Thursday Stuff

post from The Liberal Doomsayer on 25 June 2009 11:47:00 PM. © The Liberal Doomsayer

Sorry I missed Afghan Exit Action Day yesterday...

...and kudos to Media Matters for calling out this hateful loon; the problem, of course, is that there's no telling what he might incite his lizard-brained listeners into doing as a result...

...and then, as we know, two famous celebrity passings took place that took center stage in the media spotlight; this was the first (would you believe me if I told you that I wasn't a fan of the show? I always thought she deserved credit for "The Burning Bed," which was a gutsy choice of a role)...

...and this was the second, of course (yes, we know what he probably was and what he probably did, but he has to make an accounting for himself now as we all will one day - this was my favorite song from him).

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And by the way, I'll bet this guy is kvetching somewhere in the great beyond because his own exit was overshadowed - thanks for keeping it real, Irv.

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Polling and Political Wrap-Up, 6/25/09

post from Daily Kos on 25 June 2009 11:40:08 PM. © Daily Kos

I'd say that this is a Sanford-free edition of the polling and political wrap-up, but we have fresh polling data, so that wouldn't be true...

SC-Gov: Sanford Should Resign, According to Pair of New Polls
Yesterday, we saw Mark Sanford's approval numbers pre-Argentina revelation, and we speculated how far they'd drop. Wonder no longer: SurveyUSA comes out with fresh numbers, and finds that 60% think that Sanford should pack it in, versus just 34% who think he should remain as governor. Even 48% of REPUBLICANS think Sanford should be ousted. Politico/InsiderAdvantage also polled this as well, and found the same result, albeit a bit tighter (50% resign, 42% stay in office).

NV-Sen: Reid Gains More GOP Support--Will He Get a GOP Opponent
On a day when Harry Reid claimed dozens of new Republican endorsements (including former major league baseball superstar Greg Maddux), NRSC head honcho John Cornyn seemed to imply that a Republican opponent is imminent for the Majority Leader. Speculation has centered either on Congressman Dean Heller or state Senator Mark Amodei.

FL-Gov: McCollum Has Modest Lead Over Sink, According To Ras
On the heels of yesterday's Senate polling results, we get fresh numbers from Rasmussen today on the Governors race in Florida. Rasmussen has GOP attorney general Bill McCollum up eight points (42-34) over Democratic state CFO Alex Sink. That's a slightly wider lead than other recent polls have shown.

OH-Sen: Portman--Elect Me, I Am A Washington Insider!!
This has to be one of the more curious attempts at campaign tactics in this very young campaign cycle. According to Chris Cillizza over at The Fix, Portman is talking up his Washington experience, both in Congress and the Bush Administration, as a reason why Ohio voters should send him back to DC. "I know enough now about where the bodies are buried [and] how the Senate works that I know I can be effective there for Ohio," Portman told Cillizza. Don't candidates usually pretend that they have never even heard of Washington DC, and how that makes them unusually well-positioned to go "clean up" in the capitol?

NATIONAL: Are GOP Politicians Ignoring the Will of Voters...GOP Voters?
The Plum Line, one of WaPo's political blogs, makes an interesting polling-based observation. They point out that on a couple of political issues, Republicans are outside of even the GOP voters' mainstream. They cite specifically cap-and-trade (favored by many moderate Republicans) and health care. This sentence from the Plum Line is a killer:

"The widening gap on issues could help explain why Republicans seem to be souring on their party in general: A Gallup poll earlier this month found that a surprising 38% of Republicans and GOP-leaners view the party unfavorably."

Ouch.

NY-Gov: Former Senate Candidate Lazio Ready To Jump In
It looks like the New York Governors race is about to get confirmation of its first serious GOP challenger. Rick Lazio, the former Long Island Congressman who then lost to Hillary Rodham Clinton by twelve points in a 2000 Senate bid, intends to jump into the race. Republicans are still waiting on former NYC Mayor and 2008 presidential aspirant (well...kinda) Rudy Giuliani to announce his intentions.

MI-Gov: Terri Lynn Land Decides To Forgo Gubernatorial Bid
This one is a little bit of a surprise: Michigan Secretary of State Terri Lynn Land, who was expected to run for governor, has decided not to make a bid, and instead endorsed Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard. Land's decision is an obvious boost to Bouchard, and a bit of a snub to the other two leading GOP candidates. Mike Cox has served in statewide office alongside Land (he is the state AG), and Peter Hoekstra hails from the same region of the state (Western Michigan) as Land. Democrats have a clear frontrunner (Lt. Gov John Cherry), although former Michigan State football coach George Perles is also in the running.

