Last Call

This ad is only running after 10 PM for the next couple of days, but it's just devastating.



The Kentucky Democratic party is running this in Lexington and Bowling Green, but I'll put it up here.

Only a few days left until the election.  Please folks, in many of these House and Senate races the margin of victory will be only a few points.   A couple points in either direction nationally can make the difference between the Dems keeping and losing the House.  Because this is what's going to happen if the GOP wins Tuesday:



Vote.

And The Meek Shall Inherit...Nothing? Part 2

Turns out those rumors about Kendrick Meek dropping out of the Florida Senate race and backing Charlie Crist in order to stop Marco Rubio were 100% true...and none other than the Big Dog himself went down to seal the deal.

But at the last second, Kendrick Meek said "Screw you guys."

Bill Clinton sought to persuade Rep. Kendrick Meek to drop out of the race for Senate during a trip to Florida last week — and nearly succeeded.

Meek agreed — twice — to drop out and endorse Gov. Charlie Crist’s independent bid in a last-ditch effort to stop Marco Rubio, the Republican nominee who stands on the cusp of national stardom.

Meek, a staunch Clinton ally from Miami, has failed to broaden his appeal around the state and is mired in third place in most public polls, with a survey today showing him with just 15 percent of the vote. His withdrawal, polls suggest, would throw core Democratic voters to the moderate governor, rocking a complicated three-way contest and likely throwing the election to Crist.

The former president’s top aide, Doug Band, initially served as the intermediary between Meek and Crist, and Clinton became involved only when Meek signaled that he would seriously consider the option, Clinton spokesman Matt McKenna confirmed to POLITICO.

“The argument was: ‘You can be a hero here. You can stop him, you can change this race in one swoop,’” said another Democrat familiar with the conversations, who said Clinton had bluntly told Meek that he couldn’t win the race.

Clinton did not dangle a job in front of Meek, who gave up a safe House seat to run for the Senate, but instead made the case that the move would advance the congressman’s future prospects, said a third Democrat familiar with the conversations.

Clinton campaigned with Meek in Florida on Oct. 19 and 20, and thought he had won Meek over. But as the week wore on, Meek lost his enthusiasm for the arrangement, spurred in part, a third Democratic source said, by his wife’s belief that he could still win the race. Clinton spoke with Meek again at week’s end, three Democrats said, and again Meek said he would drop out.

“It was a completely done deal,” one source said.

And now, thanks to Politico here, Florida Dems are going to either going to vote Meek out of anger...or stay home. Either way, Marco Rubio just benefited greatly. He should at least have the decency to send Ben Smith a gift basket and a quality fedora.

As for Big Dog, it's pretty clear you've got people working for you who want to make you look like an asshole. That's because you do look like an asshole, but you have a serious operational security problem. Your peeps went to Ben Smith and ganked you. Hardcore.

You guys look like a bunch of fools. All of you. Got played by the Village like a bunch of freshman Congressional hicks from the sticks and Smith just ate your lunch.

It just blows my mind, this amateur crap.

[UPDATE]  Meek's staying in the race according to the presser on CNN just now (10 PM).  Awesome.

Epic Not Even My Worst Enemy Fail

Not even Christine O'Donnell deserves to be treated like a piece of meat, as Gawker goes straight for the garbage can with "I Had A One Night Stand With Christine O'Donnell".

It really didn't take very long for Christine to make her move. She'd grabbed my hand on the way from the apartment to South Street, so I can't say I was totally surprised when she leaned in to kiss me soon after we arrived at the bar.

I could tell when we first met that Christine was older than me. I was 25, and although I never asked her age, I'd have guessed she was in her early 30s. It was only recently that I found out her real age and learned she was in her late 30s when we hooked up. There's a 14-year gap between us, but she looks good for her age. I don't think I'd heard the word "cougar" yet at that point, but that's probably what I'd call her.

Aggressive is another word I'd use to describe her. At the bar, she confessed to me that her aunt really hadn't been sleeping. She hadn't even gone to her apartment to check, she said. She had remembered me from our five-minute meeting the previous summer, and used the story about her aunt as an excuse to knock on my door. She'd set her sights on me from the beginning.

Christine was pretty intense, and she was pretty outspoken that night, but we didn't talk politics much. Her aunt had told me that Christine ran for Senate a year earlier and had lost, so I knew a bit about her background. But the most political she got that night was when she said she attended lots of events in Washington that attracted congressmen and senators. "It would be nice to have a good-looking young man to attend those with me," she added.

