You might have noticed that I’ve been rather quiet of late. My heart just isn’t in the blogging at the moment. Every time I think about a topic I might want to blog about a little voice says, "Well, who cares, really?" I’ve been locked in oppositional mode for so long that I’ve lost the taste for anything but GOP blood.
I need you to help me out of the slump. There are only two basic topics that seem obvious targets for my ‘fighting keyboard’: harrassing the GOP’s rearguard and riduculing their supporters as they deny that there is any retreat going on, and holding our own accountable as they take power. Both feel like somewhat limp beats for a blogger; one is too easy, the other thankless. I hope that you can give me some idea of what you would like to see at this blog in the future.
Would you prefer I focus much more locally on city, county, and state politics? Would you like to see more discursive essays on Democratic priciples and policies? Something else entirely? Would you like to see more guest authors weighing in with different viewpoints? I’m all ears… tell me what you want.
Geo;
Understood;
Thanks;
Dwight,
Sorry to hear about the passing of your friend. It doesn’t really seem to be germane to anything I (or anyone else in this thread) said, though.
Did you perhaps mistake someone else’s comment for mine?
In any event, my comments do tend to reflect my mentality, rather than yours. As one might generally expect.
-Geo
Geo;
Today my Funeral Home buried Bishop Moreno a lifelong friend to my family, and we are NOT Catholic, but do sit on the board of directors of Carondelet St.Josephs and St. Mary’s Hospitals. For decades friendships transcend religions and politics;or backgrounds. Your comments reflect your mentality not mine!
My solution was to merge my interests, rename my blog, move it to wordpress, continue writing and look to get more up close and personal info out there. In addition, I am working on bringing a few people that I know in as guest writers. That’s kind of keeping me going, some of that may work for you also. I also want to bring just a few more people to the party.
One final addition, I would put more dog pictures up too, that one is great.
I’m feeling less motivated to blog also, but in a good way!
I feel like I left it all on the field in the last days before the election.
I’m basking in the warm glow of victory!
I’d like set some goals for the coming year to further connect the AZ Blogosphere. Maybe an informal AZ Blogger conference?
I’d like to see the rest of the AZ Delegation turn blue. Franks, Shadegg and Renzi have no business being in Congress. (I just disagree with Flake’s philosophy)
I’d like to see Herb Paine get some more love from the DCCC, DNC and others.
I got more, but you get the drift!
Enjoy your downtime guilt free Michael!
I think Dwight might be a space alien. He has that space alien look about him.
I’ve had a similar slump, Mike. Between the end of the elections and the upcoming holiday season, I’ve scarcely been motivated to blog at all.
Fortunately, our State Senator threw me a bone this past week: I caught him editing Wikipedia articles. His own, his former opponent’s, former Senate President Ken Bennett’s and a couple of issue articles.
It’s not Watergate, but it’ll do.
Oh, do you happen to know whether it’s illegal to be editing your own glowing Wiki entry on work time and a work computer if you’re a State Senator? I suspect it’s not illegal…just unethical and tacky.
By the way, I agree with the other voices that have urged you to focus more on state politics.
Matacomet;
we are providing full medical coverage to 15 million illegal mexican nationals now soon to be 45 million of there relatives and family members once they are given amnesty by BOTH political parties!
if we want amnesty for 45 million mexican nationals (the total population of mexico) why can’t the mexican government help?
all I hearfrom Raul Grijalvia is how terrible Iam and the United States is for trying to get some kind of accountablity. Grijalvia is bent on pushing through the National Monument from Sasabe to Rio Rico where the mexicans traffic and smuggle, once established will forbid law enforcement and you and I from stopping them, creating a superhighway for terrorists and mexican nationals to use with impunity!
I call for Raul Grijalvia to follow his oath of office to defend the United States Constitution, or I will push for his removal on counts of treason!
Yup, the post-election blahs are upon us.
Hopefully it won’t be too long before it occurs to us that this really is a pretty minor step in the road to a “more perfect union”.
This election was not really about fixing anything. It was just about stopping the GOP leak so that real repairs can be made.
And my suggested list of repairs includes, among other things:
Term limits…..Nothing of a meaningful nature will ever be accomplished as long as our Congress is comprised of tenured whores of either party.
Global warming…..Needs to be a national priority, as soon as Iraq returns to being an answer to a trivia question.
Universal Health Coverage…..Call it single payer, Socialized Medicine, call it whatever you want. But lets get with it before all of our manufacturers are driven out of business because they cannot compete globally when they have to provide medical coverage in their overhead. And how in Gods name can we consider ourselves civilized when we are unique among “First World” countries in not providing medical coverage for all of our citizens? Pathetic…..
Frankly I don’t think that we have the political resolve or personnel in place yet to make the necessary adjustments to move our country forward. We have plugged the dike, to be sure, but progress is a long way off.
State politics.
State politics.
State politics.
‘Nother vote for covering Baja Arizona.
– Southern Arizona politics and it’s relation to the state as a whole
– How to get local media to improve their reporting
– sanity in the immigration ‘issue’ in all its permutations
– what are our representatives in the state legislature and in Congress doing
-what can we do now to prepare in any meaningfull way for 2008
and don’t worry, the Republicans will give plenty of ammunition as will the Dems.
I’d like to see a focus more on state politics. The media does a terrible job at covering Arizona politics and I know you could do a much better job than they do.
I totally agree with BloggerforPhoenix, Michael. You, Ted, Art and all the other local bloggers fill a void left by the Star, Citzen and Weekly. They often fail to deliver even half a loaf in their political coverage. I liked the interviews you had with candidates and think you should continue in that vein with newly elected AZ legislators.
Keep the southern Arizona stuff coming! Political philosophers are a dime a dozen. With the collapse of the MSM, bloggers like you and Tedski are the only way to keep track of local and state politics.
I think your site is terrific. I know what you mean about post election energy. It will return.
We cannot finish with this election yet, because we need to analyze it carefully now. All of us need to follow up to determine how the voter ID law affected the voter’s experience and the vote in our precincts and look carefully at the number of provisional ballots cast. How many were cast and actually counted vs discounted in each county? How many legitimate voters did not have their vote counted? Why? Secretary of State, Brewer, should not be allowed to just issue a statement like she did after the primary that all went well. Did it go well? I think there were way too many voters asked to fill out a provisional ballot. Also, SpidelBlog has a good piece on AZ’s farce of the sample ballot audit test. We must work on protecting our vote.
Karen, Grassroots Volunteer
If you are still not interested in the Past how about looking at “GEORGE NORRY” at “COAST TO COAST!” His ratings are through the roof talking about Ghosts and Space Aliens!
I suspected something was up, Mike when you conducted your latest interview in a shooting gallery!
Is it ok to go off topic? I pointed out no one was commenting on your blogs and you told me you wanted quality over quantity?
Everything in Pima County IS about being LOCAL!! We have the power over State,and Federal candidates and hold the keys to there future!
As for the City crowd , you have got to be kidding me!
Iam a “BACK TO THE BASICS DEMOCRAT,” Mike that is where you need to go clear back to F.D.R. and before him to Wilson! History repeats itself and all the answers are there!