Election Race Diary Roundup (10/3 –32 Days
to Change)

post from Daily Kos on 03 October 2008 11:35:05 PM. © Daily Kos

PLEASE NOTE - This is not an open thread and is intended for diaries and discussion of downticket races.

For all the introductory stuff and links to previous diaries in the series, please look below the fold...

This Rescue Diary covers the period from 12:00 Noon, Thursday, 10/2 to 12:00 Noon EDT, Friday, 10/3

Today's Menu Includes:
29 Diaries Overall

- 10 On House races

- With 10 covering individual Districts in 7 states

- 7 On Senate races

- Representing 5 different states

- 3 On Various election races and ballot issues

- Encompassing Governor, Secretary of State, Local, and more

- 9 General election-related diaries

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Iraq war 'absolutely an error': Canada PM

post from uncomfortably numb on 03 October 2008 11:24:00 PM. © uncomfortably numb

Canada's Prime Minister Stephen Harper today suddenly reversed his once fierce support for the US invasion of Iraq, saying it was ``absolutely an error''. ``Let's be clear. It was ? absolutely an error,'' Harper said under fire from rivals in a televised political debate ahead of October 14 elections.read more | digg story

[[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]]

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It Goes Way Back

post from Talking Points Memo on 03 October 2008 11:21:00 PM. © Talking Points Memo

From TPM Reader PM ...Speaking of McCain's temper, does anybody remember the whole 2006 ethics reform matter. I have been thinking about this for days, ever since the first debate. I didn't remember all the details at first, only that McCain had[...]

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Bush cuts funding for condoms in Africa

post from AMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth on 03 October 2008 11:05:00 PM. © AMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth

This is really too much. The end result of such stupidity will definitely be more abortions whether the lunatic Christian right likes it or not and whether they pay for them or not. Punishing Africans because of what may or may not happen in China doesn't even make sense, but since when has that stopped Bush.

The US government is cutting its funding for the supply of contraceptives to family planning clinics run by Marie Stopes International in Africa, alleging that it condones forced abortions in China.

MSI has categorically denied that it supports forced abortions or coercive sterilisation in China or anywhere else in the world, and says that the actions of the Bush government will result in more abortions in Africa, as women will be unable to get contraceptives and will end up with unwanted pregnancies.

One of George Bush's first acts after becoming president was to stop all US funds to foreign organisations that helped women in any way to get an abortion, including providing advice. The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) lost $34m that Congress had appropriated for it in 2002.

In a letter to Dana Hovig, chief executive officer of MSI, based in London, the assistant administrator for global health at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Kent Hill, noted that MSI did not currently receive any funds from the US government.

"However, we understand that in some countries, MSI receives USAID-funded contraceptives and/or condoms from host country governments that receive them from USAID," he wrote on September 26. In view of MSI's work as the main implementing agency for UNFPA's work in China - "which supports the Chinese national family planning programme" - USAID is telling its missions "to work with these governments to ensure that no such USAID-funded commodities are distributed to MSI at this time".

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Late Night Music Club with Cake

post from Crooks and Liars on 03 October 2008 11:00:44 PM. © Crooks and Liars

“Stickshifts and Safetybelts” and “Love You Madly” at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco.

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http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/10/03/late-night-music-club-with-cake/

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The partial redemption of Peggy Noonan

post from Firedoglake on 03 October 2008 11:00:02 PM. © Firedoglake

The McCain campaign is advertising Governor Palin's Peggy Noonan endorsement. Oddly, they tried to do it without mentioning Peggy Noonan.[...]

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http://firedoglake.com/2008/10/03/the-partial-redemption-of-peggy-noonan/

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North Carolina Close But Not Flipping Quite Yet

post from MyDD on 03 October 2008 10:45:56 PM. © MyDD

[editor's note, by Todd Beeton]OK, sorry about that, forget all that stuff I said about North Carolina flipping. The Elon University poll is actually simply a gauge of who would best handle the economy. Replaced previoius post with this new one. Nate has[...]

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K-Lo delivers!

post from Daily Kos on 03 October 2008 10:45:05 PM. © Daily Kos

K-Lo gushes over her new crush:

AND THE WINNER IS
Sarah Palin won this debate and puts the campaign in a great position to rail against the media. Whatever she did before this debate — prayed? – is what she should always fall back on. And my impression is what she does. And why she’s come so far so fast.

Sarah Palin is the breath of fresh air on the political scene so many hoped she is. And she’ll be honored to beat the guy who’s been in the Senate since she was in the second grade.

After creepy crushes on Santorum and Romney, I suppose it's Palin's turn. And given that the objects of her unrequited affections always crash and burn, that's a good sign for us, even if Palin is now perfectly positioned to "rail against the media". Apparently, that's their new path to victory. Or something. I won't pretend to understand her thought process.

So Palin won!

Of course, the polls showed that Biden won the debate decisively, both among all viewers, and also among the undecided. But we can ignore those polls because, as witnessed by her repeated assertions in 2006 that "Santorum is a strong closer", a solid grasp of reality isn't K-Lo's strongest suit. (Santorum lost his reelection by 18 points.) Even today, she continues to ignore the polling:

From the moment she asked Joseph Biden, who’s been in the Senate since she was in the second grade, "Can I call you Joe?" she had won people over [...]

Just keep putting down shout-outs, and find time to practice saying "Mrs. Vice President."

Like I said, reality isn't her strong suit.

But I'd like to mostly focus on this line from her debate liveblog, because it's classic K-Lo:

IS OBAMA IN THAT MUCH TROUBLE IN INDIANA?
Dick Lugar is the star of the show tonight.

Yeah, Obama is "in that much trouble". (Rolling my eyes.)

