| [I]t is one of the two best books I've read in years about the Democratic Party, its myriad problems and challenges -- Charlie Cook, National Journal
[A]n insightful guide to how the Democratic Party can retake power -- Peter Beinart, NY Times Book tour :: Amazon :: B&N; :: Powell's :: Chelsea Green
|
Midday open thread
Thu Jun 15, 2006 at 11:36:19 AM PDT
- The Bush Administration, where diplomacy is always "Plan B".
- Blogger Roy Temple, who got the FEC to issue an advisory opinion stating that his blog was a legitimate press entity, gets tossed from the Missouri governor's office.
- Religious Right will attempt to call a Constitutional Convention (under Article 5) to ban gay marriage without Congressional approval.
- Why is the press so desperate for a Bush bounce? Face it media guys, the American people don't love the president as much as you do.
- I forgot to link to this yesterday, and since then Instapundit has updated his post to reflect reality. But aside from the fact that Glenn Greenwald has my back, it's interesting to see how the right-wing frames persist even when reality blatantly contradicts them. In short, the wingers (aided and abetted by Reynolds) thought that Webb's primary victory in Virginia was a big repudiation of me and the site because Webb is a Reagan Democrat. That's how stupid and divorced from reality the wingers really are.
- Taylor Marsh catches Malkin flat out lying.
- 9-11 is Kerry's fault, according to Henry Hyde.
Netroots Survey Results, Part One
Thu Jun 15, 2006 at 10:46:44 AM PDT
(From the diaries -- kos)
Cross posted on MyDD
This is the survey you paid for--the first survey conducted under BlogPac's new management. The results were already released at Yearly Kos, and parts of them have appeared in multiple news outlets. Also, back on Monday, I gave you a preview of the results of the netroots survey, showing that within the netroots, there is a direct correlation between frequency of political, progressive blog readership and favorable / unfavorable ratings of Hillary Clinton. Today, I would like to give you the rest of the results of the poll, broken up into two different posts. The first post can be found in the extended entry.
2,500
Thu Jun 15, 2006 at 10:44:01 AM PDT
This has gotten old.
American deaths since the invasion of Iraq have reached 2,500, the Pentagon said Thursday, marking a grim milestone in the wake of recent events that President Bush hopes will reverse the war's unpopularity at home.
It got old a long time ago. Time to make it stop.
CT-Sen: Jim Dean fires back at Schumer
Thu Jun 15, 2006 at 10:42:10 AM PDT
Democracy for America's Jim Dean:
Joe hasn't confirmed that he's planning to run as an Independent. But his campaign seems to be laying the groundwork, courting important Beltway insiders from both sides of the aisle. Amazingly, Senator Chuck Schumer, Chair of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC), has said that the DSCC will not rule out supporting Lieberman if he runs as an Independent. The DSCC's mission is to elect Democrats to the Senate. Yet in this case, they would prefer to back an incumbent who leaves the party instead of a principled progressive who's proud to be a Democrat.
The Hotline Blog's Marc Ambider doesn't think the DSCC would spend money on this race regardless, since it IS a safe Democratic seat. That's not the point. The point is that the committee tasked with electing Democrats to the Senate has publicly stated it might support an independent over the Democratic nominee if that nominee isn't Lieberman.
The DSCC truly wants to be the ISCC -- the Incumbent Senatorial Campaign Committee. But that's not what it's tasked with doing.
Schumer and the Senate Democrats don't want to go there. The will of the Democratic voters in Connecticut must be respected. If it's not, they'll get a war they really don't want to fight.
Update: DemFromCT writes about the race over at the Next Hurrah.
I haven't posted much on this hot topic, even though I live in CT. I'm not involved in either campaign. I watch with interest as friends and strangers have started to supply me with Lamont material (I've heard nothing from Joe), and I've been struck with the unavoidable conclusion that Joe is going to lose.
Helping out, Day 5 (and last day)
Thu Jun 15, 2006 at 09:34:31 AM PDT
This is the last day of the Gina and Jeremy fundraising effort. If you haven't already, consider throwing a few bucks, even $5, to make sure that we help those in the community who need help and who build wonderful things for all of us to enjoy.
So one last nag.
For Gina, who gave us the wonderful YearlyKos, working unpaid for over a year to make it happen. click here:
And for Jeremy, who is trying to pick up his life after a drunk driver and his Ford F-150 crashed into his house, click here:
MI-Gov, Sen: Granholm most endangered (D) governor
Thu Jun 15, 2006 at 09:16:51 AM PDT
EPIC/MRA. 6/5-9. MoE 4% (5/1-8 results)
Granholm (D) 40 (45)
DeVos (R) 48 (46)
The same poll shows some slippage by Sen. Debbie Stabenow below the "safe" 50 percent mark.
