | December 16, 2008
Said one to the Daily News, “(Kennedy) has not demonstrated the qualifications or the experience for the position, and I think what’s critical here to focus on for a moment is we have an extraordinary spectrum of candidates who have truly demonstrated how they serve New York state and serve the country.” Ironically, CJP remembers very similar critiques of then-First Lady Hillary Clinton when she declared her interest in the New York Senate seat before her husband was out of office. One New York city council woman called on Clinton to drop out of the 2000 race, declaring, “She’s not from the state, and she doesn’t have this instinctive feeling for New Yorkers.” A New York P.R. guru added of candidate Clinton, “She has to strike a balance between Hillary the diva and Hillary who really wants your vote… Stardom is important in New York, but super stardom can be a problem.” We’re not taking a position on this one, but you totally should. Vote in the latest CJP poll to the right and tell us: Should Caroline Kennedy be the next senator from New York? |
We hear this morning that Caroline Kennedy is not only under consideration for the New York Senate seat being vacated by Hillary Clinton, but that, some supporters of Clinton think Kennedy is not qualified to take the seat.| Topic: Amendment-a-Day | See All |
Barack Obama Wins Presidency TodayBy CJP | December 15, 2008
But hasn’t Obama already been elected, you ask? Not officially. That’s because of the quirk in American democracy known as indirect election of the president by the Electoral College. Even though we all voted on Election Day in November, the U.S. president is officially chosen by members of the Electoral College, who technically can vote for whomever they choose, but in practice, vote based on the popular vote in their states, winner take all. The Constitution says that electors will meet on “the first Monday after the second Wednesday in December,” (that’s today) in all fifty states and the District of Columbia to cast their votes for president. The National Archives has a full rundown of how the process works, including the relationship of the popular vote from Election Day to the electors’ votes today, the number of electors in each state, details of Certificates of Ascertainment, and other bits of arcania that only a Jane could love. If you want to see the action live, and we know you do, then click on over to CSPAN.org, where they’re tracking developments in all 50 states, plus D.C.. One to watch will be in Virginia’s state capitol, the building that was once the seat of the capital of the Confederacy, and will today see Virginia elect the first African American to the presidency. The last two years have all led up to this, so really it’s history in the making, gals… |
No, that’s not an old headline- it’s hot off the CJP presses. | Next |