NO on Prop 8

Words fail.

You can't have opinions about the truth.

And so it goes.
*

Charles Meets Barak Obama

Charles won a raffle to meet Barak at a rally in Denver last Sunday. This made me cry. OK laugh, but maybe you'll understand why after viewing this;

I am so looking forward to November 4th.
And so it goes.
*
h/t Happy in Nevada

Um, Boo!

Yes, it's from HERE as usual.

More later.
*

Ashley Todd's Done this Before

Egg and a scar on her face.

Ashley Todd, 20, of College Station, Texas, is charged with filing a false police report. She told investigators she has had psychological issues in the past and Bryant said detectives are working with the Allegheny County District Attorney’s office to determine whether Todd should be released on the misdemeanor charge or taken to a hospital for evaluation.

“She just opened up and said she wanted to tell the truth,” Bryant said. “She was upset with the media for blowing this into a political firestorm.”

Excuse me, but what did she do this for? Anonymity?

Well, it turns out that the Ron Paul campaign told her to get lost months ago. HERE.

It's 5 o'clock somewhere.

Cheers!

And so it goes.
*

Throwing McCain Under the Snowmobile

I know I've written this many times during the campaign, but once again...I have never seen this kind of thing - ever! Talking about future elections before the present one is over. Do these Republicans also eat their young? From ABC News:

Gov. Sarah Palin suggested that if the Republican ticket is defeated on Tuesday she expects to be a player in the next election four years from now, saying "I'm not doing this for naught."

In an interview with ABC News' Elizabeth Vargas, the Republican vice-presidential nominee was asked about 2012, whether she was discouraged by the daily attacks on the campaign trail, and would instead pack it in and return to her home state of Alaska.

"I think that, if I were to give up and wave a white flag of surrender against some of the political shots that we've taken, that would bring this whole & I'm not doing this for naught," Palin said.

Palin said she believed in the current GOP ticket and that she was "thinking that it's going to go our way on Tuesday, Nov. 4. I truly believe that the wisdom of the people will be revealed on that day," she said.

Well, on that last comment I hope she is correct, 'cause so far she ain't showed much wisdom.

The remaining wheel on the Straight Talk Express bus finally came off and went rolling down the hill. Just amazing. Bye-bye...

And so it goes.
*

Rally in Harrisonburg and a Miracle

I just read this over at DU and had to post it. It gives me hope.This rally took place yesterday October 28. If folks would take an hour to actually listen to what is being said and how, this could turn the country around big time.

Obama (along with Tim Kaine and Mark Warner) was in Harrisonburg, Virgina an hour ago (making him the first presidential candidate since Douglas to visit Virginia's Shenandoah Valley) and gave his usual rousing rally (really, when hasn't he?). I'm still incredibly pumped, and I had great seats... but the most amazing transformation took place one row in front of me.

A man, roughly in his mid-30's, entered and sat down. I noticed immediately that he was wearing a McCain/Palin sticker on his sweater. I initially thought he was being facetious, but his body language was speaking volumes. He was a McCain supporter who had been dragged to the event by his wife.

He sat on his hands when Kaine and Warner were speaking, rolling his eyes and making snide comments to his wife. I wasn't bothered by it, because he was one sour drop in a bucket full of enthusiasm. When Obama came out, I couldn't help but notice he was the only person within my view that wasn't clapping but scowling.

But then something happened: He was a captive audience, so, for what I imagine was the first time, he listened to [what] Obama had to say, and a gradual change of demeanor occurred. By the time Obama came to his tax plan and how it differs from McCain, the man seemed genuinely impressed. It was at this moment when he finally started to applaud.

By the rally's end, when the entire building erupted in cheers, he humbly turned to his wife, smirked, and tore off the McCain sticker. I had just witnessed the conversion of a McCain voter to an Obama voter... and it was accomplished in less than hour. I didn't think such a thing was possible.

Holy FUCK. People, our guy is that good.

I've noticed that many wives are voting for Obama while their husbands are going for McCranky. I see it here all the time lately. I am sure that these people have always voted Republican in the past. Not so this time around. Interesting.

The first comment on this piece was this:

"If he'd been wearing an Obama shirt at a McCain rally, he'd be in the hospital."

That's the major difference between the two campaigns.

And so it goes.
*

If They Were Technology

Uh Huh.

More later.
*

GOP Call Center Workers Walk...

Seven Days and it gets uglier with each passing hour. From TPM:

Some three dozen workers at a telemarketing call center in Indiana walked off the job rather than read an incendiary McCain campaign script attacking Barack Obama, according to two workers at the center and one of their parents.

Nina Williams, a stay-at-home mom in Lake County, Indiana, tells us that her daughter recently called her from her job at the center, upset that she had been asked to read a script attacking Obama for being "dangerously weak on crime," "coddling criminals," and for voting against "protecting children from danger."

Williams' daughter told her that up to 40 of her co-workers had refused to read the script, and had left the call center after supervisors told them that they would have to either read the call or leave, Williams says. The call center is called Americall, and it's located in Hobart, IN.

<...>

The daughter, who wanted her name withheld fearing retribution from her employer, confirmed the story to us. "It was like at least 40 people," the daughter said. "People thought the script was nasty and they didn't wanna read it."

Read more: HERE

More later.
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The Wassup Guys 2008: Not so Funny.

No, they're not selling beer. But, something far more potent. Something that is catching fire in this ever so sleepy country.

Eight days to go.

Think I'll have a beer.

And so it goes.
*

Music: Mimi & Richard Farina

I never know what I am going to find on YouTube, and never would have expected to find this video. This is one the few kinescopes that exist of this incredible duo. Mimi is the younger sister of Joan Baez. Richard wrote some of the best folk/protest songs of the 60s.

Sadly, Richard was killed in a motorcycle accident after leaving a book signing in California, before I could purchase the book in New York. The title: “Been Down so Long, It Looks like up to Me.”

When I found this video a few days ago I cried like a baby. They were so beautiful, so happy, and so full of life and love. Richard played a mean dulcimer.

I sent this video to my best friend who lived through those days with me and she promptly replied noting that his shoes are shined, and Mimi is in a lovely dress and low heels. Not at all like the performers of today who think they're doing you a favor if they arrive wearing undergarments.

Thanks to Pete Seeger for having them on his show.

All that said I believe this song is as relevant today – if not more so – than it was in the 60s.While the video is a bit fuzzy the lyrics are quite clear. Enjoy!

