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October 04, 2008 03:34 PM UTC

Weekend Open Thread

  • 86 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols

“The whole campaign was a tragic case of mistaken identity.”

–George McGovern

Comments

86 thoughts on “Weekend Open Thread

  1. For my birthday I asked my family to make a donation to the Obama campaign instead of buying me something. Within ½ hour of making the online donations, my wife & oldest daughter each got a phone call asking them to volunteer. They are right on top of this making maximum use of every single person.

    My middle daughter who goes to CSU says that there are people every 20 feet making sure that every single student is registered and has the right address in. They’re going to have 101% of the students there registered by Monday.

      1. He doesn’t have the experience!

        Why don’t you get it?

        As I’ve said elsewhere, Hillary’s campaign wasn’t run so well and that was a concern of mine.  Moot, now.

        BO’s campaign juggernaut is an indication of how well he will run the White House ane work with congress.  

  2. MMcCain-Palin scoriated. Barack Obama-Biden endorsed by the Humane Society for the United States.

    Standing on the sidelines is no longer an option for us.

    If Palin is put in a position to succeed McCain, it could mean rolling back decades of progress on animal issues.

    I’m proud to announce today that the HSLF board of directors-which is comprised of both Democrats and Republicans-has voted unanimously to endorse Barack Obama for President. The Obama-Biden ticket is the better choice on animal protection, and we urge all voters who care about the humane treatment of animals, no matter what their party affiliation, to vote for them.

    Voters who care about protecting wildlife from inhumane and unsporting abuses, enforcing the laws that combat large-scale cruelties like dogfighting and puppy mills, providing humane treatment of animals in agriculture, and addressing other challenges that face animals in our nation, must become active over the next six weeks to elect a president and vice president who share our values. Please spread the word, and tell friends and family members that an honest assessment of the records of the two presidential tickets leads to the inescapable conclusion that Obama-Biden is the choice for humane-minded voters.

    Paid for by Humane Society Legislative Fund and not authorized by any candidate or candidate’s committee.

    Read the entire article here [ yes, there is a lot more….]

    http://hslf.typepad.com/politi

    1. I find your concerns to be innane, disheartening and disgusting. During Obama’s Illinois legislative career he voted against giving aid to a child who survived a botched abortion.Obama supports the privacy of a woman over the life of a child and you want to discuss wildlife.Every 13 seconds a child is abused and you anthropomorphize wildlife.Is that what an Obama presidency would be?Obama’s half brother in Africa lives on $1 a day.Obama never has helped him. Cindy McCain has adopted 3 children from different racial backgrounds,has worked in a war zone caring for victims.she has a master’s in special ed.What has Obama done.I live in Il and I can tell you he has been supported by a convicted felon Reczko,he has taken the largest contribution from Freddie Mac,he has lied about his upbringing.His mother left him with his grandmother while she went to Indonesia and married a man connected to the oil industry.He has increased taxes for $42k income.The only thing he voted for in Illinois was his own raise.He gave money to the U of C when a $300k job  was created for his wife.While at Harvard he had 17 parking tickets that he never paid until he ran for president(google it-Obama parking tickets)This is an honest man???Biden’s son is employed as a lobbyist.Biden lied about his credentials when applying to law school.We all know he plegerized a speech.Your ticket is really honest. In the mean time Gov Palin has given Alaskan residents tax credits, lowered property tax, improved infrastructure, added one of the biggest pipelines.McCain has never asked for pork barrel spending.Obama has.The last time it was $900 million.McCain’s 20 plus years in the congress is unbeatable.    

      1. For you our newest propagandist.  I see that you’ve got your talking points down well. Though in reality the “Born-Alive” act was a mandate for health care, not a change to the law.

        “A anti-abortion group is running an ad featuring a woman who says she survived a failed abortion and that “if Barack Obama had his way, I wouldn’t be here.” She’s wrong. If she’d been born in Illinois, Illinois law would have protected her with or without the “born alive” legislation that Obama opposed and that this group supports.”

        http://www.factcheck.org/elect

      2. There have been so many of these suddenly appearing sock puppets/trolls/righties I can’t even remember who else had this Flunked English style……

      3. Looking forward to the McCain ad with ominous music about that scandal.

        It’s so obvious you’re one of those McCain campaign “please blog here” trolls.

