The bright side of November 5th

• For the first time in eight years, the State Department and CIA might actually show some loyalty to the president.
• Jesse Jackson's slide into irrelevance is now complete.
• The Republican Party was not going to straighten up on its own, and a McCain presidency may have done further harm.


• There's a slim chance the press might turn pro-American.
• John McCain learned a valuable lesson: You're only a media darling when you're sticking it to Republicans.
• Hopefully, that's the last we'll hear of "compassionate conservatism."
• Sarah Palin is still hot.
• Now that the campaign is over, the party can stop pretending to like McCain.
• The vaunted Youth Vote remains a myth.
• No blowout, and the filibuster is still an option.

• At least it's not another Clinton.

Comments

[Dad]

Re: "At least it's not another Clinton." - Let's pray it's not a Karl Marx Jr.

So, did you vote for "The One", Comrade?

[Cory]

Don't be silly, the CIA's loyalty has never gone higher than DCI. But yeah, I'm definitely not in a state of hysterics.

So, it's tenatively looking like the LA-SF bullet train prop passed. I try very hard not to pay attention to California politics, but this one piqued my interest. With the security theatre fiasco that is air travel these days, I'm rather in favor of some infrastructure enhancements in the transportation field.

[Kenneth Pike]

I should point you to the "bright side" list made by a former classmate of mine. His first point I'll reproduce here, because it is an interesting position:

I look forward to the impact of a new and more powerful role model for African-American youth than rappers and sports stars. I predict the impact of President Obama the role model will be lasting, substantial, and very beneficial--much more so than Obama's policy accomplishments as President.

In the end, I couldn't vote for anyone who supported the bailout, but I'm intrigued to see what will happen next. I admit to an occasional unhealthy affinity for catastrophic change, the bigger the better. d^_^b

[Dan]

Oh, that train thing is a classic boondoggle. A high-speed rail line from the Bay to San Diego? With the wide sweeping curves that high speed rail requires, down the California coast? Can you imagine the eminent domain costs? The Environmental Impact Assessment process on that thing!? 10 billion won't get the line to San Jose.

It's going to be retardedly expensive, and that's exactly why it would never happen through the private sector. I look at it as much the same thought process behind the interstate highway system - very, very, very expensive, a "boondoggle" if you will, but nevertheless a necessary improvement over the current infrastructure.

[Cory]

The problem with your comment system? Uneditable, and no requirement for fields like Name. ~_^

[Dan]

At least the Interstate Highway System limits itself to infrastructure improvements. If you want to use the thing, you have to provide your own vehicle, fuel, driver, and insurance. A private automobile is 99.9% responsive to your exact schedule. An automobile can also carry multiple passengers at no greater cost. And if there are no passengers, cars don't go anywhere. Trains transfer all of those costs, not to their riders, but to the taxpayers supporting the system.