Freshman Year: Not as bad as you think

The United States Government has become more and more interactive over the past century. From fire-side chats with FDR, televised Inaugurations and C-SPAN, C-SPAN2, C-SPAN3 and so forth and so, comes a new way to see behind the scenes and behind closed doors into the Elected Officials on Capitol Hill.

Freshman Year, a look into the everyday operations of Congressman Jared Polis (D-Colorado) and Congressman Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), is a new internet sensation on CNN.com, giving you a first hand look into the work, play and all the things in between of two men during their first year, and first term as members of the United States House of Representatives.

They have published episodes occassionally since the 111th Congress took office in early January 2009, which has chronicled many behind the scenes issues of a first-term U.S. House Representative from attending government formal functions, to travelling back and forth from their districts to Washington, meeting the President, voting on bills, preparing speeches and sitting in staff meetings.

More in-depth and more fun occasions would be "leg wrestling" with Stephen Colbert, sleeping on a cot during the legislative week in their office and hanging out with the floor-cleaning guy in the house office building at 1:30am.

No matter how funny it may get, Freshman Year is a great way to look into the lives of your congressman or woman and what they do everyday to fully represent you during their 4 days a week on Capitol hill and back in your neigborhoods. I give Freshman Year a aye!

Honoring Edward M. Kennedy

Senator Ted Kennedy has been in public service for the past half century. He entered the United States Senate in 1962, some 47 years ago, along the way serving as Majority Whip and chairman to many influencial Senate Committees.

He was a candidate for the Presidency in 1980, a council and brother to brothers with backgrounds as Senators, attorney general, Presidential candidates and President. Not to mention beng an advocate for much groundbreaking legislation during his time in Congress and playing an influencial role in the inception of his collegue Senator Barack Obama as the first African American and 44th President of the United States of America. This great patrairch of a long line of public servants has led a life of service, longer than many of his collegues in Congress and has moved forward the ideals of his three brothers, whose lives ended before him, at the beginning of his political career.

Edward "Ted" Kennedy is now being honored as the great public servant he has always been. 47 years after he took foot to Capitol Hill, and more than a half century after he began his ventures in service, he has been knighted as Sir Edward Kennedy by Prime Minister Gordon Brown and Her Majesty of the UK. On March 26, 2009, a bill funding national service programs, including Americorps, which turned out to be a great bi-partisan feat in congress, was unanimously and without objection chosen to bear his name, after which he recieved a standing ovation on the floor of the Senate.

Edward Kennedy is a great servant, whom America owes a great debt, and that is why this blog honors the man, servant and Senator, Edward M. Kennedy.

Government Filled with Talk of Economy: What Good is it Doing?

For the past three months since democrats took control of both sides of the Pennsylvania Avenue, a lot of talk has passed through halls of the White House and the Capitol about the effects of the economy and different solutions to the issue. 

But where has that gotten the country as of today? The United States Government has been debating, writing legislation and talking to the American people about what America needs to do and what we can do, but no real progress has been made.

Partisanship has delayed the process of fixing the economy, with bills being given the cold shoulder by Republicans, and democrats being given a hard time for about their policies on congressional floors and on White House lawns. The United States Government is totally responsible for providing a proper economic situation for it's people, and it is time for politicians nation-wide to get ready to cooperate and get our country stable now.

Dick Cheney: Where Did You Come From!?

Former Vice President Richard "Dick" Cheney seemed to be rather quiet during his time at Number One Observatory, not speaking much for or against anything the President had done on a major public sphere. But now, it seems that since he's left the bubble of Washington and emptied his office at the White House, leaving it to his succesor, Joseph Biden, he has had alot to say on the actions of Joe Biden's boss, President Barack H. Obama.

Just a few months after he choppered out of Washington on January 20th, leaving it to a new era in American politics, the former Second in Command has become majorly opinionated about the Obama Administration Policies, and also many of the policies his former boss, Former President George W. Bush, concocted in his presence during their eight years at the wheel.

The Former VEEP is beginning to appear more and more on Sunday Morning Political shows, speaking his mind about what he thinks is right and wrong in Washington, something you rarely heard from the Dick Cheney of Jan 2001 to Jan 2009. Critisisms of Guantanamo Bay Closing, Obama war and anti-war policies, the economy and a few war and economic policies of his Commander in Chief have been airring nation-wide recent weeks, whereas when he had a seat in the White House, a second of Where is he now was about to be airred for him.