Bush won the state 60-39 in 2004. Since 1940, Hoosiers have only voted for a Democrat once -- LBJ in 1964. McCain doesn't even have a campaign office in the state, thinking it would be so solidly Red that he could focus on other matters. As a result, the RNC has been forced to try and salvage the state with a late ad barrage. The only thing that's keeping the GOP from an even bigger investment to try and hold Indiana is their need to rescue their sinking campaign in places like Colorado, Nevada, North Carolina, Florida, Ohio, West Virginia, New Mexico, Iowa, and Missouri.

McCain can't win without Indiana. Obama will win whether he carries the state or not.

So I'm not sure what the heck K-Lo is thinking. She apparently is so breathtakinly ignorant about the electoral map, that she thinks Indiana a Democratic state. And this from the National Review's online editor, which should really be embarrassing for the magazine.

But I hope they don't get rid of her, and I hope that she never changes. This is exactly why I love her so. If she was competent and knew her shit and didn't fall creepily in love with political figures, she wouldn't be any fun.

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Department of Book Reports: Banned Books Week

We are nearing the end of this years Banned Books Week, sponsored by, amongst others, the American Library Association and the American Booksellers Association, all as part of the effort to bring attention to those who would ban books.

Of course there has always been those that would ban books. The Catholic Church had its Index. The Nazis staged public book burnings. Ulysses was banned for US import until 1934. Both Lady Chatterly's Lover and Naked Lunch were banned in Boston. Mayor Palin, almost immediately after assuming office, wanted to know how to go about banning books in her hometown burg. It makes one wonder why.

Books can be dangerous. Many contain ideas. Sometimes unpopular ideas. Ideas that may make one think. Ideas that engage and transform us. Ideas that set off our imaginations. Ideas that can change the way we see the world. Ideas that may make decide to help change the world for the better. Clearly books can be subversive. And we can't have that! An informed and imaginative people could do incredible things.

The blogosphere has done a good job this week of alerting us to this week. The General linked activities revolving around Banned Books week in Second Life here. Crooks and Liars has covered it well, too. I'm sure I'm missing others. What is your favorite Banned Book? Do you have any stories about censorship and the banning of books in your locality?

In the meantime, enjoy this favorite tune of démocommié?????©®ç au courant.

video details and more

This book report was brought to you by the soon to be resurrected Jackson Street Books
top photo: thnx boingboing.

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http://patriotboy.blogspot.com/2008/10/department-of-book-reports-banned-books.ht
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Senate Race Roundup

MN-Sen: Al Franken's latest ad is his best of the cycle, and certainly his most moving.

video details and more

The DSCC's latest internal poll shows Franken leading:

The Mellman Group for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. 9/29-10/1. Likely voters. MoE 4%

Franken (D) 38
Coleman (R) 36
Barkley (I) 12

It's an internal, but not far off of recent Minnesota numbers from other sources. It's fairly clear that Dean Barkley will be a major factor in this race as an independent; he is frequently drawing support in double digits, going as high as 19% in one rather suspect SUSA poll.

NH-Sen: Jeanne Shaheen is back on top in Rasmussen's latest poll, after a likely outlier pegged her as seven points down to Republican incumbent John Sununu.

Rasmussen. 10/1. Likely voters. MoE 4%. (9/23 numbers)

Shaheen (D) 50 (45)
Sununu (R) 45 (52)

That's more like it. In fact, Pollster's average indicates just such a margin; 48% for Shaheen, 43% for Sununu.

In addition, Shaheen and Sununu held their first debate this week. Shaheen apparently acquitted herself well:

Shaheen described her record as governor from 1997 to 2003 as one of bipartisan accomplishment, noting that New Hampshire added 66,000 new jobs on her watch. Over the past eight years, she said, leaders in Washington have made the "wrong choices," giving tax breaks to oil companies and paring back Wall Street regulation.

"Everywhere I go in New Hampshire, people are struggling," she said.

While in Washington, she said, Sununu voted for every one of President Bush's budget bills and watched the national debt double. "Every morning, we get up and we hold our hand out to China and Japan. . . . And that is a tax on our children and our grandchildren," she said.

MS-Sen: Speaking of debates, Republican interim Sen. Roger Wicker and former Democratic Gov. Ronnie Musgrove will hold their first tonight:

An Oct. 3 debate at the Mississippi College School of Law will bring U.S. Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and his Democratic rival Ronnie Musgrove to the downtown Jackson campus.

WLBT-TV 3 news anchor Maggie Wade will serve as the debate moderator, said law dean Jim Rosenblatt.

The 60-minute debate will begin at 7 p.m. Audience members will be split among Wicker and Musgrove supporters and members of the law community.

One interesting tidbit from the Courier-Journal article; the two Senate rivals are old friends, and former roommates when both served together in the Mississippi Senate.

KY-Sen, MN-Sen, TX-Sen: This year's elections could result in a domino effect among Senate Republican Leadership, with a major power vacuum possibly resulting, depending on who survives and who does now.

Two senators who face competitive races, John Cornyn of Texas and Norm Coleman of Minnesota, are both eyeing the NRSC chairmanship, if they survive:

An intense race is developing between Republican Sens. John Cornyn (Texas) and Norm Coleman (Minn.) over who will become the next chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC).

Several Republican senators told The Hill that Cornyn and Coleman have asked for their votes in recent days.

The elephant in the room, however, is what will happen in the caucus if their anointed leader, Mitch McConnell of Kentucky, goes down:

But there’s a real chance that McConnell could lose his reelection, which he has called the toughest of his career. If that happens, races would break out for spots up and down the Senate GOP leadership ladder, a chaotic scenario that Republicans declined to discuss.

"We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it," said a senior GOP aide.

Mitch thinks this is the toughest race of his career? Considering he won by tiny margins in both 1984 and 1990, that's not exactly an inspiring statement.