Progresssive columnist Sarah Littman, whose essays are carried in Greenwich Time and Stamford Advocate (both publicatins owned by Hearst Newspapers), was fired by publisher John Dunster on Thursday for having written a column critical of Loony Lee Whitnum while having held a "meet-and-greet" for Jim Himes last year.  According to Littman, Dunster maintains that criticizing Loony Lee while having held a "meet-and-greet" for Jim Himes last year "compromises the integrity of the paper".  

What's the truth?  This is a right-wing rag that has been shilling for Whitnum for months.  In virtually every article about Jim Himes, Greenwich Time's political reporter Neil Vigdor has been boosting Whitnum's candidacy, covering up her whacky utterances and essentially portraying Whitnum as a courageous fighter against the Democratic machine.

But this appears to have been nothing but a pretext.  

Republican congressman Chris Shays (CT-04) has been permitted to host the annual picinic of the Connecticut Returned Peace Corps Volunteers Association (CT RPCV) at his house in Bridgeport next weekend, a politicization of the Peace Corps that I believe is blatantly wrong.  The RPVC organization is an official affiliate of the national organization, which is in turn a non-profit, non-political 501(c)3.  CT RPCV president Maureen Shanley has stated that official Peace Corps business will be conducted at Shays' house during the picnic.  Peace Corps recruiters have been invited to come from New York, and prospective Peace Corps volunteers have also been invited.  Holding an official Peace Corps meeting at the home of a partisan  elected politician, even when it is a  meeting of returned Peace Corps Volunteers, especially just a few short weeks before that politician stands for re-election, constitues a blatant, ompletely unacceptable politicization of the Peace Corps.  

Trolls on your marks.  Get Set.  Counting down: 3, 2, 1.  Go.

John Ashcroft thinks it's okay to torture members of the United States Armed Forces.  However, Mr. Ashcroft sometimes has problems with facts and reality.  It seems unlikely that he would approve of the use of waterboarding on his own person.  Perhaps waterboarding would help change his mind.

A special shout out to Michael Savage.  The "brats" aren't faking autism.  In Michael's case I'd say he's not faking stupidity either.

Just for the record, in case anyone gets confused, I'm voting for the candidate who works out (That's bad, Nutz?).  He's a strong man, both physically and of character.  You may have heard of him.  His name is Barack.

Number of times I wanted Ron Paul to run the show: -1000
Number of insane things Congress has done:  I lost count.
Keep your head down, this bazooka has a hair trigger.
Onward.

This today from PSN's Adam Thompson on the right wing plan to "reform" health care by forcing folks into indivudal plans with high out-of-pocket costs:

As with John McCain's health care reform proposals, the Florida and Georgia plans are indicative of the Right's allegiance to "consumer-driven health care" - the idea that Americans will use less care if they must pay more out-of-pocket.  As the New York Times reports, Sen. McCain wants Americans to purchase their insurance in the volatile and costly individual market, eschewing the stronger bargaining power and better consumer protections found in employer-based and large group coverage.  The problem with this approach is that high out of pocket costs - which are the result of high deductible and limited benefit plans - lead consumers to avoid necessary care, resulting in worse outcomes and higher system-wide costs in the long run.  

Faux moderate and Bush Neocon Chris Shays (Rep-CT's 4th district) will appear on John Dankosky's "Where We Live" live call-in show tomorrow morning (Friday, July 11) on Connecticut public radio's WNPR.  In Fairfield County, it is carried on 88.5 FM.  Please call in or email your questions for Both Ways Shays.  If you live or are travelling outside Connecticut, please send in your pointed questions by email.

Call during the Show:

(860) 275-7266

Or email questions and comments to:

wherewelive@wnpr.org

You have to get on the phone early, because Dankosky actually doesn't take many calls from listeners.  Shays is opposed by a great progressive Democrat- former Rhodes Scholar and Harvard grad Jim Himes.

Much has been written the last few days about abortion.  I guess I started the newest wave with Obama Swings Right on Abortion.  John Campanelli wrote a well-reasoned Response to "Obama swings right on abortion".  Then it was off to the races, with "Clinton swung right on abortion!," "Obama's faith-based mental abortion of FISA's women," and more. [links make the intro too long. Look for the "abortion" tag.]

Then the conversation changed from Obama to abortion laws in general, with Obama Does the Right Thing on Abortion, Mercy Abortions: Let me preach to the choir,abortion and democrats, The Most Radioactive of Topics - Abortion, Debunking The Abortion Reduction Plank Proposal, Pro-Choice Leaders Refuse to Work With Pro-Life Democrats.