Stabenow (D) 48 (55)
Bouchard (R) 34 (28)
NJ-Sen: Mendendez inching up
Thu Jun 15, 2006 at 09:11:26 AM PDT
Quinnipiac. 6/7-13. MoE 3% (4/18-24 results)
Mendendez (D) 43 (40)
Kean (R) 36 (34)
Garden staters hate their politicians, but when push comes to shove, the Democratic machine delivers on election day.
Open Thread
Thu Jun 15, 2006 at 06:04:14 AM PDT
Get it off your chest.
Cheers and Jeers: Thursday
Thu Jun 15, 2006 at 06:00:12 AM PDT
From the GREAT STATE OF MAINE...
Thanks to a Freedom of Iraqi Information request, C&J reveals Prime Minister Nouri Al Maliki's official activities after he was told that President Bush would be arriving in 5 minutes:
Extinguish joint. Turn on fans. Stuff copies of Juggs back under mattress. Defense Minister Jassim, meet Mr. Swiffer. Shoo camels out... Wait! Make camels lick dishes clean, then shoo out. Spackle bullet holes in foyer with toothpaste. Dab of Speed Stick...spritz of CK One...Dollop of Brylcreem. Plastic covers on furniture. Pull jockstrap off chandelier. Flush... Flush!... PlungePlungePlunge... Flush!! Replace Hendrix CD with Toby Keith. Guzzle Red Bull. "Paris, darling, please wait in the bedroom, I'll make it up to you I promise."
[
Ding Dong!]
"Mr. President, such a---cough cough---unexpected pleasure..."
As for the President's agenda, Rob Corddry has the recap:
The president was here for five hours. The first fifteen minutes were spent with the new prime minister, then a quick power nap to sleep off jet lag. That took two hours. Quick chat with the troops, judged a local hummus cook-off and then... With an international flight, you kinda want to get to the airport two hours ahead. You got the check-in, security, duty free shopping. (He picked up a bottle of perfume for Laura---Ahmed Chalabi's Desperation. It's an intoxicating blend of Sunni and Shiite aroma. Smells awful.)
Just his being there for five hours makes a statement. It told the Iraqi people: "I'm with you. I stand behind you. And now, if you'll excuse me, I'm getting the fuck out of here."
---The Daily Show
Photo-op Accomplished. Cheers and Jeers starts in There's Moreville... [Swoosh!!] RIGHTNOW! [Gong!!]
Reality Bites
Thu Jun 15, 2006 at 03:46:11 AM PDT
At YearlyKos I had the opportunity to work with a gifted individual who advises political candidates and pundits on everything from body language to speech. Later on, he asked me what my role here was, and what sound-bite I might use to describe it. I replied, "I don't think I need a sound-bite, science is the study of reality, make a habit of ignoring reality for wishful thinking, and you will effing die." After a second or two he said, "I think you just found your sound-bite."
The latest glaring example of willful GOP ignorance also came to me from YK. Rep. Brad Miller, (D-North Carolina) told me about his recently introduced ammendment to H. R. 5450--a bill that would codify the existence of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The Miller Amendment is entitled Restoring Scientific Integrity to Research and Policy Making. It seeks to expand protection available for government scientists who report wrongdoing of any kind. Once again, the GOP preferred to ignore reality and opt for wishful thinking. And sooner or later, some of us just might pay for their short-sighted incompetence with our lives.
NOAA was originally created by an executive order issued by the Nixon administration in 1970. The mission of the fledgling organization was to "better protect life and property from natural hazards...for a better understanding of the total environment... [and] for exploration and development leading to the intelligent use of our marine resources..." . That mission remains the same today. With more people than ever living on or near the ocean, we increasingly depend on the fine work done by NOAA forecasters and researchers. They study and record weather related phenomena, in part to understand changes in climate, including global climate change, and they provide data and forecasts for severe weather and water cycle events. Hurricane updates and warnings throughout the blogosphere and elsewhere rely heavily on real-time data gathered and published by NOAA. Congress has never authorized NOAA as an independent agency with a mission that is firmly established in law. H. R. 5450 would rectify that.
Rep. Miller has long been concerned with the reports of ideologically motivated meddling coming from virtually every government science agency since Bush-Cheney took office. Regular readers will recall the illustrious George Deustch, a twenty-four year-old college drop out and Bush campaign crony who was appointed by the administration, allegedly to prevent NASA climate scientists from saying anything the Republicans might find inconvenient. Similar stories have circulated that scientists at NOAA have been pressured to tow the party line regarding research into the relationship between climate change and hurricane intensity.
On the heels of so many reports of political interference and in light of the last two hurricane seasons, Miller took the opportunity of H. R. 5450 to propose protection for whistle blowers who alert Congress and the public about any Administration shenanigans. His amendment was written to protect federal scientists, with a clear statement in law prohibiting tampering and censorship, and prohibiting retaliation against employees who report such instances.