        I’d say “nice try” but that’d be like saying Palin did a nice job in the debate simply because she managed to put together complete sentences – for the most part.

  3. Understandably, the vice-presidential debate overshadowed Michalski’s decision, and most press reports have noted merely that the court allowed the investigation to proceed. The brief on behalf of Michalski’s decision 30-page ruling, however, deserves greater attention: it was a stunningly blunt rejection of the pro-Palin arguments, and an unusually eloquent testimony to legislative prerogatives.

    The brief termed the legislators’ “historic” filing “one of the most bizarre challenges to Alaska’s separation of powers doctrine in the history of the state.” And his ruling didn’t minimize the stakes: “That the challenge is brought by six legislators-apparently blind to the effect their short-term political gambit could have on the strength of the institution they represent-is sadly ironic.”

    As the brief came to understand, the legislators’ basic claim-that a legislature lacks the constitutional authority to oversee and investigate the activities of an executive-so fundamentally challenged American constitutional theory that few on-point cases exist. Those that do, unsurprisingly, all uphold legislative power, and in this sense the ruling provides a convenient library of state and federal cases on the question. The judge termed it “lamentable, if understandable,” that the pro-Palin legislators failed to cite even one case to substantiate their claims.

    At times, the brief could scarcely contain its sarcasm. Taking note of the legislators’ demand that Michalski stop the investigation lest it make “the Alaska Legislature and the State of Alaska a laughingstock,” the brief implied that the activities of Palin, Colberg, and the legislators themselves made the state a “laughingstock.”

    At other times, the brief was nothing short of brutal. He chided the legislators’ “obviously half-hearted argument that cites no cases and relies on no recognizable legal principles.” It deemed their claims contrary to the “unambiguous” nature of Alaska law. It dismissed their assertion that the investigation violated Palin’s due-process rights as “absurd on its merits,” a misunderstanding of the difference between a legislative investigation and a criminal trial.

    The brief concluded that agreeing with the pro-Palin legislators’ demand to halt the investigation on the grounds that it was “partisan” in motivation “can never be the right result in a free society with three independent branches of government. Rarely, if ever, has a request for such extraordinary injunctive relief been made on such flimsy legal grounds. The legal principles controlling this case are clear and fundamental. The Legislature has the power to investigate actions of the Executive.”

    http://hnn.us/blogs/entries/55

      1. And Repubs on the Court knew it too.  Otherwise, why take the extraordinary step of stipulating that this particular decision NOT be viewed as setting a precedent?

    1. since this article was researched the Rs have lost all but 370 of their advantage.  Could be even less now.  That was as of Thursday evening. The Obama registration drive has been off the charts.  

      The article does not paint an entirely accurate picture of demographics as there are still some extremely affluent neighborhoods in Arapahoe County such as Cherry Hills, the Preserve, Greenwood Village, etc.  But much of it is very accurate.  

      An experienced political operative I know has been saying for a long time that Arapahoe is the key to Dem wins here in Colorado.  Dems like Ken Salazar won here when the R registration advantage was much, much bigger than it is now.

      The most optimistic Dem NEVER expected the registration gap to close this fast. And indies, a  group comprising roughly a third who used to tilt strongly R not so many years ago, have been helping elect Dems in Arapahoe, too.  

  4. We now know how sleazy and dishonest the campaign will be over the next month; extremely.

    The McCain campaign thinks Americans are stupid. After a financial collapse and unemployment on the rise, they decided to completely ignore the issues and to dishonestly and dishonorably attack Obama with lie after lie.

    1. While the McCainiacs call for the “gloves to come off,” it will only negatively effect McCain’s campaign. If McCain would actually run an honorable campaign on the issue he might have a shot, but fortunately for America McCain’s judgement is clouded by his lobbyist-staff who will lead him over the cliff next month.

      That strategy was on vivid display here Friday as Mr. McCain released an advertisement claiming that Mr. Obama was “not truthful on taxes,” told a crowd that Mr. Obama had “the most liberal voting record in the U.S. Senate” and falsely painted Mr. Obama’s health care plan as a government-run system…

      He has run advertisements labeling Mr. Obama as a celebrity and other spots saying that Mr. Obama would raise taxes and that he had supported the teaching of sex education to kindergartners, which is false…

      But some Republican strategists who once worked for Mr. McCain say that the attacks and false statements have weakened the brand he built over the years as a straight talker who lamented the bitterness of modern politics. More than half of the respondents in a New York Times/CBS News poll said late last month that Mr. McCain spent more time attacking Mr. Obama than explaining what he would do as president.

