Will pro-choice women back Obama or McCain?

This article in TIME makes an interesting observation. Many women have no idea where McCain stands on abortion. They assume he's a "maverick," so he must be okay on choice. He's not. He did, once upon a time, support keeping Roe v. Wade. Now he wants it overturned. (An aside to you gays out there, and those of us who use contraceptives: Roe v. Wade is the basis for Supreme Court decisions supporting both of you - Roe goes, you go.) But when women learn that McCain wants Roe overturned, their support for him drops. So let's all remind everyone we know that John McCain plans to overturn Roe and outlaw all abortions - and condoms too. Read the rest of this post...

Biw Cwinton is vewy vewy angwy

Good Lord. And Obama doesn't have a right to be angry too? Do the words "kitchen sink" ring a bell? You don't hear Obama running around demanding that everyone make nice with him after everything he was put through. He's still having to deal with the damage Hillary caused during the primaries - Rev. Wright, Ayers, elite-gate, biter-gate, and more. So give me a freaking break and grow the frak up, people. We have bigger fish to fry than your egos. Read the rest of this post...

Global warming may produce the "perfect storm" of diseases

Nice. Read the rest of this post...

The role of religion at the service academies

Yes, they've done it this way for hundreds of years around the world. And for hundreds of years we haven't been a very enlightened society until of late. So, what exactly are we emulating? Religious freedom circa 1800? Read the rest of this post...

Mo Dowd: Obama's no chump

She done good this week:

Haven’t we had enough of this hypocritical comedy of people in the elite disowning their social status for political purposes? The Bushes had to move all the way to Texas from Greenwich to make their blue blood appear more red.

Everyone who ever became president was in the elite one way or another, including Andrew Jackson.

Rove and Co. are nervous because they see that Obama, in rejecting public financing, is not going to be a chump, like some past Democratic candidates.

And more:

Charlie Black crassly argued in Fortune that a terrorist attack would “be a big advantage” for John McCain. And what’s scary is, Black is the smartest adviser McCain’s got.

It’s hard to believe that if Americans get attacked after all these years of getting strip-searched at the airport, they’re going to be filled with confidence at the performance of the Republicans on national security. And at least Obama wants to catch Osama and doesn’t think he’s getting his directions on war from “a higher Father.”

Rove’s mythmaking about Obama won’t fly. If he means that Obama has brains, what’s wrong with that? If he means that Obama is successful, what’s wrong with that? If he means that Obama has education and intellectual sophistication, what’s wrong with that?

Many of Obama’s traits are the traits that people in the population aspire to.

It looks as if Rove is on the verge of realizing his dream of creating a permanent position for the Republicans.

Unfortunately for him, it’s in the minority.

Read the rest of this post...

McCain campaign had series of meetings, including McCain himself, with gay Republican group that supports gay marriage

Wow. While James Dobson is publicly doing McCain's dirty work by trashing Obama's commitment to the religious right cause, McCain is privately meeting with Dobson's sworn enemy, the gay Republicans - a group that supports and is pushing for gay marriage. Note that once again McCain is trying to have it both ways. He's publicly sucking up to the religious right, while he and his staff are privately holding regular meetings with the gays. But at the same time, McCain is keeping the gay meetings off his public schedule lest he appear a bit too tolerant, or catch cooties, or something. Flippity floppity goes the candidate. He's Mr. Campaign Finance and a campaign finance criminal. He's Mr. Clean Government and a Keating Five co-conspirator. And now Mr. Conservative is holding secret meetings with the marriage-loving gay agenda. You can bet heads are exploding in Dobson-land over this. Read the rest of this post...

Bush approval at new low, 23%

And that includes his dog. He also has a 73% disapproval. This explains why a GOP Senate candidate is trying to tie himself to Obama, in the hopes of winning his re-election. It's also why John McCain is terribly confused about what to do this fall. Does he abandon Bush and alienate the conservative Republicans who already don't trust him? Or does he embrace Bush and alienate 73% of the country? Or does he split the baby in half and come across as a flip-flopper, or worse, confused? Read the rest of this post...

