Judgement Calls

Congress finally gets back to work today, and once again, it's anyone's guess whether they'll actually get anything accomplished by the end of the day.

Filibuster reform might happen in the 113th Congress, which would help to break the ugly pattern of Republican obstructionism in Congress. Then again, Harry Reid has already given hints he may wimp out, a judgement call that would be highly questionable, if not altogether expected from Reid.

Speaking of poor judgement calls, the extremist tea party Republicans, and whiny liberal Democrats will also be back today in the House, likely complaining about President Obama's choices for his second term cabinet. For anyone still questioning the qualifications of former Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel to be President Obama's Defense Secretary, we're more than happy to point out two men, considered war criminals by some, who had far worse judgement than Hagel ever has shown: Former Defense Secretaries Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld.

Yes, the theme of Washington, DC this week, for most people, seems to be bad judgement calls - which is odd, as we always thought the bad judgement calls were supposed to come next week, after a late night of drinking and dancing at any one of a plethora of inaugural balls.

One of the uglier judgment calls this week was already made by many in the media on Monday, when President Obama gave a surprise press conference, his last 'presser' of his first term.

The President made clear at his event on Monday, more than once, that there will be absolutely no negotiation on the debt ceiling. And why should there be? As the President himself noted, "The debt ceiling is not a question of authorizing more spending. Raising the debt ceiling does not authorize more spending. It simply allows the country to pay for spending that Congress has already committed to… Republicans in Congress have two choices here: They can act responsibly and pay America's bills or they can act irresponsibly and put America through another economic crisis. But they will not collect a ransom in exchange for not crashing the American economy."

That didn't stop multiple members of the media from whining different versions of the same question to President Obama, "But what if the Republicans don't act responsibly?" That also didn't stop more than one question on the White House's efforts on new gun safety laws - which every member of the Press Corps knows will be the subject the White House is tackling today. It was obvious President Obama wasn't going to put up with either their whining or obtuseness.

Next time, maybe our fellow media colleagues should use slightly better judgement, and read the schedule the White House puts out for the week. Then those same media members might want to read some current events - for example, the recent polling that says Americans overwhelmingly favor common-sense gun control.

When it comes to poor judgement, it appears many in Washington, DC - and elsewhere - have proven so far this week, they're not making the best choices.

Maybe it's better they got their mistakes out of the way early this week, instead of next Monday, when some idiots will inevitably forget to wear their coats during the inauguration.

That's a failed judgement call you can be certain we won't be making.

Biting Truth

Change can be hard to get used to, at times.

Even as members of Congress swing back to Washington this week for the start of normal business, the political imbalance that existed for the last two years has begun to shift back towards the political center, a change that's already forecast to cause a different kind of congressional dysfunction.

Many state legislative bodies around the nation are going through similar rebalancing, including the Nebraska Unicameral, where some of Nebraska's Republican tea party politicos are already whining like whipped dogs, after last week's committee assignments.

To put it bluntly, the nominally non-partisan Nebraska Legislature doesn't look like it'll be playing the legislative lap-dog to Republican Governor Dave Heineman this session, as it has too often in the recent past. And we're pretty pleased about what kind of good governance that could lead to.

In case you missed it, the 2013 Nebraska Legislature already started its 2013 session last week, with a heavy list of proposed bills including state-level Medicare changes, voter registration, gun safety, criminal sentencing and social media laws.

The Legislature also chose its committee chairs, a task of serious importance that rarely receives the kind of media attention it should.

This year, it appears Nebraska's nominally non-partisan legislature really lived up to it's non-partisan designation, naming eight Democratic chairpersons, seven Republicans, and one independent to head the sixteen major committees. This is even more surprising when you consider that Republicans hold 30 of 49 seats in the Legislature.

It's the kind of balance that would make most sensible Nebraskans proud. For Nebraska's tea party pandering Republican Party "leaders" however, it's the kind of balance that has them lashing out like immature teenagers on their Facebook pages.

It's a good bet most of those politicians good enough to actually be elected to Nebraska's legislature know better than to act so childishly. After all, Sen. Ernie Chambers is back in the legislature, and he's known for having little patience with those of both parties who attempt to promote stupidity through tantrums on the floor of the Unicameral.

Gov. Heineman is not nearly so politically intemperate as Nebraska's other Republican Party leaders. Heineman has already made a very wise move toward Democratic Sen. Heath Mello - the new chairman of the influential Appropriations Committee. The governor has promised he will bargain with Mello in good faith, coming forward with the kind of deference to compromise and good sense that past moderate, sensible, Nebraska Republican political leaders have been known for.

Those unhappy with Gov. Heineman's shift towards the sensible, who think a new tea party leaning Republican is waiting in the wings to replace Heineman, received even more bad news this weekend. Both Attorney General Jon Bruning and University of Nebraska Regent Tim Clare announced they won't be running to replace Heineman in 2014.

In summary, this Legislature doesn't look to be a lap dog this session - for either side of the political aisle.

Let's hope they show everyone, across the nation, how real bipartisanship can work.

Friday Funday: Ready For Anything

While last weekend may have been technically the first weekend of the new year, this weekend celebrates the end of the first full work week of 2013 - as good a time as any to find reasons to celebrate and relax.

We're aware that not all of our readers are feeling well today, as this year's strain of flu seems to be an even more mean and ugly variety than usual. Medical professionals across the nation and at the CDC are heavily recommending the flu vaccine this year, especially with the flu bug waiting around the corner for millions.

If you're feeling up to it, though, we hope you're able to enjoy a few events this weekend.

Once again, one of our staff members is throwing her fantastic annual "Twelfth Night" party this weekend. Yes, we realize the official "Twelfth Night" was last Saturday, but this weekend worked out better for all involved. Regardless of the calendar, the party looks to be a great opportunity to spend time with friends and co-workers.

Another reason to celebrate is that it's our fifth anniversary here at the Daily Felltoon. Feel free to flip through any of our archived issues, or Paul's archived cartoons, whether you're on your smartphone, your computer, or stuck at home in bed with your tablet device.

Even if you're feeling under the weather, you can do a little celebrating this weekend, reading up on your favorite 2013 Oscar nominees, or checking out the newest gadgets from the 2013 Consumer Electronic Show. The bendable glass and flexible display technologies our tech guru forecasted a decade ago for about now finally look to be ready for use.

Imagine; a phone you can stick in your pocket and sit on, without breaking the screen. Or a digitial newspaper you could fold up and stick in your pocket, just like your regular newspaper now.

Yes - we're well aware of the continued and long-overdue debate on gun violence continuing around the country, even as more shootings continue. We're also aware that President Obama has continued to work in Washington, while Congress has yet to return from their holiday vacation. Maybe that's a good thing though, as President Obama is still busily filling his open Cabinet positions, while Vice President Biden is rapidly completing his work with the gun violence task force.

We will continue to monitor all of these news items and others, at least during the day today. After all, we may be getting ready for the weekend, but we're still responsible members of the media.

With a relatively clean new calendar, an optimistic attitude, and the new year mostly in front of us, we're feeling like we're ready for almost anything.

We also hope you're also ready for anything - good or bad - and that your weekend is as enjoyable as possible, whatever your health condition.