      So, unleash Palin and your negative and dishonest campaign Mr. McCain. Because it will only lead to victory for Obama in November.

      1. People are going to have to have strong stomachs to watch TV in October.  It is going to get bad.  Obama will be paired with images of Bin Laden and Ahmadinejad in every ad and taxes will be portrayed as an almighty sin.

        The goal is going to be to cast doubt in people’s minds about Obama’s decency.  It is going to get uuugglly my fellow Americans.

        Obama might blow up under this kind of pressure but I think he kind of inoculated the country by the way he dealt with the Rev. Wright reverse racism charge.  Hillary might have actually done him a favor by putting it out there early enough that now it will be old news.  McCain has run a really really dumb campaign so he is probably going to ride off into the sunset with a foul smell all over his reputation.

        1. Nothing should scare the american people more than the incompetence of the last years perpetuated for another four by a McCain/Palin administration. The American people are not as stupid as McCain thinks they are.

          1. They seemed to be surprised by the fact that in spite of all the gosh, golly, there you go agains, the winking, twinkling and such, the insta-polls all had Biden as the clear winner of the Biden/Palin debate over all and in most of the important internal numbers, too.  Maybe the public DOES eventually learn after all.

    2. happened in defeat.  On the day he lost the S.C. primary in 2000, he said:

      I’m going to fight with every ounce of strength I have, but I’m going to keep fighting clean, I’m going to keep fighting fair, and I’m going to keep fighting the battle of ideas.

      And my friends, we are going to win.

      I will not take the low road to the highest office in this land.

      I want the presidency in the best way, not the worst way.

      The American people deserve to be treated with respect by those who seek to lead the nation. And I promise you, you will have my respect until my last day on earth. The greatest blessing of my life was to have been born an American, and I will never dishonor the nation I love by letting myself — I will never dishonor the nation I love or myself by letting ambition overcome principle. Never. Never. Never.

      My friends, I say to you I am a uniter, not a divider. I don’t just say it, I live it. I’m a real reformer. I’m a real reformer. I don’t just say it, I live it. And I’m a fighter for this country, and I don’t just say it, I live it.

      As this campaign moves forward, a clear choice will be offered, a choice between my optimistic and welcoming conservatism and the negative message of fear. Between Ronald Reagan’s vision of inclusion and the defeatist tactics of exclusion so cherished by those who would shut the doors to our party and surrender America’s future to Speaker Gephardt and President Al Gore. A choice between a record of reform and an empty slogan of reform. A choice between experience and pretense.

      My word, does that feel like a long time ago.  Since then he’s been well educated in the Gospel of the Knife Fight, I’m sure.  If he follows through with what he’s been promising every media outlet that will listen today, no matter who wins the election, senator McCain has been lost.  The nobility of his refusal to take the low road was truly inspiring, but that only makes today’s news so much harder to take.

      I understand the senator McCain’s supporters will say that senator Obama has done worse, and the senator Obama’s supporters will retort that he has not and that argument will continue ad nauseam.  But what made senator McCain a once in a lifetime leader was that he stood above that.  He stood above it and said he simply would not take the low road regardless of how shameful his opponent might be.  Never letting ambition overcome principal.  Never. Never. Never.  It is a hard day for those who believe he was right the first time.  Even one of the rarest few who was willing to boldly stand for a fair, clean public discourse could only do so for so long.  His ambition appears to have finally overcome his principle once and for all, and America has lost the final piece of the great treasure with which it was once blessed.

      1. I gave McCain money in 2000.  I loved his fiscal discipline, he forgot it after he reversed himself on the Bush tax discipline.

        I loved that he didn’t want to engage in th culture war: waste of time that dumbs down our politics.  He forgot that after he went to liberty university.

        And I loved him when he refused to sink to Bush’s level.  Even last year, I thought he was the most homorable of the lot and then he went and hired the same group of shit flinging macaques that had trashed McCain in 2000.  The same ones that called his adopted daughter a bastard.  Classy.

