Ugh ...

By now everyone must know the Dems lost the special election for Sen. Kennedy's seat. I think there is much merrit in what Peter Daou and Jeanne Cummings and Erika Lovely had to say.

Liberal Bloggers to Obama and Dems: We Told You So
Peter Daou.Political consultant, former adviser to Hillary Clinton
January 19, 2010 09:08 PM

Women ponder Mass. glass ceiling
By Jeanne Cummings & Erika Lovely | 1/19/10 8:35 PM EST

Or, maybe Jon Steward had it right the night before when he made these comments:

Good times ahead

No time for blogging today ... I'm getting ready to spend the weekend with some of my favorite people! I'm not sure why Dr. Zaius is wearing his lab gloves, but it could have something to do with being in DC while George Bush is still occupying the White House. Never fear Dr. Z ... soon we will all be able to take the gloves off!

Bloggers and activists who care about safeguarding separation of church and state are making their way to Washington.

I'll write more about that later, but for now let's just enjoy this post by John Amato at Crooks and Liars: "Irrelevant"

It's a New Day!

Enough said.

YES HE CAN

The New York Times headline says it all.

Barack Hussein Obama was elected the 44th president of the United States on Tuesday, sweeping away the last racial barrier in American politics with ease as the country chose him as its first black chief executive.

Mr. Obama’s election amounted to a national catharsis — a repudiation of a historically unpopular Republican president and his economic and foreign policies, and an embrace of Mr. Obama’s call for a change in the direction and the tone of the country. But it was just as much a strikingly symbolic moment in the evolution of the nation’s fraught racial history, a breakthrough that would have seemed unthinkable just two years ago.

Mr. Obama, 47, a first-term Democratic senator from Illinois, defeated Senator John McCain of Arizona, 72, a former prisoner of war who was making his second bid for the presidency. To the very end, Mr. McCain’s campaign was eclipsed by an opponent who was nothing short of a phenomenon, drawing huge crowds epitomized by the tens of thousands of people who turned out to hear Mr. Obama’s victory speech in Grant Park in Chicago.

Turnout all across the country was phenomenal, and a testament to how hungry people are for change.

This win is truly a mandate, unlike the mandate George W. Bush claimed when he barely won in 2004.

And I must say this is also a testament to how beneficial the long primary season was. By taking the primary literally to all 50 states, it gave the entire country a chance to get to know Barack Obama before the general election campaign began. It also allowed him to build an infrastructure in 50 states. So a quick shout out to Sen. Hillary Clinton for not giving up!

I would also like to point out that the glass ceiling in the Senate has cracked open a bit more. I can remember when there were just a little over a dozen women in Congress, and we now have 17 women in the Senate! Congratulations again to Jeanne Shaheen and Kay Hagen.

And while we wait to hear the results from my home state of Indiana, I'd like to send a shout out to my friends in Virginia who have been working for YEARS to turn Virginia BLUE! Congratulations, and THANK YOU!!

In giving his concession speech I think we saw a bit of the old John McCain that I had respect for in 2000. I do think given the level of frustration the country has with the current administration that Sen. McCain in the end did very well. As I have said earlier, I think the Republicans -- by accident -- nominated their strongest candidate.

And as I watch local DC residents party in front of the White House I hope George W. Bush is having a really miserable night! ha

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Fired Up

And now a word about the Senate

Quote of the day:

Democrats were optimistic that the only two Democratic senators who will lose their Senate seats as a result of the national elections will be Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

One More Day

Yes, one more day -- today -- and election season 2008 will be over. Lines are long, but it's important that everyone VOTE!

Rove vs. Kos

And the winner is ... US!


Rove & Co. and Daily Kos predict an Obama win. Let's hope they're both correct.

* click image to enlarge.

It all comes down to this ...

Hillary's Halloween Message

Love it!

Rachel Maddow interviews Obama

Obama makes a good point in talking about Republicans, saying they should not be lumped in with their leadership. It's sort of like talking about the Catholic Church and reproductive justice. Most Catholics support women using birth control or choosing to have an abortion. It's the Catholic hierarchy that hold the extremist position.

And here is part two.

Big Dog and Obama on the trail in Florida

[ Find Your Polling Place | Voting Info For Your State | Know Your Voting Rights | Report Voting Problems ]

STOP the War on Women NOW

This election isn't just significant for the fact that we will select the next president. There are serious ballot initiatives in a number of states, and while same-sex marriage has received much of the focus, there are other equally important measures to consider. We must STOP the war against women and girls.

CA - VOTE NO on 4

California may be ground zero on the same sex marriage debate, but CA residents also have an opportunity to vote down a proposition that endangers young girls.

Karen, at Beautiful Day Rule, has some great posts that explain why Prop 4 in California must be defeated:

Vote NO on California's Prop 4

This is how bad it would be if Prop 4 passes

Beethoven says, "Vote No on Prop 4"

CO - VOTE NO on 48

Colorado voters will decide the fate of an amendment that would give a fertilized egg the same rights as a living person. Amendment 48 is designed to not only prevent almost all abortions, but it could even threaten access to some forms of birth control.





SD - VOTE NO on 11

South Dakota voters will consider Measure 11, the most radical abortion ban in the country. SD residents have voted similar measures down in the past, but anti-abortion extremists aren't giving up.



