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Washington Shut Down by Snow, Again
Tweet Share on Facebook December 21, 2009 Comment (5)By Julia Piscitelli, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
Monday is a "snow day" for the federal government in the Washington, D.C., area. The closing is a result of Saturday's blizzard that dumped a record 24 inches of snow in many parts of the area. I live here, and the U.S. Office of Personnel Management made the right decision. But it is a decision that should not be necessary. It is Monday, the snowfall was Friday night and Saturday—a weekend—and 36 hours after the snow stopped falling, 300,000 federal employees still can't get to work.
The District of Columbia and the neighboring municipalities in Virginia and Maryland are simply not prepared to handle snow, from a predicted dusting to an actual storm. Frankly, they do not handle rain well here either, but that's a different story. In my 13 years living here, I have seen the region crippled by only a few inches of snow. Why? Because the municipalities do not have nearly enough equipment to clear and salt the streets.
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Massachusetts Senate Special Election Turnout No Reflection on Obama
Tweet Share on Facebook December 9, 2009 Comment (86)By Julia Piscitelli, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley is now the Democratic nominee to fill the seat left vacant by the passing of Sen. Edward M. Kennedy. Many might wonder how this happened. Even registered voters in Massachusetts seemed unaware there was a campaign going on, never mind an actual Election Day. About 600,000 of the commonwealth's 4.1 million eligible voters went to the polls. In Boston, only about 17 percent voted.
Turnout during non-presidential election years is always lower than it is with presidential candidates at the top of the ticket. Now drop that number further for the sandwich year in between when Congress is not up for re-election. And drop it further when you have a special election (read: Election Day is not the first Tuesday of November). And slice it again for the primary election in December for that special election in a non-presidential, non-congressional year.
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Obama's Afghanistan Message: We Must Face Reality
Tweet Share on Facebook December 4, 2009 Comment (5)By Julia Piscitelli, Thomas Jefferson Street blog
There was a smart message in Obama's Afghanistan speech this week: Regardless of how we got here, or who got us here, this is how it is right now so let's get down to the business of facing facts, and facing reality.
Julia Piscitelli
Julia Piscitelli is a progressive communications and political strategist. She regularly appears on television and radio as a commentator on politics and current events.
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