        Its why I hope that McCain is suffering from dementia–I can excuse his decent into slime if its medical.

  5. for the first time ever.

    Unfortunately, he canceled the poll after the first question, when I admitted I was a volunteer with the Obama campaign. D’oh!

    1. Yay! And although I really intended to vote for Barack Obama, seeing the “HeartQuake ’08” party on the ballot makes me awfully tempted to switch my vote. That’s the most awesome name I’ve ever seen on a ballot.

      And Alan Keyes is running for President again. Who knew?

      1. .

        We’re torn between Keyes, of America’s Independent Party, and Chuck Baldwin of the American Constitution Party.

        The masses have to choose between the lesser of two evils, between corporatist O and corporatist Mc, neither one able to deliver anything more than cosmetic change, a true conundrum.

        We are blessed to get to choose between 2 wonderful choices.  

        .

        1. What does “corporatist” mean?

          And us poor, poor masses. I mean we’ve got no choice but to vote for a candidate who represents our moderate left or right views and not having two or three like the folks on the far right and left. Boy, I wish I was a real lefty so I could choose between Ralph Nader, Cynthia McKinney, Gloria La Riva, and Brian Moore who are all just as qualified as the conservative and Libertarian candidates. It’s a shame.

          I’m not voting for the lesser of two evils. I’m voting for the best candidate for the job based on my views. None of the ‘third party’ are good fits with what I believe.

          1. of the Socialist Workers Party, and Bradford Lyttle of the Pacifist Party. Ya fascist. 🙂

            Also, Barron X forgot Thomas Robert Stevens, of the Objectivist Party.

            True story: when I was in college, I was kind of a right-winger (Libertarian), and I wrote a letter to the student newspaper denouncing identity politics. The faculty adviser of the campus Objectivist club found my phone number and left a message on my machine asking me to join. Creeped me the fuck out, and led to me questioning all my beliefs.

            Also, Barron, just out of curiosity, what do conservatives have against Bob Barr? My brother the libertarian doesn’t like him either, but what’s your reason?

          2. .

            I may be using the term incorrectly,

            but I mean to say that the candidates of the two branches of the one dominant party,

            the Democratic and Republican branches,

            are beholden to corporate masters.  

            And the corporations I refer to are not legally incorporated entities, per se,

            but are these amalgam bodies of aggregated powerful corporations.  MSM.  Agribusiness.  Financial services.  Oil & gas.  

            Once elected, the main activity of any Congressman is to collect money for reelection.  

            You may wish this wasn’t true so much that you convince yourself that being a legislator is principally about legislating.  But in Washington, DC, making laws is less about governing and more about providing favors and benefits to donors.  The connection to donors is even more transparent when it comes to understanding how the federal bureaucracy is administered by a President and his team.  

            You and I, for example, we have no trouble seeing that in the facile subservience of the Bush Interior Department.  

            ………..

            You, sir, are generally no “moderate.”  

            That word usually means that a person does not care deeply about the issues of the day.  

            I understand that the word is sometimes also used to subtly and falsely suggest that the person so described takes a position that is a reasonable compromise between extreme positions.  

            But it is often used in situations where there really is no possible compromise in the middle.  

            For lack of imagination, I revert to the abortion issue to explain what I mean.  If a pro-abortion stance is a compromise in the middle, and my pro-life position is at one extreme, what is the other extreme ?  Kill everything that breathes ?   I’ve never heard that position defended.  

            Like many other issues, there really isn’t a range of positions for reasonable people to choose from.  It’s an “either-or” dichotomy.  There are only two reasonable positions possible.  

            Yes, I acknowledge that your position is reasonable.  It has a whole host of other problems, but it does arise from a rational examination of a prevalent world view.  

            The real “moderate” compromise position on this issue is the position of the GOP.  If I may summarize, the Republicans acknowledge that abortion is killing a human being, which would seemingly always be wrong, but then they allow for abortions in some limited circumstances in order to pander for votes from people who haven’t thought the issue through.  

            ………

            Neither, sir, are you among the “low information” masses.  I daresay anyone who even bothers to check out this website has by that act removed themselves from the lump that decides our elections.  

            For that lump, it is important to their self image that they vote for the winner.  

            Even if that means voting against their interests and, if they have any, their values.  

