Not Exactly Lincoln-Douglas

Anyone watch the Democrats debate last night? No? It's okay, neither did most Americans.

Regardless of the fresh/new/modern approach to debate courtesy of CNN and YouTube, it really wasn't all that much better than, well, any other televised debate. In fact, I found it even more frustrating at times.

Still, it did provide an entertaining, odd and somewhat disturbing look into the state of modern American politics and the Democratic party. I wasn't quite as freaked out as my brother (who is convinced that Barack Obama is the anti-Christ), but it was a bit frightening that the substance of true political debate could be trumped by questions like "Who was your favorite teacher and why?" You've got to be kidding me.

I'll let you make your own judgment...

What YouTube doesn't change (Guardian Unlimited) Last night's YouTube-sponsored Democratic presidential debate just took an old question-and-answer format and made it much, much worse.

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And This Round Goes To... (Washington Post Online) CHARLESTON, S.C.--Monday's CNN/YouTube debate in Charleston was the best of the campaign season

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Debate over whether YouTube made a difference (Reuters) The latest presidential debate format, which debuted with video questions uploaded to YouTube, was widely applauded on Tuesday for spontaneity and for forcing candidates to be more flexible.

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Dems Debate Questions From Cyberspace (Forbes, NY) How big a change did CNN give viewers? More than a stunt and less than a revolution, this first YouTube debate was more impressive for some of the questions it raised than the answers it delivered. One reason: Too many candidates, too little time, and a format that discouraged followup questions or actual debating. Those are problems YouTube can't fix.

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YouTube emerges as star of Democrats' debate (CTV.ca, Canada) Perhaps more than any other example, Monday night's Democratic presidential debate in Charleston, SC put the 'you' in YouTube.

Dreams Come True

This is just a quick update to let you all know about the newest and most exciting development in my life (and no, Liz, I'm not pregnant).

Tomorrow morning at 8:30 AM, I will be realizing a dream that I have had since I first started thinking about what I wanted to be when I grew up.

I will be working on the Hill!

After about 6 weeks of endless meetings and interviews, I will be going to work for a Virginia Congressman, and I couldn't be happier. It is a wonderful office with a great staff, and I can't wait to start work.

I went to my new office this afternoon to fill out paperwork, and it was kind of surreal. There is nothing quite like having something that you've wanted to happen since you were 12 years old finally happen. There have been only a couple other times that I have felt this way - one being when I got married to the love of my life, and the other when I moved permanently to DC for the first time. Both were things I had dreamed about since I was a little girl. Now, I get to add one more to the list.

I have to echo what my brother so eloquently wrote in his blog: Don't settle. Too many times I've seen people sacrifice their passions, desires and dreams for that safe-and-cozy feeling you get when you don't ever take a risk to do something your heart longs for.

Granted, not everyone can be a rock star or an astronaut, but I have talked to too many intelligent, passionate people who never took the leap or decided to pursue their passions, and who now regret not trying. I've also met people who tell amazing and inspiring stories of being stuck in a job they hated for 20 years, and then eventually deciding to go to law school/ med school/ design school/ [you name it] and finally realizing their true calling.

Life is way too short to let fear keep you from doing something you love, something that makes you feel fully alive.

That's how I feel living here. Alive. Like I'm doing what I was born to do.

So kudos to you, Mom and Dad, for teaching me early on to find something I loved to do, and then find a way to make money at it. It was that kind of support and encouragement that let me try out a music major in college (with remarkably little "encouragement" to make sure I could pay the bills after I graduated), only to find myself enamored by my Poli Sci class my sophomore year and find a career that would make me excited to go to work every day. I owe you big time.

Look for me on CSPAN!!

Do-nothing Democrats?

Americans seem to think so. So much for calling out Republicans for not getting anything done.