This great burst of opinion from Dick Cheney has surprised media personell and even myself, as I wonder why Former Vice President Dick Cheney decided to critisize Bush Administration Policies in 2009 after he left the halls of power and not in 2004, 2006 and 2008. Well, it looks like the "I really had to get that off my chest moment is over for Richard Cheney and he'll sink back into the Where is He Now conversation of America...at least until he shoots another colleague in the face.

Republican Resistance in Congress: What's the Problem?

Since Congress took oath back in early January, there's been somekind of animosity between the elephants and donkeys in Congress.

Not the usual kind of animosity either. There's some deep steming partisanship since Democrats took control on both sides of Pennsylvania Avenue.

The prime example would be the 2009 Obama Stimulus. Republicans intially made a fuss over not wanting to give support to the highly democratic bill. And what did President Obama and his congressional counterparts do?

Despite the highly philibuster-proof majority of dems in congress to pass the stimulus, Dem leaders in government conducting weeks of talks and nagotiations with GOP members to come the a concensus. And what happened? After all of that wasting of time and talks, only 3 GOP members vote for it in congress becuase the talks "didnt help the process".

Bipartisanship has been a big thing for the Obama team since day one, but Republicans are not biting. Its really for Dems now-a-days to take their high victory to stride and completely take elephants out of the equation in alot of liberal legislation, but bipartisanship has still been key.

Im in favor largely for bi-partisanship, but it's a two way street. No need to be bitter Jeb Bush Sarah Palin 2012 supporters. Call your congressmen and women and tell them "be cooperative with the other side of the aisle, or else ur not gonna get too far".

DC Voting Rights: Constitution or True Democracy?

One ethical question facing the conscious of the people of the United States and currently the United States Congress, more specifically, is the question of DC Voting Rights. The prominent question in DC Voting Rights is if the United States should stick to its commitment to the United States Constitution, which specifies nothing about the representation of any place other than ratified states. Or should we choose to stick with the ideals of the United States to properly represent all American citizens, giving all Americans an equal chance of having their voice heard?

As a life-long resident of the District of Columbia and a person who has known what it is like to never have a voting member in the House of Representatives and absolutely no representation in the United States Senate, I feel as though the United States is, and should feel, obligated to represent the nearly 600,000 (and growing) people who live in the District and pay taxes to the government in which they are not fully represented in.

Despite what the words of the constitution may say about the District of Columbia, the American ideology has always been to be democratic and give everyone a proper voice in their government. It is, and has been for the past 200 years, hypocritical for the United States Government to not represent the residents of the District of Columbia in both houses of Congress, and this hypocrisy will continue as long as Eleanor Holmes Norton, or whomever may follow cannot walk on the House or Senate floor and cast their vote and give their constituents a voice in the nation in which they work and give back to.

In this time where the American people are questioning their government’s loyalty to the people, it is not time to talk about the logistics of a document that was made to be amended when the time came anyway. It is time to restore the people’s trust in their government, restore the promise that all men are created equal and give the District of Columbia full voting representation in the United States Congress.

For more information on DC VOTE and what you can do to help, visit http://www.dcvote.org/

Cabinet or No Cabinet: That is the Question

Since Barack Obama took the oath of office on January 20th, it seems he hasnt been able to keep a full house. Certain circumstances have left many cabinet seats in the White House collecting dust over the past two months. Scandelous activity and differences in opinion have driven cabinet members from the White House, so much that many have not been able to keep track.

The most odvious would be the commerce secretary position. With the economy in a dead heat for death or survival, the United States Senate is in the process of vetting the third hopeful for the commerce seat.

With President Obama half way through his first 100 days, stability needs to find it's way to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue very soon. With the nation preoccupied with the economy, the war, healthcare and much more, attention has pulled away from the still empty seats in the White House Cabinet room. But, in order for the country to be stable, it's leaders have to be stable. So, get it together, Presidential Cabinet. It's time to fill those seats up and get to work.