            Based on the amount of money raised, and the number of ads on TV, the widespread perception – based on reality – is that only the two corporatist candidates, Tweedledee and McCain, can possibly win.  

            If their candidate wins, then they believe it reflects well on their judgment.  If their candidate comes in second, oh well, at least that shows that their vote mattered, and the winner had to exceed the number of votes for their choice.  

            But if they vote for someone who neither wins nor places, then their vote was wasted, they believe.  And that calls into question their entire assessment of their self-worth.  They believe that their only role in politics is to be acted upon, as a consumer.  Unlike us, who believe that politics is a participatory undertaking.  

            If their only role is to vote, otherwise disengaged, then it becomes pretty darned important to come out on the winning side.  

            If, in contrast, a person sees themselves as a CITIZEN, with duties and responsibilities, and ultimately accountable for the success of our democratic system,

            voting is the thing.  Not just voting for the winner, but voting our values.  

            .

            1. That is what threw me about your usage of “corporatist”. When I have heard it used it seems to mean being against any business larger than would fit in a 10,000 square foot building. With overtones of we should get back to some pure time when we lived in harmony with nature. And that makes me annoyed with the greens that I most often hear spouting it because in my view large corporations are a necessity. They can be as dangerous to liberty as unrestrained government, but that’s why I think we need stronger laws that will be more robust in the face of the pounding surf of legal challenges.

              And, digressing for a moment, the laws need to be easier understand so that people know exactly what is required to comply with them. The big problem with regulation is a tendency to confuse the volume of paperwork with the strength of the protection for the public.

              Matthew

              1. For a hundred years corporations had to act in the public interest, were limited in operations, and had to face renewal.

                By the time the next hundred years passed, they could do whatever they damn well pleased, had attained personhood, and were perpetual.

                If anyone thinks governments run this world, they are wrong.  

            2. I am quite partisan at times and from a pure power strategic point of view I think it is great when people protest vote by checking the box for a conservative third party. Every vote for one of them is one my favored group does not have to pick up. But I would rather have a system that represented everyone much better. Both on principle and because I think that it will improve the workings of the two major parties just as genuine regulated competition improves the health of large corporations in the end. Good ideas come from people who aren’t playing it safe.

              I call myself a moderate liberal because I do not want everything to change right away and I’m willing to take half a loaf today rather than holding out for a whole loaf at an uncertain later date. I’ll fight like crazy for my point of view, but I’m willing to compromise because I know I cannot always get my way.

              I think there is middle ground to be had on abortion (and other issues). I think we Americans could come to an settlement that a majority from both sides could live with. For example following the British model of more sex education to reduce abortion (and the other ills associated with sex) and also a certain time limit on when abortion was permissible. In Britain currently it is set at the 24th week with good strong rules about allowing it after that when the mother’s life is genuinely in danger.

              I am willing to deal and try to make people who disagree with me that I am willing to bargain in good faith on this subject. I think it is something we should debate rather than shout at each other about. I think we can leave the 10% at either end of the spectrum out of the room and come to some settlement that will work for a decade or two so we can deal with everything else.

              That’s what moderate means to me. Willing to deal with people who are not my enemies, who are just my opponents in a system intended to provide for all our good. And I don’t see a lot of that in the current third parties and their candidates. They have ideological purity and none of the skills I think are necessary to the running of a government. And I don’t like the drift in that direction that I’ve seen in both parties, but especially the Republicans in my view. (And, yes, when I’m not being partisan I’ll say the same thing about Kos and Lieberman, what a mess.)

              Matthew

              1. For example, really, really dark skinned African-Americans, maybe those at the darkest 10 percent of the color spectrum,  shouldn’t be allow to marry whites, but the rest of the African-Americans could be allowed to marry whomever they wished…

                Or, here is another one.  Birth control devices should not be available in those districts which have a majority of Catholics, because the Catholic Church prohibits artificial contraception. Or, whether or not birth control should be legal should be determined by a vote of the people, not because the Supreme Court found a so-called “right to privacy” in the Constitution.

                I am replying late to your post…but, I bet you want answer if you do read it.

            1. Because he’d say whatever popped into his head. I really loved the time when he said he came out for reparations for slavery by tax exemption, much to the outrage of many conservatives.

