The eminent philosopher Tom Petty was right: the waiting is the hardest part. But it also seems to be an indispensable part of working for social change. It's like learning to fall in judo--if you aren't willing to do it you might as well stay off the mat.
As an analyst told political scientist John Kingdon in Agendas, Alternatives, and Public Policies,
When you lobby for something, what you have to do is put together your coalition, you have to gear up, you have to get your political forces in line, and then you sit there and wait for the fortuitous event....As I see it, people who are trying to advocate change are like surfers waiting for the big wave. You get out there, you have to be ready to go, you have to be ready to paddle. If you're not ready to paddle when the big wave comes along, you're not going to ride it in.
That pretty much says it all.
SPEAKING OF GOAT ROPES, how 'bout the health care mess in the Senate?
AS DISAPPOINTING AS THE SENATE BILL IS, it would be huge for El Cabrero's beloved state of West Virginia.
JOBS, JOBS, JOBS. Here's labor's five point plan for generating them.
TICKING CLOCK. Jobless workers are about to lose health insurance subsidies unless those are extended.
HOW'S THE FISHING? A big planet with lots of water has been found not too far away (in cosmic terms).
GOAT ROPE ADVISORY LEVEL: ELEVATED
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