1. not quite a landslide. looks like several odious repubs including mean jean schmidt and the awful D-B brothers in FL have kept their seats, also charlie brown in CA losing to McClintock in the open seat.

2. how 'bout Louisiana? Landrieu wins big and McCain wins bigger. If you do the algebra, what percentage of white Louisianans who voted for Landrieu didn't vote for the black man?

But she still wants our money. Yesterday I got mail from the Clinton campaign. The big-print banner across the front of the envelope is "We're going all the way". No sign of quit in that message.

I was going to put this in an open thread last night but forgot. I'd probably have let it drop, but --

today's mail brought TWO MORE IDENTICAL envelopes!

Here on the shores of San Francisco Bay, we have a HUGE East Asian population. Is this news to anyone? San Francisco's Chinatown is a long-established community; Vietnamese refugees congregated in San Jose; new immigrants from all over Asia have flocked to Silicon Valley jobs.

So - the Lunar New Year started Thursday! This is an event big enough that even us anglos can't ignore it. Both major newspapers have special sections SF SJ; both major cities have parades. And both parades have interesting political issues. As a marching band musician for over 30 years, parades are dear to my heart. Over the break -- in step! Left, right.....

Topic 1: Starting Out

Since the gift-giving season is here again, you could destroy Christmas with beer, and no I don't mean by getting drunk at the family dinner and puking on your wingnut uncle.  Lots of homebrewers got started when someone gave them a kit. Consider it for the beer lover on your list, or drop some hints yourself.

Those "Mr. Beer" things are a waste of money. MoreBeer has a beginner equipment kit for $69, and ingredient kits are mostly around $25 per batch. Northern Brewer is another great source but morebeer offers free shipping. Most local stores will offer similar prices. All the brewer needs besides these kits are a big soup pot to boil in, at least 3 gallons, and 2 cases of empty bottles. Time from brewing to drinking is typically 6 weeks. Look for instructions at How To Brew or Brew Your Own magazine.

Topic 2: Chocolate!

Coming later this afternoon! Now I need to go get my Christmas tree.

And I found a link I hadn't expected to.
Bill, life will change in Hillaryland (free registration required).

I had read this godawful thing in print, and I'm surprised no one else here has diaried about this column yet, it's a slimy hit piece about the Clintons.

But the really surprising thing is the byline:

By Joe Blow
San Jose Mercury News

Nine California residents, including a retired California National Guard lieutenant colonel and a former Laotian general, were arrested this morning and accused of conspiring to overthrow the government of Laos, court records obtained by The Chronicle show.

    The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives filed a criminal complaint in U.S. District Court in Sacramento alleging that the men violated the federal Neutrality Act by raising money to buy military equipment including Stinger anti-aircraft missiles, machine guns and other high-powered weaponry that was to be used against "both military and civilian officials of Laos."

Here's a list I hope will start discussion. Without trying to rank them, I broke them into 8 groups - and discovered that by my count only 10 to 12 out of the 42 (counting Grover Cleveland only once) have done the job at all well.  Each group is in chronological order, not ranked.

Great: Washington, Lincoln, FD Roosevelt. They speak for themselves. I guess I'd rank Lincoln first, but these three are clearly the best of the lot.

Very Good: T Roosevelt (conservationist and regulator), Truman (his postwar administration set the foundation for 20 years of prosperity, but also for the Cold War. Integrated the military. Some condemn him for dropping the atomic bombs.)

Overall Good: Jefferson, Monroe, Eisenhower, Kennedy, LB Johnson. Putting these in order should be good for an argument. Many will disagree with me about rating LBJ positively; I think the Civil Rights and Voting Rights acts and the Great Society
were the most important legislation since the New Deal.

Talented But Infuriating: Wilson, Clinton. Like LBJ, they combined big positives and big negatives. Unlike LBJ, they couldn't get their best ideas through Congress.

Very Soggy Middle: Madison, JQ Adams, Van Buren, Hayes, Arthur, B Harrison, Taft, Carter. It's hard to think of anything they did, good or bad (and I have read plenty of history!). Madison survived the War of 1812, I guess not getting captured by the British was an accomplishment. Carter was the most ineffective president in recent memory and if he wasn't so nice I'd probably rate him "bad" (like JQ Adams he has been a great ex-President).  

Overall Bad: J Adams, Jackson, Tyler, Polk, A Johnson, Cleveland, McKinley, Ford, GHW Bush. Several of these were mentioned in some people's 5 worst, but I think they aren't quite as awful as those below. Ford would be up a notch if he hadn't pardoned Nixon. I'm conflicted about Polk - most liberals dislike him for starting a war to steal the best parts of Mexico; but as a Californian I don't think I should complain.

Unquestionably Awful: Fillmore, Pierce, Buchanan, Grant, Harding, Coolidge, Hoover, Nixon, Reagan, GW Bush.  

Unrateable: WH Harrison, Taylor, Garfield

Comments?

Even before American independence had been declared, let alone won, John Adams was telling us how to celebrate it! Talk about vision!

It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more.

First I'd like to thank the people who are defending my right to celebrate the way our Founding Fathers intended. The men and women of the military, serving wherever Bush saw fit to send them; and the patriotic Americans protesting the war in places like Fort Lewis and Washington DC.

Follow me to the parade...