FLORIDA AND MICHIGAN.

post from Ezra Klein on 15 March 2008 12:06:00 PM. © Ezra Klein

Over at the Megablog, Sam "The Future" Boyd says, "Florida Senator Bill Nelson is proposing that the Florida delegation be seated as is, but have it's voting power cut in half (giving Clinton 19 extra delegates instead of 38)." If I were Obama, I'd take[...]

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http://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/ezraklein_archive?month=03&year=2008&base_name
=florida_and_michigan

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Dear progressives, I have bad news

post from The Newshoggers on 15 March 2008 12:03:00 PM. © The Newshoggers

By Libby

Your candidate sucks. Yeah, both of them. Forget about the historic nature of their phyisical attributes for a moment and try to remember that they are both professional politicians and no matter who wins, it's unlikely either will deliver policies that truly satisfy a progressive agenda. Changing the players won't change the system in one cycle. It just won't.

The most sage perspective I've seen in weeks comes from my chief foreign correspondent, Bob, of the Planet Vleeptron.

This now brings us to Hillary vs. Obama. Well -- as long as politicians rarely ever DO anything of positive significance, I've always believed they're at least obligated to entertain us, and the fight for the Democratic nomination promises to be the most entertaining authentically nasty mud-wrestle bout in decades.

Good attitude. Campaigns are pure theater. They're WWF dressed up in business suits instead of three foot wide belts with hubcab size buckles. One must wager carefully to avoid going home with empty pockets. Bob casts his celestial eye earthward and offers this sensible take on the odds.

Hmmm now you want to know how to bet your life savings on our presidential race. Speaking strictly as your professional turf accountant, I think you should skip this one and wait for the Kentucky Derby or the Grand National.

To a degree I can't honestly get a lock on -- it involves Looking Into Peoples' Hearts, still in its infancy as an exact science -- this is going to be a battle of deep and historic voter prejudices. McCain could end up doing surprisingly well in November for the ugliest of reasons: Voters looking at the ballot and thinking, "Well, at least he's a White Man."

It's a distinct and disturbing possibility, particularly if Democrats continue to frame this contest on race and gender all the way to Denver.

I promise you no matter who is elected, a year from now we will all be disappointed by our newly inaugurated president's latest presser. But worse, I can guarantee we will be horrified if McCain ends up being the one that's standing behind the podium. I might think avoiding that possibility would be our first priority as progressives but I'm seeing far too little evidence of it at this point. I really hope that changes soon.

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http://cernigsnewshog.blogspot.com/2008/03/dear-progressives-i-have-bad-news.html

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McCain: al Qaeda Planning Spectacular Attacks In
Iraq To Sway U.S. Election

post from Crooks and Liars on 15 March 2008 12:02:24 PM. © Crooks and Liars

Reuters:Republican presidential candidate John McCain said on Friday he fears that al Qaeda or another extremist group might attempt spectacular attacks in Iraq to try to tilt the U.S. election against him. McCain, at a town hall meeting in this Philadelphia suburb, was asked if he had concerns that anti-American militants in Iraq [...]

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http://www.crooksandliars.com/2008/03/15/mccain-al-qaeda-planning-spectacular-att
acks-in-iraq-to-sway-us-election/

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Back from London

post from MyDD on 15 March 2008 12:02:16 PM. © MyDD

Ah, American politics, did you know I got away for a week to the UK? I was over there for the Liberal Democrats international conference. It brought out campaign operatives from sister parties of the LD's from mostly Africa and eastern Europe. I gave a[...]

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http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/mydd/~3/252002058/8308

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WRIGHT AND FALWELL.

post from Ezra Klein on 15 March 2008 11:49:00 AM. © Ezra Klein

Ross Douthat writes, "Obama may have to go further down the road to explicitly disavowing his pastor. His connection to Wright isn't the equivalent of John McCain's going to Liberty University to make nice with Jerry Falwell. It's the equivalent of John[...]

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http://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/ezraklein_archive?month=03&year=2008&base_name
=wright_and_falwell

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Come Saturday Morning: While Our Newsreaders
Drooled Over Pictures of Call Girls

post from Firedoglake on 15 March 2008 11:30:32 AM. © Firedoglake

...the Bush Pentagon moved to suppress a study Bush doesn't like: The Pentagon on Wednesday canceled plans for broad public release of a study that found no pre-Iraq war link between late Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and the al Qaida terrorist[...]

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http://firedoglake.com/2008/03/15/come-saturday-morning-while-our-newsreaders-dro
oled-over-pictures-of-call-girls/

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How To Address a Scandal

post from Cafe Politico on 15 March 2008 11:26:03 AM. © Cafe Politico

The back and forth between candidates Hillary and Barak Obama, illustrates a) the unfortunate and self-defeating bitterness of this campaign and b) how to, and not to, address a scandal or statements made by a candidate or their surrogates.Below I admonished Geraldine Ferraro’s divisive and bitter comments directed towards Senator Obama and also Hillary Clinton’s [...]

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http://cafepolitico.us/blog1/?p=1183

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Money, Money, Money

Top Hillary fundraiser pressures Dean to "exercise some leadership" on Florida and Michigan.[...]

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http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/Talking-Points-Memo/~3/252012269/183663.php

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Exile from Kosnikstan

post from media girl - progressive, feminist, empowered on 15 March 2008 11:22:19 AM. © media girl - progressive, feminist, empowered

A Kosnik called Alegre has loudly discontinued his participation on DailyKos:

Sadly, the majority of the administrators have allowed this hostile environment to develop in our online community for anyone who isn?t planted firmly in the Obama camp. They?ve routinely ignored personal attacks and allowed disruptive, spam-like posts to go unchecked whenever anyone expresses support for Hillary or challenges something their candidate has said or done....
...As a result, our community has become little more than an echo chamber with an attitude that harkens back to the early days of Dubbya?s administration - yer either with us or yer a?gin us, heh! The attackers and disrupters are no better than Chris Matthews with their sexism, hate, lies, and obsession with bashing - all - things - Hillary....
...[I]s that the kind of behavior that Obama would be proud of? Do the venomous attacks and lies about fellow Democrats represent him and all he stands for in an accurate and fair manner? Does this spiteful and vindictive behavior reunite our party? Would outing this working mother represent hope? Would it bring about change? Would Obama encourage that sort of anger, bullying, intimidation and hate from his followers toward another Democrat and her supporters? Do those followers of his help his cause at the end of the day?

I can't say I'm surprised. For me, I decided to stop enduring the abuse from "allies" when the pie fight happened.

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http://mediagirl.org/media-girl/exile-kosnikstan

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Good For Us: Fishy Budgets

Trout fishing -- well, simply put, there is nothing quite like it. Since my college days in in the[...]

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http://www.everydaycitizen.com/2008/03/budgets_friendly_for_fish_frie.html

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