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Good Monday Morning everybody!

In case you hadn't heard gas prices are going INSANE! AAA reports the average price is $4.10. Kay Barnes has written an op-ed from her series "Show me State of Mind." This is 11th in the series.

"Small towns suffer more during these tough times. In some rural counties, residents spend three times more on gas than those who live in cities or suburbs. The St. Joseph News Press reported recently that the average commute time for Andrew County residents was almost 30 minutes. At that rate, someone in Andrew County pays nearly $200 per month for regular gasoline!

We can't just expect people to stop driving. A woman from Holt County who is on Medicare recently told me that she had to skip a doctor's appointment in Kansas City to treat a degenerative eye disease because she couldn't afford the nearly $35 in gas to make the trip. I wish that this story were uncommon, but it's not. It's just a reminder that the cost of gas affects everything including health care." Barnes

Right wing trying to get special tax day where they can endorse candidates. If you haven't heard of this - read it, its frightening...

Teen Pregnancy outbreak

A Schleicher County grand jury is expected to hear evidence next week of possible criminal charges against members of a West Texas polygamist sect.

CapJournal has an interesting article about the extent to which valid polling can be done with the rate of cell phone only house holds on the rise. More info on these problems specifically targeting the youth movement - read here. Gallup recently decided to begin polling cell phones to combat this problem.

South Korea is protesting US beef

Detention of journalists in Vietnam

Scott's Congressional testimony


According to Jim Slattery's campaign, on Friday

Senator Pat Roberts held a press conference at Jayhawk Pharmacy. At the event, Roberts said he was opposed to allowing the federal government to negotiate with drug companies for lower drug prices for the Medicare Part D program.

This cycle alone, Roberts has accepted over $90,000 from prescription drug companies and voted to protect the profits of prescription drug companies at the expense of the over 340,000 Kansans enrolled in Medicare Part D.

In 2003, Roberts voted for a Medicare prescription drug bill loaded with perks for drug companies (HR 1, 11/25/03). The bill prohibited Medicare from negotiating prices with drug manufacturers, forcing seniors to pay higher prices for prescription drugs, ballooning the cost of the entitlement for taxpayers, and resulting in an estimated $139 billion a year in additional profits for drug companies. (release)

Dirty Writer brings us some noteworthy things about our fellow voters. These are not things we don't already know, but they are helpful in understanding who we are.

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Happy Friday!!

Hope everyone is having a fantastic Friday!! Here's the news.

Hip-hop kids not allowed in new Power and Light District... racism or elitism much?

Little Stuart Little gives us the low-dow (a regrettable pun) about JoCo government progress and future.

"All you have to do is imagine, for a moment, a doctor agreeing to an abortion for women of color but saying, 'I will not' for white women. Or a Jewish doctor saying, 'I will do an abortion for Muslim women, but not Jewish women.' Or vice versa. Just imagining those possibilities shows how deeply problematic such a notion would be."

-- Jennifer C. Pizer, a lawyer with the gay rights group Lambda Legal, discussing the ramifications of a case before the California Supreme Court regarding a doctor who refused on religious grounds to perform fertility treatment for a lesbian woman.

Full story

The Atlantic features Kansas's Own Westboro Baptist Church as they picket Tim Russert's funeral. I continue to be disgusted... does anyone else think that Fred looks like he bats for the other team in this picture? Remember the pink bicycle shorts?? yeah... me too

On the heels of its ruling on same-sex marriage, California's highest court will decide another potentially landmark civil rights case: whether doctors can refuse to treat certain patients for religious reasons.

Washington Post

The Los Angeles Times has an interesting interactive map about the record-breaking number of marriages that have happened since gay marriages were legalized on Monday night.

Los Angeles Times

Lot of interesting issues he discusses here... hate to say it but he has a point..



Finally, my first blog posted to the Rock the Vote site, I was chosen out of 200 people to be a Rock the Trail reporter where I will interview stars, lead politicians, and cover events like conventions, debates, and more! I'm honored and excited! But more I'm eager to bring our issues to the forefront.

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Good Thursday to everyone!

If you missed the summer party last night you missed an amazing event with some truly spectacular food! We missed you but hope that you can join us in the future!

Now for the news!

A recent audit of Kansas technology found that there were a number of computers sold without removing the private information from them.... oops...

Graves and Barnes are sparing over immigration.

Claire says that the "Gas Tax Holiday" is a farce.

Evidently Nancy Boyda has a substantial lead over both opponents, and sadly in the primary Jim Ryun is far ahead of Lynn Jenkins.

Rock the Vote has released their New Media Tactics (pdf), to help people on both sides of the isle understand more about how they can use technology to do young voter or new voter outreach.

"A belief in intelligent design is a matter of faith, not science. If teachers believe in it, they should confine their lectures to their own kids in their own homes. To do it in a school setting is unconstitutional, and it undermines the education the kids are supposed to be receiving."

-- San Antonio Express-News, saying in an editorial that "intelligent design"/creationism does not belong in public school science classes.

A bill to overhaul the way evolution is taught in Louisiana public schools easily cleared its final legislative hurdle Monday despite threats of a lawsuit. The measure, Senate Bill 733, now goes to Gov. Bobby Jindal, who is expected to sign it.

A new survey on religion and politics provides important background on the dynamics at work among religious voters in 2008.

Here's the Kline Column

Does Steve Rose have a fan club? Because I'd seriously join it.

In his recent column from the Johnson County Sun, you get a really good take on where he stands with Phill

Here's the Kline Column
BY: Steve Rose, Publisher Wednesday, June 18, 2008 4:35 AM CDT

The thought occurred to me that to deal with the obligatory column about District Attorney Phill Kline’s announcement that he is seeking a second term, despite his promise to the contrary, is to, first, say I-told-you-so; and second,?write that there was not much more to say about Kline I haven’t already said, and leave the rest of the column blank.

But that would be a tacky way to deal with a historic event, and besides, when KMBZ host Mike Shanin asked me on air, when I was on his show last week, when I was going to write a column about Kline’s announcement, I hemmed and hawed, but I knew then that I could not escape. To not write a column about Kline’s announcement would be a dereliction of duty, even if the whole thing is a big joke.

I say a joke, because it is.

Phill Kline knows, even in his most delusional moment, that, should he win the Republican nomination in August, he will get trounced by a 2-1 margin in November, just like he lost Johnson County 2-1 when he ran for re-election for Kansas attorney general. Polls I have seen show Kline has the highest negative ratings, 65 percent, of perhaps any elected official in Johnson County history.

In short, while Phill Kline is admired, loved and worshipped by about a third of the electorate, the other two-thirds would like Kline to go far, far away and never have to see or hear from him again.

So, you may ask, why is Kline willing to subject himself to such humiliation?

Mike Hendricks, columnist for The Kansas City Star, with whom I agree about 32.6 percent of the time (Mike is a flaming liberal, next to me), got it right before we even had a chance to publish our next weekly newspaper. Kline wants to be a martyr, said Hendricks.

That is exactly right.

If clever Kline wants to enhance his already lofty status among right-to-life groups across the nation, consider the two scenarios.

Scenario one: He chose not to run, just as promised. That makes him look a little wimpy and, certainly, no gladiator. Imagine the pro-life convention, with Kline as its keynote speaker, and with this introduction, “and Phill Kline then retired from office.”? The word “coward” comes to mind, and the crowd feels let down. Kline loses some luster.

Scenario two has an introduction like this: “And so Phill Kline, though knowing the long odds, fought the courageous fight against abortionists and baby-killers, and was defeated with the help of an organized campaign to run him out of town, because he dared to take on Planned Parenthood.” (The crowd jumps to its feet in wild applause, and Kline collects his $10,000 check for appearing, plus future contributions through his Web site for his new, national effort to help other district attorneys fight the fight against their own Planned Parenthood chapters.)

In the meantime, Kline’s controversial race will significantly hurt other Republican candidates, like Nick Jordan, running for U.S. Congress against Dennis Moore, by sucking the oxygen out of the November race. Kline will get all the publicity. He will get tons of local contributions that might have gone to other Republican candidates, and the hostility toward Kline will seep into other campaigns, because some voters tend to paint with a broad brush.

Of course, this is not an endorsement of Kline’s opponent. It is way too early for that. I suppose, however, it is not too difficult to guess where we might come down.

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Is anyone else as excited as I am that we are back to posting on the blog?

Here's whats in the news

Officials worry that our high school students are not prepared to enter college...

Claire McCaskill is lobbying the beer folks

"He didn't want to establish a precedent. ... Today it's Viagra, tomorrow it's a more expensive medication for high-blood pressure or cholesterol" -- MO GOV candidate/Rep. Kenny Hulshof's (R) spokesperson, Scott Baker, on the real reason Hulshof voted to continue federal Medicare and Medicaid coverage of Viagra (AP). Brings a whole new meaning to Breakfast Flake...

A new poll shows Barack Obama with a 5-point national lead over John McCain, and whopping leads among independents and women. [Reuters]

Cindy McCain "is up to her old tricks" -- her recipe for oatmeal-butterscotch cookies featured in the latest issue of Family Circle appears to have been lifted from Hersheys.com ("Huffington Post"). Bless her heart, her food just can't catch a break.

McCain is up with a new TV ad on nat'l cable and in "key battleground states," focusing on his "plan to curb greenhouse gas emissions" (release). This includes missouri, if you've turned on your local KC news or any news channels on cable

AFSCME and MoveOn.org are airing "a provocative new ad" in OH, MI, WI, and on nat'l cable, portraying McCain's Iraq policy "as a prolonged presence that would involve a new generation of Americans" (AP). Is this the same AFSCME that supported HRC!!? And MoveOn?! Together?! Wow... I'm amazed.

Now President Bush and Florida Governor Charlie Crist both support offshore drilling for oil, on account of high gas prices. [New York Times] Know who else supports offshore drilling? John McCain, who’s such a maverick he will piss off his environmental pals whom he befriended after pissing off all his Republican pals. [Politico]

Americans are extremely pessimistic about the economy, even though the data suggests we should be only mildly pessimistic. [Washington Post]
(thanks to Wonkett for those last few)

VA Gov. Tim Kaine (D) is teaming up with civic and social orgs. "to try to add thousands of nonviolent offenders to the voting rolls" in VA -- a move some GOPers say is "designed to help" Obama (Washington Post). Remember when such people were taken off the rolls in Florida to help George W. Bush in 2000?? Paybacks are a bitch...

The Denver '08 Host Cmte, which was charged with raising $40.6M, came up $11M short for its final deadline yesterday (Rocky Mountain News). As such everyone has to bring their own hats, balloons, confetti, and there will be no rockstars. For all of those things you have to go to the lobbyist party down the street.

At least 55% of voters this fall will be using optical-scan paper ballots -- "nearly double the percentage" that did in '00 (Boston Globe). Which means 55% of people will probably not have their votes accurately counted as cast. Am I too cynical this morning?

Al Franken (D) is up with a new TV ad in MN SEN, "calling for an end to the war" and "arguing for renewed investment" in domestic priorities (release). He's actually only losing but like 3 points. When he was asked about this, his opponent said it was due to May sweeps.

"After the last eight years, even our dogs and cats have learned that elections matter" -- Gore, citing pet food safety as a reason to vote for Obama (CNN).

Cook Has a New Look! (check out the Cook Report's new website).

Nancy Boyda has a new website

Future Majority has a new website

Obama's facebook is 1million strong... wow

Speaking of the tubes - Clinton it seems spent FAR LESS than Obama on media buys online... v.v.v. interesting me thinks... is this a reflection of things to come?

Rep. Todd Tiahrt turned 57 on Sunday - I appoligize for forgetting to send my happy birthday's to him.

Awesome Steve Rose Article

Kansas Eyes are Upon Us

Steve Rose, Publisher
srose@sunpublications.com

We’ve never seen anything quite like this. And even if you are ho-hum about local politics, you should be riveted over the next several months.

That’s when Johnson County voters will be knee-deep into one of the most intense local primary and general elections in recent memory. In fact, the stakes are so high, the entire political world of Kansas will be watching, because as we go, probably so goes the state Senate.

And as the state Senate goes, so go issues like funding for higher education, embryonic stem cell research, and, well, whether the upper chamber stays moderate or turns to the far right.

Never mind for now the state representative races, which we shall get to in another column. Never mind the sheriff’s race. Never mind all the other races, for now.

What jumps out are the state Senate contests. Three seats are wide open and one is a tough face-off against a state senator who was appointed, not elected.

With former State Sen. Nick Jordan giving up his northwest Johnson County seat to run for U.S. Congress, there are two competing candidates who could not be more different. Republican Sue Gamble, who has been a mainstay moderate on the state board of education, is seeking the vacated Senate seat against Republican Mary Pilcher Cook, who served two terms as a state representative and was one of the leading conservative voices from this county. What Gamble stands for, Pilcher is against. What Pilcher stands for, Gamble is against. It will be a clear choice, indeed. And both candidates are certain to run aggressive campaigns.

Meanwhile, another state senator has decided to leave her post. Barbara Allen, who has represented the mid-part of the county, is retiring and leaves behind what once was a “safe” seat for Republican moderates, going back to former State Sen. Dick Bond. This race has the entire focus of Kansas. Former State Rep. Ben Hodge, a 28-year-old far-right candidate who also serves as a trustee on the Johnson County Community College board, has entered this race and is facing off against 62-year-old Tim Owens, who has been a state representative and an Overland Park city councilman. Again, the contrast could not be starker. Hodge is the epitome of the far-right agenda, and a loose cannon at that. Owens is a low-key, dyed-in-the-wool moderate. Hodge will devote all his youthful energies to win. Owens, who says he is a young 62, says he also will work hard. But moderates are very concerned. Make no mistake. There is no more important race than this one, no matter which side you are on.

State Sen. Dennis Wilson, who represents mostly south Overland Park, is also retiring. Jumping into the fray is physician and State Rep. Jeff Colyer. This has been a safe seat for conservatives and is likely to stay that way. But for moderates it makes the other state Senate races even more significant.

The other wild-card race takes place in November, when State Sen. Julia Lynn, who was appointed by precinct Republicans to replace Kay O’Connor, who retired mid-term, is in for the fight of her life against Democrat Ron Wimmer. Wimmer, who has been an icon in Olathe, was Olathe superintendent of schools. He is out to take the seat away from conservative Lynn in a district that includes mostly Olathe and surrounding areas. This November race will be one of the most hotly contested, expensive races in local political history.

So, here is the bottom line. With the exception of State Sen. David Wysong’s seat, which is in the northeast part of the county and is a safe seat for moderates, all other state Senate seats are up for grabs and could turn the tide in the way Johnson County is represented and the way the entire Kansas state Senate majority is comprised.

Don’t say you weren’t put on alert.

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A much delayed blog... we've been having technical difficulties for the last several days. But we are BACK! Like Cher... to bring you the great news of the day!

TOMORROW Is the Summer Party Extravaganza!

We hope you can make it, the food will be unbelievable, the company will be even better.

Johnson County Community College President Terry Callaway will be our honored guest.

Please call or email to RSVP
913-649-3326
sue@mainvoice.org


Now for the News!

The Kansas Republican asks who is in charge of candidate recruitment in the Kansas Republican Party

Party issues for Boyda?

Jim Slattery now within 9 points of Roberts new poll says.

Speaking of Kansas Republicans and the Apocalypse... there is a strange ad appearing on TV for Jim Ryun... Some are wondering why Ryun doesn't mention anything about his previous work in Congress. Some are asking what he's running from. I'm asking why the sky is so red... I also wanted to ask why hes "awkward as a colt" ...are they serious?



Texas goes Evolution Debate

Rev. Dr. C. Welton Gaddy, president of the Interfaith Alliance in Washington, says electoral candidates should stop using religion for electoral gain. Christian Science Monitor

Evangelicals have been indispensable to Republican presidential candidates since Ronald Reagan in 1980 and were key to George W. Bush’s White House wins. But many are lukewarm about John McCain, who denounced religious right leaders in 2000 and has struggled to win evangelical support this year. Dallas Morning News

Faith Based Voters

I got a recent update telling me that this poll was posted. It details the Catholic Vote in the US... quite interesting...

WASHINGTON - Days after becoming his party’s presumptive nominee and receiving an endorsement from his chief rival, Hillary Clinton, Democrat Barack Obama has opened the general election campaign with a six-point edge over Republican John McCain, according to the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll.

Obama leads McCain among registered voters, 47 to 41 percent, which is outside the poll’s margin of error. In the previous NBC/Journal survey, released in late April, Obama was ahead by three points, 46-43 percent.

“The poll clearly shows a post-primary bump for Barack Obama,” says Republican pollster Neil Newhouse, who conducted the survey with Democratic pollster Peter D. Hart.

But it also shows plenty of challenges for both Obama and McCain, which all add up right now to what may be a close contest this fall.

“We have a very competitive race for president,” Hart says, even though the overall political environment tilts strongly in the Democrats’ favor.

In the head-to-head matchup, Obama leads McCain among African Americans (83-7 percent), Hispanics (62-28), women (52-33), Catholics (47-40), independents (41-36) and even blue-collar workers (47-42). Obama is also ahead among those who said they voted for Clinton in the Democratic primaries (61-19).

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Happy Thursday! We're nearly there!

Holy bloggers Batman! The Slattery's are live blogging at FM Right NOW!

What in the name of Christmas Eve is Phill Kline thinking... one blogger asks.

Prime asks: Let's Go KC hears good news at the Missouri Joint Transportation Funding Summit in Jefferson City where extending public transit was the major issue being discussed.

14 Republican Congressmen are refusing to endorse McCain.

Chuck Schumer sees as many as 11 Senate seats going to the Democrats this cycle. I'm not sure I believe it, but hey - go gurl.


Obama launches http://www.fightthesmears.com. Good for the campaign. This is like the Hillary Clinton Fact Hub - v.v.v good way to stop bad messages where they start.


Um... yeah... Applebeas doesn't have a salad bar... duah!

In a surprisingly turn of events - Wisconsin has now gone blue. I'm sure there is a blue cheese joke to be made somewhere...

In the inaugural UW Dept. of Political Science/WisPolitics.com survey taken immediately after Hillary Clinton suspended her campaign, Barack Obama leads John McCain by a 13-percentage point margin in the Badger state. The survey of 506 randomly selected probable voters was conducted by phone from June 8- June 10 under the direction of Charles Franklin and Ken Goldstein from the University of Wisconsin Department of Political Science... It has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.

Some legal scholars would like to see America’s free speech protections made a little less free. [New York Times]

Here’s a four-page Atlantic article about how the Web has ruined the brains of book readers and writers and now we can only deal with single-sentence blog posts. [You Won't Ever Make It Past The First Page]



MO Common Sense believes Missourians are well positioned to deal with climate change if they're willing to be considerate of each other. As such, it is on this day that I encourage you to be excellent to each other!

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And a happy Day after Phill Kline declared he was running....
According to a piece on PrimeBuzz, Kline explained himself a little Tuesday after saying that he would not seek election back in December. Hint: He says ..."HAHAHA! You believed that!?"

Pat Roberts made the butt of the Daily Show's jokes.... oops...



So Speedy McRoberts maybe shouldn't copy off his classmate's papers.... doah!

Revised graduation standards for Shawnee Mission Schools have now been approved.

Since yesterday was Filing Day.... its important to know that a whopping FOUR incumbents gave up their seats on the Kansas State School Board... which means we could lose our moderate majority again ... and subject our state to another round of evolution hearings. This will be another front line we're fighting over at the Mainstream... as if we didn't alreay have enough with Phill Kline and the Right Wing Judges.

The moderate coalition has a 6-4 majority.

Carol Rupe, a moderate Wichita Republican, has decided not to seek re-election. She said after eight years, she's served long enough.

Steve Abrams, a conservative Arkansas City Republican, filed Tuesday for a state Senate seat.

Also running for the state Senate is Sue Gamble, a moderate Republican from Shawnee.

And Bill Wagnon, a Topeka Democrat, said in 2005 that he wouldn't run again this year.

Pro-Evolution conservative Catholic David Dennis files to run against Steve Abrams in the Wichita Board of Education seat. find out more about Dennis at his website.

The CapJournal also reports that the State BOE is Up for Grabs

Get ready for a very different Kansas State Board of Education — or not.

State board observers are waiting to see if the pendulum is about to swing back to conservatives after two years under the control of moderate or liberal members. But where the board will land after elections is anyone's guess. With half the seats up for election, only one candidate will take the power of incumbency to the polls.

"The elections are going to be very important," said Tom Krebs, governmental relations specialist for the Kansas Association of School Boards. "Elections matter."

What is clear is that the board will look different. Kathy Martin, a conservative Republican from Clay Center, is the only incumbent seeking re-election.

Rep. Nancy Boyda kinda... accidentally endorses Obama... Is anything ever off the record anymore? Of course not...

Also on the Daily Show... Sen. Jim Webb




British publication - The Times Online has a story about the President saying that he now "regrets" going to war and being known as the "war President." When the White House realized the President had said this without its consent they were quick to say that while interviewing with the British paper ... something must have been confused in the language translation...

Young Voters, are apparently headed to the South as part of efforts to help Obama's Campaign. They are among a group called Obama Organizing Fellows, and they will devote six weeks to Obama's presidential bid.

You may have heard last week that the unemployment rate for May increased to 5.5%, the largest jump in 22 years. Elaine Chao, the head of the Department of Labor, made a bold and ridiculous claim that the sharp jump was due to an unusually large number of graduates entering the job market:

Via Shame on Elaine:

U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao issued the following statement on the May employment situation report released today:

“Today’s increase in the unemployment rate reflects the fact that unusually large numbers of students and graduates are entering the labor market.”

oy... Read the rest here... prepared to be sick

Phill Kline News Explosion

Here is a digest of basically how news sources are reporting on the Phill Kline announcement

Kline Announces Candidacy - CapJournal

Phill Kline to seek Re-election - Channel 5 News (I would argue he would have had to have been elected to be actually re-elected.. but that's probably just semantics... )

Phill Kline isn't Going Anywhere - Wichita Eagle

Many Johnson County Republicans were mad when Kline was chosen to fill the district attorney position, given how badly he lost in the attorney general race. They may prefer GOP candidate Steve Howe, one of the prosecutors Kline dismissed when he became district attorney. Howe has been endorsed by Sens. Sam Brownback and Pat Roberts and former Sen. Nancy Kassebaum Baker.

Kline files for Full Term - Hays Daily News

And my personal favorite... Thank You Phill Kline for being so Egotistical - KC Star Editorial

Sure, Kline had said earlier he would not run for a full term in office, recognizing that he couldn't win.

But Kline changed his mind. Why? The public doesn't have a good handle on that because Kline -- the top law enforcement officer in Johnson County -- refused to take questions from the media Monday.

If nothing else, the Johnson County Republican primary for district attorney will be entertaining.

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Happy Phill Kline Is Running Day!

That's right - late last night Prime Buzz released the news that extremist Phill Kline has decided to seek a full term in the Johnson County DA's office.

If you haven't done so already - please go over to the Mainstream site and contribute to the cause and prepare for another fight. $100, $50, $30, or whatever you can. We need you now more than ever.



In a sharply worded editorial, the New York Times follows up on last week's major story on the coming battle over teaching in evolution in Texas. When it comes to science, writes the Times, creationists tend to struggle with reality.

New York Times

A Houston Chronicle editorial warns creationists on the State Board of Education not to hijack the education of Texas schoolchildren by promoting their own personal religious beliefs over sound science.

Houston Chronicle

Christian medical groups have started a major campaign to demand that physicians be permitted to refuse medical care to patients.

AlterNet

Beliefnet interviews Mark DeMoss, former chief of staff to Jerry Falwell, to find out how John McCain -- and Barack Obama -- are doing among evangelical opinion shapers and voters. DeMoss sees a potential major shift toward Barack Obama.

Beliefnet

For decades, when Americans talked about faith and politics the phrase "religious right" came to mind. But the country’s political landscape is changing, and now the "religious left" is re-emerging to play a prominent role in U.S. politics, says one of the country’s foremost experts on faith and politics.

Christian Post

With declining attendance, some Baptist churches are changing their names to stem declining attendance. Some have found that the word "Baptist" telegraphs "conservative" to many in the community.

Washington Post

Thanks TFN for those last bits!

Phill Kline on the Ballot

We are going to need your help big time, Mainstream members! Nothing can stop Phill Kline's extremist movement but YOU.

Contribute to the Mainstream Coalition TODAY!

Kline decides to seek full term

UPDATE 10:30 p.m.: Here's a video of Kline's announcement.

Johnson County District Attorney Phill Kline announced tonight that he will seek a full temr.

Kline told a gathering of supporters in Olathe that he will file Tuesday as a candidate in the county Republican primary.

Kline became the county’s district attorney in January 2007 after the county Republican Party’s precinct leaders elected him to complete Paul Morrison’s term. He said in September that he wouldn’t seek the office this year. But last month, he said he was reconsidering and might run after all.

Several groups that oppose abortion have urged him to run. They fear Kline’s prosecution of Planned Parenthood won’t be completed by the time his current term expires in January.

Already in the race are Republican Steve Howe and Democrat Rick Guinn. The filing deadline for the party primary is noon Tuesday.

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Happy Monday! Don't worry... its just a few more days until friday!

In case you forgot, Mainstream is offering a Advanced Web 2.0 workshop on Wednesday at 10am and Thursday at 7pm. If you are interested in attending please call our office! 913-649-3326

Did something important happen this weekend? I wasn't really paying attention...
Ok, just kidding..



Jim Wallis author of God's Politics and his recently release book The Great Awakening was spoke at a MORE2 reception on Sunday night.

“I believe we are seeing the beginnings of a new great awakening in America that could become another spiritual revival that will change big things in the world,” Wallis said in a recent interview.

“Hope and change are really possible, and we can make a difference. People of faith have done big things before and will do them again.”

“Church-based ministry that serves those in need is important, but organizing a movement that can work for social justice is critical,” Wallis said.

“And congregations have a central role in that organizing. We can provide message and motivation — a sense of meaning, purpose and moral value that is often missing in the larger society.

“As a countercultural community, the church can have a prophetic public voice.

“And, as often the last standing social institution in many communities, churches have the institutional presence and constituency for effective organizing.”

This can sound like politics, so I asked about that.

“People of faith should insist on the deep connections between spirituality and politics while defending the proper boundaries between church and state that protect religious and nonreligious minorities and keep us all safe from state-controlled religion,” Wallis said.

“We should demonstrate our commitment to pluralistic democracy and support the rightful separation of church and state without segregating moral and spiritual values from our political life.”

Wallis also told a great story about being at an event with some of the pastors from the largest churches in Cleavland Ohio. . . large meaning 2,000-5,000 people at the church. Wallis told them that its great that their people are that enthused and that involved, but that their community was failing. Here they have 5 or more churches with over 2,000 people in them and their whole city is falling into disarray. How is this possible? What is the church doing to help the community, Wallis asked them. It was a great event.

Sen. Obama will be at an event in St. Louis this week.

Arch City Chronicle looks at the issue of legalized gay marriage in California and how it is being received here in Missouri. No mention that Missouri and California are over 1800 miles apart.... hurm... 1800... reminiscent of the year right wingers want us to return to... coincidence?? Or conspiracy???

David Sirota author of Hostile Takeover and the new book The Uprising was on PBS on Friday. The PBS website now has an excerpt of the book so you can read and decide if you want to buy.

Conservatism with Heart wants her readers to not give up on the Republican Party as U.S. Sen. John McCain could pick a running mate that speaks to other factions within the party.

Also... another reason that John McCain should NEVER ever ever.. stand in front of a green screen...



Hot Rasmussen Action over at OL

First, there's the latest information on Partisan ID from Rasmussen, based on their daily tracking polls. Here's the chart I generated from their data. It shows how Democratic Party identification jumped sharply from the beginning of the primary season, after falling into the doldrums during 2007, when the Democratic Congress basically failed to deliver much of anything. It's remained fairly steady the last few months, but at record high levels:

I love graphs....

Super interesting bash on EMILY's List on OL Sunday....

Emily's list is far from alone in this-the problem is endemic. The basic problem, as I will argue below, is that groups like Emily's List are not guided by the mission of building progressive power for all of us to share. Rather, they are guided by a focus on individual politicians using a limited set of criteria--criteria that in the end often fail to add up to a united progressive front. It is custom made for schemers and demagogues to take advantage of-and over the years they have increasingly done so, at the expense of the true progressives that we ought to be supporting.

V.v.v.v interesting... me thinks...

Also, on a whole different Nerd level... TP talks about the establishment, big money, and ... other wonky goodness in relation to new political organizing...

But there's another big reason why Obama's victory is so important. He is riding herd on the largest and most potent new political organization anyone has seen on the American landscape in at least sixteen years. He's probably got anywhere from four to eight million email addresses on top of his 1.5 million donors and 800,000 registered users of my.barackobama.com, his social networking platform.

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Happy Friday!

Since schools have all started pushing abstinence ... it turns out that it hasn't made any difference. What we are seeing is an decrease in protection. Which accounts for the fact that teen pregnancy is up and also now 1 in 4 teenage girls have an STD.

The Institute for Creation Research is ready to wage a David vs Goliath battle in Texas to win the right to grant graduate Master of Science degrees, much like it did in California. Last week, the Institute filed a petition demanding that the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board reverse its April decision to deny the Institute the ability to issue Master of Science degrees (based on creationism) in Texas. The ICR is claiming “viewpoint discrimination” and that the board’s decision was unconstitutional. (thanks TFN)




Bob Barr appeared on Colbert the other night saying that Young People will vote for Libertarians.




Young voters also see Obama's race as an asset. This is not surprising because young voters represent the most racially diverse generation in history in the US.

The DNC has also banned money for the Lobbyist money.



While this is cool, Obama has also encouraged a ban on "soft money." What is problematic is that many major donors are now no longer giving money to subsidize the youth movement.

In other news - the cost of fighting global warming could be $45 Trillion... So... about the cost of another war in the middle east.

Evidently Sandra Day O'Connor is

RIGHT WING ALERT:

The following is a direct copy of an email from Rick Scarborough from Vision America (there have been no alterations of this text)

From: Rick Scarborough, Vision America
Date: June 5, 2008

There is no economic issue that more directly impacts the citizens of the United States than the out of control escalation of fuel prices. It impacts every segment of the economy.

It is now clear that we are reaching a tipping point as gas approaches $4.00 a gallon. I am told pawn shops are doing a banner business as people are hocking anything of value to buy gas to get to work--and every time someone puts $75 in their fuel tank, they know in a matter of days they will have to do it again. Congress' only solution to date is to tax the oil companies, which will in turn raise the price of fuel even more.

Heaven help us! On this one, we must unite and take action.

The entire U.S. government is negligent in their duty to this nation. Every day, gas prices continue to climb, driving more and more people to the brink of financial collapse. We have a huge supply of oil off our shores and in Alaska, and we have the ability to simplify the gasoline production process which could help bring the price down--and Washington does nothing. This is criminal. They also block the use of nuclear power, other fossil fuels and renewable fuels. And the prices continue to rise..

God has promised us He would supply us with everything we need. He has placed oil beneath the ground for us to use. He has given us the intelligence to develop crops that can supply what we need for both food and fuel and technology that can harness the power of the atom--to provide clean, safe nuclear power.

But despite all these solutions, Washington cannot seem to find the backbone to do anything about this except point fingers and assign blame. The blame lies solely at the feet of ALL the politicians who have had opportunity after opportunity to take actions over the past 14 years, and have done nothing. Today, as gas prices threaten to bankrupt us, we reap the results of their unwillingness to actually do the job they were elected to do. We must make them realize that we see them not taking action in our behalf--and we must hold them accountable.

MAINdigest

Here's what's in the news.

Live chat going on right now at the LJ World about the severe weather planned for today. In case you haven't heard there will be an outbreak of tornadoes today. In the event of severe weather you should get in the lowest and most center part of your house. (cellar or basement if possible) If there is a central bathroom get in the bath tub (don't put water in it) and cover yourselves with pillows and blankets. If you have children have them put their bicycle helmets on. Those of you a little more like me should remember your extra battery packs for your video cameras

Speaking of natural disasters... I feel so sorry for all you moderate republicans out there who have to deal with Kris Kobach - he's such a nutbar...

Don Bettes spent yesterday blogging... EveryDayCitizen, DailyKos, and heaven knows what else. This makes him the first candidate in Kansas to embrace web 2.0 in this caliber and is a lesson for new candidates to utilize these new technologies to create an online dialogue between people and the Representatives who serve them. I'm impressed. Go Don Bettes!

Jim Slattery released a list of the companies he lobbied for and a description of the work he did for those companies while at the law firm of Wiley Rein in Washington, D.C. from 1995-2008.

Slattery made this list available to promote greater transparency in not only how the public elects individuals, but to bring about a change in how they should expect officials to conduct themselves while in office.

They include Amazon.com, Aquila - the Kansas utility company, various steel companies, Columbia University, Earth Energy and Environment where Slattery advocated for Biofuels, KC Southern Railroad, Moterola and Verizon, Wheat Gluten Industries, and Washington Citizens for World Trade just to name a few.

He also lobbied on behalf of the Connecticut Student Loan Foundation where from 1998-1999, Slattery served as the point of contact between the Connecticut Student Loan Foundation and the Connecticut Congressional Delegation regarding a Department of Education claim that the foundation was violating certain loan guarantee rules. Slattery was also involved in negotiations to resolve the dispute. (release)

Straw poll over at OL for the Veep spots - no word on whether the GOP has a blog doing a straw poll

MO Gov is disappointed about gay marriage.

MO Judge Panel missing half of its people. This might also be attributed to the MO Gov being disappointed about gay marriage... I'm not quite sure....

PB wants to know whether BO should make HRC the VP choice... staggering number say no, cast your vote here

According to TechPresidents' Nancy Scola

Make of it what you will, but I left the Twitter-scanning tool Summize open last night in two browser windows -- one set to track "Clinton" and the other "Obama." When I got to my computer this morning, Summize reported 684 new mentions of Hillary’s name and 4080 of Barack’s.

Also from TP

One thing particularly striking about Hillary Clinton's speech last night was how insistently she pushed supporters to get thee to hillaryclinton.com. What was she up to? Seriously soliciting ideas on going forward? Trying to harness whatever momentum is left? Collecting emails for a future run? TechPresident’s Dan Manatt and Daily Kos's Markos Moulitsas came to the same conclusion -- she's looking for help retiring her campaign debts. (Indeed, it's not subtle -- the "I'm with Hillary!" form redirects to a contribution site.

Can I just give props to my friend Randall who in 2004 told me that the he thought the Congressional Candidate we were working for should be saying her website at the end of every speech? Turns out Randall was right. Lessons to live by.

And according to a breaking email I just received - if you spend more than $100 a Pottery Barn you get 10% off. Hey, some people find this exciting....

VP Sebelius?

From the Sun

Kathleen Sebelius as Barack Obama’s running mate?

You bet

I mean it. You really should bet. But when I went to Intrade.com to see what the odds are, Kathleen Sebelius was not even included in the long list of possible veeps. There are no odds, because the traders feel her odds are too long to even bet on.

But Intrade may be behind the curve. Conservative columnist Robert Novak, who is usually a pretty reliable source, wrote recently that Kathleen Sebelius is perhaps the leading prospect to become Barack Obama’s running mate. The Washington Post has named her as the top prospect.

We agree. Not because she is Kansas’ governor, but because she would be the most logical choice.

But first, let’s dispel the two main arguments against Obama selecting Sebelius.

One, Kansas only delivers six electoral votes. Yes, that is a downside, but when we get to her advantages, they overwhelm the electoral weakness. Furthermore, with the exception of Lyndon Johnson, who helped carry the south for John Kennedy, vice presidential candidates have not been all that important in geographic voting outcomes.

Two, Kathleen Sebelius brings no foreign policy to the table, which does not help balance Obama’s lack of foreign policy experience. This is a legitimate issue, but the truth is, it doesn’t matter. Americans have demonstrated time and again that foreign policy is not the overriding issue when it comes to electing our top leaders. If it were, they never would have elected Ronald Reagan, Bill Clinton, or current President George Bush to their first terms.

That brings us to the pluses for a Kathleen Sebelius selection.

First and foremost, Barack Obama must, absolutely must, pick a woman to be his running mate.

In normal times, gender would not matter all that much. But Hillary Clinton has made it matter. Lately, she has gone over the top, blaming her defeat on “misogynists.” In case you don’t know, misogynists hate all women.

Enough women apparently believe that myth, based on polls, that Obama could easily face a mass defection of female voters to John McCain. Or females may sit out the race. Since Hillary Clinton is not going to be Obama’s running mate, he must appease female voters by picking a woman as his VP. That you can take to the bank.

And who, therefore, is the most logical choice among all female political leaders in America?

How about a Democratic woman who was elected governor twice, in landslides, in a Republican state? How about a woman who vetoed anti-abortion legislation over and over, but as a Catholic, says that life is sacred?

How about a woman who faced down the Legislature and dared to block the construction of two coal-fired power plants? How about a woman who was selected, not by accident, to give the televised Democratic response to George Bush after the last State of the Union address?

How about a woman who has presided over significant tax cuts, to the dismay of Republicans? How about a woman who enticed the former Republican chairman of Kansas, Mark Parkinson, to run with her as the Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor?

How about the former chairman of the Democratic Governors Association?

And how about one of the first major political leaders to endorse Barack Obama, when he was barely on the radar screen? And, finally, how about a fresh face, offering hope and change?

I’m more than willing to take this bet, and I do not require long odds.

From The Sun

Election is Sneaking UP!

By: Bob Sigman, Opinion Page Editor

Wednesday, June 4, 2008 4:35 AM CDT

State Sen. Barbara Allen’s decision to not seek re-election is a top story in this year’s election, but not the only one. The Overland Park Republican, a state legislator the last two decades, has chaired the Senate Assessment and Taxation Committee, considered one of the key policy-making bodies in the upper chamber.

Her departure opens the 8th Senate District seat, which has prompted a flurry of activity in the political arena. As of Monday noon, the election office Web site showed one House member, Rep. Tim Owens, and Ben Hodge, a former state representative, filed in the Republican primary.

Judy Macy had declared her candidacy on the Democratic side. All are from Overland Park.

Owens’ run creates an opening for his House seat and sets off the politicians’ version of musical chairs. The game has broken out for other offices this year. They will play the chairs game in the primary if enough candidates file. If not, the races will move to the November election.

We will soon know who the players are. The filing deadline is Tuesday. Then, in a little more than a month, on July 16, advance voting begins.

Ready or not, the 2008 election in Johnson County is upon us.

Allen, who served 12 years in the Kansas House and eight in the Senate, said in an interview that she is leaving the Kansas Legislature to pursue a master’s degree in public health at the University of Kansas School of Medicine. Health issues led to her leaving, she noted.

Allen, a moderate voice and consistent supporter of adequate financing of education, was stricken with a very aggressive type of breast cancer in 2005.

“I was blessed to regain my health, and I knew I was called to support other women who find themselves as cancer patients,” she said in recent written comments about her new venture.

“My hope, passion and goal is to commit my energy to raising breast cancer awareness and to increasing breast cancer research, treatment and outreach in Kansas.”

Two years ago, Allen sponsored legislation that created the state income tax check-off for breast cancer research.

Two other members of the Johnson County delegation to the Kansas Senate are not seeking new terms. They are Nick Jordan, R-Shawnee, in the 10th District, and Dennis Wilson, R-Overland Park, in the 37th District.

Jordan passed up running for another Senate term to seek the GOP nomination in the 3rd Kansas U.S. House District. The incumbent is Rep. Dennis Moore, a Democrat who lives in Lenexa. Paul V. Showen, Shawnee, has filed in the Republican primary.

In the musical chairs game, Sue Gamble, Shawnee, a Republican member of the Kansas Board of Education, is seeking the GOP nomination for Jordan’s place in the Senate. Two candidates are running to succeed Gamble. The Republican is Mary C. Ralstin, Shawnee, the Democrat, Sue Storm, Overland Park, currently a member of the Kansas House from the 22nd District.

Lisa Benlon, Overland Park, a former Republican member of the Kansas House from Shawnee, is filed as a Democrat in the 22nd House District to succeed Storm. Benlon was a member of the House for 12 years before retiring in 2002.

A House member, Jeff Colyer, R-Overland Park, is seeking the Republican nomination in Wilson’s 37th Senate District. That leaves the 48th House District seat open to a new candidate.

In the comeback category, Jim Yonally, Overland Park, who has served two stints in the Kansas House, is running for the Republican nomination in the 16th District. Rep. Gene Rardin, D-Overland Park, is the first-term incumbent there.

Yonally was a House member from 1973 to 1977 and from 2003 to 2007. He lost the GOP primary two years ago to a candidate who was defeated by Rardin in the general election.

Based on recent filings, incumbents in the 2nd and 3rd districts of the nonpartisan Johnson County Board of County Commissioners face opposition.

Jim Allen, former mayor of Shawnee, is challenging incumbent John Patrick Segale, Shawnee, in the 2nd District. Segale, who served on the Shawnee City Council for seven years, is seeking a second term on the County Commission.

In the 3rd District, incumbent David A. Lindstrom, Overland Park, is opposed by James Azeltine, Leawood, a first-term member of the Leawood City Council. He is chairman of the Johnson County Park and Recreation District. Lindstrom, who is seeking a second term on the commission, ran for lieutenant governor with gubernatorial candidate Tim Shallenburger in Shallenburger’s unsuccessful bid for governor in 2002.

Up for election, too, is district attorney, an office now held by Phill Kline, former Kansas attorney general. He was selected by the county’s precinct committeemen and committeewomen after Paul Morrison left to become attorney general in January of 2007. Morrison, a Democrat, had defeated Kline, a Republican, for state attorney general in 2006. Two other candidates, a Republican and a Democrat, have announced they will run for district attorney this year.

Frank Denning, the incumbent Republican sheriff, has filed for re-election.

Republican and Democratic precinct committeemen and committeewomen will be elected in 444 precincts in the August primary. One of their most important duties is filling vacancies when elected officials leave office during a term. That occurred when Morrison resigned as Johnson County district attorney to become attorney general and the committee chose Kline to succeed him.

More candidates are expected to file before the deadline, setting up additional contested races in the primary.

Contact Bob Sigman at 385-6034 or e-mail bsigman@sunpublications.com.

MAINdigest

So I hear nothing important happened yesterday.... ok, just kidding. Here we go:

Obama is the nominee after 5 months of campaigning and 50 states. Has it really only been 5 months cause I feel like its been 5 years. Anyone with me on that?

"I think it's particularly poignant that in 2008, it comes exactly 200 years after we ended [the slave trade] in the United States" -- Ex-WH adviser David Gergen, on Obama becoming the Dem nominee (CNN).

"I'm overwhelmed with a sense of joy" -- Rev. Jesse Jackson (CNN).

There was also a lot of reaction to Hillary Clinton's speech, where she said, "I will be making no decisions tonight."

"Well whatever that was, it wasn't a concession speech" -- FNC's Hume.

"If I were Barack Obama, if I heard that speech, I would not be very happy. ... They are living in parallel universes right now" -- CNN's Borger.

"Clearly, she's trying to position herself, keep her options open" -- NBC's Russert (MSNBC).

NEA endorsing BO

Moore Endorsing BO

PB Reports

At 9:43 Tuesday night, the Missouri Democratic party announced superdelegates Jay Nixon, John Temporiti, and Robin Carnahan had endorsed Barack Obama.

That's about half an hour after he claimed victory.

We're told Yolanda Wheat and Helen Knetzer of Kansas have also endorsed the Illinois senator.

That means only Leila Medley remains unpledged among Missouri superdelegates.

And Rep. Dennis Moore has endorsed Obama, leaving Rep. Nancy Boyda unpledged.

FYI Boyda still says you'll have to pull her endorsement from her cold dead hands...

Poor John... what do you expect it IS Rolling Stone...

In other News....

Dan Glickman... gets all posh with Politico

Stop screwing with Evolution!!!!!

Stop messing with Young People!!!

And my PERSONAL FAVORITE

The alternative choice in this primary makes the decision even more simple. With a stubborn commitment to confused priorities alongside a patented brand of intellectual/rhetorical gobbledygook, Ben Hodge is an unacceptable choice for town dog catcher, let alone State Senator. Our party, and more importantly, our state, have serious problems to address. Tim Owens is a solid first step in achieving those objectives. We therefore fully support his candidacy and hope the citizens of the 8th District will follow our lead.

I spit coffee when I read this

Breaking: AP Calls the Dem Primary for Obama

AP tally: Obama clinches Democratic nomination

39 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — Barack Obama effectively clinched the Democratic presidential nomination Tuesday, based on an Associated Press tally of convention delegates, becoming the first black candidate ever to lead his party into a fall campaign for the White House.

Campaigning on an insistent call for change, Obama outlasted former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton in a historic race that sparked record turnout in primary after primary, yet exposed deep racial divisions within the party.

The AP tally was based on public commitments from delegates as well as more than a dozen private commitments. It also included a minimum number of delegates Obama was guaranteed even if he lost the final two primaries in South Dakota and Montana later in the day.

The 46-year-old first term senator will face Sen. John McCain of Arizona in the fall campaign to become the 44th president.

THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Barack Obama has effectively clinched the Democratic presidential nomination, based on an Associated Press tally of convention delegates.

The tally put Obama over the top Tuesday, ahead of the results from the day's final primaries in Montana and South Dakota. The Illinois senator becomes the first black candidate ever to lead his party into a fall campaign for the White House. Obama outlasted former first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton in a historic contest and now faces Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona for the presidency.

(Not so Breaking News: McCain... still the GOP Nom)

MAINdigest

Its Tuesday - does that mean there is an election somewhere? I've lost track...? Oh, that's right! Today is the last primary day. Praise the Lord!


Just in time for Father's Day - two sets of father/son politico's step up to run for office.

According to LJWorld - Boyda and Bush differ on taxes. Really? Wow... stop the presses...

The Graves-Barnes ad war in northern Missouri involving the 6th District congressional race is drawing national attention with key lines like this: "The Graves strategy is to negatively define Barnes early on before she has a chance to effectively define herself." But the over-the-top advertisements could backfire.

Chief Wana Dubie is among those booted off Missouri's primary ballot and officials deny that attack of munchies ended the campaign.

This CNN video is kinda funny...

The Turner Report notes that a June 13 hearing is set for Charles County Commissioner Joe Brazil lawsuit against Republican blogger Jeff Roe for posts made on his blog, The Source.

A history professor writes that Sen. John McCain is wooing the wrong generation of the religious right. -- History News Network

The New York Times looks at the new generation of evangelical Christians. Evidently they are talking about their faith but not their politics... New York Times. But I heard recently that some new evangelical Christians seem to think that they've compromised the faith by being so involved in politics. Really?? What makes them think that?

After feuding for months over how to teach school children to read, the State Board of Education soon will shift to a topic that could become much more controversial -- the science curriculum and what Texas public school students should learn about evolution. - San Antonio Express-News

The Roman Catholic Church is planning a special conference in 2009 to mark the 150th anniversary of the publication of On the Origin of the Species, Charles Darwin's groundbreaking theory of evolution. The event, claim its organizers, is a milestone in the rapprochement between science and the Church. - London Times

Some of the nation's leading scientists, including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's top science adviser, are sharply criticizing the diminished role of science in the United States and the shortage of federal funding for research, even as science becomes increasingly important to combating problems such as climate change and the global food shortage. Really? imagine that... (Washington Post)

Sen. Byrd was hospitalized over night. Sen. Kennedy is recovering.

Bill Clinton calls Todd Purdum, the reporter who published the hit piece in Vanity Fair, a scumbag and said that Purdum has done bad journalism since Whitewater.

What are you reading today??

MAINdigest

Hope everyone had a great weekend!!

Sad news: Dan Hermes, Topeka, former governmental affairs liaison for former Gov. Bill Graves, died Saturday night. (Hawver) Thoughts and prayers are with his family.

Rep. Nancy Boyda will announce the selection for this year’s Congressional Page Program during a press conference Monday, June 2, 2008 at Easter Seals Capper Foundation. Joining Rep. Boyda for this announcement will be State Senator Anthony Hensley, State Representative Ann Mah, a representative from Easter Seals Capper Foundation and other distinguished guests. (Release)

Neufeld nixes 900 Green Collar Jobs in Topeka. Oops.

KS GOP is split over the Prez visit. Breaking News: The KS GOP is pretty much split over everything... Duah...

DNC came to agreements.... finally... Clinton statement on it. Now half the country can get back to writing that novel they were working on... 19 in favor, 8 opposed and no abstentions. Full Michigan delegation seated with half a vote.

According to The New York Times: This leaves Clinton with 69 delegates casting 34.5 votes and Mr. Obama with 59 delegates casting 29.5 votes. And according to Prime Buzz this AM HRC is not happy with supporters shouting No-Bama - many were arrested for a lack of creativity.

Is Clinton out?

Members of Hillary Clinton's advance staff received calls and emails this evening from headquarters summoning them to New York City Tuesday night, and telling them their roles on the campaign are ending, two Clinton staffers tell my colleague Amie Parnes.

But CNN reports she's not done yet. Evidently though, she lost because of Muslims and Sexism. No reports on if these are Muslim sexists... I'm trying to find out.

Mainstream Media is apparently getting the Youth News wrong again.

Why did McCain revive the Coke thing?

Sirota was on CNN



I'm oddly fascinated by the Ron Paul Revolution. Apparently, I'm not alone

Ted Kennedy is getting brain surgery today. Sucks, but he's a fighter. Thoughts and Prayers...

SEIU is building the new structure for an accountability program, ie. primaries. You can follow the SEIU convention in Puerto Rico here.

Sources are saying that Obama is leaving his church. (PB) Opponents will no doubt say this is so he can continue to live his life as a secret Muslim without being harassed by the people at church.

Spelling Bee


What are you reading in the news this morning??

Mixing Politics and Religion

Very very interesting post in the Johnson County Sun

The conflict between Archbishop Joseph Naumann, of the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas, and Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, a Catholic, is one of those airings you would rather not watch. The archbishop says the governor should stop accepting Communion until she gives up her support of abortion. Sebelius shows no signs of complying.

Thus, at this point, the uncomfortable situation seems beyond reconciliation.

This must be most difficult for both of them. He sees a member of the flock straying from a deep-held church belief. She is being chastised publicly for her totally different take, a pro-choice position in direct opposition to that of the church.

This might not be such a public confrontation if Sebelius were not governor of Kansas. The disagreement has touched off widespread discussion and speculation. What additional action could or should the church take? Should the leader, by calling out Sebelius, step into a public issue?

I highly encourage you to click the link and keep reading

MAINdigest

TGIF

Bush for Nick Jordan while Pat Roberts works on tan in California

Biking across Kansas for Cancer

The Seblius effect

I don't even have a comment about this... sometimes you just don't know what to say.

Sirota on Colbert




How can Congress and government be more web friendly??

Full Disclosure and Full Release tells us that evidently John McCain has been diagnosed with everything there ever was.... wow...


Fun Fact about about NYTimes columnist Thomas Friedman He's married to a billionaire. OL tells us that today is the 5 year Anniversery for when Friedman said that the reason we went into Iraq was to tell Arabs to "Suck on this." I call this Bush Foreign Policy. Friedman was also the guy who said that young voters don't do anything and by golly back in his day they took to the streets .... walking up hill both ways...



Obama is apologizing for another preacher. Don't you HATE it when those secret Muslims have so many Christian Preachers around them they have to keep apologizing for!?!?

Bush is having surrogates go out and deny Scott McClellan's story about Bush's cocaine usage. Really? That's how they are pushing back? (from OL)

According to Hotline, in this week's National Journal Insiders Poll, Dems and GOPers in-the-know agree that the Democratic Party will see double-digit gains in the House in November.

Republicans said on average that the Dems would win 14 seats in the House and four in the Senate. Dems believe they'll take 17 in the House and five in the Senate, reports NJ's Jim Barnes and Peter Bell.

MAINdigest

It's what we call the news....

Claire is still a rockstar. One of these days other candidates will realize how important it is to go on these shows.



No members of Kansas' Republican Congressional delegation have gotten around to endorsing Sen. Nick Jordan in his quest to unseat popular incumbent Dennis Moore. They're very busy (though, not busy enough to keep them from endorsing a candidate for a county office in Johnson County, where neither of them live)

Those same busy schedules appear to be keeping Sens. Pat Roberts and Sam Brownback and Reps. Todd Tiahrt and Jerry Moran away from today's fundraiser with President George W. Bush.

Some of you might be saying, "See, this was a bad idea to bring the President and his record-low approval ratings."

Not so says Christian Morgan. (read rest from LBK)

Next Right says the GOP is lagging behind in web-iness. . . I would argue that that's really only in a majority of the states. In states like Kansas I would argue they are right on par if not better.

Not sure if you heard, but apparently this guy who use to work for the White House has some book out about his experience... I'm not its really not important.... (ha!)

McClellan's turn against the White House continues to dominate the media narrative about the war and the press. I'm not sure why, but perhaps it's confirmation of what has been obvious to many of us for a long time, presented by a messenger the elites cannot avoid ignoring. I've been thinking about this for some time. In The Second National Risk and Culture Study, five social scientists found that people tend to believe a story that contradicts a preset narrative they hold only when it is presented by someone who looks and sounds like them. They did this study looking for an answer to political polarization and the warring tribes of America. If you look at the DC press and political party leaders as a tribal culture, it fits perfectly. Glenn Greenwald has more, pointing to Jessica Yellin's admission that she was pressured to do pro-war stories by corporate executives. (OL)

Syndicated (except in the KC Star) columnist David Sirota will be on the Colbert Report tonight with the release of his new book The Uprising. I haven't read it yet, but if its anything like his previous best seller Hostile Takeover, then I'm on it.

There's a new Hillary Clinton boosting 527 running ads for her in Montana and Puerto Rico.

McCain is hosed, evidently.

Back in Washington, the anxiety level of Republicans is rising. "The McCain camp is now acting without much rhyme or reason," says a prominent consultant. "And it all goes to the top." Another Republican campaign strategist, in a thinly veiled reference to McCain, says, "Somebody is behaving impulsively is the point."...

Insiders are worried that reporters have too many chances to throw him off his daily talking points. "That's not how you win an election!" says a McCain associate. "McCain is about the only person left who thinks we ought to keep the bus going. Obama keeps the press at a distance. Why? Because he's trying to win!"

The Committee for a Constructive Tomorrow has an impressive list of high-profile global warming deniers on its Board of Advisors. Many, if not most of them, are also advisors to, or on the staff of, front groups that Exxon continues to fund (e.g. the American Enterprise Institute, the National Center for Policy Analysis, etc.) (from Kos)

Today's a busy crazy day.. I may have to post more as it becomes available. What are ya'll reading in the news today???

BREAKING: Kline Rejected by Judge

Phill Kline's request for a judge to defy the Kansas Supreme Court's recent ruling that Judges are allowed to testify was refused late yesterday.

Imagine what would happen if we elected judges.... Phill Kline would probably have dozens of judges lined up to cause trouble, or even be a judge himself...

“I don’t tell the Supreme Court what to do,” District Judge Stephen Tatum told District Attorney Phill Kline, who asked for the action. “When we get further direction from the Supreme Court, we will proceed accordingly.”

According to The Star, this would allow a Topeka judge to testify in a criminal case against Planned Parenthood. (surprise)

Kline argued that Shawnee County District Judge Richard Anderson should be allowed to testify because he has information “relevant” to the charges against Planned Parenthood.

Anderson oversaw Kline’s investigation of Planned Parenthood while Kline was Kansas attorney general. Anderson maintains redacted medical records that Kline obtained from Planned Parenthood under subpoena in 2006. He also has Kansas Department of Health and Environment abortion reports that Kline also obtained under a subpoena.

Those records and reports are key to the 107 charges that Kline filed last fall against Planned Parenthood’s Overland Park clinic. Planned Parenthood is charged with manufacturing the abortion reports that it turned over to the court in response to Kline’s subpoena. The charges are felonies. The clinic also is charged with misdemeanors, allegedly violating the state’s abortion laws.

The clinic denies the allegations.

After Kline subpoenaed Anderson to testify at an upcoming preliminary hearing, the Kansas Supreme Court in April ordered Anderson not to appear. The court reiterated that order May 2, when it unsealed two lawsuits related to the Planned Parenthood case.

.... just when you think you've seen it all....

MAINdigest

Good-morning! Here's what happened while we slept...

The Right-Wing discovered the internet ...

Votes indicate where lawmakers fall on a liberal to middle to conservative scale - Bob Beatty's new Cap Journal piece

GI Bill is worth it.... some say that it isn't (seriously?)

Tank of gas = more than a bucket of chicken, a pizza, and a case of beer.. what is happening to our world???

Mass-transit? Cheaper than a bucket of chicken Brings a whole new meaning to Funky Town

Ohh Scott Schwab... Sad when he is better than someone... but it IS Ben Hodge

Steve Phillips accepts award from the Drum Major Institute with good words



The Republican version of ActBlue?? Ah-la David All...

2 Voter Rights Cases, One Gripping a College Town, Stir Texas

Poor Mike Gravel... can't catch a break...

Political Lunch from yesterday




I'm coming out right now... I LOVE campaign swag Evidently I'm not alone.

Columnist Roger Cohen schooled New York Times readers about something geeks have known for a while: “More than any other factor, it has been Barack Obama’s grasp of the central place of Internet-driven social networking that has propelled his campaign for the Democratic nomination into a seemingly unassailable lead over Hillary Clinton.” Better put: “It’s the networks, stupid.”

You know those TouchTones jukeboxes that have sprung up in bars over the last few years? Apparently they conduct surveys, too, and according to a recent one Barack Obama is the candidate most jukebox users would like to have a beer with, reports MediaPost’s Gavin O’Malley. The TouchTone survey also teamed up with Rock the Vote to give participants the chance to register to vote; 10,000 did. Who knew Obama would lay claim to the jukebox vote?

When in Puerto Rico… clips of Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama dancing in Puerto Rico are making the rounds. After Hillary remarks on how good the local beer is, she closes her eyes and shimmies for a couple of seconds. It makes us feel uncomfortable. Similarly, as Barack Obama walks through the streets, he mimics an off-camera dancer with some improvised moves that don’t seem to belong to any particular style. Slightly less embarrassing. Neither, however, compares to this slice of weirdness of John McCain. We’ve officially reached the dog days of the campaign.

(last three from TP last was the best though)

Have a good day - be excellent to each other

MAINdigest

Happy Tuesday - I hope everyone had a great Memorial Day and honored our soldiers and their families for their continued sacrifice.

Here's what's in the news:

Sen. Sam spent the weekend with Sen. McCain... evidently it was all about the meat. That means, however, that they both missed the Great American Bar-B-Q Festival in beautiful Kansas City this weekend. Do we honestly think that Arizona BBQ can stand up to KC BBQ???

Our own Dr. Bob and his wife Shirley recieved the Porchlight Award from the Front Porch Alliance. They did not accept the gift on their porch, however - but at a beautiful banquet at the Gem Theatre. We celebrate this award for two very deserving people.

Gender should not be a factor in the Graves/Barnes race, according to conservatives... Right, cause gender only happens in San Francisco... duah!

MO state BOE has decided that no matter HOW BAD your charter school is - you still have the right to pay money to go to it and lead your children into a life of unstable inefficiency and intellectual sewage. Party on...

The Oprah's approval ratings have dropped since her endorsement of Obama. Her favorables are now at 66 down from 74 earlier this year. And her unfavorables jumped to 26 from 17. They indicate this has nothing to do with her gaining weight from her gland problem. Also in the news both McCain and Obama would die to have these numbers....

Also, McCain and Obama's campaign finance reports are now too big for excel spreadsheets over at the FEC. No word on whose spreadsheet is bigger - McCain or Obama but I vow to keep you posted.

In an interview with McCain - the AZ Sen criticized Sen. Obama on Iraq saying

"He really has no experience or knowledge or judgment about the issue of Iraq and he has wanted to surrender for a long time."

This message comes just after Sen. McCain borrowed Sen. Clinton's notes during study hall....

HBO film Recount aired this Sunday showing a violent portrayal of GOP House and Senate staffers who chased an official down the hall and out of a building in effort to stop the recount. This news is nothing new, but still shocking. It also shows Sen. Joe Lieberman's royal screw-up on the established message set by the campaign.

Breaking News: George W. Bush is still in the White House. Also breaking, Katherine Harris still puts her make-up on with a putty knife and squandered her only chance at being an elected official in one of the most expensive mistakes ... ever. OOPS!

You can now enter the GOP Poll to see who is the VP nominee... GO WILD!

Actor and Director Sydney Pollack died yesterday at 73. I, personally, deeply mourn his loss, he was one of my favorite directors.

All I got for now... have a good day - feel free to comment and post your own news not seen here!

Congrats Dr. Bob and Shirley!

Dr. Bob Meneilly and his lovely wife Shirley received the first-ever Porchlight Award from the Front Porch Alliance at a benefit held at the Gem Theater.

Charlotte Davison, president of the board of the Front Porch Alliance, an agency working to improve conditions in the Ivanhoe neighborhood in Kansas City, presented the award to the Meneillys.

“This is the highest honor that Front Porch Alliance can give,” Davison said. “It’s about everything that we value.”

The Meneillys thanked the alliance.

“Any organization that has Patsy Shawver running it is lucky,” Shirley Meneilly said. “She’s the eighth wonder of the world.”

Shawver, the alliance’s executive director, said the Meneillys were the obvious choice. Bob Meneilly supported the civil rights movement during the 1960s and spoke out forcefully against the Vietnam War.

“Bob Meneilly just embodies everything we believe in,” Shawver said. “Village Presbyterian is such a mission-minded church. And it all goes back to him. He’s an amazing man on so many levels.”

The Mainstream coalition congratulates the Meneilly's on their service and achievements!

Ode to Ben Hodge

We were actually about to set up a pool for people to bet on which seat Ben Hodge would run for next.

Hodge to seek Senate seat from Overland Park

Goodbye Olathe. Hello Overland Park.

Former state Rep. Ben Hodge, who resigned from the Kansas House earlier this month, made it official. He's running for the Senate from Overland Park's 8th District, currently represented by Sen. Barbara Allen, who is not seeking re-election.

Hodge's former House district was located south of Interstate 435, mostly in east Olathe with only about 25 percent in south Overland Park.

The 8th Senate District is north of I-435 to as far north as Shawnee Mission Parkway and covers more of Overland Park than any other Senate district.

Hodge, 28, is one of the most conservative Republicans in the Legislature. He will file officially for the Senate seat today. He currently serves as a member of the Johnson County Community College Board of Trustees.

Three politically moderate Republicans from Overland Park are thinking about filing_ representatives Tim Owens, a former Overland Park councilman, and Kevin Yoder as well as former House member Jim Yonally.

MAINdigest

Happy Friday!

Non-profit org Democrats Work and Wes Clark are teaming up with the program 'Serve with a General'. They will go to one Congressional district and jointly do a community service event. You can help pick the district here. The only one in Kansas and Missouri is for Congressional candidate Kay Barnes. The project would bring Clark to the district to conduct service projects like cleaning parks, working with Habitat for Humanity, and various other needs in the area.

Breaking news... Coal Is Dirty from DeSmogBlog launches to take on the myth of 'clean coal'.

John McCain doesn't have cancer

Affordable housing Jo Co .... uhhh not so much (pdf)... Please, keep all hands, feet, and poor people within the car at all time while passing through .... Thank you, and welcome to Overland Park...

David Sirota does good things with words in a Different Kind of Democracy. Tell me again why he isn't syndicated in the Star?? Anyone??

Elizabeth Edwards talks about cancer with regard to Kennedy and talks about health care


Gallup talks about abortion




The Columbia Daily Tribune Politics Blog writes that U.S. Rep. Ron Paul will be speaking in Branson, either before or during the Missouri Republican Party Convention.

Big Muddy Politics believes that the "greening" of Missouri is a positive trend.

Halliburton contacted Congressional candidate Jared Polis in CO-02. Polis has been sharply critical of the company, and the company's letter calls Halliburton 'an American success story'.

Steve Rose on Phill Kline in the JoCo Sun

Wow....

The following is a piece from the Johnson County Sun by its publisher Steve Rose. You can find the original by clicking WOW above.

Playing you like a fiddle

By: Steve Rose, Publisher

Wednesday, May 21, 2008 4:26 AM CDT

printable version e-mail this story View Comments on this Story

Whenever I write a column critical of Phill Kline, inevitably I receive nasty responses from readers who dismiss me as an abortionist. They don’t care about what I wrote. They just assume I am a two-dimensional cartoon character who attacks their hero as a villain.

I have never written about my views on abortion, and I do not intend to start now. But suffice it to say, I have personally endorsed many candidates who are anti-abortion, some whom you would even call hardcore anti-abortion.

But I wish the letter writers could get past it, because abortion is completely irrelevant to my feelings about Phill Kline.

Phill Kline is a scam artist. If you idolize Phill Kline, you are a sucker.

I knew Phill Kline when, as a key state legislator, he never mentioned abortion. He only mentioned property taxes, and he catapulted himself to a leadership position on the crazy, irresponsible and wildly destructive notion that we could eliminate all property taxes in Kansas and increase revenues at the same time.

State Rep. Kline did not win everything he wanted, but he won enough to virtually, on his own, dismantle school funding in Kansas. Only the Kansas Supreme Court recently overruled Kline’s damage by ultimately concluding the obvious, that the state was not funding its schools adequately. Of course it wasn’t. There was no money, because Kline had maneuvered massive reductions in the very taxes that funded schools.

But Kline knew that becoming the anti-tax champion would not take him to the top. No, to become the full-fledged darling of the right wing, he would need to champion the cause of abortion. And so, with a calculated eye on the governor’s seat, Phill Kline set about to remake himself into the leading anti-abortion crusader of Kansas. I will never forget how, when there were anti-abortion marches around Kansas, Kline pushed his way to the front of the pack, to make sure he was seen by the marchers and the media.

Kline rode that horse until he went too far. He overplayed his hand when, as Kansas attorney general, he showed himself to be, not a chief law enforcement official of the state, but a grandstander, whose efforts at obtaining private medical records sealed his fate. The governor’s seat was to be forever out of reach.

Now, back in Johnson County, Kline cannot let go of his notoriety. He connived his way into his precinct-elected role as district attorney on the promise that he would prosecute Planned Parenthood. Pro-lifers, take a deep breath. You can hate Planned Parenthood all you want, but there was not one shred of evidence that anything illegal was going on there. Kline simply bought his job for the promise of a witch hunt. This, itself, borders on criminal behavior, because abuse of power by a prosecutor undermines everything the American judicial system stands for, whether you believe abortion is all right or evil.

Kline also promised at that time he would not run for re-election. This past week, however, he said he would not rule it out. That, of course, undermines the fundraising activity of Republican candidate Steve Howe and could, ultimately, help elect Democrat Rick Guinn. But, never mind. Kline gets to be in the spotlight, and that is all that matters to him. His chances of winning the seat, by the way, are about the same as Elvis singing again.

And while this flimflam man makes national headlines, he has earned himself untold sums on the speaking circuit, all while he is prosecuting. That has been called a breach of ethics. No, that is too nice. It is a prostitution ring.

Abortion has nothing to do with Phill Kline. All that matters to Phill Kline is Phill Kline. And those who worship him are worshipping a false idol. This man is playing his followers like a fiddle. And while they are mesmerized, he is busy thinking up his next tune.

Betts Live Blogs

Congressional candidate in the KS 4th District State Sen. Don Betts is the first federal candidate in Kansas to discover how to dialogue can work when you blog. He is currently live blogging about being a Young Elected Official at Future Majority.

I commend anyone who utilizes new technologies to share, collaborate, and bring people together for collective action. This is the nature of Web 2.0 technology. It isn't just a thing... but a way of thinking about outreach as well.

MAINdigest

MO Sen. Claire McCaskill will appear on Steven Colbert's show as a promise to her daughter who asked for it for her birthday. Geeze... all I asked my mom for was shoes..

Kay Barnes - just ten points from Graves... who in this picture looks like that creepy guy from the X-Files.

Guess what, Jay Nixon is going to win... omg, I'm shocked...

People are all over how well Slattery is doing. Evidently someone is making t-shirts that say Slattery is my Homeboy. Way to connect with the youth Slatts!

I don't know what to say other than the fact that Lawrence has E85 at 9th and Iowa...

Men in dresses beware! Unless you're the Pope then its ok.. No word on when Graves will put this in an ad against Kay Barnes .. according to op-research reports she may have seen a picture of one once.

The National Presidential Electoral Forecast... brought to you by Chris Bowers - this is as of yesterday.

HRC blames Chad...

Geraldine Ferraro blames black journalists.... yeah... seriously...

You know you get them... viral emails that talk about Obama being a Muslim or not wearing a flag pin or saying the pledge... here enjoy this. When was the last time you wore a flag pin?? .... GASP! You don't!? You're a terrorist!!!

Interesting observation, Kos is bothered by the fact that the DNC gave 63 delegates to Puerto Rico. 63 is larger than the delegate count of 27 states in the country that actually ARE states... But do they wear flag pins, is the question...

Civil Anarchy in California... just fyi

And so it begins....

Lobbyist concerned about the lack of Lobbyists running campaigns

Along with that - a viral video that will NOT get out of your head... listen at your own risk

MAINdigest (aka GI Wednesday)

Slattery Urges Roberts to pass GI Bill

"There's overwhelming support for the 21st Century G.I. Bill among the veteran community and in Congress," Slattery said. "Sen. Roberts must put partisanship and politics aside and vote in favor of this bill."

"Members of the reserve and the National Guard are serving our country in the same way as career soldiers and they should be treated in the same way when they come home," Slattery said.

"The passage of this bill will serve to honor those who have stepped forward to serve our country," Slattery said. "It's the right thing to do." (release)

Tiahrt & Moran oppose GI Bill... so kind...

McCain gets hits for his GI Support (or evidently lack there of)


See the site: for more info


Oregon and Kentucky... Kentucky and Oregon...

A columnist writes that socially conservative Christians don't need leaders, like the late Jerry Falwell, to reduce their faith to a political movement.

Texas Polygamist Extravaganza
The Texas Senate's top social services policy writer says she fears that Child Protective Services is so strapped because of its raid of a polygamist sect last month that horrific child abuse in other parts of the state may go undetected.

Dallas Morning News

With the price tag of providing care for more than 400 children seized last month from a polygamist ranch in West Texas expected to reach the tens of millions of dollars, a legislative panel suggested Tuesday that the state explore using the religious organization's assets to recoup the costs.

Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Child Protective Services will not let a polygamist sect's children keep photographs of the group's spiritual leader, Warren Jeffs, or any of his instructional materials because he's a convicted sex offender, a CPS spokeswoman said Tuesday.

Dallas Morning News
(Thanks to TFN for the tips on this)

MAINdigest

Voting in Oregon begins in a few hours. Kentucky has already started! Happy election day!

In the news...

Gadzooks! James Azeltine filed to run for the District 3 Commissioner seat opposing David Lindstrom in Johnson County.

“On numerous occasions during his term, Commissioner Lindstrom has cast votes that are inconsistent with what I know about the residents of this area. In addition to voting against the most recent budget, he voted against the establishment of the Johnson County Public Art Program and Mr. Lindstrom was the only commissioner to vote against a county smoking ban,” Azeltine said in a prepared statement.

Azeltine, a Leawood city council member, said he was “bewildered” by Lindstrom’s tie-breaking vote in April to approve the funding for an independent prosecutor requested by District Attorney Phill Kline.

I'll be darn... What is it they say about paybacks?

New GI Bill passes the House.... Bloggers discuss... Politicians do photo-op:



According to the bloggers

"But of course we all know that this is not enough. This past week we learned that Army Physicians in the VA have been falsifying diagnoses for soldiers coming back from Iraq and Afghanistan with Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (see document below)."

Also in that race Lynn Jenkins says Ryun needs to move back from DC if he's going to run for office in Kansas.

“Time after time, we’re reminded just how deeply Washington changed Jim Ryun,” Jenkins campaign spokesman Pat Leopold said in a statement. “Jim spent 10 years in Washington talking a good game, but spent money on nearly everything except border enforcement.”

The Ryun campaign disputed several of the Jenkins campaign’s charges. The Ryun campaign emphasized that it doesn’t have a “branch” in Washington, D.C. — only that it uses a bookkeeping firm that has an office there — and noted that not all of its paid campaign staff “hails” from there, either.

In Missouri Robin Carnahan has become the saving grace of voting rights advocates.

In Kansas Kathleen Sebelius said no dice.

In other news:

A columnist explains how John Hagee made amends with Catholics and possibly inoculated John McCain against attacks regarding the pastor in the fall.

A Roman Catholic priest has denied Communion to Douglas Kmiec, a former constitutional lawyer to Ronald Reagan and prominent opponent of abortion, for his endorsement of Barack Obama for president despite Obama's support for a woman's right to choose. Kmiec responds in a posting on Catholic Online. (This comes shortly after a Catholic archbishop asked Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius to refrain from taking Communion until she stops supporting a woman's right to choose.) No word on Brownback and the death penalty.

After the California Supreme Court ruling last week Religious-right groups are working to place a constitutional ban on gay marriage on the November ballot in California.

A conservative columnist explores the mainstream media's inadequate reporting on the overtly Christian tenor of Obama's campaign strategy. READ THIS! Seriously...

Covered on NPR yesterday and in The Hill

Democrats are battling for the right to face Sen. Gordon Smith in Oregon and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell in Kentucky, while Republicans are looking for a candidate to replace retiring Rep. Darlene Hooley (D-Ore.).

But the biggest battle is in Oregon, where Smith (R) and the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) began their campaigns early this cycle in a torrent of ads. That air war has weighed heavily on the already pitched Democratic battle between state Rep. Jeff Merkley and activist Steve Novick.

Interesting thing about this race is that the R incumbent is running like a democrat vowing to reach across party lines, opposing the War in Iraq, and being loved by democrats state wide. If he can make it through the primary - stay tuned for a safe republican seat in Oregon that may serve as the model for how Republicans can win against Democrats this fall.

Hint: Run away from the Right Wing and become more Mainstream.....

Lisa Benlon Changes Parties

Former Republican Files for Kansas House as Democrat
Lisa Benlon Seeks to Replace Sue Storm for 22nd District

OVERLAND PARK — Lisa Benlon, former Republican and State Representative from Shawnee, filed today to seek the Democratic nomination for the 22nd District in the Kansas House of Representatives following the retirement of Representative Sue Storm. The district includes a portion of Overland Park and Prairie Village in Johnson County.

“I am running again for the Kansas House because our state is at a critical juncture,” Benlon said. “Education, access to healthcare and economic development was important to me during my time in Topeka and they remain my priorities today. After being urged to run by Sue and talking to voters in the district, I would be honored to once again serve in the Kansas Legislature.”

Benlon served twelve years in the Kansas House before retiring in 2002 where she represented a portion of the 22nd District prior to reapportionment. During her tenure,
Benlon was instrumental in tightening up campaign finance and ethics legislation while keeping education as her top priority.

“I have known Lisa for a number of years and have been impressed with her dedication, leadership and knowledge on the issues that matter most to Johnson County,” retiring Representative Sue Storm said. “I look forward to seeing Lisa back in Topeka fighting for education and access to healthcare for all Kansans.”

Benlon currently serves as the Kansas Government Relations Director for the American Cancer Society, a non-partisan, nonprofit organization. She has been married to her husband, Randy, for 36 years. They have two sons, Ryan and Adam, two daughter-in-laws, Annalese and Emily, and one 10-month-old granddaughter, Delaney. The entire family is a product of Kansas public education, having received degrees from both Shawnee Mission Public Schools and Kansas universities.

Representative Sue Storm has filed for a District 2 Kansas State Board of Education seat.

The Primary Election will be held on August 5, 2008. The General Election will occur on November 4, 2008.

MAINdigest

Happy Monday morning!

Today's News:

Phill Kline who??

Mayor Funkhouser has decided that the new Light Rail will be named the FunkRail after himself...

Kennedy still under evaluation but it was not a stroke as was previously thought. Many sent thoughts and prayers out to him via social networks this weekend. And there is now a "thoughts and prayers for Sen. Kennedy" facebook group.

when in doubt... use similar ideas!

Republican Solutions and a Positive Agenda
Posted By: Tom Cole, May 16, 2008 - 9:52 AM

Families today face challenges that yesterday's laws simply don't address. We need to fix government, and one solution is to update our laws so they provide America's families with more freedom in their jobs; greater healthcare and retirement security; safer communities; access to quality, affordable education; and the ability for future generations to compete in the global economy.

McCain having a rough time connecting with young voters.. And lobbyist connection woes continue...

The first ad referencing the CA Supreme Court decision has begun airing. Republican Christian Conservative Jay Love out of Alabama talks about his kind of love...





To go along with that... Gallup asks us what is morally acceptable ....



Colbert shames Obama for not giving Edwards a Jetski

MAINdigest

Happy Friday!

Kline still not ruling out the possibility for a run .... joy... rapture....

House OKs new Army Hospital in Fort Riley

All I can say is... Ben Hodge..... Ben.... Hodge

Kay Barnes is being tied to San Francisco... stop the presses (right out of the playbook for the nationals.)


(I'm Graves and I approve this message because I look more feminine than Kay Barnes in this picture...)

When Kay attacks....



And now for making fun of everyone else....

TIME asks how healthy John McCain is... (I ask... who cares?)

TechPresidents smacks McCain for ..... long emails..... seriously, stop the presses....

As Government Reform Chair Susan Collins looked the other way. Oops...




The VA is mis-diagnosing Iraq vets on purpose so they don't have to pay for their benefits. Wow... this is so unbelievably wrong.

My favorite columnist David Sirota (author of Hostile Takeover) has a piece today about NAFTA trade and the economic wonderland of Washington... Why is it that he isn't syndicated in the KC Star is beyond me...

More about the Mississippi First race - very interesting on the ground report about the last days of the election and the kinds of attacks that proved to be ineffective




Anyone need a job??

MAINdigest

Before I start the news - don't forget if you want to attend our Political Web computer workshop please email our office to sign up!


In the news on this great Thursday Morning.....




John Edwards (former Senator from North Carolina and former Presidential Candidate) endorsed Barack Obama yesterday in Michigan. The large rally in the "No Delegates for You" state cheered Edwards on as he spoke about the two Americas and his hope to bring us all together to make America greater.

Edwards also joked about his desire for a jetski.



Not on stage at the event was Elizabeth Edwards.


Hotline's WV Wrap-up



EMILY's List vs. NARAL Pro Choice America battle it out

Voter ID law in Missouri supposedly a ploy to stop some from voting. WaPo quotes SoS Robin Carnahan:

Democratic Secretary of State Robin Carnahan claimed Republicans were chasing "mythical problems" with a solution that would make it more difficult for people to vote.

No one besides Republican lawmakers spoke in favor of the photo ID measure. By contrast, a long line of people were still standing to oppose it when the Senate panel cut off testimony after less than an hour and voted. The committee had to quit, because the Senate was going into session.

Kansas Lawmakers split on farm bill

Kansas state regents board ok's background checks for all job applicants with the 6 regent schools

Clinton regrets racial tensions

And in a stunning statement, receded previous comments on Iraq, John McCain has now agreed with Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama that we can be out of Iraq by 2013. Let's not punish him for his late arrival, but rather embrace him for showing up tot he party at all.

The More Things Change, the More they Stay the Same

The following blog is from Janelle Lazzo of Roeland Park, Kansas as a response to the recent column by Archbishop Neumann.

The Catholic Church strongly endorses the separation of Church and state.

That is why it is very troubling to Catholics when a bishop uses his authority, which he possesses in great measure, to publicly excoriate one of those for whom he should be a pastor.

Governor Kathleen Sebelius has gone out of her way to proclaim herself as pro-life. But she is also a strong advocate for the rights of her constituents to make free choices. As an elected leader, the protection of these rights is her responsibility, as long as Roe v. Wade is the law of the land.

As a Catholic, I resent the Archbishop’s action in publicly suggesting that Governor Sebelius keep herself from reception of the Eucharist, the center of our faith. Just as he seems to be following his conscience, so should she be allowed to follow hers. John F. Kennedy said in 1960 that he was the “Democratic Party’s candidate for President who happens also to be a Catholic.”



Kathleen Sebelius is the elected leader of the state of Kansas who also happens to be a Catholic. No one should interfere with her practice of her Faith. Church and state should remain separate!

Janelle Lazzo is a Catholic member of the Mainstream Coalition. We encourage other Catholic Members of Mainstream to join Janell in posting his or her personal thoughts and feelings about this recent matter on the Mainstream Blog. Please email the office if interested.

MAINdigest

Happy Wednesday morning.... I bet so many folks have an election hang-over.

Not surprisingly HRC won in WV yesterday.

Surprisingly, the very close election in the Mississippi 1st Congressional District went for the Democrat. Progressive bloggers this morning are spinning it as a prediction of things to come. The race took a very racial tone when the Mississippi Republican party attacked Democrat Travis Childers with attempts to tie him to Barack Obama and Rev. Wright... the Democratic party in Mississippi hit back with accusations in a late mailing that Republican candidate Greg Davis raised money for a statue honoring the founder of the Klu Klux Klan. Oy....

With regard to the slaughter in a district that is 10+ Republican you can see why many are fascinated by what happened here and are eager to study it.

Rep. Tom Cole of Oklahoma is one of them

"I encourage all Republican candidates, whether incumbents or challengers, to take stock of their campaigns and position themselves for challenging campaigns this fall by building the financial resources and grassroots networks that offer them the opportunity and ability to communicate, energize and turn out voters this election."

Commentators last night on CNN think this had a lot to do with the reluctance for voters to trust someone that was talking about national issues vs. local ones.

In other news youngster Scott Kleeb won his primary in the Nebraska Senate race by like... a lot. I congratulate him and his wife Jane on their win. Republican candidate Mike Johanns easily beat former US Ag Secretary. Johanns is running on his many years of Experience... Kleeb is young, fresh, and optimistic about the future and his ability to bring people together. Something smells familiar here...

Some think that Democrats have gained more testicular fortitude ..... Oy...

Wichita adds sexual orientation to its school board bullying guidelines

Vote No to Judge Phill Kline

Remember how I've been talking about that whole Johnson County Judges ballot initiative thing???

Well they just got a big boost from the PSYCHO wing of the political establishment.

Phyllis Schlafly has targeted this as an essential element to her campaign in bringing back the 18th century in her weekly column.

"Voters in Johnson County, Kan. will have a proposition on the November ballot that could send shock waves through the tenure of state court judges.

"They will vote on the right to elect their 10th Judicial District Court judges instead of having them chosen by the lawyers," Schlafly wrote in a column this month.

"We hear a lot in the media about bringing democracy to the world. Citizens in this suburban Kansas county are asking for more democracy in the middle of the United States."

Schlafly said that the appropriation of taxpayer funds, and the raising of taxes, should be a legislative, not judicial, function.

(emphasis is mine)

Let it be known that currently the panel of volunteers that vet and submit the names of potential County Judges is not paid by anyone. To do an election means allocating a specific amount of funding for that and in the event someone steps out when it is not during an election season a special election will have to be called and additional county funding must pay for that.

If Phyllis really wants to talk about taxpayer funds... she'd be for appointments not elections... duah!

As one of the commentators said - this has Phill Kline written all over it. VOTE NO TO JUDGE PHILL KLINE!!

MAINdigest

And a happy monday to you too!

Slattery news alert dinged...

Here is why the Blue Dog Democrats are blocking veterans benefits.... yeah.. seriously. Call Dennis Moore and ask if he's one of them...

An aide to a Blue Dog said leadership made the mistake of taking them for granted.

HRC's aides yesterday "continued to insist that she will remain in the race even while confirming" that she is $20M in debt (Washington Post). Meanwhile, she "has summoned her top fundraisers to a meeting" at her DC home on 5/14 "to talk about the road ahead" (New York Daily News).

John Edwards said yesterday that Obama is the "likely" nominee and that HRC is "in a very tough place" ("Face the Nation").

Carly Fiorina, a McCain economic aide fired from Hewlett Packard for spying on board members, doesn't believe in economists. You see... in a certain season of the year a bearded man appears to give you stuff... (like an interest rate drop)

The Obama camp launched a 50-state voter registration and mobilization drive this weekend, "with 101 kickoff events across the county" (release).

McCain's convo mgr. Doug Goodyear resigned after Newsweek reported that his consulting firm was paid $348K in '02 to represent Burma's military junta ("Stumper"). Shortly after, McCain mid-Atlantic regional mgr. Doug Davenport, who oversaw the '02 contract, resigned as well ("Atlantic Online").

At the rehearsal dinner after-party on Friday, guests were "drinking Shiner Bock and Dos Equis from clear plastic cups on which 'Jenna and Henry' was written in gold," while Karl Rove did "bust a move a little bit" ("The Reliable Source").

Mitt Romney, who loaned his WH camp $35M, "has no plans either now or in the future" to retire his debt ("Washington Whispers"). Just because he's that rich. I have some student loans I'd like to talk to him about...

Tonight!!!! Bill Moyers on "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" (Comedy Central, 11 pm).

"If anything, my impact will increase with a McCain presidency" -- Rush Limbaugh, hoping (Politico).

Swoosh! GONG!

Raw Deal Fuels New Deal

This weekend Demos hosted a conference that focused solely on the economic black hole the Millennial Generation seems to be spiraling into.

"This generation of young people are engaging in politics in a way we haven't seen for a long time," said Tamara Draut, Director of the Economic Opportunity Program at Demos, author of a new report, "The Economic State of Young America," and also a book entitled "Strapped: Why America's 20-and 30-Somethings Can't Get Ahead."

"They are reeling from the effects of a decades-long retrenchment in the investments and public policies that helped previous generations work or educate their way into the middle class. This conference is the first step in building a sustained movement of young people to repair our social contract and build a better future."

In conjunction with The Center for American Progress, a recent report was released regarding the state of the economy and its specific effects and attitudes for/by young people. On the conference call linked from the CAP page above, Tamara Draut specifically says that "Millennials are having the hardest time educating themselves into the middle class."

Her recent article in the March edition of the American Prospect also says that 18-29 year olds are

"very likely to be the first generation to not surpass the living standards of their parents. Evidence of their declining economic opportunities and security abound, from widespread debt to lower earnings in today's labor market for all but those with advanced degrees."

Mike Connery's recap of the conference call and report details a fascinating point:

"The real significance of CAP's research is that all the data is compiled from long-term studies and surveys. That allows them to speak not only to the concerns of Millennials, but to compare those concerns to those of Generation X and the late Baby Boomers when they were of a comparable age. In doing so, they help dispel the myth that voters become more conservative as they age (what the study calls "lifecycle factors"), and paints a picture of a generation that is far more progressive than its predecessors ever were. The CAP report argues that this is evidence of a long-term, generational shift towards a more progressive set of political beliefs.

Paul Starr has some potential ideas for building the young middle class in his piece A New Deal of their Own:

"Beyond health care, however, the GI Bill may provide the most relevant model. It was the one concerted effort in recent history to focus public resources on expanding opportunity for young adults, and it had a big pay-off in postwar prosperity."

I wish I had some answers, but if I did, I'd probably be writing somewhere a lot less entertaining. What do you think is the worst place you are feeling the squeeze?

Crossposted from Wiretap Magazine

Selecting your next Judge

This morning I spent at the Johnson County Courthouse observing the public committee that interviews candidates for Judgeships at the county level. I did this for a few reasons.

1. There is an item on the ballot in Johnson County that would move Judgeships from being appointed positions decided by a panel of people mostly made up of lawyers, judges, and concerned civilians, to an elected positions (making Judges become candidates for office.)

2. Another reason I went was because the news media continuously gets this story wrong in saying it is a super secret process that no one from the public is able to participate in or observe. I know this because me and 2 (then eventually a third) people viewed this process all morning watching as the panel asked questions from applications for a single position available to replace a retiring civil court judge.

According to an AP report

Tim Golba of Lenexa, who led the petition drive, said he wants fair judges but also believes they should be held accountable by the public for their decisions and have to explain their positions on such things as abortion or school finance.