Obama campaign is expanding the political map aiming to pick up more seats at all levels

This is something I find very exciting. The Obama campaign is using its resources not only to win the presidency, but to insure more Democrats are elected. And, they're not limiting those pick ups to House and Senate seats at the federal level. Steve Hildebrand explained to Ben Smith Obama's campaign wants to also help with state house races, which will impact re-districting. This is revolutionary thinking for Democrats:

Barack Obama will focus his resources largely in 14 states George W. Bush won in 2004, his chief field operative said Tuesday, hoping to score upsets in places such as Virginia, Indiana and Georgia.

But winning the White House won’t be his only goal, deputy campaign manager Steve Hildebrand told Politico: In an unusual move, Obama’s campaign will also devote some resources to states it’s unlikely to win, with the goal of influencing specific local contests in places such as Texas and Wyoming.

“Texas is a great example where we might not be able to win the state, but we want to pay a lot of attention to it,” Hildebrand said. “It’s one of the most important redistricting opportunities in the country.”

Texas Democrats are five seats away in each chamber from control of the state Legislature, which will redraw congressional districts after the 2010 census.

In Wyoming, Democrat Gary Trauner, running for the state’s sole congressional seat, lost narrowly against an incumbent in 2006 and is now seeking an open seat.

“If we can register more Democrats, if we can increase the Democratic performance and turnout, maybe we can pick up a congressional seat,” Hildebrand said.

Seriously, very few people in Democratic politics think outside of their silos. Republicans do, but Democrats never have. I often have the sense that many of the D.C.-based political "experts" and consultants view the states as movie sets instead of the homes of real voters. But, what happens in the states really matters. I know that sounds overly simple, but, if you spend enough time around Democratic politicos, you know it has to be said. Hildebrand's plans are a very good sign for change. Read the rest of this post...

"John Mccain is aware of the Internet"

"John Mccain is aware of the Internet" - McCain campaign Internet strategist Mark Soohoo.

Not if you have to say it. Not to mention, "is aware" is the way you describe someone in a coma. "Suzie is aware of her surroundings."

John McCain's Internet guy for his campaign was at a conference in NYC this week, and he was asked how well John McCain understands the Internet. This was his response:

Pressed again on McCain's tech savvy, he defends his candidate.

"You don't actually have to use a computer to understand how it shapes the country," he says.

"You actually do," former Edwards blogger Tracy Russo responds, suggesting he try to explain Twitter to his grandmother and then ask her how that applies to governing.

"John McCain is aware of the Internet," says Soohoo. "This is a man who has a very long history of understanding on a range of issues."

He's aware of the Internet? But he doesn't actually know how to use a computer. My mom and dad know how to use a computer, and they're older than McCain. This is what we've been noting for a while: John McCain isn't just 72 (almost), he's a very old 72.

And another thing. What is this with calling McCain "John McCain"? I worked on the Hill in the early 90s, and I noticed how in some offices they referred to the boss by his or her full name. Here's what I mean. Say you work for John McCain and someone asks you, "Is Senator McCain aware of the Internet?" Your responses might be:

1. He is aware of the Internet.
2. Senator McCain is aware of the Internet.
3. The Senator is aware of the Internet.
4. McCain is aware of the Internet.
5. My boss is aware of the Internet.

The answer normal people don't give is: John McCain is aware of the Internet.

Normal people don't refer to their boss by his full name in this context. It's forced, and it's not a normal English construction. Try it yourself. It's a rather nuanced lesson in language, but have someone ask you a question about your boss, by name, and practice the various answers. It's not normal, or comfortable, to use your boss' full name when answering the question. It's forced - and it's oddly regal, akin to the royal "we" or to people who refer to themselves by their own full name (like me writing "let me tell you, John Aravosis doesn't like what this staffer said"). I noticed twenty years ago that this is something some people do on the Hill. It's a sign, I've always thought, of a bit of a cult of personality in that particular office, and it's usually because it's something the boss himself cultivates. Read the rest of this post...

