We here in Utah cannot understand this bizarre argument that Obama doesn't capture a "white vote."  There are as many black people in my state as there are Clinton voters:  nearly none.  These facts were on display in our primary results and in the crowd shots from every Jazz home playoff game this year.  Besides the fact that the "white vote" argument is offensive and beside the point, it is just plain wrong.

It may be true that Hillary Clinton is the only acceptable candidate to some narrow income group of Caucasians that reside between the Mississipi river and the states bordering the East coast.  But, MY GOD, who cares?  It is Hillary Clinton's utter lack of ability to be competitive among white voters in Western states that resulted in Obama breaking the proportional allocation system, and making narrow Clinton wins in states that satisfy the Penn/Wolfsson criteria insignificant.

Let me use Utah's example to show you why it is so particulary important to us, most of whom are white, that Obama become our candidate immediately...

Since everyone feels inspired to wake from their post-election nightmare hangover with predictions about the 2008 election, here is mine:

Republicans will change the constitution to allow Arnold to run even though he is foreign-born.  

Arnold will make a movie called "President's Day" where he plays a president that is kidnapped by Al Quaida, and taken to their mountain lair.  He escapes, and uses their own weapons and explosives to destroy their entire leadership.  He also steals a list of their worldwide operatives, setting up the sequel, "President's Day 2:  Blood Summit".  The movie co-stars Cheech Marin as Osama Bin Laden.  The Republicans plan to use the movie as a campaign ad in the 2008 elections, but liberal Hollywood seeks to outdo them.  

More in extended copy.

If you look at the MSNBC home page, you will see that a tape purportedly from Al Qaida calls for new attacks.  

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6148985/

According to the article:

It was not immediately possible to verify the authenticity of the recording or determine when it was taped. In Washington, a U.S. official said the CIA was aware of the tape and was looking at it.

and,

The tape emerged one day after a campaign debate between President Bush and Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., discussed the U.S. war on terror and the search for bin Laden...  An Al-Jazeera producer said the tape was "supposedly received today," by usual means, which he refused to discuss. The station showed almost four minutes in two clips of a longer recording, and, as usual, was not planning to broadcast the tape in full.

What does it mean when a tape is "supposedly received today"?  

I received my breakfast today.  I also received a ride to work today.  I can't think of anything I have "supposedly" received today except a new infusion of fear after a good day for John Kerry.

It is funny how the terrorists never threaten us when Bush is surging.  I wonder who they want to win?  It's too bad Gallup can't release a new poll every day.  If they did, our country really would be safe and secure.

I hate to be the purveyor of rumors and innuendo, but I just got the following message from Jim Stork's campaign:

Dear Friend,

I realize that in the past few days you may have heard some rumors that I have decided to leave the race for U.S. Congress in District 22.  I wanted to write to you personally and let you know that those rumors are untrue.  I am currently undergoing some medical tests and will be in touch as soon as I know more.  Right now, I am simply looking forward to putting these health issues behind me and moving forward.  

I'll see you out on the trail!

Best,

Jim Stork

Does anyone know what this is about?  Is there some rumor circulating around South Florida that I don't know about?  Please tell me what is going on!

Eager readers can now peruse the 2004 Washington State Republican Platform...  The entire document is in the extended copy.  Here are the highlights:

1. An affirmation of the "doctrine of pre-emptive self defense"
2. A commitment to the strategic defense initiative
3. Support for "the historical doctrine of pre-emption in US conflicts"
4. Limiting the use of the gas tax to expand and maintain the state highway system.
5. Support for drilling in ANWR
6. A vow to reduce "regulations and costs that hinder re-licensing of many of our State's dams"
7. Plans to build more nuclear power plants
8. No abortions...ever
9. Support for Bush's hate amendment
10. A promise for all public education to be taught in English
11. Sex education will promote abstinence.
12. "We support A policy that public schools not promote or identify homosexuality as a healthy, morally acceptable, or alternative lifestyle."
13. "We support the belief that government regulations and funding will not improve the quality or affordability of health care"
14. A promise to protect firearm manufacturers from lawsuits
15. And, finally, here is a bizarre statement:

"Ours is a nation created not by force, but by unifying ideals. People came here to be free to worship God as they choose without State restriction. For ours to remain one nation, where the source of our rights derive from God, not the state, we have the duty and obligation to teach our children the profound meaning behind the simple statement of allegiance to our flag and the ideals our nation was founded upon and to which so many have sacrificed their lives."  ...I think this means that pledging allegiance to the flag is a form of prayer for Washington Republicans.

As usual, our best weapon against these people is their own words.  Many of these ideas and proposals are unpopular in Washington, as they are everywhere else.  The more people know about what being Republican means to Republicans, the fewer of them there will be.  Educate yourself about your state's Republican platform.  When you meet someone who says they are a Republican, you can verify with them that they believe all this garbage.

