A slightly belated, but still hopefully happy welcome to the new year. I hope everyone had a relaxing and safe holiday season. My year got off to a great start when Ole Miss crushed Oklahoma State in the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Day.
But even more exciting, with the help of my good friend Natalie, I was able to launch a website. Please check it out! The site includes some of my writing as well as links to the digest and some travel experiences. I will be updating it frequently, and I hope to make it more interactive in the future, a forum for discussion on important ideas...or the 2020 presidential line up. Whichever!
I already feel excited about 2016, and I hope the new year has good things in store for everyone.
As always, happy Wednesday and happy reading.
This Day in History
2001 - Congress certifies George W Bush as the winner of the 2000 presidential election. Al Gore is bitter. He loses one of the closest elections in history and then presides over the ceremony that announces the other guy the winner. Not the best day. Anyhow, there are only 11 months until the election, which means it's only 11 months until the begging of the next election cycle. Welcome to the privatization of the public process. Or maybe it's the politicizing of the private sphere. Either way if I don't have a line up of the 2020 candidates by June of 2017 then someone simply isn't doing their job.
Let's Talk Politics
Go ahead and call my bluff on this one, but I hate politics. I really do. I very much enjoy public debate and policy issues, and of course that means I have to be willing to discuss the individuals who involve themselves in those conversations, but I view politics as the art of convincing people not to like other people for one's own benefit. Is it any surprise that the presidential front runners in each party are wildly unpopular? Trump, Cruz, and Clinton are among the three least popular people in America, and yet less than a year from election day they're the three top candidates. I know it's impossible to make everyone like you, and leaders need to take strong stances, but is it a good sign if so many people hate you?
Thank goodness for satire, without which our already frustrating political climate might look even worse. But laughing is good, and so I invite you to check out some of 2015's best political cartoons (from Politico). As Americans, we're all in this together, and if we can't laugh at ourselves we're in big trouble.
The Real Difference
We are all in this together, right? I just said so myself, and I believe it, but the current political climate makes me question my own beliefs. Politics can be so polarizing that it begs questioning if there are some fundamental differences between and among us (from the Hill).
I found this article interesting for many reasons, and I don't think I can do justice to them here trying b y simplifying. I recommend reading this because it it forced me to think about my worldview. Not my opinions on issues isolated within philosophical vacuums, but rather about how they overlap and affect each other.
If there is one important lesson of politics and political history, it is that actions have effects well beyond their intended outcomes, and that failure to consider those consequences generally tends to muck things up quite royally. Having a worldview, or a broader sense of the interaction between and among ideas is not a guarantee of being correct, but it is a necessary prerequisite.
Politics in the Age of Twitter
There is no denying that social media has revolutionized how we interact and connect with each other. For better and for worse the interwebs is here to stay. Just like it has changed shopping, bullying, sports, and dating, the power of social media has also changed politics (from Vox).
Communications technology allows us to be more connected and closer together than ever. We can now share our opinions with people around the world, and squeeze the nuance of those opinions into 140 characters. Which of these trends - our hyper connectivity or our proclivity to memes - sways us most is still to be determined, but this we're not turning back the clock, so it's up to us to shape it positively.
Quick fun fact: I don't think we often consider the fact that we are living through an historical revolution that will be talked about long after we are gone. Like the printing press, the internet is reshaping the world. We'll all end up a three paragraph blurb in a future history textbook!
Show Me the Money
If there is one trend that will destroy democracy it is the unlimited influx of private money into the system. To an extent, democracy MUST be a 24/7 endeavor. We need a media to keep the system open, honest, and transparent.
But that doesn't mean that there is a 24/7 political news cycle, and more importantly there certainly should not be a 24/7/365 election cycle. Yet that is where we are heading. This year's political campaigns began in earnest last summer. Increasing, the "free speech" money is being used to collect voter data and plan strategy (from the NYTimes). The art of getting elected has become a full-fledged private sector industry. It doesn't bode well that the ultimate public endeavor is awash with private money.
Meet Scout
The newest addition to the family, Scout arrived on December 23rd, just in time to be a Christmas present for my 11-year old cousin Jason. Scout lives in South Carolina, and though she has only had a family for two weeks now, she's already well-adapted, and loving her new home! Big shout out to Jason for adopting Scout and for sharing her as the first dog of 2016!
Will's Weekly Trivia!
As always, please remember to send theopt-in form to friends, and to fill out the feedback form if you have any recommendations or want to share an article link or dog. Thank you to those who have!
The pool of contestants continues to grow, and there is now a two-way tie atop the leader board between Steve in MS and Chris in TX, two esteemed gentlemen who do not know each other, but who I am lucky to call friends. Everyone else, catch up!
IF you choose to answer the question, respond to staton.will@gmail.com with your answer. Please note that by competing you are giving me permission to publish your first name in the trivia leader board each week.
TRIVIA!
Last Week: Vladimir Putin first became president of Russia in 2000, who preceded him?
Answer: When I wrote the question, the answer I had in mind was Boris Yeltsin. However, someone also answered Dimitry Medvedev, which is ironic since my first iteration of the question was for Medvedev and not Yeltsin. Medvedev is one of Putin's clique who briefly "replaced" him from 2008-2012 until Putin decided he wanted the job back. I awarded a point.
This Week: How many electoral votes are needed to become president? How many did George W Bush end up with in 2001 after Florida was called in his favor?
LEADER BOARD 1. MS: Steve - 3 points
1. TX: Chris - 3 points
2. TN: Natalie - 2 points
2. NY: Alexa - 2 points
2. OR: Joe - 2 points
2. NY: Mike - 2 points
3. MS: Meghan - 1 point
3. NY: Joe - 1 point
3. MS: Bill - 1 point
3. MS: Andrew - 1 point
3. TN: Meredith - 1 point