Bush admin. solution to EPA's greenhouse gas proposal: Don't open the e-mail

Okay, it's one thing if you or I don't open e-mails we don't want to read. That behavior usually involve e-mails about bad interpersonal relationships, not critically important national policy. That's what the Bush administration did. The brain trust at the White House just wouldn't open an e-mail from the E.P.A.:

The White House in December refused to accept the Environmental Protection Agency’s conclusion that greenhouse gases are pollutants that must be controlled, telling agency officials that an e-mail message containing the document would not be opened, senior E.P.A. officials said last week.

The document, which ended up in e-mail limbo, without official status, was the E.P.A.’s answer to a 2007 Supreme Court ruling that required it to determine whether greenhouse gases represent a danger to health or the environment, the officials said.

This week, more than six months later, the E.P.A. is set to respond to that order by releasing a watered-down version of the original proposal that offers no conclusion. Instead, the document reviews the legal and economic issues presented by declaring greenhouse gases a pollutant.

How's that for leadership, huh? You can imagine the meeting to figure out what to do. Bush, Cheney, Josh Bolten, Dana Perino -- they probably had to call Karl Rove in, too -- all sitting around discussing whether or not to read the e-mail. They came up with a very eighth grade solution. Read the rest of this post...

Ralph Nader says Obama is trying to "talk white" because he won't talk about "the ghetto"

And apparently Ralph Nader is starting to talk "white supremacist." Seriously, can Nader do any more to destroy what was once his good name? Is this guy on the board of any organizations, because enough is enough. He's helped put Bush into office twice, and now he's doing it again with McCain. Any groups who have this guy affiliated with them should be excoriated. What he just said is only borderline better than Don Imus. From ABC:

Nader -- who launched his 5th presidential campaign in February -- says the only thing different about Obama from previous Democratic presidential candidates is his race. "I haven't heard him have a strong crackdown on economic exploitation in the ghettos," Nader says. "Payday loans, predatory lending, asbestos, lead. What's keeping him from doing that? Is it because he wants to talk white? He doesn't want to appear like Jesse Jackson? We'll see all that play out in the next few months and if he gets elected afterwards."

Asked if he thinks Obama is trying to "talk white," Nader said, "of course….The number one thing that a black American politician aspiring to the presidency should be is to candidly describe the plight of the poor, especially in the inner cities and the rural areas, and have a very detailed platform about how the poor is going to be defended by the law, is going to be protected by the law, and is going to be liberated by the law," Nader said. "Haven't heard a thing."

Nader also says Obama wants to show he's not "another politically threatening African-American politician. He wants to appeal to white guilt. You appeal to white guilt not by coming on as black is beautiful, black is powerful. Basically he's coming on as someone who is not going to threaten the white power structure, whether it's corporate or whether it's simply oligarchic. And they love it. Whites just eat it up."

Here's a message for Ralph Nader:

Read the rest of this post...

Supreme Court rules that death penalty is "cruel and unusual" for man who raped a child

This isn't a joke (since I posted a joke story yesterday about the Supreme Court and the death penalty). Fascinating decision. At first you'd like to say, of course it's appropriate to kill someone who rapes a child. But then, this decision forces you to think of when the death penalty is appropriate. What rules would you use? Normally, I'd think that the death penalty is only used when someone kills someone else. But is rape so unique a crime, and raping a child so unique a victim, that in this case an exception should be made? Thoughts? Oh, and the decision was 5-4, again. Meaning, McCain changes everything. Read the rest of this post...