It gets worse from there.  He also has pictures.  I also have standards, so I'm not posting them.

Look folks, politically the woman is toxic.  She's ill-equipped to be a United States Senator, absolutely.  I would not vote for her if I lived in Delaware.  She's against everything I stand for, or nearly everything, and the rest she's just making up to the point of willful ignorance.

But she is a human being, worthy of basic human courtesy and decency, and nobody should be treated like this.  Nobody.  Period.  This pile of smoking misogynistic fecal matter is beneath even Gawker.  You want to go after her politics?  Go after her politics.  You want to go after her for picking up someone 14 years younger?  That just makes you a complete bunch of assholes.  Beat her on the issues.  Leave the personal stuff out of it.

Red card, Gawker.  Red card and EPIC FAIL.

Oh, and the Village Voice says the Dudebro in question is one Brad Kurisko.  Ass.

Some Things Never Change

Maybe I went a bit overboard on Headstomp Guy being a message of voter intimidation and oppression, but this story is plain old flat out going after the minority vote in Houston.

Misleading fliers are showing up on the windshields of vehicles at a predominately African-American polling place in Houston that claim to come from a non-existent group called the "Black Democratic Trust of Texas."
The fliers were placed on the windshields of vehicles at and near the Sunnyside Early Voting location and tell voters not to voter straight Democrat, according to Texas Democrats and local news reports.

"Republicans are trying to trick us!" the flier reads. "When you vote straight ticket Democrat, it is actually voting for Republicans and your vote doesn't count. We are urging everyone to VOTE for BILL WHITE. A VOTE for BILL WHITE is a VOTE for the ENTIRE DEMOCRATIC ticket. We have fought too hard to let Republicans use voting machines to deny us our basic rights. We must guard the change and NOT VOTE STRAIGHT TICKET DEMOCRAT!"

"YES WE CAN," the flier reads.

Yes we can...mislead African-American voters not to vote for anything other than the Governor's race and not vote for anyone in House races. Bill White is the Democrat running for Texas Governor against Rick Perry, but there are a number of close House races in Texas too, especially around Houston and Dallas.

Pretty slimy stuff, and we saw this two years ago too in some places.

This is what real voter oppression looks like, folks.  How much more out there is not being caught?  And please note that this has been going on for years now among minority communities:

Results from the survey can be used to estimate roughly how many votes were "lost" in 2008 due to administrative problems, such as registration problems and long lines. Approximately 3 million registered voters appear to have been excluded from voting because of registration problems, 2 million could not find where to vote, 2 million did not have proper identification, and between 2 and 3 million encountered lines that were too long. Perhaps 3 million potential absentee votes were lost because requested ballots never arrived. While these are ballpark figures, and there may be some double counting due to people reporting multiple problems, they suggest that a significant fraction of non-voters might be brought into the electorate through administrative improvements to elections.

And the vast majority of these problems in 2008 were in minority precincts.

Boom, Headshot, Part 6

From Kentucky to Virginia to Washington State, it's GOP thugs a-poppin'.

A 72-year-old man was arrested for allegedly assaulting a 23-year-old activist protesting Dino Rossi's Republican campaign for Senate in Washington state yesterday, according to local reports.

The incident occured outside GOP headquarters in Walla Walla County where the demonstrator, Christie Stordeur, was "one of five protesters standing about 40 feet from the entrance of the office," according to the Tri-City Herald.

Stordeur and the other protesters "were wearing bags over their heads and holding a sign that looked like a check." That's when Victor Phillips, according to a Sheriff's deputy on scene, walked over to Stordeur to "lift her bag off her head." When Stordeur "lifted her arm in defense," Phillips hit it "with 'force.'"

The Herald reports that the deputy on scene "immediately stepped between the two and arrested Phillips on a charge of investigation of assault."

Phillips' explanation, as recounted in a police report filed after the arrest and obtained by the Herald: "Phillips said he wanted to get a picture of the protesters."

Yeah, big man picking on a co-ed with a bag on her head.  Free speech for me and not for thee, huh?

And just wait, 2012 will be worse.  Count on it.  What if that deputy had not been there?

The Pearl-Clutching Over Jon Stewart

I don't get it.  America has no problem apparently with Glenn Beck, Sean Hannity, Bill O'Reilly, or the entire FOX News network being completely and rabidly political.  But Jon Stewart better watch himself!