The Miller Amendment was needed because current whistleblower laws do virtually nothing to protect employees who disclose instances of tampering or censoring of scientific information within federal agencies. The recent Supreme Court decision in Garcetti v. Ceballos further limited the rights of government employees working to protect the public interest. This exact modus operandi has been attributed to the Bush-Cheney Whitehouse regarding NOAA and other government funded science organizations. That blind pursuit of an ideological agenda at the expense of reality leads, sooner or later, to catastrophe: The science and technical information produced by these tax supported agencies includes research and data that bears a direct relation on public health and safety. The potential end result of repressing or censoring objective analysis aiding in any policy decision where facts count can be profoundly tragic. Case in point: Pre-war intelligence.
Unfortunately, in typical Rubber-stamp Republican fashion, the Miller Amendment was quietly rejected last week in a party line vote in the GOP controlled House Committee on Science. The plausible inference here further underscores a disturbing and growing contrast between the modern day incarnations of either party: Democrats are looking out for the interests of working class families and the integrity of tax supported science agencies, whereas Republicans deem corporate profits, tax cuts for billionaires, and the campaign contributions that flow from industry lobbyists more important than the health and safety of We the People.
Defections at the CBC over Jefferson
Wed Jun 14, 2006 at 10:42:11 PM PDT
Thank heavens, some members of the Congressional Black Caucus are realizing the futility of going to war with Pelosi over crooked Jefferson.
CBC Chair Mel Watt (D-NC) had promised that the whole thing would "blow up in their face" if the Dem leadership pursued it. But it looks like some powerful members of his caucus have broken ranks.
Most prominent is Rep. John Lewis (D-GA), who himself reportedly made the motion to have Jefferson booted off the committee. And Rep. Charlie Rangel (D-NY) took the mission early on of trying to convince Jefferson to step down voluntarily. Those are among the two most esteemed members in the caucus.
Watt says he's not backing down, but it'll much harder to make his stand with those defections.
Rangel is the ranking member on Ways and Means, probably the most powerful committee in the House. John Lewis is one of the biggest heroes of the Civil Rights movement and the Dems' senior chief deputy whip.
Too bad my own congresswoman, Barbara Lee, isn't on that list. Quite the disappointment. But with these guys defecting, it should be easier for others to peel off and for Watt's efforts on behalf of Jefferson to fizzle out.
Open Thread and Diary Rescue
Wed Jun 14, 2006 at 09:08:07 PM PDT
Up tonight for diary rescue:
- Captain Future's Nuclear Lessons: The Sanity Clause gives a backgrounder of the making of "Doctor Strangelove" (originally intended as straight drama, according to the diarist), and the research and background that went into "thinking the unthinkable."
- dcnative's I Thought I was Losing My Mind explains how after the 2004 election loss, the diarist experienced a loss of faith, both political and spiritual, that was restored at Yearly Kos when a sense of true community was regained.
- wilbur's Kaus, Markos, and the Peter Daou triangle looks at Mickey Kaus' writings and posits that he serves as the cross-point in which right wing noise machine attacks on the left cross into the mainstream media.
- topdog08's Sneak preview of two new books on the MSM gives excellent reviews of Eric Boehlert's Lapdogs: How the Press Rolled Over for Bush and Helen Thomas' Watchdogs of Democracy? The Waning Washington Press Corps and How It Has Failed the Public.
- lucid's My dilemma poses questions about the intersection of personal philosophy, lifestyle and the possibility of radical political change.
- RninNC's Republicans to Allow Equinox to Screw Us All details a House bill that would not allow credit card holders to freeze their personal limits until they can prove identity theft has already occurred and been abused.
- Mash's Sending A Message examines the public statements of Second Lieutenant Ilario Pantano, who was accused and exonerated for killing two Iraqi civilians. Great analysis on display.
- RFK Lives' Bush's Baghdad Trip Awakens Ghosts of Vietnam reminds readers of the two secret presidential visits to Vietnam during that war, and how Bush's visits to Iraq are eerily similar.
- Hesiod's New Marine Corps Commandant Got It Wrong on Iraq, Right on Patriotism shares background and previous interviews with Lt. General James Conway, the new man in charge of the Marines.
- Sweet Georgia Peach's Witch Hunt in a Public Library System brings news from the front lines in Georgia where a "radical militant librarian" has been targeted and fired.
- Truth4Achange's A Long Road from Law to Justice draws a comparison between the actions of Rove today and the courageous acts of Daniel Berrigan in the 1960's.
- AlisaR's Academic Bill of Rights: Why I Care gives a detailed rundown on the issues, players and arguments surrounding the proposed academic bill of rights.
- Yoss's People Powered Polling - Join YOUR project today! outlines a new project to have volunteers help poll for small campaigns. Looking for volunteers and interest.
- Rez Dog's Making Contact gives an account of the various veterans panels and events at Yearly Kos. First-time diarist ... go give some love.
- MaxKelly's The DLC and dKos: A Brief History gives the background of the rift between our beloved site and the DLC ... really, it should be a must-read for everyone active in the community to understand the pushback and resistance we're receiving from the Democratic Party establishment.
Add below diaries you appreciated throughout the day and use as an open thread.
