The Willamette Week, one of the state's few equal opportunity critics, is starting off the year by taking one of their celebrities to task. They make a great point.

"[S]ending multiple emails offering us a chance to win one of 10 tickets to the Jan. 20 inauguration—if we donate $25 or more? Guess what, Mr. President-elect. We’ve lost our jobs. We’re so broke after the holidays we can’t even remember what money looks like. So please, stop guilting us for cash in the middle of a recession so you can throw a massive party we can’t attend. Until you stop with the nickel-and-diming, we’re swearing you in as our first Rogue of 2009. "

Fox News is reporting that sources say that Washington Governor Chris Gregoire will replace Richardson for Commerce.

"OLYMPIA, Wash. -- Gov. Chris Gregoire is out of the state, but her office won't say where she is. Sources in Olympia told FOX News that Gregoire could be named as early as Tuesday to be President-elect Barack Obama's new choice for Commerce secretary. But senior Obama transition officials denied that Gregoire will be the Commerce pick, and that there are plans to announce a candidate to replace New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson... According to The Bellingham Herald, Whatcom County spokesman Joe Bates says he flew to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport on Sunday on the same flight with Gregoire. Bates says he chatted with the governor but she did not discuss the reason for her trip to the Washington, D.C., area."

Also new news:
-- Dems agree to hold on seating Al Franken
-- Obama's CIA pick under fire by Senate Dems

Here’s an idea for you. How about a rebate to get Americans to buy American cars?

Yesterday I got the chance to talk to my old friend, Ron Tonkin. Ron knows a thing or two about cars. He’s sold about one half of a million of them in his professional career, nearly 50 years in the business.

He’s worried about this business because he understands that the car business is a linchpin in the American economy. One job in four in America involves automobiles, gasoline, spare parts, tires, windshields and the like. So he’s got an idea.

The national publishing company, Lee Enterprises, which print the Democrat-Herald, the Coos Bay World and the Corvallis Gazette-Times announced problems covering their debts. Story here.

Also recently reported is that The Oregonian has ceased daily delivery to Eastern Oregon towns like Baker City. These are trying times for all of Oregon's newspapers.

The Oregonian has announced their Dave Reinhard replacement as an official center-right voice for the newspaper. Apparently the newspaper had to go to another state, Washington, to find a replacement. Her name is Elizabeth Howe and you can read her debut here.

Her article lays out her values, pro-life, pro-right to work, pro-accountability and favors reduced penalties for marijuana users. She is anti-assisted suicide, anti-death penalty, anti-don’t ask don’t tell policy and against drilling for oil in Alaska. She says she voted for Bush twice but did not mention who she voted for in 2008. Hmm?

We can only hope that Elizabeth follows Reinhard’s example by being sharply honest, courageous and highly intellectual in exposing the truth in such hostile times.

Military Times survey showed that 60% of US service members feel pessimestic or uncertian about Obama as the nation's military chief. The New York Post reports that Isreal leaders may be acting in haste before Obama takes the White House;

"Ordinarily, Israeli leaders would only need to ponder battlefield costs and counter international pro-terror propaganda. But the rise of President-elect Obama complicates matters gravely. Even the timing of Israel's strike at Hamas has been driven, at least in part, by the coming power transfer in Washington."

What Obama does in the first 30 days will help either reassure people's confidence or fears.

The Illionois House of Representatives are threatening to impeach Governor Blajojevich’s next week to stop his quick footed appointment of Roland Burris. Some Senate Republicans are threatening to filibuster Al Franken if he is seated. Due to election fraud. Joe Biden's son is And even Caroline Kennedy is getting blowback to stop her appointment to the US Senate. What a mess!!! Even Senator Joe Biden is picking a replacement who promises to only serve the remaining term so Biden's son can run.

What will happen? Who will get in?

The soon-to-be House Speaker Dave Hunt has announced early hearings on the College Savings Fund fiasco and also on the how Government responded to the recent winter storm. Hunt said, “These hearings will occur within days of the beginning of the 2009 Legislative Session. I have asked the chairs of these committees to not only look at how Oregon did, but more importantly, to focus on how we can help those who suffered and how we can do a better job in the future. As we make funding and policy decisions for the next budget, we want to always be conscious of what we can do to make government more efficient and accountable.”

Is this a new sign of an aggressive agenda by the new Speaker? Will the hearings be for show or will they cover the in-depth issues like public transit failures and bungled school snow closure announcements?

Oregon GOP National Committeeman Solomon Yue made the Wall Street Journal notable quotables today (see bottom):

John Fund writing in the Journal's Political Diary e-newsletter:

The Republican National Committee, which consists of two representatives from every state and territory, is technically the governing body of the Republican Party. In reality, it has normally been a rubber-stamp for the incumbent president whenever the White House is in GOP hands. . . .But the debacle of the last two election cycles, coupled with an increasingly erratic set of policy choices by the Bush White House, is finally prompting a mini-revolt. A group of RNC members has initiated a special meeting to hear presentations from the six candidates running for the job of chairman. Even more significantly, the RNC's vice chairman and other officials are sponsoring a resolution that will oppose the Bush White House's support of seemingly bottomless bailouts for Wall Street and the auto industry.