              Or this one from 2000 that became much repeated during his run in Illinois:

              “I deeply resent the destruction of federalism represented by Hillary Clinton’s willingness to go into a state she doesn’t even live in and pretend to represent the people there, so I certainly wouldn’t imitate it.”

              Someone later deleted this speech from Renew America, but the wayback machine still has it:

              “Now, you think it’s a coincidence that on September 11th, 2001, we were struck by terrorists an evil that has at its heart the disregard of innocent human life? We who have for several decades killed not thousands but scores of millions of our own children, in disregard of the principle of innocent human life–I don’t think that’s a coincidence, I think that’s a warning. I don’t think that’s a coincidence, I think that’s a shot across the bow. I think that’s a way of Providence telling us, “I love you all; I’d like to give you a chance. Wake up! Would you please wake up?””

              Ah… I’m sorry that he’s not running as a Republican somewhere. Or that more Republicans would come out and say exactly what’s on their minds like this.

  6. No video or transcript, but what I remember is a man and woman switching off narration. The man says a series of negative things about the economy, and after each the woman responds with “except Marilyn Musgrave,” and describes how well Musgrave is doing.

    Much better than the new “Millionaire Markey” ad, which just sounds desperate. And now there’s a new Schaffer ad which says “Boulder liberal” three times in thirty seconds. Kind of flattering to me.

    Weird to watch local news for, like, the first time ever.

  7. The Georgia/Russia conflict is front page news again, a car bomb exploded near a Russian outpost in South Ossetia, killing 7, including Colonel Ivan Petrik, head of the Russian military’s joint staff for the South Ossetia conflict zone.  The attack is already being called a ploy by Georgia to undermine the withdrawal agreement, which would have Russian troops completely out of South Ossetia in about a week.  Of course the Georgian government is claiming vice versa.

    I never saw any mention on the news, but the Georgian opposition party is claiming that the US pushed Saakashvili into invading.  Coupled with Putin’s alarmingly east to believe claim that the whole mini-war was created to give a boost to the GOP’s nominee, it’s probably fair to expect an attempt at a conversation shift.  But I could just be overreacting…

    Here’s the article on the bombing:

    http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/

    And here’s a good summary of the entire little war, not just 8/7 on:

    http://www.russiatoday.com/oss

  8. Well that’s funny. I thought Franken, for all his faults, was behind Norm Coleman in the Minnesota Senate Race. But a Star-Tribune poll puts him ahead. And it looks like the presence of a third party candidate doesn’t help Coleman much, either:

    http://www.startribune.com/pol

    The survey, conducted Tuesday through Thursday by Princeton Survey Research Associates International among 1,084 likely Minnesota voters, shows Franken leading Coleman 43 to 34 percent. Independence Party candidate Dean Barkley is supported by 18 percent of respondents.

    1. I thought Franken would lose

      I thought Oregon was out of reach

      But now it looks like they are going blue

      and now R insiders are saying Dole is going to lose NC.  Obama might not win it for the EC, but he is going to turn it for the senate.

      Mitch McConnell is polling bad and the Rs might even lose in Missippi.

      There is a chance (small) that we could get to sixty if we could stomach Joe in the Caucus.

        1. currently 49 Dems +Lieberman +Sanders

          VA

          NM

          CO

          Almost for sure

          NH

          AK

          Probably

          OR

          NC

          MN

          Leaning toward a turn

          that’s 57 Ds +Sanders +Lieberman if we can stomach him.  No point at 57 to 58

          However

          MS

          KY

          are long-shots.  If the D’s could get these D’s might hold their nose and try to keep Lieberman in the caucus.

          1. Stopping cloture is on a bill by bill basis so it’s just rounding up the votes each time. There will be times one or two Dems don’t vote to override. There will be times one or two Repubs do vote for it. Liberman in or out of the caucus will vote as he sees fit each time.

            So, he won’t be in the caucus and there is no need for him to be in the caucus.

