Yes, this is a GBCW diary.  I know, the oldest and rankest cliché in all of Kos-dom.  Some personal thoughts and insights, nothing ground-breaking or incendiary.  It’s as self-indulgent as most GBCW diaries, and probably even more boring, so I won’t be offended if no one reads it.  

A discussion of Ron Paul’s candidacy and his unlikely support among Democratic voters and (some) Kossacks.  Parts of the diary involve ideas bigger than Dr. Paul himself, and raise questions about third parties and independent/"spoiler" candidates.  There are no links, it’s just me talking, so if you’re looking for literary-quality writing ... keep moving.

With the Democrats having handily re-taken the House of Representatives, and Nancy Pelosi seemingly firmly on her way to the Speaker role, the biggest question remaining with regard to leadership positions is: who will be Majority Leader?  The #2 spot in the House is an important one, involving elements of public leadership (going on talk shows, writing statements and press releases, etc.), cross-aisle outreach (when necessary), and behind the scenes arm-twisting within the party (overtly the Whip's job, but the Maj Leader does a lot of it too - look at DeLay).

A discussion of recent violent protests among garment workers in Bangladesh, along with the efforts of the 1990s to improve working conditions in the developing world, and conservative/free-market success in convincing the world that expolitation is good.

I wrote and posted this is something of a hurry, just because I hadn't seen any other discussion on Kos of what is actually a big story in the world of international labor.  Feel free to criticize, or to post comments not directly related to anything I said.

A discussion of the federal debt and how it has increased so rapidly, with a detour into the international bond market, and closing with a call for Democrats to make it a serious issue.  Some complex/boring stuff, so I guess it's not exactly light after-dinner fare.

I've drawn upon past economics research of several noted thinkers, including Paul Krugman, Niall Ferguson, and Ollie Curme, all of whom can give more insight than this diary could.  But the analysis is all mine.

Which means, of course, it could be wrong.