Kat with a K

So proud...

My brother Dave, a government major at Colby College, has a letter to the editor in our hometown paper in response to a letter about President Obama's eligibility to be president: Obama's eligibility to serve as president is not in doubt. It seems that the letter to which he's replying can't be viewed online without a subscription, but it focused on the idea that a child of non-citizen parents (even if the child is a citizen) is ineligible, so that's why Dave specifically shot down that idea.

If Mr. Greenberg does not agree with President Obama's economic, social or foreign policies, then he should prove they do not benefit the United States. . . . It is time to move on, and for people who believe as Mr. Greenberg does to focus their political energies on real issues.
And the next time Mr. Greenberg decides to include our nation's most venerated political document in his argument, maybe it would be wise to read it thoroughly.

STOP IT, New Hampshire.

What's gotten into people? It must be the heat wave. A Democratic state rep has resigned after making a comment on Facebook about whether Sarah Palin would be more successful as a martyr. He is not to be confused with the Democratic candidate for state rep who dropped out of the race after wishing for Palin's death in - you guessed it - a Facebook comment. I am embarrassed on behalf of my state. I swear we're usually a lot more reasonable and nicer than this, folks. Really, there are two issues here:

1. It is never, ever okay to wish someone dead. Just no. Well, personally, I believe that it is morally wrong to even privately wish harm to anyone, but it is certainly not acceptable to do so publicly. I mean, really. Manners, people!

2. And more generally, how long is it going to take people to learn that anything you say online will eventually get out? These incidents both took place on Facebook. Don't put anything on Facebook you don't want to be public! This is not a difficult concept! Sigh.

Team Weigel

In case you were wondering, I'm on Team Weigel. (Explanation.)

Steven Weber Blogs!

You may know him as the oddly lovable network jerk from Studio 60. No, wait, that's how I know him; you probably know him as the guy from Wings. (I really want to see that sometime, if only for Weber and Daly. So much prettiness!) But you know what he also does? He blogs for the Huffington Post, mostly about politics. And he's pretty funny, if rather more extreme than is usually my taste. (He frequently uses phrases like "right wing morons." I do not.) Give him a try if you're into that sort of thing. Really, I'm always delighted to find out that actors I like are informed and engaged, even if I don't necessarily agree with them.

Read This. Right Now.

Yes, I realize that I will not be the only one making that awful joke today.

Dave Weigel, who has been covering the conservative movement for The Washington Independent, has moved over to the Washington Post. And he has a new blog: Right Now. If you're in any way interested in politics, you should be reading him. He's pretty objective/balanced, his writing is solid, and he does a good job of actual contextual analysis of a subject that tends toward hysteria from either side. Read him!

"Patriotism" Pet Peeve

You know what drives me freaking nuts? People who make a big show of putting a flag up, because they are just so much more American than the rest of us, but then don't actually show any respect to the flag by following the rules. They leave them up at night. They leave them up in the rain/snow. They leave them up in tatters. It makes me insane.

Race Car Drivers for Senate!

(Warning: complete silliness ahead.)

Before all this Bayh stuff exploded in the last few days, I will readily admit that most of my associations with Indiana had to do with the Indy Racing League rather than politics. So I thought - hey! A bunch of racing type people live there. Maybe one of them could end up in the Senate. I asked my friend John Andrews, who writes the Techie column for the Hippo and is the one who got me into racing in the first place. Here's what he said:

Well, a number of 2009 drivers claim at least partial residence in Indianapolis.
Ed Carpenter is Tony George's stepson and grew up there.
Sarah Fisher was born in Ohio.

From there we get increasingly foreign people. I assume one must be a citizen to be a Senator, but there's none of that "natural-born" nonsense, right?*
Darren Manning
Scott Dixon
Tomas Scheckter
Hideki Mutoh
Will Power

And by "increasingly foreign," of course, I mean England (parent) -> New Zealand -> (fellow colony) -> South Africa (they speak English, right?) -> Japan (don't even write with letters). Will Power is last because he only claims partial residence, and his hometown of Toowoomba is far too silly-sounding for him to have a chance.
Ed Carpenter definitely has the cred of being local, and he's never going to be a real star in racing.

