As I've lived and worked in New York for eight years, I've observed a little bit about urban politics. Sam Roberts wrote an article in today's Times on the decline of the Harlem based old gaurd of black political power that was puntuated by the disgrace of David Paterson, here. It's a great article that sketches the history of demographic shifts and old-style urban machine politics centered around powerful county leaders.

Reading this article also inspired me to collect a few old posts from Changing the Court under a label, "Learning about large public bureaucracies and urban politics."

Here's the key trend reflecting increased partisanship in the US Congress (double-click to enlarge):

So true

A city that was designed for travel by foot and horses loses some of its charm with modern traffic congestion. A deep snowfall is the perfect antidote, as it adds beauty, muffles sounds and discourages automobiles. The broad streets and sidewalks reveal their grandeur when covered with snow instead of cars.

From a blog post by Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore), here. (thanks to Talking Points Memo for the link).