Blogger 2: A Blogger Will Rise

Back (and still slightly ill), the veteran has a few thoughts on Garrett Graff. A Harvard graduate and former employee of Howard Dean, Graff is now the first blogger to be admitted to the [illustrious?] White House press corps. After five days of nearly nonstop calls, the ardent blogger of 'FishbowlDC' finally received a day pass. He cites a possible intervention by the head of the White House Correspondents Association and by the mainstream media for the driving force behind his eventual success. This may become a great new precedent for internet-based journalism and commentary, both partisan and non-partisan. The veteran congratulates Mr. Graff and wishes him even greater success in his future endeavors.
Also, in a story on Yahoo!, the Senate faced down a democratic proposal to raise the minimum wage by $2.10. This is not a radical increase, but it might have been helpful (especially with a few regulation caps on large companies to nix any compensatory price raises). While a large increase in minimum wage would likely only drive inflation higher, a smaller raise, such as this one, might have helped many lower middle and poverty-stricken citizens to make their rent for the month. Senate republicans adopted a counter-proposal of $1.10 an hour to establish a compromise, but this, too, was voted down. The veteran applauds both the democratic side and the Republicans, if their outreach was sincere and well thought out and not simply a pacification measure.