I was watching The Daily Show last night, and they had John McCain on.  I just thought he was so warm and cuddly...  I wanted to give him a big hug!  Then, I had this great idea:  What if he ran as John Kerry's VP choice?

Now that it looks like Hillary might not run, I think this is the Democrats' best chance to retake the White House.  I'm still hoping for a Clinton/McCain ticket, as I think that would be the surest winner, but I think Kerry/McCain would be almost as good.

What do you think?

The 9th US Circuit of Appeals just declared that John Ashcroft will not be able to undermine Oregon's physician-assisted suicide law.  This is a victory for common sense, for those in hopeless suffering due to a terminal illness, and a sharp rebuke to St. John the Insane.

"The attorney general's unilateral attempt to regulate general medical practices historically entrusted to state lawmakers interferes with the democratic debate about physician-assisted suicide," Circuit Judge Richard Tallman said. He said Ashcroft's threat to take action "far exceeds the scope of his authority under federal law."

I often wish the 9th Ciruit Court could just be promoted to Supreme Court...

link:  http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5068242/

It turns out my Republican "team leader" alter ego has been enlisted to do some phone calling on behalf of our fabulous president.  I've gotten notifications of several phoning parties in the Seattle area.  This is a great opportunity to tell Republican donors how excited we are about how well we are spreading democracy in the Middle East, about our fabulous new manufacturing jobs at McDonalds, and how we can preserve the environment by changing the definition of wilderness to "strip-mined and clear cut barren wasteland".

More importantly, it is an opportunity to acquire some very useful phone lists...  I have waited until the day before the event to post this, so that they will not have time to prepare any counter-measures.  This is your mission, should you choose to accept it.  I recommend either business or church attire.

Here are the locations:

Bellevue
WHAT: Bellevue Bush Cheney Phone Bank
WHEN: 05/22/2004 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
WHERE: Western States Mortgage Corporation
13200 NE 20th Street
Bellevue, WA 98005
CONTACT: Ruth Gibbs
EMAIL: REGPC3@aol.com
PHONE:

34th LD
WHAT: Seattle-34th Legislative District Phone Bank
WHEN: THIS Saturday, May 22, 10 AM-5 PM
WHERE: Coldwell Banker Del Bianco Realty
122 SW 156th Street
Seattle, WA 98166
CONTACT: Joan Dehn
EMAIL: djdehn@comcast.net
PHONE: (206) 242-7829

46th LD
WHAT: Seattle-46th Legislative District Phone Bank
WHEN: THIS Saturday, May 22, 10 AM-5 PM
WHERE: Ellstrom Manufacturing Company
1540 NW Ballard Way
Seattle, WA 98107
CONTACT: Bob Sundquist
EMAIL:
PHONE: (206) 525-5277

Federal Way
WHAT: Federal Way Phone Bank
WHEN: THIS Saturday, May 22, 10 AM-5 PM
WHERE: Washington Trucking Association
930 South 336th Street, Unit B
Federal Way, WA 98003
CONTACT: Marvy Schmidt
EMAIL: marvelrae@aol.com
PHONE: (253) 931-0027

There is a front page story on MSN with the leader:

Kerry:  Health care 'broken'
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4944764/

There's nothing wrong with John Kerry having a health care plan, obviously.  Every issue on which he demonstrates that he has any semblance of a plan casts him in favorable contrast to the current president.  What bothers me is the timing of Kerry's attention to this issue.

I think the Democratic party learned the wrong lesson from 1992.  Conventional wisdom is that George Bush I lost his reelection bid because he ignored the economy.  I think that's a misrepresentation.  I think he lost because he was perceived as being "out of touch", and he was perceived as being "out of touch" because his campaign's priorities were not the nation's priorities.

Sure, Americans are worried about health care.  They want their candidates to talk about health care.  I think it would be hard to argue, though, that it is most people's most urgent concern right now.  And, I think it makes Kerry look horribly out of touch when the stories in the news (as they appear on MSN) are:

1. How did it happen?  Rumsfeld and the road to the Iraqi prison abuse scandal
2. U.S. destroys Shiite cleric's office
3. Saudis urge boost in oil output
4. Kerry:  Health care 'broken'

Which one of these is not like the other?  Which one of these does not belong?  This sort of thing will hurt at a time when voters are looking for an alternative for Bush.  It's just my opinion, but this is exactly what Howard Dean was warning about 5 months ago.  The mess in Iraq, and our national security in general, have become the most important election issues.  They are dominating news coverage and underly the most stinging criticism of our incumbent president.  How can John Kerry offer an alternative?  He voted for the war, and doesn't seem to have a radically different strategy for us in the Middle East.  The public and pundits are rightfully sceptical of Kerry's claim that he will succeed in using the UN to clean up the mess that we (George Bush) have created.  That is not an exit strategy that he will be able to run on.

