And Who Is Your State Senator?

Reading David Remnick's bio of Obama.  He pulls a neat trick, stepping outside the flow of the narrative to ask the reader at the appropriate point: "who is your state senator?"  (Not the US senator from your state.)  Here I am, a self-professed political junkie, lived in the same place for 34 years, and I couldn't say.  (Turns out it's Janet Howell, sorry Janet.)  His point, of course, was the utter insignificance of Obama when he won his first election.  Remnick is a good writer.