“He’s moving to a very new position – and very much runs the risk of alienating some people who liked him because he didn’t seem to be positioning himself as in the mainstream of political life,” said Geoffrey Baym, who actually studies “The Daily Show” at the University of North Carolina-Greensboro. Stewart, he said, is transforming himself from an “outside figure” to a “mainstream political player.

“He’s walking a tightrope here,” Baym said.

A liberal executive who sometimes works with Stewart, and who declined to be quoted by name for fear of jeopardizing the relationship, said Stewart had “gotten in way over his head.”

This executive worried that Stewart wouldn’t have either the political or the comic impact he sought. “It’s one thing doing some stunt or doing some shows from Washington this week,” this person said. “It’s another thing to organize a rally whose goal is muddy at best.”

I suppose if he had Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee, Newt Gingrich and other FOX News commentators/2012 GOP hopefuls at his rally, the goal wouldn't be so muddy...just dirty.

Boom, Headshot, Part 5

The Lexington Herald-Leader has finally weighed in on Headstomp '10 and does not like what they see from the Rand Paul camp.

The Paul campaign condemned the attack, disassociated itself from the volunteer who stomped the woman's head and called on activists "on both sides" to avoid "physical altercations of any kind."

The problem with the Paul statement is that only one side, his side, resorted to violence.

We keep hearing this is the year of the angry voter. But what motivates people to physically assault a woman who's carrying a political sign they don't like?

Certainly not respect for the Constitution, which enshrines the right of all citizens to express their opinions without fear. Not a belief in the rule of law. Not common decency.

Some members of Paul's Tea Party issue paranoid warnings that President Barack Obama and Democrats are totalitarians out to impose Marxist control over our country.

But look which side produced the goon squad.

And as bad as the incident itself was, it's really Rand Paul's "both sides are guilty here" reaction that I think is really angering the hell out of people here.  No, both sides are not resorting to physical violence.  One side is.  Rand Paul's side.

"I don't want this jerk as my Senator" is dawning on a lot of people here, and if this doesn't motivate you to get out there and vote for Jack Conway, I'm just not sure what else ever will.  We'll see who we choose on Tuesday.

I'm Crushing Your Head (Of Station Programming)

It's Christine O'Donnell's America.  You're just living in it.  That is until she crushes you.

The Christine O'Donnell campaign is apologizing to WDEL after it demanded that video of an O'Donnell appearance on "The Rick Jensen Show" be destroyed and threatened a lawsuit if it wasn't.

O'Donnell, the Republican candidate for U.S. Senate, answered a variety of questions from listeners as well as the host on Tuesday. The audio and video of interview segment was broadcast live on WDEL 1150AM and streamed on WDEL.com, the station's website.

At the conclusion of the interview, a representative from the campaign who had been in the broadcast studio with O'Donnell asked that the video be turned over to the campaign and not released. He stated that the videotaping had not been approved by the O'Donnell campaign.

O'Donnell also told show host Rick Jensen that she would sue the radio station if the video was released.

WDEL routinely posts audio and video podcasts of interview segments on WDEL.com. O'Donnell's appearance on WDEL in September had also been recorded and posted on the web.

O'Donnell's campaign manager, Matt Moran, called WDEL and demanded that the video be immediately turned over to the campaign and destroyed. Moran threatened to "crush WDEL" with a lawsuit if the station didn't comply.

An attorney representing the O'Donnell campaign contacted WDEL's law firm Hogan Lovells and initially asked that the video not be released. WDEL's attorney asserted that the interview and video were in compliance with all applicable laws, was clearly protected free speech under the First Amendment, and that the campaign had no grounds to demand the station withhold it from the public. 

Oh wait, there's that pesky First Amendment again!  You know, the one Christine O'Donnell has no clue about?

Seriously guys.  The O'Donnell campaign wanted the video destroyed or they would "crush" the station with a lawsuit.  This woman isn't insane, or funny, or snark-worthy, or infamous, or silly.

She is dangerous.  And as a US Senator, she would be a horrible mistake.  She is someone when faced with an interview she doesn't like, wants it stricken from the record and the interview never aired.  She feels she can intimidate anyone she wants by threatening to "crush" them under a lawsuit.  The rest of you peons are just there to vote for her, and shut up, that's why.

