Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

Who Is Your Person of the Year?

By

I hate Time’s Man of the Year or whatever they call it now. “Biggest newsmaker” is a maddeningly vague standard, and they inevitably get gunshy when the obvious choice is someone awful.

So I thought, let’s have a Person of the Year, and make it a little more hope-changey.

My choice is Sonia Sotomayor.

What say you, BMGers? Don’t feel wedded to my criteria.

Please share widely!
fb-share-icon
Tweet
0

Comments

  1. I’ll jump in with Harry. He spoke truth to power, which is an attribute sorely lacking in today’s corporatist, consumerist, lobbyist-driven, culture.

    Markopolos deserves accolades for not only providing irrefutable evidence – but for being courageous enough to do the right thing at the risk of his personal and family’s safety.

     

  2. It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.
    T. Roosevelt.

  3. for reminding us that a beautiful person with amazing talent, wealth, and a tremendous number of “high quality” endorsements can still suck as a spouse and a human being.

  4. He’s the Barack Obama of the music world! It’s great to see and hear someone young bringing new energy and passion to a major symphony hall.

    <

    p>TedF

    • …for the same reason, I suppose, that I nominated Harry Markopolos. I admire people who have the courage to go against the grain and not toady up to authority.

  6. for his hand in making Sarah Palin the Republican VP candidate.  Never before has a single person who was not a nominee done so much to seal the fate of an election.  

  7. Ted Kennedy’s death this summer brought a close to an era for those of us who can answer that “where were you when you heard JFK was shot?” question, and reminded many of us of the hope and inspiration that the Kennedys at their best could provide. His was a career of vast accomplishment.

    • The end of an era – my first political job was working with Congressman Joe Kennedy, and I have personally watched with adminiration and awe Senator Kennedy lead on the important issues of the day for over 20 years.  We will likely never see another person who has done so much for Massachusetts and the nation.

  8. 5: Nancy Pelosi

    #4: Usain Bolt
    #3: Michelle Obama
    #2: President Obama
    #1: My wife for giving birth to our daughter on 4/10/09!

  9. I wish I could wait to see if healthcare is signed into law or not … but since I can’t I will assume it will be made law and that being the case I vote for Harry Reid.  Yes… I said Harry Reid…folks the Senate is dysfunctional…keeping the caucus together was (will be) a great accomplishment.

    • affordability for the middle class, no public option and an individual mandate to buy insurance from a private company. Sometimes you have to draw the line at rewarding results not effort.  

      • I think you are a tad too kind:

        And Obama’s failure to use his bully pulpit was matched by Reid’s compromises and missteps. When the majority leader embraced rules that require sixty votes to act–rather than challenge the rules directly or via budget reconciliation procedures that allow a simple majority–he ceded authority to insurance-industry shills like Lieberman and Ben Nelson, who then blocked reform at every turn.

         

      • …in the Democratic field becuase of his opposition to the individual mandate.  Which isn’t to say I wasn’t disappointed in the Senate bill or p*ssed at Lieberman.  I think it will be good enough to celebrate as a medium step forward.  I vote for Reid as MOTY (assuming it becomes law…how is Senator Byrd doing these days?)

  10. I choose Rachel Maddow, for bringing real news and intelligent commentary back to the (cable) MSM. She is truly gifted in her ability to be outspoken and confrontational while remaining rational, truthful and sincere, and is respected and admired for it. And she’s got an amazing sense of timing and humor. I suspect she is someone with whom most of us would enjoy having a New Year’s cocktail or two.

  11. Nationally, what Rachel Maddow has done for cable news is absolutely astounding. In a few years, I think she’ll have proven to be a game changer, because what she does is not only better, but entertaining and, well, it works. So I’ll second the call for her to be Person of the Year.

    <

    p>I say we have a local person of the year, too. My vote there goes to Kathleen Conley Norbut, head of United to Stop Slots in Massachusetts, because no one in this state has done as much on an issue against such overwhelming odds as successfully as she has done it, just as a single person who recognized a need and filled it admirably, with little money or institutional support. Dare I say it, without the work she’s done and the group she’s created, Speaker DeLeo may already have slots in both his race tracks today.

  12. These two rank tops in my Washington world.  Levinson was chairperson and Friedes campaign manager for the Approve 71 campaign.  Under their direction, Washington became the first state in the nation to ratify a substantial pro-gay rights law at the ballot box.  Actually, many brilliant and talented people worked on and volunteered for that campaign.  They all deserve nomination if you ask me.

    <

    p>Btw if the names sound familiar, Josh Friedes was formerly head of Boston-based Freedom to Marry, a MassEquality predecessor.  Anne Levinson is a co-owner of Seattle Storm, a WNBA team.

    <

    p>On the national level, I agree with all the good stuff already said about Rachel Maddow.

  13. For having the courage to stand up to Democrats and refuse the Public Option which would have destroyed our Medical Insurance companies. Without Joe, the Dems would have passed the PO. He single handedly stopped the PO. He stood up to tremendous Democratic pressure and voted for the “people” instead of the party.

    <

    p>Joe will enjoy a great 2010 and still maintains all his Congressional committee positions and caucuses with the Democrats so can be our “mole”.

    <

    p>GO JOE!!!!

    <

    p>Sonia Sotomayor… WTF? Is this another award for “what’s possible” like Obama’s Nobel? I think she needs to prove herself before she wins anything.

    • I would also add that more than him, his supporters, especially those that have given their lives (a figure which is now lurching closer to the hundreds) for the cause of freedom in Iran. I would also add Morgan Tsvangirai. That’s on the hope front, and is newsworthy especially if Iran does become democratic. Also the female journalist killed by the Putin regime, the Danish cartoonist who was recently assaulted for the Mohammed cartoons, and countless other martyrs for freedom and human rights around the globe. I would also add, on the hope front, our men and women in uniform who are not only doing a great job, but doing it under the worst of circumstances. I particularly applaud the ones that have come home and spoken out about the need to draw down our commitment to these two wars, the need for increased veterans health care and PTSD treatment after the war, and the brave heroes at Ft. Hood especially the security guard who took the mad man down saving countless lives and ensuring that tragedy did not turn into an even worse massacre. You could also add the people of Detroit and New Orleans who have put up with living in cities the federal government has and indeed the American people have forgotten about. One a victim of decades of man made disasters, the other a natural one followed by an inept man made response. That these citizens have still decided to stay in their hometown and rebuild it rather than give up, is a testament to the American character, and proof that the most important policies are local ones and urban ones. Let us hope the federal government will not continue its neglect.

      <

      p>As for newsmakers, Joe Lieberman and Glenn Beck for all the wrong reasons. Lieberman for single handedly torpedoing meaningful health care reform, for capricious reasons, and also for his neglectful handling of the Homeland Security Committee and his war mongering. These actions might also torpedo the Obama presidency itself. Clearly the worst Senator in the Senate but sadly the single most effective one as well. Glenn Beck to me symbolizes, better than Sarah Palin, the average, white, conservative, populist rage that has taken hold of 40% of the country. He is our generations Father Coughlin and might possibly wield even more power. If the Republicans are to come to power look for its actual leaders, Bohner and Steele, yield to the whims of its natural leaders and take that party further down the road of extremism and bigotry. The bad news is that this population will help fuel the GOP takeover of Congress, but the good news is they will continue to drag the party away from the realm of presidential electability.  

Archives