Every single diary contributed something to the conversation.  Unfortunately, every single diary also missed the essential truth of abortion laws- they function in real life, not theory, and they are intended to chill all abortions, not merely define some as unlawful.

Weekly Voting Rights News Update

By Erin Ferns

In the aftermath of the presidential primaries, stories of unprecedented voter registration and turnout are drifting to the back burner. But with an exceedingly imbalanced electorate, the fight to create access to the voting rolls and enforce the voting rights of all Americans continues. With historic voter registration drives underway and a preview of the types of problems that could occur in November, the focus of the media is beginning to shift towards the less sexy, but crucial elements that work to maximize voter participation while ensuring eligible voters can cast their ballots and have them counted. In Project Vote’s view, this is a welcome development since many of the potential issues require more time to sort out than is available if problems are noted only weeks in advance of the election. This week, election officials, advocates and a presidential candidate worked to assist in or restore voting rights for hospitalized veterans in Connecticut, minority citizens in Georgia, and former felons in Tennessee.

Research 2000 for Daily Kos. 6/30-7/2. Likely voters. MoE 4% (3/31-4/2 results)

Independents disapprove of George Bush 14/86, so that has a clear effect on Lieberman's approval ratings. He is even less popular with Democrats while more Independents now disapprove of his performance than approve. While Lieberman's approval ratings continue to fall, the matchups with Lamont were largely unaffected compared to a couple of months ago.

Other findings from the poll -- Obama crushes McCain 57-35 in Connecticut, and Lieberman would actually hurt McCain on the ticket in the state. Let's hope McCain picks him.

My biggest fear is that Lieberman retires in 2012. I want him defeated at the ballot box. And until then, this poll, along with yesterday's Q-poll, should go a long way toward dispelling the notion that Lieberman is popular. His loving embrace of Bush and McCain, along with his rabid warmongering, have definitely killed his support at home.

Full crosstabs can be found below the fold.

Race tracker wiki: CT-Sen

A new Quinnipiac University poll   has Obama beating McCain 56-35 in Connecticut.

This maybe doesn't come as much of a surprise, but it should be recalled that Rasmussen polled CT at the end of May and found Obama up by only 3. After that some of the McCain team started talking excitedly about a possible "Lieberman effect", and if I recall correctly they marked CT as a possible target state on the McCain website strategy briefing.

Well, doesn't look like they'll be following up on that one. The internals don't provide any comfort for McCain either - Obama leads in every category the pollsters could think of, except Republicans.

Quinnipiac. 6/26-29. Registered voters. MoE 2% (3/19-24)

That's a 15-point downward swing in support, from +17 approval to +2.

The crosstabs:

Yup. There is little doubt among Democrats and Republicans in the state about their senator's allegiances.

Remember we polled a hypothetical Lamont-Lieberman rematch back in April, and on that poll, Lieberman had a better 47-40 approval/disapproval rating. Matched up against Ned Lamont, Lieberman lost 37-51.

I've got another poll in the field this week asking that same questions again. If that Q-poll is any indication, Lieberman may be looking even worse against Lamont this time around.

Incidentally, Dodd is at 51-34.

Some people know how to to put the "fun" in "fundraiser."  Orange to Blue candidateJim Himes held an event at a minor-league ballpark in CT-04 to raise a few dollars and raise his visibility in the district.  I thought it was a great idea and a great excuse to bring my 2-year-old out to a game.

More Iraq Moratorium #10 reports. Meg Oldman of Point Arena CA checks in:

Friday, June 20, 2008  was a warm, sunny day; the best kind for protest.  

I represented Iraq Moratorium, and Women in Black by myself, this time.  A good number of people stopped and talked with me about the war, elections coming up later in the fall, and the economy. Drivers going by(more than usual due to being the first day of Summer) honked, whistled and raised their fists high in solidarity.

Overall, I feel that one person DOES make a difference, as witnessed above.  I am excited to sense the populace taking a deep breath and preparing to change the paradigm from one of fear and apathy, to one of focus and and unity.  I am fulfilling my role to facilitate standing together, all over the world, one the same day, at the same time.