These people are amazing.  Simply amazing.

If It's Thursday...

New jobless claims down this week to 434k.  Continuing claims is where the news is at.

The number of people still receiving benefits after an initial week of aid dropped 122,000 to 4.36 million in the week ended Oct. 16. That was the lowest reading since the week ended Nov. 22, 2008. The prior week's number was revised up to 4.48 million.

Analysts polled by Reuters had forecast so-called continuing claims falling to 4.40 million from a previously reported 4.44 million. The continuing claims data covered the survey period for the household survey from which the unemployment rate is derived.

The number of people on emergency benefits declined 258,102 to 3.78 million in the week ended Oct. 9.

A whole bunch of people, nearly 400k, fell off unemployment benefits.  Some of them got jobs, I'm sure.  Not all of them, however.  They have vanished into the realm of the 99ers this week.  A lot more are going to follow.

Moose And Rover Must Fight

The battle for 2012 is officially underway in the GOP, as Karl Rove has launched a salvo at Sarah Palin.

Karl Rove told a British newspaper Wednesday that he has serious doubts about Sarah Palin's viability as a presidential candidate.

The former senior adviser to George W. Bush told The Daily Telegraph of London that he questioned whether Americans thought the former Alaska governor had the "gravitas" for the "most demanding job in the world."

It was a stronger stand than Rove took earlier in the week in addressing Palin's prospects for 2012.

Ouch. Oh, it gets worse.

"With all due candor, appearing on your own reality show on the Discovery Channel, I am not certain how that fits in the American calculus of 'that helps me see you in the Oval Office,'" Rove told the Telegraph, which said he remains a considerable force on the U.S. political scene.

Rove cited the promotional clip for "Sarah Palin's Alaska," saying it could be especially detrimental to any political campaign as it features the mother of five in the great outdoors saying "I would rather be doing this than in some stuffy old political office," the Telegraph reported.

Folks, if Karl Rove, the man who wants the GOP to win and have a permanent chokehold on our country, is trying to sink Sarah Palin two years before the election, he knows she has no real chance to beat Obama.

No matter happens Tuesday, the road to 2012 is going to be brutal, ugly, and devastating. If anything, America seeing how the Tea Party reacts with just a taste of power may be the impetus for stopping them cold in 2012.

Oaf Of Office

The Tea Party's efforts at minority outreach and religious tolerance has hit a bit of a snag.

A prominent member of the Tea Party movement is defending a statement he made about the Muslim representative of Minnesota's 5th District.

On Saturday, Judson Phillips, who heads the Tea Party Nation, published a column suggesting Representative Keith Ellison is unfit to serve because he is Muslim.

"There are a lot of liberals who need to be retired this year, but there are few I can think of more deserving than Keith Ellison," writes Phillips. "Ellison is one of the most radical members of Congress. He has a ZERO rating from the American Conservative Union. He is the only Muslim member of Congress. He supports the Counsel for American Islamic Relations, HAMAS and has helped Congress send millions of tax [dollars] to terrorists in Gaza."

Contrary to Phillip's assertion, Ellison is not the only Muslim in Congress. Indiana Democratic Representative Andre Carson is also Muslim.

The column was written in support of independent candidate Lynne Torgerson, who has herself said some controversial things about Muslims.

Hey guys?  Article VI of the Constitution.

The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the Members of the several State Legislatures, and all executive and judicial Officers, both of the United States and of the several States, shall be bound by Oath or Affirmation, to support this Constitution; but no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or public Trust under the United States.

Does this mean then that the Tea Party has stopped with this whole "Obama's a Muslim" thing then?

StupidiNews!

• A new Bin Laden audio tape threatens France for its recent legislative decision to ban the burqa.
• Scientists discover what could be a gene for being liberal.
• Mexican drug cartels have expanded south into neighboring Guatemala.
• A new Bloomberg poll finds Republican policies are still wildly unpopular, but voters still favor them and expect them to fix the economy quickly if voted in.
• Apple appears to be working on a custom iPhone SIM chip that could cut out the carrier middleman and allow Apple to sell to any phone network.

Last Call

Ever wonder why despite all the really important benefits in health care reform are falling on deaf ears, and why Republicans are able to get away with proposing reform ideas that are already in the existing legislation?

