SENATOR READ'S PLEA TO PROGRESSIVES: ACCEPT HEALTHCARE BILL

I have learned a lot from the ongoing drama of the health care debate. I’ve learned that the Republican Party is the Party of no. The Party of lies. The Party infatuated with abortion.

I’ve learned that former Democratic Senator Lieberman who had run as  VP in 2000 stabbed Democrats, Obama and Reid in the back and into the heart of real health care reform.

I have learned that Obama is content with incremental health care expansion rather than reform. I have learned that majority rule isn’t worth the paper its written on under the American system of politics.

But I have also understood that as a British citizen living in America, some political issues went over my head – such as cloture. I also found it difficult to put into perspective individual Senators and Congressmen who came under the spotlight during this debate. Were they true to their beliefs (based on prior statements made) were they just looking to get themselves re-elected or were they really just trying to kill the bill.

I had nowhere to go to to fill in the gaps in my understanding of the US political landscape.

That is until I came across the website www.whorunsgov.com.

The site is built on a moderated wiki platform which allows registered users to easily edit existing profiles or expand the directory by adding new ones.  Unlike some other wikis based websites, WhoRunsGov.com editorial team will review and edit all public contributions before they go live.

The site is extremely impressive, and breathtaking in its expansive coverage of all people & committees that are political: including strategists, Departments, officials, advisors, interest groups, and Congress – both House and Senator representitives.

For each search you do on a name, you go to a seperate page profile entitled “Why he counts” with a full page of facts and noticable achievments (or lack of) over the last few years.

The site includes a punchy political blog too – The Plum Line by Greg Sargent.

I now have a great new source of information. My hope is that each time I return to whorunsgov.com, I get to understand the US Political system that much more.

This site is a must have resource for anyone who blogs on political issues. Great for research, great for data mining.