              1. I imagine he’d view an Obama administration with a somewhat skeptical eye…which I’d kinda like to see.  We’ve seen what unchecked power does to a party in power…

                If he’s booted as chairman, Dan Akaka would likely be next in line (Carl Levin is next in seniority, but he has a better gig on Armed Services).  Akaka is more of a potted plant than our own…

                Just a thought…

      1. Burning the Republican Party to the ground.  Will November 5th find it in total smoking ruins complements of the incredible incompetency of the chimp?  The reverse Midas touch at work.  Bush’s had total control of the Republican Party so it stands to reason that it will be his biggest failure.  To be fair though, the party has exhausted the Reagan theory that tax cuts and military buildups lead to happy days.  The sad reality is that a good idea of making government more effective got derailed by massive military industrial excesses.  The Republican Party is on the ropes and will need to reevaluate what it means to be conservative after this house of cards falls in on itself.

        1. .

          As you hint in your tagline,

          he has nearly destroyed what was once the most powerful, and most respected, nation the world has ever known.  

          He still has 30 days, and could still complete the job,

          but he will need the cowardly cooperation of the Congress.  

          So far, that hasn’t been an impediment.

          .

      1. But the trend is for Franken (I thought he was going to lose this spring–because Franken has too many edges and Coleman isn’t a terrible guy)

        However, the sentiment has turned so bad for the GOP plus the addition of Obama’s ND organizers make this one now lean Franken.

        MN are hard to predict however.

  9. Mark Udall seems to have everything going for him.

    How come he cannot put Schaffer away?  A five point lead is within the statistical margin of error. Awfully close for a race that that was supposed to be an easy Democratic pick up. Brother Tom seems to be doing much better in New Mexico.

    1. I didn’t realize Udall had to win with 60% in order to be Senator.

      Democrat: “We’re totally kicking your asses in state after state.”

      Republican: “Oh yeah? Well you’re not, um, winning really by, uh, all that much. So there.”

      Democrat: [shakes head sadly and offers Republican a lollipop]

    2. and input on this, Hugh. Here goes. No one, including Udall or Schaffer’s campaigns, thought this race would be anything other than very, very close. Every poll showed this to be a tight race. Rasmussen, Cook, Gallup all showed that this would be one of our best chances in the state for a pick up but was by no means in the bag.

      I’m not sure where you got the idea that this was supposed to be an easy Democratic pick up.

      New Mexico was predicted early on to be an easier race. Perhaps you have the two confused?

      Either way, I look forward to your links to the “supposed to be an easy Democratic pick up”.

    3. Many of those boulder liberals aren’t happy with that moderate from Eldo’s vote on FISA and its eroding his support.

      oh and by the way Tom is Mark’s cousin.

      Snarking done.

      If a Democrat like Udall can get elected statewide in Colorado, the GOP has real trouble. This state is center-right and Udall is center-left.  It is a sure sign theColorado GOP has moved too far right from the days of Hank Brown and Bill Armstrong.  I expect Coffman to move the 6 left to a center right stance to set himself up for a statewide run.  The rest of your “up and comers” are going nowhere statewid.  

    4. two democratic senators in recent times were Floyd Haskell and Gary Hart back in the 1970’s.

      This is going to be a huge coup if Udall gets elected.  McCain and Failin are going to be visiting the state on a weekly basis and Proposition 48 was deliberately put on the ballot to rally the fundie crowd even though it is stinker that is going down.  This is going to be tight right up to November 4th.  Having said that it does appear that Udall is holding his own and is in a great position to pick up the win.

      I was at a meet and greet with him this afternoon and whatever reservations I had about him are gone.  This guy can get it done for the citizens of Colorado.  I’m totally on board for his candidacy now.

    5. That’s how much has been spent in attack ads against Udall so far this year. That couldn’t have anything to do with it, right?

      How do I know that number you ask? Well Udall has a nifty real-time counter.

      What was the previous record in Colorado? $4 million against Strickland?

    1. It’s called ‘Nailin Paylin’ [sic]. Link is fairly safe for work.

      The faux Sarah is Lisa Ann, who “will be nailing the Russians who come knocking on her back-door.” In another scene — a flashback — “young Paylin’s creationist college professor will explain a ‘big bang’ theory even she can’t deny!”

      There’s also a threeway with Hillary and Condoleezza look-alikes. The video is in pre-production, but is being fast tracked for release before the election.

      1. …I have absolutely recollection why, but there I was in the waiting room.

        A female sales rep type came in, checked with the receptionist, and sat down.  She picked up a magazine and started flipping through it…..

        Suddenly her eyes were the size of silver dollars and she threw the magazine back onto the table.

        Too funny.  

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