The humor in this is so bitter and true that it really hurts. Bipartisanship and respect and cooperation should be a given in the halls of Congress, but unfortunately, it’s not. Even with a majority in both houses and a democratic President, Congress still pits itself against itself for political expediencies rather than working as one body for all Americans taking care of business for all Americans. We believe minority voices are important. We believe the pettiness in Congress needs to end. We believe that the interests of all Americans need to be carefully considered in the drafting of legislation. And we encourage everyone to let their representatives and senators know what you believe and what is important to you.

Thanks for reading.

-Matthew S. Urdan

We here in the West of Ireland reckon we know quite a lot about American Politics, with a particular emphasis on the innermost workings of The White House. I don’t think we’re alone in this, I think much of the developed world now feels much the same.

Of course we are probably mistaken but that’s not really the point. I will come to the point by-and-by.

Our education-proper started in September 1999 when a new TV series appeared (they don’t really ‘explode’, do they?) onto our screens. ‘The West Wing’ was smart, sharp, fast, witty, intelligent and engaging. It took us into the White House with new American President Jed Bartlett and introduced us to his staff and his family as well as his ambitions and his challenges.

It has really been an incredible and exciting year on so many levels it defies description. Easily one of the most important developments shaping the outcome of the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election was the financial collapse on Wall Street and the subsequent outrage by the American People. In every exit poll conducted across the country on election day, the economy was the number one issue on voters’ minds. But the campaign did not start out this way. Two years ago, for many the only issue that mattered was the war in Iraq, and it seemed a foregone conclusion that this November the face-off was destined to be between Rudy Giuliani and Hillary Clinton.

During the course of the two-year campaign process, the United States electorate has been energized like never before with the potential candidacy of Hillary Clinton and the candidacies of “celebrity” politicians like Barack Obama and Sarah Palin. And for those reasons, when the financial collapse took place, literally millions of outraged Americans were watching as the President and Congress were debating what to do and designing the unprecedented $700 Billion Bailout Package.