This war on women MUST STOP! If you live in any of these states please VOTE NO on election day! And encourage all your friends and family to do the same.

Tough times for McCain

It's been a tough few days for Sen. John McCain. First, respected Republican and long-time friend Colin Powell announced his support for Obama.

The Obama campaign announced campaign contributions of $150 million in September.

And John Amato reports on Crooks and Liars that McCain's economic advisor Douglas Holtz-Eakin said Obama's health care plan is better for America. Yikes!

And now this!


I think Nicole Belle at Crooks and Liars said it best: "It looks like someone is just putting in the motions this week, biding her time for her next chance in the spotlight. I'm sure the McCain campaign appreciates the hell out of this."

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Oprah steps up to the plate

It's always refreshing when wealthy people do the right thing. Progressive blogs often fall into the trap of bashing anyone with money -- or at least most people with money. So it's nice to be able to say something really good about someone who is really wealthy.

Everyone knows by now that Oprah Winfrey is supporting Obama -- she may have been responsible for helping turn the primaries his direction. Well guess what? Should Obama win on Tuesday, Oprah stands to lose a bunch of money.

You see, under the Obama tax plan Ms. Winfrey would pay and estimated $16 million MORE in taxes, while under the McCain plan she would receive an estimated $9 million tax break! So even though it's not in HER financial best interest to support Obama she is doing just that.

Like I said, it's nice when wealthy people do the right thing.

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Obama and McCain at Al Smith Dinner

"Joe the Plumber"

The Associated Press answers the burning question: Who is 'Joe the Plumber'?

He is Joe Wurzelbacher, an Ohio man looking to buy a plumbing business who came to symbolize the notion of 'spreading the wealth' in Wednesday night's third and final presidential debate.

The Trail, a daily diary of the 2008 campaign published on WaPo reports: reports:

Joe the Plumber is not exactly a plumber, he's "not even close" to making the kind of money that would result in higher taxes from Democrat Barack Obama's proposals and has such an aversion to taxes that a lien was filed against him by the state of Ohio.

Such is the whirlwind of information that has come out about Joe Wurzelbacher of Holland, Ohio, since Republican John McCain made him famous in last night's debate. McCain mentioned him more than 20 times to use him as a symbol of hard-working Americans who would be hurt by Obama's tax policies. Obama and Wurzelbacher met earlier in the week in Toledo, where Wurzelbacher said Obama's plans to raise taxes on those making $250,000 a year or more would penalize him in his plans to buy the plumbing business for which he works. [...]

Wurzelbacher, 34, told the Associated Press that he was not a licensed plumber. Because he works for a small company that does residential work, he said, he doesn't need to be licensed.

Wurzelbacher, whose legal name is Samuel Joseph Wurzelbacher, owes the state of Ohio $1,182 in personal income taxes, according to tax records that show a lien for that amount filed against him in January 2007.

So what do you think about Joe?

The Winner and Still Champion …

Clearly the winner, and still champion, in this presidential contest is Sen. Barack Obama. Sen. McCain threw everything at Obama tonight (including the kitchen sink) and nothing seemed to stick. McCain clearly seemed unable to change the minds of the uncommitted voters featured on CNN’s instant dial poll.

With 19 days to go it would been dangerous for any progressive to take this election for granted — though God only knows why after 8 years of George W. Bush it hasn’t been an absolute runaway for the Democrats. In politics a week can be a lifetime.

That said, the CNN debate team outlined just how difficult it would be for John McCain to win. He literally would have to win EVERY toss-up state, and then some. Winning all the current states too close to call still has McCain short of the 270 electoral college votes needed to win.

So keep pushing! It's only 19 days until election day!

McCainiacs

To help you get ready for the debate!

Connecticut Court Rules in Favor of Same Sex Marriage

The New York Times reports:

A sharply divided Connecticut Supreme Court struck down the state’s civil union law on Friday and ruled that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry. Connecticut thus joins Massachusetts and California as the only states to have legalized gay marriages.

The ruling, which cannot be appealed and is to take effect on Oct. 28, held that a state law limiting marriage to heterosexual couples, and a civil union law intended to provide all the rights and privileges of marriage to same-sex couples, violated the constitutional guarantees of equal protection under the law.

The Connecticut Surpreme Court absolutely made the right decision, but what impact will this announcement have on state constitutional ballot initiatives in California, Florida and Arizona.

Dramatically outspent in California, the "Yes on 8" forces have pulled ahead in their quest to write discrimination into California's constitution. I know money is tight for a lot of us, but if you have a few extra dollars they could certainly help in that fight.

In Florida, the "Yes on 2" advocates are also gaining ground. Will the Connecticut decision -- which will surely be spun as a ruling by "activist judges" prompt more people to come out to vote "yes"? The measure must receive 60% of the vote in order to become law. The last polling data I've seen had the "yes" number around 55% and climbing. If you have additional dollars, or know someone in Florida (or California) please urge them to vote "NO" on election day.

Arizona is the only state to ever defeat one of these initiatives, but there is concern with McCain on the presidential ballot that could bring out additional conservative voters in the state.

There is so much as stake, at so many levels, in this election. We must do all we can to get progressives (and moderates) to vote as a block on these important issues.

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