It is so time for a cocktail.

And so it goes.
*

"In This Economy, Racism is Officially a Luxury."

Shades of Blazing Saddles. From FiveThirtyEight.com:

So a canvasser goes to a woman's door in Washington, Pennsylvania. Knocks. Woman answers. Knocker asks who she's planning to vote for. She isn't sure, has to ask her husband who she's voting for. Husband is off in another room watching some game. Canvasser hears him yell back, "We're votin' for the n***er!"

Woman turns back to canvasser, and says brightly and matter of factly: "We're voting for the n***er."

In this economy, racism is officially a luxury. How is John McCain going to win if he can't win those voters? John Murtha's "racist" western Pennsylvania district, where this story takes place, is some of the roughest turf in the nation. But Barack Obama is on the ground and making inroads due to unusually strong organizing leadership.

In Washington County, a bellwether in this traditional swing state that John Kerry carried by a mere 552 votes out of over 96,000 cast, the Obama campaign's mood is optimistic but very cautious. The campaign has registered over 4,000 new voters in this county, and enough statewide since the primary season to push the Democratic registration edge to over 1.2 million.

Waco Kid: "Another twenty-five years and you'll be able to shake their hands in broad daylight."

Read it all at the link above.

Ten Days!

And so it goes.
*

MADPRIEST's Thought For The Day

We know far more about Christ's politics than we know about his theology.

He would rather you fed the starving than believed in God.

Thank goodness Paul reversed this for us.

VOTE REPUBLICAN
It's a damn sight easier than giving a shit.

If you've not visited MADPRIEST. Do it. OCICBW

TV Caturday

Gray, windy, showers expected any time.

More later.
*

Video: Gays for McCain

Tongue in cheek:

Get out and vote. This is cute, but the reality isn't.
And so it goes.
*

How About a Trip to Nowhere?

Hmm?

So, today two friends are off on a cruise; next week a friend is heading down to Belize for two weeks of work and play; another friend just returned from a two-week holiday in Toronto where she enjoyed taking in theatre and concerts, and soaking in that beautiful city. Warm temperatures and sunny skies were an added bonus. (Sigh)

Due to my not sleeping well lately, it’s been suggested that I take a few days off and go away, if only for a change of scene.

Wouldn’t that be lovely, I said.

Well, then? She asked.

I explained that from each paycheck a few bucks are put toward an Alaskan dream cruise, and since the economy has tanked, unemployment is rising, and my own job possibly at risk, I cannot simply “take a few days off for a change of scene.” No, the money doesn’t go into the bank, nor is it under the mattress; I keep it in my training jock, if you must know. Talk about paper cuts…ouch!

Having applied for part time holiday positions at various shops and told that there may not be any holiday hirings doesn’t offer much hope.

I’ve noticed that some people just don’t get it. Most are living the same lifestyle as if everything was just dandy. Many are in denial, oblivious of the losses to their 401k plans.

Just yesterday, a guy told me that it cost less to fill up his Suburban these days - only $85.00, down from $130.00 last month. He insists he’s getting a bargain. Talk about short-term memory loss!!!

As for me, I’ll continue to squirrel away a few bucks – slow and steady like – for that cruise. Sure it may take a year or two, but it could take that long to find someone to accompany me on the journey. Seems everyone I know has already been there and done that.

Unfortunately, by that time Sarah Palin’s scandals may have FUBAR’d the state and cruise lines discontinued operations. Wouldn't that be just my luck?

Take a few days off? How about I turn off the phone, shut off the radio and TV, and catch up on reading for a mental – if not physical – getaway?

Works for me. I’m off three days in a row next week, so I think we may have a plan. Three days of comfort foods and books.

And so it goes.

*

Don't Thank Me...Thank Terry Tate.

Wait for it. It ends differently this time.

Told ya.

I feel much better.

And so it goes.
*

Cajuns for Obama: "Oui on Peut - Yes we Can.

Bayou Zydeco for Obama. I am very happy to see this. I dare you not to tap your feet. Zydeco is contagious. Don't worry, there are subtitles.

If it wasn't so close to bedtime, I'd have a bit of Absinthe.
h/t to sherilynn for the link.
More later.
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Video: Conservatives for Change

Just, WOW!

"Somethin's happenin' here. What it is ain't exactly clear."
But whatever it is, it's becoming clearer every day.
And so it goes.
*

David Sedaris on this Election

From the New Yorker...'Undecided'...It is suggested that you keep liquids at bay while reading this, or risk the health of your keyboard.

I don’t know that it was always this way, but, for as long as I can remember, just as we move into the final weeks of the Presidential campaign the focus shifts to the undecided voters. “Who are they?” the news anchors ask. “And how might they determine the outcome of this election?”

Then you’ll see this man or woman— someone, I always think, who looks very happy to be on TV. “Well, Charlie,” they say, “I’ve gone back and forth on the issues and whatnot, but I just can’t seem to make up my mind!” Some insist that there’s very little difference between candidate A and candidate B. Others claim that they’re with A on defense and health care but are leaning toward B when it comes to the economy.

I look at these people and can’t quite believe that they exist. Are they professional actors? I wonder. Or are they simply laymen who want a lot of attention?

To put them in perspective, I think of being on an airplane. The flight attendant comes down the aisle with her food cart and, eventually, parks it beside my seat. “Can I interest you in the chicken?” she asks. “Or would you prefer the platter of shit with bits of broken glass in it?”

To be undecided in this election is to pause for a moment and then ask how the chicken is cooked.

I mean, really, what’s to be confused about?

Read it all HERE

And so it goes.
*

Example: Embrace the Crazy

This may convince you; this is why I want to go back to the safety of my land of the crazy.

Are you scared yet? Wanna join me in my own land of make believe? OK, think about it. I will be around.

More later.
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Embrace the Crazy

There was a time when the idea of being crazy wasn’t attractive. After all, as Lily Tomlin put it, “crazy’s not for everyone - some people just can’t cope.” But embracing the crazy has been helpful when the stoopid burns the eyes and ears.

And so in the vein of Ruthie the Duck Girl in New Orleans, who was a fixture in her wedding gown and parade of ducks, I made the journey to the crazy side (shit, where is John Williams when you need him?) and have been relatively happy with the results ever since.