If Kerry were as smart and prescient as I (tongue in cheek), he would use surrogates to push the Democratic agenda on issues like health care, the environment, and civil rights.  He would focus his attention on building his image as an executive with an eye on the biggest problems and the big picture.  Talking about health care today doesn't make John Kerry look presidential.  It reinforces his image as a legislator.

Saudi oil minister Ali Naimi urged OPEC on Monday to raise its production ceiling by 1.5 million barrels a day when it meets on June 3.

The rising cost of oil in the United States to levels nearly approaching its cost in other countries has raised concerns that the current supply is inadequate.  To alleviate the current crisis, OPEC is expected to approve increases in plant fossil creation and subsurface temperatures and pressures.

"The world's reserve of approximately 5000 billion barells of crude oil will clearly not meet the demands of world consumers.  The kingdom certainly believes that OPEC must boost oil creation to keep the market balanced."  Naimi said in a statement.

The minister also said that OPEC's new policies would be part of a broader strategy to meet world demand for oil including elective warfare in areas containing underdeveloped oil production capacity and the destruction of the world's last remaining pristine wilderness areas.

Following the announcement, minister Naimi climbed into his Hummer vehicle, which was idling nearby, and took the scenic route back to Riyadh.

URGENT: MASSACRE IN FALLUJAH

Members of the Seattle-based organization 'Another
World Is Possible' traveled to Iraq this fall. We
received a phone call this morning from an Iraqi
friend who carried 16 women and children out of
Fallujah, burned and bloody from US bombs that were
dropped by American F16 jets and Apache helicopters on
their homes early this morning, during what the US is
calling a "ceasefire." The Iraqi and international
volunteers were driving an ambulance from a local
Fallujah clinic when it was fired upon by US snipers,
at least six times, nearly killing the driver and
passenger who were able to duck. The bullets
perforated the area directly behind their heads. The
ambulance is now destroyed and the activists have
traveled back in to Fallujah in a small car,
attempting to help more injured people, the vast
majority women and children, out of the city under
fire. Reports say nearly a thousand have been killed
or wounded since the US began bombing the city three
days ago.

The first phone message follows below. We also
received an email yesterday from an activist we met in
Baghdad. She has spent the past four days with fellow
activists ferrying bodies out of Fallujah. The last
message included is a letter written on Sunday by a
peace activist in Japan, a friend of one of the
hostages, also a peace activist, facing execution if
his country's troops do not withdraw.

We call on you to heed these calls. Please forward
these messages and help however you can to make sure
that the truth about what is happening in Fallujah and
all over Iraq is heard.

For as long as people would listen to him, Howard Dean campaigned against Kerry's new spending initiatives and tax-cutting plans.  He said that this was more of the same "promise everything and deliver nothing" game that politicians play with voters every election cycle.  I never did hear a persuasive response from the Kerry campaign about this.  Well, it turns out he was right.  Again.  Why am I not surprised to read this:

Under steady attack by Republicans for overblown campaign promises, Kerry said he might have to slow down some domestic proposals he made early in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination because of the ballooning deficit. He cited a plan for universal pre-school education and a program that would give free tuition to students attending state colleges in return for two years of national service.

Entire article:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4685638/

What?  Was there no ballooning deficit before?  Apparently, this is a recent development since the Democratic presidential nomination was decided.  Perhaps one of the hundreds of thousands of us (that was all there were, I guess) who didn't think Kerry's plan to cut taxes, provide expanded health coverage, and not cut the defense budget was fiscally responsible before he was nominated is better qualified than he to be president.

The reason why I am so pissed about this is because it was so damn obvious the whole time.  And now, Howard Dean says I have to go and vote for John Kerry.  And, you know what?  He's still right.  I do.  Why do I feel like this entire country is destined to be run like a game show, no matter what I do.

I know many of us are uneasy about supporting the ownership of firearms, if not downright unopposed.  It's not my intention to start that debate right now.  My own position is probably slightly left of Howard Dean's:  That states should have the latitude to enact whatever gun control legislation they feel they need, but that new laws are probably needed to curtail the movement of firearms accross state lines.

Having said that, I wanted Kosacks to take a look at a picture in today's email from Tony Knowles (Alaska Dem Senate candidate).  Kos thought he looked like Tomy Lee Jones before.  This is right out of "The Fugitive".  This picture is political gold.  If all our candidates could be captured on camera like this, we really could win in red states.  I am more certain than ever before that my money on Tony is in the right place.  This guy is a winner.

Here's the pic:
http://www.tonyknowles.com/images/emails/TonyGunShow.jpg

Sorry for making everyone click.  I don't know how to post the picture directly.  If someone would help me with that below, I would be much obliged!

