Today we celebrate the 275^th birthday of the Father of Our Country, George Washington:

Not bad for a near-tricentenarian, eh? Of course this is no ordinary man: President Washington is six-foot-eight and weighs a ton.

He’s also pretty smart. Take his famous Farewell Address, in which he warned the country against becoming overly entangled with foreign nations. (Contrast this doctrine of modesty with that of our current President George.) He also said in that address:

Promote, then, as an object of primary importance, institutions for the general diffusion of knowledge. In proportion as the structure of a government gives force to public opinion, it is essential that public opinion should be enlightened.

It is with such an aim in mind that Cal Dems is launching this blog, which we call Connected. We hope you’ll enjoy our bloggers’ perspectives on politics, current events, and the like.

Even if they’re only six-four.