Validation came in a small theater on Sullivan Street in NYC as I listened to the dialog uttered by the ingénue “please, God please, don’t let me be normal.” Relieved, I enjoyed the rest of the show.

In recent years however, an alternate reality has elbowed its way into my little world, tapping on my window demanding attention, and I don’t like it one bit:

• Betrayal,
• Blatant lies,
• Covert bigotry,
• Ignorance masquerading as virtue,
• Overt bigotry and unbridled hatred for anyone who happens to be different.

The so called ‘sane’ talking heads piling on one another, talking over each other in an attempt to make their racist, homophobic points – sorry - talking points.

It became overwhelmingly difficult to breathe this evening so I’ve turned off all news.

Then a song interfered with my brooding; this song brought it all into focus, well, at least for me. Note: this is in three quarter time.

If music is no longer lovely,
If laughter is no longer lilting,
If lovers are no longer loving,
Then I don't want to know.

If summer is no longer carefree,
If children are no longer singing,
If people are no longer happy,
Then I don't want to know.

Let me hide ev'ry truth from my eyes with the back of my hand,
Let me live in a world full of lies with my head in the sand.
For my memories all are exciting.
My memories all are enchanted,
My memories burn in my head with a steady glow;
So if, my friends, if love is dead,
I don't want to know.

Trouble is, now I do want to know. But...so torn.
I really want to go back to crazy land. Maybe after the election.

And so it goes.

Did you see that??? Never mind.

*

R.I.P. Mr. Levi Stubbs

With all the happy and amazing things happening this weekend I neglected to post a tribute to Levi Stubbs of the Four Tops. Sadly, Mr. Stubbs passed away this weekend at the age of 72. With a voice that could slow down time, rhythm and point of place in the music that took one's breath away, and a passion that made for an outstanding career...He will be missed.

I am especially fond of this song because it was one of the first Four Tops hits to be revived during the mid-seventies disco era by Gloria Gaynor, among others.
Mr. Stubbs, your talent lives on and for that I thank you.

And so it goes

*

100,000 Strong!

I have never seen anything like this in my life. He has outdone his own huge attendance numbers with this rally in St. Louis. And they were pretty impressive numbers; 40k, 70k, not bad. Just look at this picture and how small he looks in the lower right corner.

"All I can say is, 'Wow,'" Obama said just after taking the stage.

People see hope in this man. This thrills me and scares me at the same time. Especially this from Raw Story about a gun shop owner advertising a 'pre-Osama bin Biden' sale in NM:

A New Mexico gun shop owner says that he is "proud to offend" supporters of Barack Obama with its sign outside the store which reads "Pre-Osama bin Biden sale! Today, 7 PM - MIDNITE."

And even while the sale is over, the sign remains.

"If this sign offended people, I am damn proud of it," said shop owner Cope Reynolds in an interview with The Daily Times. Reynolds explained that "a lot of it is because of his Muslim upbringing."

"His name is Osama, er ..." began a store patron during an interview. "I mean, Barack Hasam Obama."

"It's actually Hussein Obama," said the cameraman.

"Hussein Obama," continued the patron. "That is a Muslim name."

"It's his background," said another customer. "Part of his background is a Muslim background"

"I think Obama has ... Has terrorist ties," said shop owner Reynolds. "Whether he's Muslim or not is irrelevant."

Reynolds told KOAT that when he took down the sign he would probably replace it with "something equally as offensive."

It's this kind of racial hatred (and the stoopid it feeds upon) that will define this election. Are we as a nation ready to get past the skin colour to put the best qualified candidate in the White House?

Powell Endorses Obama

I don't have access to the major networks so I just found this...From Politico:

Retired General Colin L. Powell, one of the country's most respected Republicans, stunned both parties on Sunday by strongly endorsing Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) for president on NBC's "Meet the Press" and laying out a blistering, detailed critique of the modern GOP.

Powell said the election of Obama would "electrify the world."

"I think he is a transformational figure," Powell said. "He is a new generation coming ... onto the world stage and on the American stage. And for that reason, I'll be voting for Senator Barack Obama."

As a key reason, Powell said: "I would have difficult with two more conservative appointments to the Supreme Court, but that's what we'd be looking at in a McCain administration."

Powell, once considered likely to be the nation's first African-American presidential nominee, said his decision was not about race.

As recently as last evening the 'pundits' were suggesting that Powell wouldn't endorse any candidate.

Ah, there will be foaming mouths at Fox this day. I can almost hear the wingnut heads exploding. This news only adds to my beautiful Sunday. Is this the famous 'October Surprise' the press has been salivating for?

Read the rest at the link above.

And so it goes.

*

Rich: McCain Just Can't Quit W

Frank Rich in today's NYT:

OLD Mr. Straight Talk has become so shaky a speaker that when he does talk straight, it’s startling. On Wednesday night, John McCain mustered exactly one such moment of clarity: “Senator Obama, I am not President Bush. If you wanted to run against President Bush, you should have run four years ago.”

Thanks largely to this line, McCain’s remaining base in the political press graded his last debate performance his best. The public, not so much. As with the previous debates, every poll found Barack Obama the winner, this time by as much as two-to-one ratios. Obama even swept the focus group convened by the G.O.P. pollster Frank Luntz in the once-impregnable McCain bunker of Fox News.

Perhaps voters were unimpressed by McCain’s big moment because they can figure out the obvious rejoinder: Why didn’t McCain run against President Bush four years ago — as he had four years before that? Instead McCain campaigned for Bush’s re-election, cheered for Bush policies he once opposed and helped lower himself and America into the pit where we find ourselves today.

The day after the debate, McCain put up a new ad trying yet again to shake the president. “The last eight years haven’t worked very well, have they?” he asks, as if he were an innocent bystander the entire time. But no matter what McCain says or does, he still can’t quit the guy.

There's nothing better on a Sunday morning than a beautiful sunrise, a cup of strong coffee, the Gray Lady in my in-box, and a nice juicy Frank Rich column to munch on. Read the whole thing at the link above.

16 days to go...

And so it goes.
*

A Few Things...

It’s been a dark, dismal, windy day here. Yes, October weather. There is a long list of errands to be run and items to be purchased, but I just couldn’t get the lead out. The chill went straight to the bones. Because the past 10 days have given us sunny skies with temps in the upper 70s - low 80s it takes longer for the blood to thicken; and this old body can’t handle rapid temperature change.