It's possible that there might be a concerted public relations effort to kill the law.  Greg Sargent:

Why are Democrats on the defensive over health reform? This statistic, buried in today's big New York Times piece on that very topic, is striking and deserves some more attention:

Opponents of the legislation, including independent groups, have spent $108 million since March to advertise against it, according to Evan L. Tracey, president of the Campaign Media Analysis Group, which tracks advertising.

That is six times more than supporters have spent, including $5.1 million by the Department of Health and Human Services to promote the new law, Mr. Tracey said.

So $100 million in ads tarring health reform have run since Obama signed the bill into law in March. And many ads on health care contain multiple falsehoods and distortions. Is this entirely to blame for making health reform a political liability for many Dems? No, of course not. Though majorities have steadily said they like individual provisions, the overall law was unpopular in the lead-up to passage. Dems have not done what they needed to do to change the public's mind at the rate they had hoped to.

But even if the massive post-passage ad campaign against the law is only part of the story, it's nonetheless significant. Clearly, those heavily invested in returning the majority to the GOP recognized that a concerted campaign to tar this major Dem achievement -- after it had been enshrined into law -- had to be a central feature of their strategy. It seems likely that this massive ad onslaught may have been one key factor in preventing public opinion from turning around quickly enough.

$100 million just on ads trashing "Obamacare", all bought and paid for and ran after the bill was signed into law, all run to benefit Republicans throughout the year and leading up to the election.

The best free speech money can buy, folks...and a Congress to go along with it.

You're A Hard Hobbit To Break

Considering income derived from shooting the Lord of the Rings trilogy represents, oh, the entire last decade of New Zealand's tourism industry, you can excuse the country for making arrangements that Peter Jackson shoots his two upcoming Hobbit films there as well.

A short-lived union boycott prompted Warner Bros. representatives to travel to New Zealand this week to review the studio's decision to shoot Peter Jackson's two-part adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien's fantasy in New Zealand.

Fearing the loss of the project worth an estimated $500 million and damage to the reputation of New Zealand's fledgling film industry, Prime Minister John Key stepped in, negotiating a deal to keep the project that was announced late on Wednesday.

"An agreement has been reached between the New Zealand government and Warner Bros. that will enable the two Hobbit movies to be directed by Sir Peter Jackson to be made in New Zealand," Key told a news conference.

Jackson's adaptation of Tolkien's "Lord of the Rings" was shot in his home country of New Zealand and garnered major international publicity for New Zealand. Warner Bros. sold nearly $3 billion worth of tickets at the box office, and the filmmaker and his team won 11 Academy Awards in 2003, including best film.

Economists said the loss of "The Hobbit" could cost New Zealand up to $1.5 billion and the danger of losing the film brought thousands of protestors into the streets in the past week.

New Zealanders.  Very pleasant, and not stupid.  And they say cottage industries are dead.  Reminds me of the spat Britain's MI-5 had with the James Bond franchise shooting in and around their HQ and the British government said "You have a budget for MI-5 because the James Bond franchise has brought England a hell of a lot of money, so you will do this or the Exchequer will become quite cross with you."  (If I recall, the movie was Die Another Day.)

Needless to say, they allowed it.  Hell, the NZ PM got involved with this Hobbit fracas.  One point five billion bucks at stake for the country, you'd better believe it.

Point / Counterpoint

You have a choice on Tuesday.

GOP House leader John Boehner, today:

"This is not a time for compromise, and I can tell you that we will not compromise on our principles," Boehner said during an appearance on conservative Sean Hannity's radio show.

"I love Judd Gregg, but maybe he doesn't get it," Boehner said Wednesday in a rebuke to Gregg, the top Republican on budget issues in the Senate who's set to retire at the end of his term in January. "We're going to do everything — and I mean everything we can do — to kill it, stop it, slow it down, whatever we can."

"To the extent the president wants to work with us, in terms of our goals," the Ohio Republican explained, "we'd welcome his involvement."

President Obama, today:  (PS, Way to go, Oliver!)

"But I don’t go into the next two years assuming that there’s just going to be gridlock. We’re going to keep on working to make sure that we can get as much done as possible because folks are hurting out there. What they’re looking for is help on jobs, help on keeping their homes, help on sending their kids to college. And if I can find ways for us to work with Republicans to advance those issues, then that’s going to be my priority."

Based on those statements, going forward which one of those two do you think should be charge of the country?  Which one sounds like they are working for the American people, and which one wants to work to increase their own political power?


Which one of those should voters reward on Tuesday?