Monday Again

There’s a fluff piece about how hard Rep. Chris Van Hollen is working to represent constituents and how the Republicans are frustrating his efforts in yesterday’s Washington Post. Seems like a retread of the New Republic article from last year, but with less nitty-gritty.

And for some reason, the Baltimore Sun thinks that Mayor Martin O’Malley's use of a Blackberry is news.

And in actual news from Maryland, the Daily Record reports that Baltimore County legislators are saying that slots probably won’t be legalized this year.

Rollcall (Jan 5) indicates that former Kansas City Mayor Cleaver is leaning toward a run for Congress. We’ll see.

Reports from all around, Texas Rep. Ralph Hall has switched parties to avoid losing his seat. I wonder if Hall had the good sense to negotiate with the GOP before he switched -- his seniority would put him in a position for a committee (or at least subcomm) chair if the Rs would let it fly. A decision is expected soon from the court in Texas on the re-redistricting plan. Rumor has it that the judges are looking for a way to make it unanimous.

On a generally apolitical note, let me suggest you take a few seconds and check out these good photos.