Anyway, I updated a client’s web site; did some cooking prep, and am about to tidy up the place a bit before starting supper.

Not sleeping well; having nightmares, or mystifying dreams unfolding in real places and situations I know well. Only the people are out of the ordinary and the circumstances are ludicrous. Oh, and the bright colours – as in Fellini’s first colour film, Juliet of the Spirits. Outlandish, staggeringly vivid, hyper real and making little or no sense at all, so I am startled awake and drenched thanks to cold sweats. Change of clothes, back to bed, but nothing helps.

Honestly, I am not eating or drinking anything before turning in. Water is my drug of choice following supper, that and the occasional dish of ice cream. Maybe Chamomile tea for a winter nightcap is in my future.

Now don’t go analyzing this situation, it’s probably no more than stress and the full moon. Someone told me that I analyze things too much…I wonder what she meant by that. Yes, I know…yuk, yuk, yuk.

OK, sleep depravation isn’t pretty. But then, neither am I.

Tonight I am about to begin re-reading “The Healing of America” by Marianne Williamson, which I haven’t read since first published in 1997. I am praying for the future of our country and this book will give me hope again, and provide a little peace.

Jeez, I am as gloomy as the day has been. I need to get out of here tomorrow, if only for a walk on the beach.

Gotta get out!!! No, really.

G’night.

*

Caturday Yoga

Tee-Hee!

More later.

*

For 'Just David'

God's Blessings...
Take care...
Have fun...
May this lift your heart and spirits and speed you on your journey to the Crescent City. Here comes Big Chief. Crank up the speakers and enjoy.

Your humor and strength are contagious. May it always be so.

More later.
*

'Were the World Mine...'

...Is coming to our Independent Film Festival next month; having won awards at many other festivals - Independent and LGBT - it's generating a lot of buzz. Have you seen the film yet? Let me hear your review.
I hope to get tickets, though chances are slim. Here's the 'sneak peek':

Having been in a blue funk since this week's full moon and finding these videos has cheered me up - a little.

I have the weekend off and I'd like nothing more than to get away, but with the economy in the tank, I might possibly get in a day trip to Assateague Island to play with the camera. More likely staying here and taking a walk on the beach closer to home.

More later
*

"A Breathtaking Experience"

It's come to this. "Asphyxiation."

Words fail.

Joe the Plumber?

Some campaigns are just not very good at background checking, or don't care. Found this over at DU.

John McCain did great tonight in the debate. But every time John mentioned “Joe the Plumber,” some of us in the campaign banged our heads against the wall. If Steve Schmidt had any hair left, I hear he would have been pulling it out tonight. He reportedly screamed at John’s debate prep team tonight (out of earshot of reporters, of course). “You idiots - he’s related to Charles Keating… of the Keating Five scandal!” They thought they had a real live Joe Six-Pack who’s spurned Barack Obama’s tax plan. But what they forgot to do was check on Joe Wurzelbacher’s background.

Turns out that Joe Wurzelbacher from the Toledo event is a close relative of Robert Wurzelbacher of Milford, Ohio. Who’s Robert Wurzelbacher? Only Charles Keating’s son-in-law and the former senior vice president of American Continental, the parent company of the infamous Lincoln Savings and Loan. The now retired elder Wurzelbacher is also a major contributor to Republican causes giving well over $10,000 in the last few years.

Does any of this make Joe the Plumber a bad guy? Of course not. But on a night when McCain accused Obama of guilt-by-association, this isn’t going to look good for us. Hello, but on a night when John goes full bore on William Ayers and dodges a bullet by Obama not mentioning Keating Five, the press is going to bring it back front and center by midday tomorrow once they delve deeper into the most popular plumber in America.

This might remind you of the Paris Hilton scandal - where one side of the McCain campaign attacked her in an ad, not realizing that her family were huge donors. I was the first to warn the campaign of the perils of miscommunication, and that story flared for a week.

http://www.eisenstadtgroup.com/2008/10/16/joe-the-plumb...

With 19 days to go, it's just going to get worse. At least it's not boring.

And so it goes.
*

Burning Yard Signs - Are Crosses Next?

Confronting the fact that the USA is a racist country is not an easy thing, especially in this new century, but it is:

A vivid childhood memory is burned in my memory. I was going crawfishing with my grandfather at about 4:30 am when the smell of burning flesh assaulted us. My grandfather instructed me to lie down on the seat and not sit up until told to do so.
The smell was awful.
When I asked about this later, my grandfather told me in a very quiet, fearful voice that we had passed the remains of a lynching and burning of the body.

A few years later on another crawfishing trip, we were caught unaware and confronted with the remains of another lynching. The body still in the tree lit only by the light of a fire that would eventually consume the body of a man whose disappearance would never be explained.

So, do you think this had an impact on me?

Yes. I am afraid and praying for the Obama family. Some say I am paranoid, but reality affirms my concern. Humans can be a horribly violent species. Not to be trusted.

Good Night.
*

The Palin as Prez Game

This is funny - and scary - at the same time. Just click on the image below, then at the site click around and see what you find.


Watching the debate tonight?

And so it goes.
*

Dante's Inferno Test

As I've mentioned earlier, I live in the cheap seats in Dante's Inferno and here's the proof:

The Dante's Inferno Test has sent you to Purgatory!
Here is how you matched up against all the levels:

Level	Score
Purgatory (Repenting Believers)	Very High
Level 1 - Limbo (Virtuous Non-Believers)	High
Level 2 (Lustful)	Low
Level 3 (Gluttonous)	Low
Level 4 (Prodigal and Avaricious)	Very Low
Level 5 (Wrathful and Gloomy)	Low
Level 6 - The City of Dis (Heretics)	Very Low
Level 7 (Violent)	High
Level 8- the Malebolge (Fraudulent, Malicious, Panderers)	Low
Level 9 - Cocytus (Treacherous)	Moderate

Take the Dante's Divine Comedy Inferno Test

h/t Wayward Episcopalian

More later.
*

Secret Service After "Kill Him" Screamer...

Nice, and about time, don't you think? Scranton Times Tribune:

The U.S. Secret Service is investigating a threatening remark directed at Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama during a political event in Scranton.

The agency followed up on a report in The Times-Tribune that a member of the crowd shouted, "Kill him!" after one mention of Mr. Obama's name during a rally Tuesday for Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin.

