Of all the political writers left-of-center, no one has found her voice more clearly during the Obama years than Joan Walsh.  She stands today not so much a critic of the President as a wise reminder of liberalism's better nature, one given to principled support of America's less fortunate, not… Read full post »

Did I doze off and fall into a strange dream, or did I just watch a story on the 10 o'clock news about how outgoing Mayor Richard M. Daley planned to make a killing as a paid public speaker after leaving office?

I wrote speeches for more than three years… Read full post »

Joan Walsh is right, of course, as is Robert Reich and David Leonhardt of the New York Times.  The Obama budget proposal is a defeatist document, one that stands as a sad bookend to Lyndon B. Johnson's call nearly half a century ago to end poverty in America.  Now it appears… Read full post »

In case you're wondering what all these new blog postings are, I've started to cross-post from www.danconley.com onto my Open Salon page.  And on my personal blog, today is day 16 of my 107 day project to write a new essay every day based on one of Michel de Montaigne's 107… Read full post »

In the 2008 campaign, I supported and donated regularly to my homestate Senator, Barack Obama.  I did so because I believed that the Democratic frontrunner, Hillary Clinton, did not have a solid commitment to progressive causes, that she would continue the disastrous Bush wars, sell out to Wall… Read full post »

From CNN.com:

Police are close to making an arrest in the Chandra Levy murder case, one of Washington's most infamous cold cases, CNN affiliate KGO-TV reported Saturday.

Police told Levy's parents Friday that an arrest was imminent, the San Francisco, California, television station reported.

M… Read full post »

As much as I hate to say it, Gov. Blagojevich was effective in his closing argument today.  There's been a major flaw in the impeachment case against him from the start -- the most powerful charges, those of selling the Obama seat, haven't been proven at all.  There's very little evidence… Read full post »

I haven't posted in ages ... sorry about that.  If you haven't noticed, it's cold up here in Chicago.  My fingers have been frozen for six straight weeks and most folks up here, me included, spend our time gloating to the rest of the nation that we're running the country now.… Read full post »

I really don't get it ... Elliot Spitzer pays a bunch of money for a prostitute, which if you ask me is punishment enough, being exposed as an overpaying john.  He resigns immediately.  The country loses one of its most effective financial industry watchdogs.

Rod Blagojevich is on tape talk… Read full post »

From the New York Times:

"Members of the 21-member (impeachment) committee, appointed Monday, said that United States Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald had asked for them more details about the witnesses the committee planned to call in its hearings. Mr. Fitzgerald asked the committee for a fo… Read full post »

 Just like everyone in the Chicago media, I feel obliged to stretch out my Blagojevich coverage ... so here's part two of my story about the Blagojevich job interview.

I mentioned yesterday Gov. Rod's love of Alexander Hamilton.  Let me tell you how the conversation went down that dark all… Read full post »

The good news is that the Chicago Sun-Times reprinted my Open Salon piece about the Blagojevich job interview on the op-ed page today.

The bad news is that they spelled my last name Conely.

Oh well, at least it might save me a call from Patrick Fitzgerald ...

The question Illinois Democrats are asking today is this: how is it possible that the same party that brought real change to America is responsible for the dirtiest form of corruption at home?

Our President-Elect was smart to use Illinois politics, but never become part of it.  Unfortunately, h… Read full post »

If Governor Rod Blagojevich wants to plead insanity in his federal corruption trial, he may call me as a witness.  

Five years ago, I interviewed to be his speechwriter.  I was one of the two finalists.  The interview was set to begin at 1 ... I waited until about 3… Read full post »

I have a colorful story to tell about Governor Blagojevich, but in the spirit of the day, I refuse to write it for free.  Pay for play baby, that’s the Chicago way.

Our politics are old school corrupt … we don’t mess around with hookers or lie about our sexual… Read full post »

The gray takes over, the faces become more haggard, the voices less crisp.

From inauguration day to the last wave on Air Force One, the Presidency takes a brutal toll.  FDR died in office.  Truman rode out of town deeply unpopular.

Eisenhower held up remarkably well, despite failing health… Read full post »

I hate them.  First of all, what kind of "present" requires a massive monthly payment from your spouse?  You might as well be buying it yourself.  And if you have the dough to pay for the $55,000 Lexus with cash, then please get off my TV.  Can't we create a Stupid… Read full post »

As a matter of courtesy, I do my best to never speak ill of fellow speechwriters.  But Michael Gerson -- former chief speechwriter for W, reflexively annoying columnist for WaPo -- threatens my sense of decorum every time.  From today's column: 

Obama's appointments reveal some… Read full post »

CNN is reporting that Penny Pritzker will be Obama's Secretary of Commerce -- this is the first somewhat controversial Obama selection (assuming that Hillary Clinton has not been formally selected yet.)  Pritzker is absolutely beloved in Chicago for good reason, she's one of America's great phil… Read full post »

I think the best response to Joe Lieberman is a yawn.  He's been a self-important grandstander from day one ... he was elected by running to the right of his Republican opponent (Lowell Weicker) in 1990 and earning William F. Buckley's endorsement.  Then he chastized Bill Clinton from the S… Read full post »

There's no more political business in the world than automobile manufacturing.  The same politicians who blather on TV today about the free market defeating Detroit are from states that gave massive tax handouts to companies like Mercedes-Benz (Alabama), BMW (South Carolina) and Nissan (Tennesse… Read full post »

Open Salon was started by some political reporters and I assume that people from the mother site come down here from time to time to see what we're doing ... a question to Joan and others:

Do you, or any political reporter you know, care about the emails the White House… Read full post »

From the Obama transition propsective employee disclosure form: 

Writings:  Please list and, if readily available, provide a copy of each book, article, column or publication (including but not limited to any posts or comments on blogs or other websites) you have authored, individually… Read full post »

"Mr. President, the first thing I'm going to do is throw out this hideous f-ing rug ..."

Bush Weaves Rug Story Into Many an Occasion
President Uses His Oval Office Floor Covering as a Metaphor for Optimism and Leadership
By Peter Baker
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, March 7, 2… Read full post »