Jet City Journal

I which I return to blogging...

I realize I'm talking to about 1.5 people, but the blogging has been light the last few weeks.  Work, travel, general saturation with the election and boredom with the "other" news have kept me from writing much.  So, here I go again...

Back for the fun

Came back from a long weekend up at Whistler (that's the Black Tusk from underneath 7th Heaven Chair) and missed the South Carolina primary and most of the run-up to the Florida primary.

Just as well. It's starting to look like the primary season is going to last all the way to the convention (unlike 2004). Super Tuesday may not determine the nominee on the Democratic side.  Or maybe it will.  Who knows.  One thing that HAS become clear is that the Clintons have done an admirable job of making themselves look desperate and mean-spirited in their efforts to put Hilary at the top of the ticket. This plays right into the hands of Barack Obama. But what's good for him in this instance may be bad for the Democratic party in the long run.  For one thing, if Obama is portrayed as the victim of race baiting and other unfair attacks, it takes the media focus off of his credentials and policies.  That sort of scrutiny — which tempers the candidates it doesn't destroy — is an essential part of the election process, and is especially important in the case of a candidate with such a limited resume.  Moreover, Bill Clinton is expending the once vast store of political capital he had with both the Democratic base and independents of a moderate bent.  His standing among African Americans has plummeted.  At this point, it's hard to imagine how either Clinton could thread the needle and stump for Obama if he's the eventual nominee.

There's a long way to go, however, before we know who that nominee is going to be.

Back again

Been a lot of travel lately, which has meant no time for blogging.  But here I am again.  Like a bad penny.  Or a rash....

Good morning, Dr. Chandra...

So let's start this thing off by clearly stating that I have absolutely no business writing a blog, much less one entitled the Jet City Journal.

Born and raised in Massachusetts where I lived for my first 21 years, I spent the next 8 years in D.C., 9 years in Northern California and have been in Seattle only since late 2004. In short, I don't have the deep roots or even the sense of direction that entitles me to write with any credibility about Seattle. Or for you to pay attention to anything I might have to say. So why am I doing this then, you ask? Good question.

I started Jet City Journal to satisfy a couple of interests. The first is to provide a forum for people to express differing points of view, particularly about political and social issues, without the vitriol, extremism and knee-jerk partisanship that seems to pervade the blogsphere these days. In fact, I originally toyed with the idea of calling the site something like The Dancing Armadillo, which is a play on the adage that the only things found in the middle of the road are yellow lines and dead armadillos. (If anyone can give me a definite citation for that quote, I'd be most appreciative.) But since armadillos are tied a bit too closely with the great state of Texas, that idea quickly died (no offense to any of you Texans out there). The notion of looking at the world from the middle-of-the road lives on, however. My ultimate goal is to invite multiple authors from across the political spectrum to contribute to JCJ. Maybe we'll see something that is increasingly rare these days: substantive, informed debate. But probably not...

The second interest is in sharing information about Seattle and the local environs. This is a great town with a lot to offer. I'd like to do my small part in promoting it.

Finally, there is vanity. I wanted to give myself (and others) a place to vent about the daily vicissitudes of work and life. I am often grumpy (as anyone who knows me personally will attest), which leads to the occasionally humorous anecdote.

One caveat. Those of you who bother to read my profile will note that I work in public relations. This blog is entirely of my own creation, reflects only my opinions (or those of the as-yet mythical guest authors) and is in no way intended to promote the interests of any of my clients (who are all in technology, BTW). But since there will be occasions where I'll be touching on topics that affect my clients, I'll do my best to provide disclaimers where appropriate.

In any event, here's hoping I put myself and JCJ to the fullest possible use, which is all I think that any conscious entity can ever hope to do.