The remark came while congressional candidate Chris Hackett was addressing the crowd at the Riverfront Sports Complex. There is no indication Mr. Hackett or Mrs. Palin, who took the stage a half-hour later, heard the remark.

The remark was reported almost immediately on the newspaper's Web site and today in the print edition.

Times-Tribune employees who covered the rally were interviewed today by the Secret Service.

Spokesman Darrin Blackford said the agency takes the threat seriously and will make an arrest if it can determine who shouted the remark.

I hope they earn their keep and find the guy and are on their toes at future events. This is behavior is only going to escalate until election day.

And so it goes.
*

Nice to See the Young'uns Get Political

New Ad from Move-On:

Lookin' good.

More later.
*

Facts That Need to Fall on Republican Ears.

Again from DU:

I'll keep it simple and not form complex statements and stick to facts and not "truths".

Reaganomics are not capitalism.

Reaganomics are not more American than any other economic system.

Reaganomics are one of the reasons why this sh*t storm is happening right now on Wall Street.

Iraq was not involved in 9-11. If it was the Bush admin would be singing it from the rafters.

Iraq has nothing to do with "freedom."

Mixing Religion and Politics never works. It has never worked in the past and will never work in the present or future.

Fundamentalists of any stripe are dangerous.

Socialism is not communism. Socialist programs do not lead to complete socialism. Even if it did socialism and democracy mix quite well.

Most of you are not rich and never will be.

Those of you who are "rich" are not wealthy and never will be.

Those of you who are wealthy, you are not higher lifeforms than the rest of us.

Non-believers (Atheists and Agnostics) are not inherently bad (or good) people.

Religious folks of all stripes are not inherently good (or bad) people.

Education is good for you. Listening to educated people is better than ignoring them. Being able to have an educated and civil discussion on how to resolve problems and following through with action is the best way to solve problems.

Nobody who matters cares what car you drive, what clothes you wear, and whether you have money or not.

Facts are not debatable.

Being born here doesn't make you a better person than someone who was not. What you do here or anywhere else can.

You are not magically "more American" or "in love with this country" more than the left.

In normal debate insulting the opposition and shouting at them doesn't make you the winner. It make you rude.

You cannot hate the government and expect it to protect you from any bogeymen you conceive of at the same time.

The military industrial complex is taking the same kind of money as they did during the cold war. We are no longer competing in an arms race.

Talking about caring about veterans and actually doing it are two different things.

Our military is neither good nor evil. It is an instrument. It can and has been used for both good and evil in the past.

Just because you call it a science doesn't mean that it is. There is a method behind science. If it doesn't fit the method it's not science.

Gays, Lesbians, and Transgendered people are not inherently bad (or good) people. They are people. They have feelings. If you cannot respect their lifestyle at least respect their humanity.

Nobody WANTS to get an abortion. Nobody thinks abortion is a beautiful thing. Abortion will happen whether you outlaw it or not.

If you want to have a world with less abortions work toward creating one where nobody would not want to bring a child into it but had the right to chose not to if they so desired.

If you think blacks, latinos, and other minorities have it easy, you've never really befriended any.

Native Americans have gotten and continue to get the shaft. If anyone has a right to feel pissed, it is they.

'Abstinence Only' doesn't work. People fuck. Educated people are more careful than uneducated.

There is a strong difference between carrying a monkey portraying a black man and giving someone supporting a wasteful war the finger. One promotes injustice and the other shows defiance to injustice.

The fall of the USSR was in strong part due to a single party system that could not adapt. Sound familiar?

Obama/Biden 08.

And so it goes.
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Visitors...

In recent weeks there’s been an increase in traffic here at OT, but few are leaving comments. If you visit here and like, or dislike, what you see and read here, feel free to leave a comment.

You can do so anonymously and although I have comment moderation enabled, all comments are posted unless they are, as we say in the South, “vile and odious” and offensive to others.

In essence, everyone is welcome here. So, pull up a chair, grab a beverage, and enjoy for however long you choose to stay.

On another note, in the past 3 weeks this site has received hits to an entry created awhile back regarding “must see movies for gay men.” What I find fascinating is that the majority of visitors are from countries where being homosexual is punishable by death. Many visitors are from Arab countries – with most from Saudi Arabia – but many others from China. Curious, no?

So come on, drop the other shoe and leave a comment, anonymous if you like, but make your presence known.

More later.

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Great Depression-Time Stocks

Funny.
Click image to biggen.

Editing this post while listening to the talking heads bouncing off walls with joy regarding the markets today. You know, blather, rinse, repeat - whatever.

Tiring day. Holidays can be like that.

h/t: Happy in Nevada.

More later.
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Who is This Bodybuilder?

Enough about Caribou Barbie. I've just found this amazing shot on the intertubes and wonder if anyone can identify the subject in the photo.


Just WOW!

More later.
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Thanks, But No Thanks...

Found at DU:

Dear Sarah,

It was fun for a while. You helped us in a lot of ways.

You gave McCain a completely artificial and empty boost that undermined anything that McCain had to say. That was a big help. Nobody listened to McCain after that. Thanks.

Hell he couldn't even show up at his own rallies by himself because the comparison in turnout was too embarrassing, thanks for that.

Then you gave a boost to his poll numbers but they were completely superficial and had the tinsle strength of a crepe. What went up came down and kept drifting down like the Dow after a Presidential news conference. McCain was going nowhere in the polls but you gave him a tiny artificial peak and then the inevitable "oh they seem to have peaked too early". Thanks.

You single handedly helped revive the sagging prospects of an iconic TV show. Thanks for that too.

Without you we would have never figured out that we are wasting tens of billions in helping Alaska build its infrastructure in 'roads to nowhere' while at the same time the people of Alaska are pocketing state revenues and not carrying their load. Noted and thanks, next session Alaska won't get an earmark large enough to repaint the lines on the Anchorage Airport parking lot. Your Alaska constituents will find out what it means to actually pay their own way and thank you themselves.

I hadn't watched Katie for years and now will give her a shot from time to time and I took the pin out of the Charlie Gibson voodoo doll on my desk, I am sure that they will be thanking you separately for the professional help you gave them. The fawning adulation of Hannity and Fox News of your hair brained candidacy has further removed them from the adult part of the country. Gracias.