I think South Africa should maybe be before New Zealand. Looks like they gained full independence in 1931, and New Zealand didn't bother to ratify the same document until 1947. Or maybe that means they're farther away, barely? South Africa is like the oldest cousin and New Zealand is a younger one?

* Correct: "No person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the Age of thirty Years, and been nine Years a Citizen of the United States, and who shall not, when elected, be an Inhabitant of that State for which he shall be chosen." Therefore, I believe Sarah Fisher would be the only one of the above who would actually be eligible.

Your daily Indiana update

Jamelle says it best: If Evan Bayh really thinks he has any chance in a 2012 presidential primary, he's delusional. Yglesias says it pretty well too. Dave Weigel thinks D'Ippolito is basically nuts, and I'm inclined to believe him, because what is he if not an expert on political lunatics? (And here's a tip-off.) But it doesn't matter anyway, because she doesn't have the signatures. Chris Cillizza, as always, sums up the winners and losers.

Yet more on Bayh

Don't miss:
Adventures in Polite Reporting, or Why I don't want d'Ippolito to get enough signatures.
You Won't Have Bayh to Kick Around Anymore
Evan Bayh Is Whiny and Lazy

And - really folks. Stop getting excited about D'Ippolito.

More on Bayh . . .

A random collection of interesting and/or funny things I've come across:

Tweets!
Mike Memoli: "You know, Birch Bayh is still kicking. And only 2 years older than Specter"
Dylan Matthews: "Anyone want to take me up on a $20 bet that Bayh will primary Obama?"
Dave Weigel: "Has Harold Ford ever seen Indianapolis from a helicopter?"
pourmecoffee: "So many memories of Evan Bayh pouring in. When he wasn't picked for VP. Today. Actually, that's it so far."
Major Garrett: "Bayh called Obama this a.m., top official says. Adds: "he is by nature a Governor not a Senator." Note this for future." I'm reading that as "he's setting up a Presidential run," but I could be way off-base.
pourmecoffee: "Whatever your politics, with Edwards and now Bayh gone -- huge blow to soft, manageable Senatorial hair."

So who will be the new candidate? It looks like the Indiana Dems will get to choose a candidate, as the deadline for filing petitions is Friday and they're assuming no one will make it. But don't count out Tamyra d’Ippolito, who has about 1000 signatures to go. Everyone will be watching to see if she pulls it out - and, I'd assume, hoping she doesn't, as the party would rather pick someone. Here's some more about d'Ippolito.

On the Republican side, no, Pence is not running. I've read that about 500 times today, so I'm not even going to bother with a link. Supposedly, one good thing about Bayh waiting so long to drop out is that it didn't give the Republicans enough warning to get a really good candidate to run, now that they have such a better chance.

If Roemer runs, Ackerman will give you money. Just a head's up.

I refuse to make a "Bayh" pun.

Well! Evan Bayh is not running for reelection. I can't say I was ever really a fan - he really comes across as a petulant child a lot of the time - but this is pretty bad for the Democrats. Here's some coverage:

Bayh's Retirement (The Atlantic)
Evan Bayh to Retire (The Fix)
Evan Bayh Will Not Seek Reelection (Indy Star)
Bayh Decides Against Reelection Bid (NYT)
Evan Bayh to Retire (Politico)
Evan Bayh Will Retire from Senate (Salon)
Evan Bayh to Retire (Swampland)
Holy Crap (TPM)
Evan Bayh Quits (Windy)
Evan Bayh to Retire (Yglesias)

And a few tweets:
Ezra Klein: "Apparently, Evan Bayh wants to spend more time scolding his family for moving too far to the left."
Spencer Ackerman has the only pun that made me giggle: "KTHXBAYH"

Presidents and Football!

I was noticing that it's the 44th Super Bowl and we have the 44th president, and I figured something could be made of that, but I couldn't quite get there. Luckily, someone else did. Via Andrew Sullivan: America Bowl.

Breaking News: Hostages Taken at Clinton Office

Right here in New Hampshire. How bizarre. More as I hear more...

Update: It looks like at least some of the hostages have been released.