Just days after the Alaska AFL-CIO endorsed Orange to Blue candidate Mark Begich, fellow Orange to Blue candidate Jim Himes has been endorsed by the Connecticut AFL-CIO:

"Jim really understands the issues facing working families," said James Parent, Connecticut State Council of Machinists President and AFL-CIO Vice President. "Jim knows that we need to create good jobs and fight for the manufacturing jobs that we still have, to find real answers on healthcare and education, and to get out of Iraq. I'm convinced Jim will be a tremendous ally for working families, and we look forward to doing all we can to get him elected."

Connecticut's union density is lower than Alaska's, but this is an especially significant endorsement given his opponent. As DavidNYC's introductory post on Himes laid out, a number of Democrats and progressive groups have been giving protective cover to Republican incumbent Chris Shays. The League of Conservation Voters and the Human Rights Campaign have endorsed Shays. They would argue that he's a moderate Republican -- but should an LCV-endorsed candidate turn around and support coastal oil drilling? What kind of moderation is that?

The LCV and HRC might have gotten played on this one thanks to their desire to appear non-partisan damaging the causes they exist to support, but the Connecticut AFL-CIO obviously knows better and won't be supporting someone like Shays just because he only pisses on them 57% of the time (PDF) instead of 90% of the time.

Jim Himes is fighting a tough battle to take out the last House Republican in New England, and unfortunately, he's having to fight against people who should be on his side. But organized labor has his back, and, through the Orange to Blue list, so can you.

Race tracker wiki: CT-04

Hello Kossacks,

Over at Future Majority we are about to start a live blog with George Colli IV, a 29 year old state senate candidate in Connecticut running using pubic financing.  Please join us.  George's initial comments are below the fold.

Every month's Iraq Moratorium action in Milwaukee seems to have a special moment. In May it was a thumbs-up from a passing Army recruiter. This month, it was when a woman stopped to tell a leafleter handing out information about the Moratorium that her son is in Iraq. So tearful and emotional she had difficulty speaking, she said he was on his second tour there as a National Guardsman. "Thank you for what you're doing," she said. "I just want him home."

Cornwall, Connecticut held its first outdoor vigil and reported an "overwhelmingly positive response from people driving by, with at least one local resident, Suzanne, who hadn't heard about the doings on the Green in advance pulling her car over and jumping aboard for the rest of the vigil."  Maybe it was the horn trio (two trombones and a sax) that got her attention. (Photo above.)

Allow me to preface this diary by saying that this is something of personal interest to me, as well as being a bit of (hopefully) relevant social and political commentary, so I apologize in advance if it seems a bit emotionally charged.

I was witness last night to some rather terrible political shenanigans in my hometown of Winsted, CT.  For those who don't live in Connecticut, or who didn't follow the news a couple of summers ago, Winsted is a small mill town in Litchfield county of about 10-12000 people, mostly blue-collar.  Last night was the second town meeting to try and pass a budget for fiscal year 2008-2009.  The original budget proposed by the board of selectmen was defeated in referendum last month, which meant that the budget would be adjusted by the board, then brought before the town at a town meeting again, where residents could propose cuts, which could be voted upon by those residents in attendance.  Unfortunately, by the town charter, additions cannot be made at a town meeting, only cuts.  Additions have to be made by the board of selectmen at their meeting.

With 35 Senate seats being contested this year (33 plus 2 special elections), Democrats have only 4 female candidates: Jeanne Shaheen (NH), Kay Hagan (NC), Vivian Figures (AL) and incumbent Sen. Mary Landrieu (LA). That's a shamefully low number. The Republicans only have 2 incumbents, Elizabeth Dole (NC) and Susan Collins (ME), and one sole challenger, Christine O'Donnell (DE).

Overall, this is not a great year for women in the U.S. Senate. The overall outcome will be somewhere between minus 2 and plus 4 female Senators. The most likely outcome is somewhere between minus 1 and plus 1.

So, let's look ahead to 2010. Specifically, to which Democratic female politicians might or should run for the U.S. Senate in 2010.

I just watched a John McCain campaign ad on Comcast cable in central Connecticut. It was focused on the environment, and began with the claim that Sen. McCain went against Bush five years ago to "sound the alarm on global warming" (rough quote). It's a positive ad, in no way attacks Obama, and I have no issue with the spot. If I can find it on YouTube, I'll update this diary at that time.
What is confusing is that the ad is airing in Connecticut, in June. I don't see any value for McCain in chipping away at what is (almost) sure to be a wipeout win for Obama in CT. Is this an (admittedly strange) way of trying to bolster Chris Shays in the 4th, who is apparently in some real trouble? Other possible ideas below.