You drove independents and self respecting decent Republicans into the Obama camp and completely undermined Senator McCain's ability to articulate a message with your hyperbolic vitriol. McCain was so reduced in stature that he had get in the hate act until he saw the results up close and personal. You turned the McCain/Palin campaign into a full fledged Hate Talk Express and forced the MSM to gag and report on it. Thanks, thanks, thanks and thanks.

I don't have the figures and it would be hard to document but I have to assume that you generated atleast $ 10 million in extra donations to the Obama campaign. Thanks so much.

You helped push those wavering Electoral Votes into our column.

We don't want to seem ungrateful, noting and thanking all of your assists, but now that you have made McCain's vetting a laughing stock and his leadership a cartoon event we know that all you have left is more ignorance, division, and hatred. While it will help Obama/Biden it is also a poison that will hurt the country.

You have done enough so to your continued effort to abuse your candidacy for Vice President in the same way that you have abused your office of Governor to the people of Alaska we would like to say,

Thanks but no thanks.

Sincerely,
The tens of millions of Obama/Biden supporters who are pushing these last 3 weeks to take America back with out inciting hate and division.

I'm off to dine with a few like-minded friends. This will give us all a chuckle.

And so it goes.
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Palin: Forget the Economy, Let's Talk Abortion.

Yes, people are losing their homes, jobs, life savings, but Sarah wants something completely different to be front and center. Caribou Barbie, Saturday, October 11, 2008 in Pennsylvania:

“In times like these with wars and financial crisis, I know that it may be easy to forget even as deep and abiding a concern as the right to life, and it seems that our opponent kind of hopes you will forget that,” Palin told a Pennsylvania crowd.

You just can't make this stuff up. So, how's your 401k doing these days?

Is anyone still listening and taking her seriously anymore? This is well beyond embarrassing.

And so it goes.
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Racism is Alive and Well!

Yes, racism (like Putin) has reared it's head, thanks to the baiting of Caribou Barbie and Grumpy Gramps. No they don't use the "N" word; there's no need. Just asking "who is Barak Obama" as though he just arrived on our shores off a tramp steamer. Referring to him as the "other," "not like us" or "that one" has the same effect on 'Low Information Voters' as the morons are being labeled. Obama is "different" - now there's a good one - and one Repub Congressman called him "uppity" a few weeks ago. So now, there are signs like this:

And so it goes.
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NOLA Lakefront Airport: Ripe for Restoration

Before the larger Louis Armstrong airport was built in New Orleans, the major airport for the city was located about a mile from my boyhood home which was about a block from Lake Pontchartrain. I used to access the lake by the seawall at the end of the longest runway. Keep in mind that this airport accepted only propeller aircraft, likely no larger than a DC-3.
As you will see in the video it was a grand building until the 60s when, for whatever reason, some brilliant military minds decided it required a make over. Now, it is going to be made-over again and restored to its original deco beauty. Enjoy.

Clear for takeoff

As a kid and teen, I spent lots of time in the building. It was a private airport by then and it is still in operation today. There were shops, restaurants, and a grand hall where schools held weekend dances. At the reunion this Summer past, we reminisced about that place and those times. One friend and her husband flew into the airport in their plane for the reunion and she was pleased to hear of the restoration.

More later.
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Caturday

And so it goes.
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Palin Report Released

And it's not good for Caribou Barbie:

The Legislative Council has voted unanimously to release the public portion of the report!

Findings:

Finding Number One:

For the reasons explained in section IV of this report, I find that Governor Sarah Palin abused her power by violating Alaska Statute 39.52.110(a) of the Alaska Executive Branch Ethics Act. Alaska Statute 39.52.110(a) provides

“The legislature reaffirms that each public officer holds office as a public trust, and any effort to benefit a personal or financial interest through official action is a violation of that trust.”

Finding Number Two:

I find that, although Walt Monegan’s refusal to fire Trooper Michael Wooten was not the sole reason he was fired by Governor Sarah Palin, it was likely a contributing factor to his termination as Commissioner of Public Safety. In spite of that, Governor Palin’s firing of Commissioner Monegan was a proper and lawful exercise of her constitutional and statutory authority to hire and fire executive branch department heads.

Finding Number Three:

Harbor Adjustment Service of Anchorage, and its owner Ms. Murleen Wilkes, handled Trooper Michael Wooten’s workers’ compensation claim properly and in the normal course of business like any other claim processed by Harbor Adjustment Service and Ms. Wilkes. Further, Trooper Wooten received all the workers’ compensation benefits to which he was entitled.

Finding Number Four:

The Attorney General’s office has failed to substantially comply with my August 6, 2008 written request to Governor Sarah Palin for information about the case in the form of emails.

Not so pretty when she frowns, is she. And, there's another anti-Palin protest scheduled for today.

Mudflats has more.

And so it goes.
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National Coming Out Day

From the HRC History of National Coming Out Day:

On Oct. 11, 1987, half a million people participated in the March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights. This was the second such demonstration in our nation’s capital and the first display of the NAMES Project Quilt, remembering those who have died from AIDS. One measure of the march’s success was the number of organizations that were founded as a result — including the National Latino/a Gay & Lesbian Organization (LLEGÓ) and AT&T’s GLBT employee group, LEAGUE. The momentum continued four months after this extraordinary march as more than 100 gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender activists from around the country gathered in Manassas, Va., about 25 miles outside Washington, D.C. Recognizing that the GLBT community often reacted defensively to anti-gay actions, they came up with the idea of a national day to celebrate coming out and chose the anniversary of that second march on Washington to mark it. The originators of the idea were Rob Eichberg, a founder of the personal growth workshop, The Experience, and Jean O'Leary, then head of National Gay Rights Advocates. National Coming Out Day was born.

I'm out.

Period.

And so it goes.
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It's Your Choice: Hope Or Hate

This brought tears to my eyes not only because of the content, but because I am afraid of violence that might occur because of the speeches by McCain and Palin at recent and future events.
Still, I have hope.

What a day. This government is acting like they're in a bad Marx Brothers movie, but without the humor.

In any case, it is way beyond time for a cocktail. I'm ready for a few olives.

And so it goes.

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Drivers & Drivers: A tale of Lust, & Celebration

Straight away, whoever hires Fed-Ex drivers has GOT to be gay. The cutie that arrived on my doorstep today took my breath away. Fortunately it returned quickly so I didn’t pass out on my tiny porch, and the regular hunk delivering to the store is about 50, blond, loves to skydive and has a bubble butt beyond belief…oh, get the rose water!!! But I digress.