AZ-GOV: Jim Pederson Also Says No To 2010 Bid For Governor
This one is no less surprising: Jim Pederson, who ran a respectable bid against Senator Jon Kyl in 2006 (losing by nine points), decided not to run for Governor of Arizona in 2010. This makes it all the more likely that state Attorney General Terry Goddard (also a former Phoenix Mayor) is going to be the consensus Democratic candidate in the gubernatorial election in sixteen months. The only remaining question is what happens on the Republican side: Governor Jan Brewer has found working with her state legislature (despite it being a GOP majority) to be a bit of a chore, and she has not said definitively that she wants to make a bid for re-election.

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-Wrap-Up,-6-25-09

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UK Iraq war inquiry to allot blame and praise

post from AMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth on 25 June 2009 11:38:00 PM. © AMERICAblog News| A great nation deserves the truth

Something tells me there's going to be a lot more blame than praise during this exercise and rightly so. The pro-war crowd wasn't very gentle with the anti-war people so let them take on their share of blame for cooking up their bogus stories. They've managed to get away with leading people into an invasion and killing innocent civilians so of course blame ought to be dished out.

As MPs rounded on the government over its handling of the inquiry, David Miliband responded to one of the main criticisms of the process when he said that the five-strong body would be free to write what it likes.

Miliband said the privy council inquiry, to be chaired by Sir John Chilcot, would not establish civil or criminal liability. But he added: "Everything beyond that will be within its remit. It can praise or blame whomever it likes and it is free to write its own report at every stage."

The concession was in sharp contrast to restrictions placed on the inquiry by Gordon Brown when he established it last week. He told MPs on 15 June: "The primary objective of the committee will be to identify lessons learned.

The committee will not set out to apportion blame or consider issues of civil or criminal liability."

Civil or criminal liability should not have been dismissed but this is still good news.

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allot-blame-and.html

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Pass Healthcare Now

post from Where's the Outrage? on 25 June 2009 11:35:38 PM. © Where's the Outrage?

I like the controlled passion of this blogger on DK -I’m going to abandon my usual practice[...]

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Pass Health care now

post from Where's the Outrage? on 25 June 2009 11:35:38 PM. © Where's the Outrage?

I like the controlled passion of this blogger on DK -I’m going to abandon my usual practice[...]

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http://www.whereistheoutrage.net/wordpress/2009/06/25/pass-health-care-now/

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Open Thread

post from Crooks and Liars on 25 June 2009 11:30:01 PM. © Crooks and Liars

farrah-fawcett iconic poster_22a53.jpg

Farrah Fawcett, 1947-2009.

EmpowerHer: Fawcett was a spokeswoman in the fight against cancer long before her diagnosis. In a statement released Thursday, Elizabeth Fontham, national volunteer president at the American Cancer Society, said: "We are saddened at the news of the passing of Farrah Fawcett. Ms. Fawcett served as the American Cancer Society's chairperson for Women Against Cancer in the early 1980s, appearing in a public service announcement where she encouraged viewers to avoid smoking and get regular cancer checkups. Her public battle against cancer these past few years is a reminder of the work still to be done, and of the toll cancer still takes. Her support of those efforts, and her unique approach to life, will be missed."

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http://crooksandliars.com/bluegal/open-thread-195

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I Got The "Make Them Do It" Blues

post from Open Left - Front Page on 25 June 2009 11:30:00 PM. © Open Left - Front Page

In a validation of the progressive primary challenge strategy, Arlen Specter today reversed his[...]

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Micheal Jackson - Entertaining

This maybe the best moonwalking performance of his career. Michael Jackson — dead at age 50.[...]

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Late Night: Praise the Lord for Stupid Sex

I'd always considered Sanford sort of a clown, so when he behaved clownishly, I chuckled. I had always been certain that he lived where motley is worn, and shazam! I was right. Nothing changed utterly, a farcical press conference was born. To borrow a[...]

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Late Night Music Club - RIP Michael Jackson

Title: I Want You BackArtist: Michael Jackson (with the Jackson 5)
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Michael Jackson, the King of Pop, performer of the best-selling album of all time, and perhaps the best dancer of his entire generation, is dead at 50.

Videos above show The Jackson 5 on The Ed Sullivan Show in 1970, and at Madison Square Garden in 2001.

When I had you to myself
I didn't want you around
Those pretty faces always made you stand out in a crowd
But someone picked you from the bunch
One glance was all it took
Now it's much too late for me to take a second look

Oh baby give me one more chance
To show you that I love you
Won't you please let me
Back in your heart
Oh darlin' I was blind to let you go
But now since I see you in His arms
I want you back