To see the latest updates on empty seats and filled seats, visit http://www.whitehouse.gov/

Just Like He's on the Trail: Barack Obama's Interactive Presidency

President Obama, nearly 4 months after he left the campaign trail and nearly 2 months since he entered another trail as the nation's Chief Executive, there's still a feeling that he's still on the campaign trail.

Since President Obama walked through the doors of the Oval Office on January 20th, he rarely spends much time in the there. You can probably find him speaking to congress, speaking to everyday business owners at a White House Summit or flying across the country to have open conversation town hall meetings, similar to his look before November 4th, sleeves rolled up, suit jacket laying across his stool, clasping the microphone and a bottle of spring water.

It has been a long time, many say since Reagan, that the President has ventured beyond the bubble of Washington to personally hear the plight and opinion of the everyday American. This interactive appoach is giving Americans a sense of security in this time of crisis, economically, domestically and internationallly. The approach of the American people by President Barack Obama is encouraging and uplifting at a time when America was just about to give up faith in their federal government.

I would get my questions ready, because President Obama may be coming to town near you.

Rush Limbaugh on Obama: Why?

It seems that nationally sindicated conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh has a thing for President Barack Obama. I thought that "Barack the Magic Negro" was bad back in 2007. But now, in 2009, 2 months after the "Magic Negro" becomes President of the United States, there's still some animocity.

Rush's explanation of Obama's success in "Magic Negro" was that people would vote for him, specifically white people, to make up for guilt of the mistreatment of blacks in the past two centuries. And now, since Rush Limbaugh can't find any reason why Barack Obama is successful, his simple words are: "I hope he fails".

Rush Limbaugh's bitter banter on Barack Obama over the past years have been largely exemplified due to his wish of wrong-doing not to just a Presidential candidate, but the President of the United States of America.

Rush Limbaugh's bitterness has gotten him ratings and more listeners, but has by no means made the GOP look any better. A GOP (or Rush specific) bitterness over a change in control of government is no grounds for the public redicule and chastisment by a national figure. Barack Obama has not been a bad President in his first weeks in office. Not even George W. Bush got any redicule until after his first 100 days.

My message to Rush and all the other sore losers out there: Give the guy a chance.

Jonathan Krohn: Conservatism of the Future

Jonathan Krohn, the 14-year old author of Define Conservatism, a book about the real meaning behind the conservative ideology is becoming a big hit in the political scene. Apart from his impressive speech on his book and conservatism at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), Krohn had been interviewed by the American Future Fund and featured in the Huffington Post and the New York Times.

This home-schooled political prodigy gives a sense of what conservatism in Election 2040 will be like and what kind of conservatives will walk through the halls of both houses of congress in the next couple of decades. His impressive interpretation of constitutional preservation and the rights of the people as the core principal of conservatism rocked the stage at the CPAC and gave sight into what today's conservatives rarely center their campaigns and political terms around. I am no where close to a conservative, but when Jonathan Krohn explains it, I closer than I was when I was listening to those guys in congress. Big ups to Jonathan Krohn!

To learn about Define Conservatism and Jonathan Krohn, go to www.defineconservatism.com

Aaron Schock: New Republican Hope?

Aaron Schock is the embodiment of the American dream and of American success. A school board member of Peoria at age 19, school board President at age 22, state legislature at 23 and now Congressman Aaron Schock representing the 18th District of Illinois at age 27. He spoke at the Republican National Convention in support of John McCain in 2008 and won a great victory in November 2008 and is already speaking on the house floor advocating for the ideas of his party. Aaron Schock will be 35 right before the 2016 Presidential Elections. As he works hard to ride up the ranks as the youngest member of the United States Congress, can he gain the office of President and leader of the GOP by 2016? Aaron Schock is a grassroots organizer from the heartland of Illinois, a young leader and passionate about his work, already being called by the President to vote for bills. Sound familiar? So, can Aaron Schock be the new hope for the GOP in the years to come. I think so.

For more information on Congressman Schock, go http://www.aaronschock.com/

Welcome to Markus' Message

Welcome to Markus' Message, the new blog for Markus Batchelor. You can come here for new updates about Markus with his many ventures and his weekly blogs, including a new blog for his campaign on U4Prez.com, called Markus' Messages: U4Prez Weekly. Thank you.