The new printer arrived; is bigger than advertised, but that’s OK. I’ve spent the past hour unpacking, removing yards of orange tape seemingly holding the thing together, reading the Starter Guide to setup, installing the toner cartridge all the while bracing for the possible nightmare that is called installing the software, and drivers.

To my great surprise it came with two CDs – one for VISTA and one for all the previous Windows versions. It was then I noticed another user guide of approximately 120 pages with a bright yellow sticker on the cover that read “Read This Guide Before Using This Machine.” Uh-huh, like that’s going to happen. I’ll do that at nap time. I am not going to use all the functions and if stumped about something, I can look it up, or use the help menu.

Anyway, I inserted the disk and was pleased that VISTA didn’t immediately spit it back at me, but rather the drive whirred into action eventually presenting the various install windows in succession and all went well, until the inevitable ‘restart your computer,’ box appeared and I clicked OK. The hard drive light stayed on for 15 minutes, yes, that’s 15 minutes as VISTA attempted to ingest this new information and apparently didn’t like the idea of digesting it, either.

When the monster rebooted there was no sign of the printer – anywhere. After futzing around for a while I remembered what occurred the last time I introduced new hardware to VISTA, so shutdown completely for a few minutes. On the previous occasion I was installing a small web-cam to be used to chat with friends by phone. The machine virtually rolled on its back, throwing a tantrum until I shut it down.

Worked like a charm and I now have print, scan, copy and fax capabilities, if I want them, but it’s such a pain to have to restart or reboot Windows every time some new program or bit of hardware is installed. Remind me to bitch-slap Bill Gates if we’re all ever in the same room, OK?

Still, I am a relatively happy camper this afternoon – and I have the weekend off. It’s been a beautiful day here in lower-slower with bright sun, clear sky and a light breeze. The tide is coming in; there's a blue heron nearby and I am going to sit by the pool (now closed) with a glass of Absinthe for a while.

And so it goes.

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Palin & The Countdown to Truth

This story is by the fantastic Mudflats blog in Alaska There ought to be an update on the ruling today:

More developments in the Troopergate story.

Palin has become very fond of the preemptive strike. Once again, in a less than shocking pre-emptive power play, Governor Palin’s Personnel Board has concluded Palin’s investigation of herself. That’s right, she decided to just jump right in there and investigate herself, because the bipartisan Legislative investigation just couldn’t be impartial. Like her.

So, drumroll please……Palin has declared herself INNOCENT! She’s done nothing wrong! Boy that was a nail-biter.

But now, we leave Sarah’s Fantasy Land and come back to reality. After overcoming every hurdle, every stonewalling tactic and every flimsy legal challenge imaginable, the report is in the hands of Legislators. Tomorrow, the Alaska Legislative Council will decide what to do with the results of the real investigation - the one that John McCain and Sarah Palin would rather you not see. For weeks now, Special Investigator Stephen Branchflower has been investigating Palin’s firing of the Commissioner of Public Safety, Walt Monegan to see if she abused her power as governor to fire him because he, in turn, would not fire her ex-brother in law because of a family squabble. Questions were also asked about the Palins’ role in what appears to be interference in a workers compensation claim filed by the ex-brother-in-law, Trooper Michael Wooten.

But before the report is released, the Legislative Council must vote to do so. There is EXTREME pressure coming from very high in the Republican Party to keep this report from coming out. If this report is released to the public tomorrow, it will be because of the principled bravery of a majority of members of the Legislative Council, particularly the Republicans who will have had to stand up to their own party. And that’s where we stand.

Read the rest at Mudflats.

And so it goes.
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McCain - Palin Mob in Ohio

Scary, but well done video from blogger interrupted

Quotes like 'kill that n****r' and 'he's a closet Muslim' are only going to increase as McCranky's numbers - and Wall Street - continue to circle with bowl. This is the grand scheme to avoid talking about the real issue, stir the knuckledraggers into a racial hatred frenzy. That won't take much in this climate.

The repeated appearance of the ditsy blonde is very bizarre/stalker scary. I'm just sayin'

My prayers increase for the safety of the entire Obama family with each new racially charged attack.

And so it goes.
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If They Were Trains

h/t AMERICAblog

Some Days You Just Want to Pitch a Hissy

Today has been one of those days. Having the day off and a laundry list of things to do and places to go I set out early – before dawn, actually – to do exactly that. Laundry!

If you visit here, you may know that Laundromats are not my favourite places to spend time. That said, a while back I discovered new one that is clean and well maintained making the wash/dry experience tolerable.

Not so this morning. Two men and one woman - members of the drug-addled homeless set - staggered through the door to get out of the pre-dawn cold and lurched (actually their movements defied description) to the rear of the building, into the restroom and closed the door. Yes, the place has an open (clean) restroom for the customers.

Taking no notice of me they got down to business. They lit up a joint!

For whatever reason the owner was not around this morning and as others arrived to wash their unmentionables it became pretty obvious what was going on. The smell wasn’t the worst of the episode, in fact I rather enjoyed it second-hand as it was, it was their language as they did their thang. Very foul, indeed. So much so that a couple of people left immediately. They could have handled the pot, but the language was too much for them. I probably would have left too had I not just put in quarters for 42 minutes of dryer time. I escaped by going back to the car and reading for the duration. No folding on site today. Threw everything in the hamper and fled to the car. As I drove out of the parking lot a police car was entering, so I can only imagine what went down. I didn’t have the cell phone with me or I would have called earlier myself.

Next to the U-Store office to pay the monthly fee, then the post office to check mail and pick up stamps, followed by a few quick stops at various markets for needed items before returning to the apartment with a plan to cook for the rest of the day. (There is a crock-pot of chicken & vegetable soup bubbling on the counter and the ingredients for a turkey loaf wait to be assembled for supper.)

Having cranked up the PC to check mail, came across a few news items that required printing, only to discover the printer was not working anymore. I’ve had problems with it running at all on the VISTA platform. I think my next computer will be a MAC. HP hasn’t come up with new drivers for this only two-year old printer to alleviate the problems. The printer has refused to print envelopes, certain formatting results in an intermittent black strip running down the right side of the page outside the printed area, and it would not print is landscape mode. Not a total loss, but still a problem.

Anyway…it simply died. No lights, no fan, no mechanical noise whatsoever.

Great! Just what I need right now – another f**king expense.