FX says gays abuse kids, are mentally ill

Yep. The FX network thought it would be cute, or funny, or something to put on TV an anti-gay bigot and let him spout all the tired old lies from decades ago - and THEN, not have anyone there to say "uh, those are all lies." So, FX's viewers were left with the message that gays abuse kids, are mentally ill, beat their partners, and more. Lovely. Maybe FX can get Heinz as a sponsor. More from Dan Savage, and GLAAD. Dan is right. This is outrageous. It's bad enough for FX to let these bigots broadcast their tired old libel against gays, but then to not have someone there to point out that the "facts" are actually lies. Incredible. Read the rest of this post...

South Florida looking good for Obama and three Democratic House candidates including Annette Taddeo

Markos wrote a post yesterday about the latest polling from South Florida -- and it looks good. Obama is up in that key area by a wide margin: 46 - 30.

Importantly, as Markos notes, there are three House seats in play in South Florida, too:

"Perhaps that's why Bush came down to help raise money for Mario and Lincoln Diaz-Balart. The brothers are under pressure from Democrats Raul Martinez and O2B candidate Joe Garcia. A third seat, that held by Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, is being challenged by another great Democrat, Annette Taddeo."

We've set up an ActBlue page for one of them: Annette Taddeo. You can also give by clicking on the blue box above (all your money goes to the candidate, and it's totally safe). She's a great progressive candidate for the 18th Congressional District and understands the demographics of South Florida. Annette is a successful businesswoman, a Latina and is Jewish. South Florida is no longer dominated by the old guard Cuban-Americans. Simon Rosenberg reported on the changing dynamics in Florida:

Florida's Hispanic community is changing. Waves of new Puerto Rican, Mexican, Central and South American immigrants have made the historically powerful Cuban-American community a minority of the statewide Hispanic vote. And the Cuban-American community itself is changing, with many more post-1980 immigrants and 2nd generation American-born Cuban-Americans entering the electorate.

Annette is running against Ileana Ros-Lehtinen who has been in office for eighteen years. Ros-Lehtinen spends most of her time obsessing about all things Cuba while simultaneously serving as a Bush rubber stamp (which Ileana recently denied, literally saying she wasn't a "rubber stamp.") But, this is a vibrant, diverse and Democratic district stretching from South Beach down to Key West. This race also just made it onto the DCCC's list of emerging races where "Democratic candidates have generated excitement in their districts for their campaigns for change." We think Annette's going to emerge into a Democratic pick up.

The better Taddeo does, the better Obama does -- and vice versa. Help Annette Taddeo turn South Florida blue. Read the rest of this post...

Grampa McCain does it again

Jed quotes McCain, answering a question about gas prices on June 23 in Fresno:

“I also want to make sure that we will take concrete steps towards eliminating our dependence on foreign oil. And I am confident that uh, the, the conflicts that we are in in both Iraq and Afghanistan have also a bearing on that.”

Iraq and Afghanistan have to do with getting us off foreign oil? Huh? Here's the video:

Read the rest of this post...

Wednesday Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

You're not going to believe this, but the Associated Press actually mentioned John McCain's legal problems with the FEC:

Since the beginning of the year, the commission has only had two members: Republican Chairman David Mason and Democrat Ellen Weintraub.

Earlier this month, President Bush decided to withdraw Mason's nomination, prompting a protest from Reid and from watchdog groups.

Mason has on few occasions voted with Democrats on regulatory matters. Earlier this year, he angered officials in Republican John McCain's presidential campaign by raising questions about a loan McCain obtained and by informing the campaign that it needed a vote of the commission before withdrawing from the primary's public financing system. Earlier this year, the Democratic National Committee filed a complaint with the FEC over McCain's loan and on Tuesday it sued in federal court to compel the FEC to investigate the matter.

Now that wasn't so hard, was it? Seems after a Senate vote yesterday, the FEC is operational again. The McCain crimes should be first on the agenda.

Let's get moving... Read the rest of this post...