Ether's comments on the Jeff Seemann thread have caused me to wonder whether there isn't a silver lining to Kos' mercenary comments.  Perhaps the attention this issue has recieved in right-wing echo chambers will bring an entirely new Kos readership to the site...

I would love it if spamming Republican poster trolls start to regularly visit this site and become interested enough in our dialog to attempt to communicate with us.  Ether began his off-topic anti-Kos diatribe with the same sort of factless beligerence that we have all come to expect from the right wing, but we successfully drew him into a more useful form of discourse.  I was pleased to see the tone and content of his posts become constructive and thoughtful as the thread continued...  even if it was still off-topic.

We have always agreed that our progressive ideas would win the day in a debate that wasn't framed by conservative propaganda.  I look forward to the chance to be part of this debate.  Welcome, Repulican trolls!  Leave your talking points at the door, but please sit down and stay a while.  You are welcome to get angry and annoyed with what you read here.  But, please don't bottle it up.  Articulate your dissent, and engage the rest of us.  We are your neighbors, co-workers, and friends.  And, we are just as crazy as you are.

The rest of us should try to encourage this participation, as well.  We shouldn't be so quick to make our conservative friends disappear.  We should try to help them articulate their views clearly and inoffensively in a manner that Kosacks will appreciate and understand.  We should attempt to be persuasive, and not combative.  In the end, we should hope and expect to win the day.

Many of us have been concerned about Jim Matheson's chances of holding Utah's second congressional district house seat.  He is the only Democratic member of Utah's delegation, and he narrowly won reelection in 2002 following redistricting.  A new poll from the Deseret Morning News gives us some cause for optimism.  Right now, Jim is soundly defeating all three prospective Republican opponents.

Matheson vs. John Swallow
57% - 29%

Matheson vs. Tim Bridgewater
62% - 22%

Matheson vs. David Wilde
62% - 20%

This is a poll of 222 Utah residents.  March 17-20.  MOE is 7 percent

http://deseretnews.com/dn/view/0,1249,595051363,00.html

It seems like Jim has also positioned himself well in his redrawn district.

Friday night the Federal Government dropped all charges against James Yee, the army captain accused of espionage...  Too bad they had already spent months smearing his reputation and that of his family.  There ought to be some sort of recourse for victims of overzealous government prosecution.  Maybe there is.  In cases where character assault is involved, the penalty should be severe.

The next time someone tells you that you are too concerned about the government abusing powers like those contained in the Patriot Act, remind them about James Yee.  When John Aschroft talks about improving the quality of our intelligence, maybe he should be saying that people in the agencies will start to use some of theirs.

Here is an article in the Seattle P-I about Yee's ordeal:

href=http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/jamieson/165754_robert22.asp

But for the people who are targeted, the overzealous prosecution turns into a persecution hell that could have been avoided with a modicum of restraint.

"I hope nobody has to go through an experience like this," Yee's wife, Huda Suboh, told me late Friday after she received the news about her husband.

She called and shared a message she wanted the government to hear:

"If you are going to charge someone, please be sure you have enough evidence. Because we suffered. We really suffered. We suffered for nothing."

Yee spent 76 days in solitary confinement while the government tried to build its case. His wife remained at their Olympia home, stressed out and lonely.

"It was very hard, especially at the beginning when they talked about him being a spy," she said. "From the beginning, I knew he was innocent. It was horrible."

The cover story in today's Seattle Times is entitled, "Bush works to shore up support for terror fight".

Curiously, this article is not about anti-terrorism measures, at all.  It talks about the decision of Spain to withdraw from Iraq, and the likelihood that our occupation partners are likely targets of terrorism.

These two independent items are linked together by this Bush talking point:

"...President Bush tried to shore up the global anti-terror coalition yesterday, as well as support for Iraq.

It is important that the world society, international community, stands shoulder-to-shoulder and shows its solidarity to fight against these terrible attacks," Bush said after an Oval Office meeting with Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende.

"Terrorists will kill innocent life in order to try to get the world to cower," Bush said. "They'll kill innocent people to try to shake our will. That's what they want to do. And they'll never shake the will of the United States."

Here is the whole article:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2001880948_spain17.html

The implied argument of this piece is that participation in the Iraq occupation is equivalent to fighting terrorism.  For this propaganda to make its way into a widely-read newspaper (even a Republican rag like the Seattle Times) is disturbing.

Please call Jim Mallory at the Seattle Times National/International News copy desk and tell him what you think of this.
The newsroom phone is: (206) 464-2200
Please post it in a comment if someone can get his direct line.

Those of us who have been waiting to see what shape the $200 million Bush media barrage would look like now can get our first glimpse.

http://www.georgewbush.com/TVAds/

The early strategy appears to be:

1. The country is safe.
2. The economy is strong.
3. Ma, Pa, and apple pie.

Here is the transcript from the first ad, with commentary: