This here's for all the Republicans who voted for Hillary.

One pattern that we're seeing repeat every election cycle since 2000 is the Republicans' desire strategy to disrupt the Democratic process.  To wit: Causing chaos for the purpose of thwarting the vote count in Florida or under allocating voting machines to democratic districts is thuggish behavior by people who can't abide by the rules.  And before you go all Ann Coulter on me for being a pusillanimous idealist who's crying about people breaking the rules - I'm not going there.  

Because you can't look at my reaction without taking responsibility for your own attitudes that have caused it.  You see, more than one Repug has smirked about having Diebold on their side.  This is the reputation that you all have built for yourselves.

But each of you can claim that you didn't do any of these things.  Someone else made those decisions and the Republican brand has been unfairly tarnished by a few bad apples <sniff><sniff>.

Until now, that is.  

We all know Hillary's best chance right now is to let this run down to a brokered convention.  And once there, she'll use everything at her disposal to gain the nomination regardless of whether she is ahead in pledged delegates, superdelegates, or total votes.

Her ace card is the compromise.  Now that she's hinting about "a chance for people to vote for both" candidates, we have to presume that she's entertaining the thought of him as her vice-president, and not the other way around.  I fthink it's highly unlikely that Obama would choose her for the V.P. because Bill would of course be coming along for the ride.  Who would want his presidency overshadowed by his V.P.'s spouse?

So if there's a compromise to be reached in Denver, it would play out that allowing Hillary to get the nomination could put both candidates on the ticket, and make everyone happy.

Bullshit.  This isn't picking teams for kickball.  We aren't working to be fair to everyone.

Hillary's threat to "refuse to accept" a do-over in Florida & Michigan does more than attempt to steal those delegates, it forces the party into an eventual negotiation.  Right now she's setting the narrative for her to win out in a negotiation.

This week on the Sunday talk shows someone, I think it was David Brooks, said that Republicans run a bloodier, winner take all primary system because of social dominance.

Once in a while Brooks can be insightful, and this time he hit the nail on the head.

There really doesn't seem to be a better description of the Republican beliefs than to say they get off on social dominance.

What's most important to a Republican?  Taxes and trickle down economics.  

Now don't get me wrong, Democrats like to make money too. But Republicans see wealth as a way of leveraging the disparity in economic standing.  It's like they put more importance on being wealthy than on merely having money.

My cousin, Jack Hedin, is an organic farmer in Minnesota. He supplies fresh produce to local markets and "Whole Paycheck" type high end grocery stores in the Chicagoland area.

Today he had a Letter to the Editor Op-Ed published in the New York Times wherein he tells the saga of renting additional acreage and found out that he would have to pay a fine for growing fruits and vegetables on land where subsidized corn wasn't growing.

Just a warm up here, and more after the fold:

The commodity farm program effectively forbids farmers who usually grow corn or the other four federally subsidized commodity crops (soybeans, rice, wheat and cotton) from trying fruit and vegetables. Because my watermelons and tomatoes had been planted on “corn base” acres, the Farm Service said, my landlords were out of compliance with the commodity program.

What are the great things that make us proud of America? For me, it's the broad sweeping concepts of Freedom & Liberty.  In my lifetime, what has happened to further these ideals?

I'm 40 years old and I can recall just a few things which are tied to my sense of pride in my country.  The first was our Bicentennial in 1976, but that wasn't an event in itself, it was more of an award for something that already happened.  I'm also proud of our role in ending the cold war - when the wall came down that was an amazing feeling, but that wasn't on our soil.  Other than that, I remember the first space shuttle launch as an historically significant achievement.

Now, of course I'm proud of my country every 4th of July, and it's great when, for example, the U.S. wins an Olympic gold medal, but will you be telling your grandchildren about Bruce Jenner and Kerri Strug, or Independence Day 2002?  There are little things that happen every day which make me proud to be an American, but what makes me really proud to be an American?

Many of us were shocked this week when Andrew Horne bowed out of the Democratic Primary to defeat US Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell.  Just two days before, Horne asserted that he wouldn't drop out for any reason.

There's a ton of speculation about the reversal:  Two of his opponents can afford to push the limits of the millionaire's amendment, Governor Beshear all but endorsed Bruce Lunsford, as did the Kentucky Democratic Party leadership, Chuck Schumer, and the DSCC.

Horne had a lot of time to think about the financial weight his competition brought to the table, so it's hard to imagine a sudden decision based on this.  From all indications, his decision was based on "advice" (cough) taken from party strategists.  You know, the Big Picture people.

The other day I found an article about Barack Obama.  Actually it wasn't really an article, it was a short piece that linked to a YouTube video, source by "The Right Perspective" radio show.  I use the term "radio" loosely - it's really just Frank & John from New York, and is broadcast on WWCR 3.215 MHz Shortwave.

Anyway, the YouTube video is of some toothless crackhead dealer named Larry Sinclair who alleges that in 1999 he did crack cocaine with Representative Barack Obama, while giving him oral sex.

OK, so all that is nary worth a mention here - not even as a warning.  But this is interesting ...

There appears to be substantial proof, however, that this is originating and/or being perpetuated from the Ron Paul support base.

First, to preface this diary, I was, and still am, a Dodd supporter.  But my horse has been scratched; I'm just watching this presidential primary race.

A couple years ago, I worked on Andrew Horne's primary campaign against now-congressman John Yarmuth.  I worked hard, as did the rest of the staff and volunteers.  

Democracy for America’s Kentucky Organization Endorses Andrew Horne For U.S. Senate

Grassroots Organizers Believe Horne Offers Genuine Leadership and Positive Change for Kentucky

Louisville – On Friday, December 21, the leadership of Change for Kentucky (CFK,) a group of progressive grassroots Kentuckians affiliated with the national organization Democracy for America, announced a pre-filing deadline endorsement of Andrew Horne for U.S. Senate.  CFK members feel that of the confirmed or rumored candidates, Horne offers the most trustworthy, competent and genuine leadership, and should be nominated to challenge Republican Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

This week we got great news that Senate minority leader Mitch McConnell has a higher negative rating than he has positive.  

While only one man has officially announced his candidacy for the Democratic nomination to take on Mitch, three others are seriously considering taking on the task.  Former Attorney General Greg Stumbo was the first to launch an exploratory committee, Andrew Horne (draft, info) has been making preparations to do so too, and recently re-elected State Auditor Crit Luallen has been in talks with Chuck Schumer about running.

But apparently only one of these candidates matters, as Markos has already made up his mind to support Crit. At the end of kos' story on the new poll numbers he succinctly decrees:

On the web:
Draft Crit Luallen

A few months ago there was a Recommended diary named "Netroots 101" which was written for the new candidate looking to put together a website.  In the article and comments, there were lots of good suggestions for how a candidate can go about courting the netroots, and the essential elements of a netroots-friendly website.

Today I'd like to go one step further and ask all you campaign workers and volunteers, while it's still fresh in your minds, what would you like to see added to the perfect campaign website?  What are those "I wish we had ..." or "If only there were ..." moments of genius that have come to you in a brainstorm during the last few months?

What follows are a few of my ideas, plus a request for you to add your suggestions.  Don't just think about things you've seen once or twice, try to go beyond what you think is doable and come up with ideas that just might be possible.

There's been a 12 year old story brewing in Kentucky and it broke last week.  I'm writing this not as an expert on the subject, but because no one else has done it.  In the end you'll probably agree that it's a whole lotta hot air, and not a lot of substance, but this is the story that Republican Governor Ernie Fletcher has been hoping would rescue his flailing campaign.

I'd like to talk about the MoveOn dynamic.  With nearly 4 million active members, it's a formidable organization with a powerful lobby.  Yet the recent controversy over their ad in the New York Times has brought them some not-too-welcome publicity and scrutiny.

On the one hand, they have fired up their members. But on the other hand, they have made some Democrats cautious about associating with them.  The recent vote on the Cornyn amendment, which denounced the ad, illustrates the Democrats' apprehension.

Breaking from Page One Kentucky.

Senator Mitch McConnell, upset at allegations made in a new TV Advertisement, has gotten Insight Communications to pull the ad from Cable TV.

A representative from Public Campaign Action Fund tells Page One that Insight neither notified them of this decision nor gave them a chance to respond to/argue re: why they think their facts are accurate.

Because if it's in the Bible, it must be true

O.K., maybe this doesn't really qualify as news, more like entertainment, but it's just so damn snarkilicious that I needed to share.

By now, most of you have heard of the Creation Museum which opened to great fanfare earlier this summer, in Northern Kentucky. For those of you unaware, it pays homage to the historical narrative put forth in the Bible. You know, the whole literal interpretation of the Bible, the part where the earth is 6,000 years old, Adam and Eve rode around on Dinosaurs, and Noah's flood created the dramatic landscape of the Rockies and Grand Canyon.

See Cubswin39's excellent diary about his trip there.

Ready? Good. Now, put down your beverage and follow this link to the Unicorn Museum website.

I love this life, I really do.  Despite the pollution, climate change, extinction of species, and outright corruption and greed during the time I'm living in, I wouldn't trade this experience for anything.

You see, I haven't always been a lefty radical.  And while a part of me laments the current state of affairs - particularly the defilement of liberty and freedom as we once knew them, I now have the opportunity to be all the radical I can be. The resistance is needed, it's growing, and I'm grateful to be a part of it.

Last night, Lt. Col Andrew Horne (ret), senior advisor for VoteVets.org, Professor Charles R. Figley, psychologist and expert on combat stress, and 1st Lt Pete Hegseth, exec director for VetsforFreedom.org, debated the rising suicide rate for troops serving in Iraq.

Wikipedia has launched a new feature that tracks back anonymous edits to the IP from which they came.