I’ve been working on a project here in Texas that I think many of you would be interested in:

BillHop.com.

It’s a bit late on a Sunday night to be posting a diary but I wanted to hear some feedback on a project I've been working on.  I think many here would be very interested in it:

BillHop.com.

It's wiki/ social networking site for state and federal legislation and policy issues.  It's been getting a bit of cyber buzz around Texas lately (here, here and here), and has much to offer this community, so please come check it out.

The Democrats will make gains in 2006, and we won't have to do a damn thing.  Increasing news coverage of corruption and scandal in the Republican party will corrode that party from the inside- out.  The disintegration of their leadership will hinder their ability to assert any kind of positive agenda.  Incumbent support will erode and promising Republican national candidates are likely thinking they should not squander their potential on a scandal-laden election year.

2006 will be a Bear Market year for the Republicans.

-And consequently, the Democrats will make gains in Congress. Why view those gains as ends in themselves?  Why not use the current political climate as a means to an even greater end? It's time for the Dems to assert a cohesive national vision.  If we can link our potential 2006 gains to a greater political vision for the country, we will not have only gained a few seats in the House and Senate, we will have pulled off a national referendum in our favor.

...For Senate?

What's up with this lady? I just briefly heard her chumming it up with ol' Sean Hannity.  They were just the best of buds.  She was pledging to support the President, while Hannity was pledging to support her.   What the hell?   It's as as if Hannity didn't actively work to take down the administration she worked for.  What's wrong with her?

As a moderately-known politico, she seems to be calculating to separate herself from other Dems with all this "working with the Pres" BS.  But if she were really  concerned with the well-being of her home state, it seems that she would question the admin's inability to respond to Katrina and the politization of the rebuilding which is now taking place (with Rove in charge).

If she's running for a LA office, positioning herself in the center may be a shrewd move.  Fine.  On the national level, I'm tired of centrist Democrats bellying up to the conservative media trough for their feeding.  Their asses are too big and fat for us to cover going into 2006.

This is from the May 8, 2001 edition of the Washington Post:

The article from the June 20 WaPo, "Tackling Another Major Challenge in Iraq: Unemployment," suggests that the insurgency has hampered the Iraqi economy (almost as if that's a secondary issue).  I would suggest that the opposite is true.  The failed post-war economy has fueled the insurgency and should be our primary focus.

Of  course, security is necessary to conduct the nuts and bolts development efforts that would enable Iraq to function independent of the U.S.  But a more well-thought out economic development policy might do more to hinder insurgent efforts than even the best of military strategies.  As we discuss pulling our troops from Iraq, liberals should speak more openly about strengthening our economic policy in Iraq by focusing on the unemployment issue and encouraging local control of development projects.