So I will spend the remaining hours of the afternoon searching for a new printer. I prefer lasers to inkjets so I hope there’s a nice sale going on somewhere. (beats fists on desktop)

Next stop – Amazon! My keyboard went to heaven last month and I found a new one on sale there, so maybe, just maybe, I’ll get lucky again.

It’s cocktail hour somewhere and I smell olives in my future.

And so it goes.

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UPDATE: Amazon came through for this poor wayfaring stranger who, btw, gets a bit stranger every day. Never mind. Thank God and the universe. I have gone into hock for a new Canon laser duplex printer I have been lusting after eyeing for months having given up hope on HP. This Canon boasted 4 ½ stars while the comparable HP model didn’t get better than 3 stars. $100.00 off and the toner is $20.00 cheaper than HP and FREE shipping. I have always had HP printers. They’re real workhorses at home or office, but it looks like they’re slipping on the products for the home office. The new unit should arrive by the weekend, so I’m without print capabilities for two days. I’ll live.

The smell of olives is strong now, so I may as well give in to temptation and celebrate.

Testing the Tunnel?

It's curious that this story didn't go national, I mean, three times in one month? This from WABC in NYC.

During last Friday evening's rush hour, the discovery of two suspicious bottles filled with an unknown liquid and glued to the median forced Port Authority police to close down the Lincoln Tunnel for hours.

Police records we've obtained show it was the third such incident in a month. The first one occurring four weeks ago, when someone placed "3 plastic heart shaped bottles" of an unknown liquid on the New Jersey side of the Lincoln Tunnel. One bottle had a ''gray wire inside" and a message, "don't look at me." And then again last Wednesday, two "red sealed bottles were glued" near a lamp post.

"I would say they're studying what's going on at the tunnel," said Paul Nunziato of the Port Authority P.B.A. "Because they've been able to do it, 7 bottles placed on one of the busiest roadways in the world and no one sees them no one caught an eye on them, including the cameras."

There is video at the link above.

And so it goes.
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That One?

Didn't watch the debate last night and it's just as well. McCain's racism, sneers, and smears aren't paying off, and the Obama camp has remained classy and even used this slur to their advantage.
I love it.

Meanwhile, Caribou Barbie's voice gets more irritable with each passing day as she steps up the personal attacks and looks remarkably like a pitbull in lipstick. Uttering not a single word about the economy, Iraq, or Afghanistan.

Only 27 days to go.

And so it goes.
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Matthew Shepard - It's been 10 Years!

From the Progressive via Common Dreams, by Steve Ralls:

It has been 10 years since openly gay college student Matthew Shepard was brutally killed in Wyoming. On Oct. 6, 1998, he was beaten and strung up on a fence. He died six days later.

Unfortunately, little has been done to curb such attacks, and elected leaders at the state and federal level are largely missing-in-action when it comes to protecting our lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) loved ones.

In the days and weeks immediately following Shepard's death, numerous elected leaders promised swift action to pass federal hate crimes legislation that would protect LGBT Americans.

Ten years later, the bill, which bears Shepard's name, has never become law.

The need for the law is as urgent now as it was in 1998. Hate crimes against the LGBT community increased 24 percent nationwide last year, according to the National Coalition of Anti-Violence Programs. Especially startling increases occurred in Michigan (up 207 percent), Minnesota (up 135 percent) and even in Los Angeles, which saw a 100 percent increase in anti-gay violence in 2007.

Anti-gay murders doubled, the coalition reported.

In California, student Lawrence King was gunned down in his school by a classmate who believed King was gay.

In Colorado, Angie Zapata, a young transgender woman, was attacked and killed while on a date.

In South Carolina, Sean Kennedy was viciously beaten outside a local gay bar, and later died from his injuries.

And now Matthew's autopsy results are among missing records in Wyoming.

If you have never seen The Laramie Project - on stage or the film, please do. If you want to support the fight against hate go to the Matthew Shepard Foundation and learn more.

And so it goes.
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Accountability 2010 Primary Project.

Found this at FDL and it hit me hard because of the recent calls by Party Leaders (I use that word loosely) to discontinue Delaware primaries altogether.
Jane Hamsher:

When I moved to Washington DC I did it for one purpose -- I wanted to understand the culture that made our elected leaders so responsive to corporate interests, and so deaf to the interests of their constituents.

From the outside, I didn't understand what the institutional pressures were that made it so easy, so consequence-free for Democrats and Republicans to open up the government coffers for looting by corporate America while people across the country were losing their jobs and couldn't afford to get basic healthcare.

The short answer: they know they will pay no price. Washington DC is a town that operates one one principle -- maintaining incumbency. You scratch my back, I'll scratch yours. It is the ultimate heresy to act in any way that might cost someone their seat. Hence almost everyone in the Senate flocked to Connecticut to help Joe Lieberman in his primary battle, despite the damage he consistently does to the party.

There is no higher orthodoxy in DC: thou shalt not challenge an incumbent.

Earlier this year, something happened that shocked members of Congress. The average person might not have heard much about it, and media covered it almost not at all, but believe me, it shook Democrats in the House to their core -- progressive groups got together and ran the uber-corporatist Al Wynn out of office.

The responding rage was seismic.

It happened by chance, however. A committed and high quality candidate came out of the right district who was smart, had great relationships in her community, and knew how to run a campaign -- Donna Edwards. She had the "right stuff", but she was also running in a district right next to DC and had a long career in which she had personal relationships with the pollsters and media buyers needed to make a strong electoral case.

It made sense for progressive groups including SEIU, Emily's List, MoveOn and others to come together and back her campaign. They knew and trusted her, and she knew and trusted them. Steve Rosenthal at Working For Us PAC coordinated their efforts (as well as advocacy around core progressive issues on the c4 side at They Work for Us) and ran a $1.5 million shadow campaign that resulted in an 18 point drubbing of Al Wynn.

We learned in 2006 how the very idea of a primary challenge could immediately change behavior. When blue dog Ellen Tauscher started complaining about the "liberal" committee chairmen who were going to be problematic, people on the blogs and in her community started talking about a primary challenge. Tauscher moved immediately to the left, joined the Out of Iraq caucus, and stopped having her picture taken with George Bush. Jane Harmon had a similar conversion after a tough primary race against Marcy Winograd.

Read the rest HERE then pop over and listen to Glenn Greenwald's Salon radio show as well.

More later.
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