"The way the system is right now, it leaves the people in the dark," Golba said. "If we are a government of the people, by the people, for the people, then I think the people ought to have a say-so in that part of our government."

Clearly Mr. Golba was misinformed about the process leaving people in the dark. It was actually quite bright in the room - so bright in fact that I didn't have to use a flash on my camera when I took this picture of the panel.

Further, because I walked right into the meeting like the village idiot, the panel was very nice and asked me if I had any questions or wanted to make a statement or anything. I said no I was just there to watch and that was cool with them.

A lovely woman I met named Ann was there also observing. She said she's been coming to meetings like this for 5 years or more, recalling a now Family Court judge she watched be interviewed who was eventually appointed.

"Sometimes I rank the candidates and some of them really aren't very good, but I remember thinking that she was the best and that was who the committee went with too," Ann said.

Ann told me during a break that proceedings like these should always be open to the general public and she was surprised that more people didn't show up to observe - particularly media sources. I was certainly the only "media" there... but I told them I was just a blogger.

Another man was there, probably in his 70's who was a lawyer (I think he was still practicing). When given an opportunity he gave us a nice history of his legal career, and of history in general talking about WW2.

Once we were heard and had a chance to ask questions the leader of the panel told us that this meeting was in compliance with the Kansas State Constitution's Open Meetings Law which requires any agency to go into executive session to discuss personnel matters. This was done to preserve and ensure confidentially of anonymous sources who made comments in confidence about the applicants.

I was curious about this - and later clarified the reasons they do this ... but I'm getting ahead of myself. ***

There were three questions I paid particular interest to that the panelists asked, but there were probably 10+ questions asked by each panelist depending on the applicant. (Sometimes they didn't ask my fav three - but I did my best to include everything overheard.)

1. First was "what are your hot buttons" meaning what hacks you off to the point that you possibly do something outside of your normal interactions because it bothers you so much. Another only slightly interesting question was about the candidates weaknesses - which often played into their hot-button issues.
   
2. The second was "what is your relationship with the community" which I found to be an interesting question I wouldn't normally have thought to ask.
   
3. Third was "what is the most significant ethical dilemma have you faced." A pertinent question I also would not have thought to ask.

Candidate 1: was a nice young woman who said that she felt like she's had a broad span of experience in Probate Court. (I have no idea what that means... but I wrote it down)

She felt like she was always annoyed by people who were not prepared when coming into court. "I'm shocked at the number of my opposing councils who don't even come to the court appointment." (I was shocked too - who knew this happened!) Her weaknesses surrounded this as well - she was very impatient with people who weren't prepared that she had to oppose. Evidently "the dog ate my homework" or "my alarm didn't go off" doesn't work in the real world.

Her ethical dilemma was a time their firm screwed something up and were way off on some estimations and had to go back to the client and admit to the screw up.

Candidate 2: was a previous applicant (oddly enough many of them had applied for a past judgeship which I found interesting). He was a middle aged guy who seemed well spoken and whatnot. He was asked what he learned since the last time he applied and replied that the first time was really a blur because he was new to it and nervous. He said that the application was very difficult and extensive - saying it was like a federal application (reminder: this is a county judgeship.)

"Which I guess proves that the process works because you all know everything and its so detailed."

(interesting point)

His hot button issue was the people who won't work with you. Meaning opposing council who have some kind of agenda and just won't do what they are supposed to do. "Even if you're on the opposing side, you're both trying to move the trail forward. And some people are confrontational and I really don't like that," he said.

He didn't get the ethics question - but his weakness was particularly interesting. He said he cared too much. Meaning he is often times too emotionally invested in the clients, particularly children or spouses in a divorce (I think he came out of Family Law). "As a judge that can be difficult and you can't let it blind you." He said he could see himself as a judge wanting to make suggestions to a lawyer about how they could better serve their client, but, he said "as a judge you're not there to create the solution. You have to look at it with - here is the law and the judge really has to follow the law or follow the precedent. " He remembered a time when he was in law school and had a professor that told him "Don't think creatively - just read the statue!"

Candidate 3: was an older man who talked about his kids who were mostly all in college at that point - so he was much older than the first applicant. He spoke briefly about being a journalist at some point and how being impartial and weighing both sides was similar in both journalism and in being a judge. The most common comment about him from those that were interviewed about this candidate said that he was consistently the most prepared in the courtroom.

His hot button issue was someone accusing him of not being impartial, because he works very hard to be and would work very hard to be impartial. He said that is going too far.

In the past he's only been involved in the community with the things his children were involved in like sports or Habitat for Humanity ... things like that, but he sees this very much as a way to give back to the community.

They asked him about the pay cut (evidently Judges don't make much money). He said it was a big consideration when thinking about the position. In his office there are first year associates who are getting the salary of what a judge would make. He said he was happy where he and his family were. He was settled and ready to move onto something that was more intellectually challenging and enjoyable and that he didn't need a lot of money to do what he loves.

Candidate 4: was particularly interesting. Came from evidently a more rural area of Kansas and talked about his father teaching him that his handshake was his bond and that you earn leadership not by seeking it but by earning it.

When asked about his involvement in the community he talked about the responsibility of the bench to be responsible, work hard, and be prepared. He said he certainly saw it important to speak at the Rotary and whatnot and be accessible to the community not "hiding behind an Ivory Tower" but to be out and about - something, he said, we're starting to see more of with the Supreme Court.

(I found that interesting because he truly viewed the position as community service - something the previous candidate also touched on. Similarly, I realized that the accessibility of our judges is so limited. You really don't see them much in the community - and I found it particularly interesting that this panel was emphasizing not just the post itself being a form of public service but also that as a county position that judges should be involved in their county.)

Hot buttons: dishonesty – "I’ve watched CEOs and waitresses lie under oath – seen attorneys bend the truth and I’d like to think I’ve coped with it well."

Candidate 5: by this time I was starting to get a little tired and bored and this guy didn't help... He was very monotone, even keel, and spoke with the rhythm of a math professor. The questions were beginning to get mundane until he spoke about the pillar he puts such a position on.

"This is the highest calling for a lawyer," he said with a lot of passion. "This is a chance to serve the public and where lawyers can do the most good. I have a tradition of public service in my family and its why I went on to be a public defender... I've since moved into private practice but I strongly want to get back to that... I have the experience and temperament to be a good judge."

I only half listened to much of what he said until one of the panelists got into some of the cases the candidate had handled. Evidently he worked on cases that ended up being HUGE cases where media was bugging him constantly, he was under a gag order by the judge, and it was a case that no one would take, but that he did - and did all the research on it and ended up winning. He's done very difficult cases where two white men attacked an African American man in a racially motivated crime, and represented several young women that were all raped by their doctor.

I was floored and shocked. What an amazing history from someone I never ever would have expected.

The panel broke for lunch and I followed them around asking questions. I wanted to know more about the process, the kind of information that is on the application etc...

None of them had a clean application I could take with me but one panelist sat down and went over the last applicant's application talking about the questions that were on it.

Application Questions:

• Personal info - schools attended –
• list all courts bars, administrative bodies admitted to practiced on
• Chronically list employment
• Any Legal works - broken down for appearances in court – to see how much court time the candidate has had
• List 5 cases that were the most important they've been involved in
• Are there any arbitration or disputes they’ve had or mediated
• Have they applied before –
• Ever been a candidate for public office
• What are the candidate's special contributions to the legal profession
• Any continuing education
• Membership to any legal associations
• Contributions to civic, charitable, cultural, sports orgs been a part of
• Directed or been a part of in any other business not listed
• Ever been sued by client
• Party to any legal proceedings
• Been disciplined by professional court or legal body
• Are there any family or business member on the selection committee
• Do you use drugs
• Filed for bankruptcy
• Any unpaid taxes
• 2 personal references
• 3 professional references
• List attorneys you've dealt with in 3 most recent cases that have gone to trial (a new addition)

Submit with application

• 5 letters of recommendation
• A writing sample

In addition to the application above there is a KBI, and FBI search done on them (aka criminal check) as well as a credit check, and they run an ethics report. Ethics reports are broken into two different groups - lawyers and for judges - they run both checks just on the off chance they've served as a pro-temp judge (stand in judge) or a magistrate judge etc...

Not only do they interview the references, but they also talk to the "last 3 attorney's" the applicant has dealt with in recent cases and the people who wrote the recomendation letters. That is a total of 13 people.

When they are calling references for other candidates they ask the references of those people if they could go over the list of all the applicants and if that person could provide any information about the other candidates as well. So - there were a total of I think 10 candidates for the position. And if there are 13 references given (assuming there is no doubling of names... which there are probably a few) there are 130 people consulted about each applicant. Can you imagine applying for a job and having to give 130 references? That is actually more references or checks than the NSA asks for in its application process. But then again - they can tap your phone...

***As I spoke of briefly above - there are some things that are not public - when they go into "executive session." That is essentially when they break to do the interviews, checks, and references...

The reason these are not public is that it covers a number of confidential sources and confidential information like ... social security numbers etc. Let me just say... ID Theft isn't cool.

Too, many of the people interviewed might not feel like they can say whatever they want if the applicant and the public were going to hear what they were going to say. Make sense? So if Judge Joe Public is called he can feel ok about saying "yeah this one time I caught Larry tapping his foot under the stall in efforts to hook up with a guy in the men's room and I think you should know about it..."


According to the AP article

The Johnson County Bar Association and a citizens group called Johnson Countians for Justice are opposing the measure, claiming Golba's group wants to pack the court with conservative-minded judges.

Attorney Greg Musil, who leads the citizens group, said he asked those pushing the ballot measure for an example of an abusive decision by any of the county's 23 district court judges.

"To date, I've not heard one from anybody," Musil said.

Golba and board member Mike Pirner of Lenexa said they couldn't point to specific rulings that upsets them, but said district judges can make "ridiculous" decisions.

Don't you love how subjective someone's "ridiculous" opinions are? I can promise you that what I deem as being ridiculous should never end up on a ballot.

"It's easy to say elections are always good because the public should have a right to decide," said Jean Wise, president of the Johnson County Bar Association. "But judges basically are very different from politicians. They are there to determine the law ... There are a lot of decisions that are legally correct that are not politically correct."

Golba countered that the appointed system has its own politics, and that the commission nominating possible judges to the governor is made up largely of attorneys who aren't likely to support conservative judicial candidates.

I agree with Golba. These panelists aren't likely to appoint judges who are conservative - but they also aren't likely to appoint judges that are liberal. They appoint judges who are impartial and not tied to politics. What happens to Golba's precious plan of these judges move to being elected and we stack the courts with liberal judges?

His point is to elect HIS kind of judges - which fuel his specific issues of choice - not the most qualified, not the ones with the best careers, not the most impartial, and not the most just.

Do you want a judge ruling over your divorce that your spouse gave a $5,000 campaign contribution to?

Also - check out Johnson Countians for Justice

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Did you stay up too late watching Indiana last night?

Breaking News: John McCain won.

In other news, there were unbelievable voting problems attributed to Indiana's new Voter ID Bill. Get the skinny here. Hint: it involves Nuns and young people.

Politico calls this The Day the Music Died.

In the last suspenseful night of the Democratic primary season, Senator Clinton was demolished by 14 points in North Carolina and squeaked by in Indiana, where polls had showed her comfortably ahead. Her staff sees the outlook as bleak. She may continue the campaign, but the harsh attacks are over.

Can I get an amen?? Not because Clinton is failing - but I for one am tired of the negative attacks ... they make my blood pressure go up, without the benefit of eating a cheeseburger. Plus if I hear that "fortitude" sound byte one more time..... She also loaned herself $6.4 million.

The Lawrence Bypass got federal approval

The federal government has given final environmental approval to the South Lawrence Trafficway, a four-lane expressway that could make it easier to reach parts of Lawrence from the Kansas City area.

Breaking News: its still probably going to take 45 minutes to get to KC from Lawrence. I'm seeking federal funding for a Jet Pack. I'm asking HRC for $6.4million to fund it.

Kansas Sen. Pat Roberts brought home a chunk of pork for homeless veterans.

• Leavenworth Housing Authority: $482,038.

• Topeka Housing Authority: $135,790.

• Wichita Housing Authority: $173,405.

When asked about it Roberts said, "did I really?" (I'm totally kidding - gotta keep ya'll laughing!)

Sprint just announced its $14 billion project to get super duper fast wireless nation wide. Let it be known that as a Sprint user I don't understand why there is a dead zone that is (I swear to you) just as I pass the turn-in to the Sprint complex on Nall.

Boyda and the GOP battle it out over FISA .... again...

Nevermind coal - Topeka might be the new spot of a turbine plant ... as opposed to planting turbines...

And the beat goes on... Come on people, respond!! Lets start a dialogue.

Storm Files for School Board

Storm retires from Legislature, pursues new role in public service

Today, Rep. Sue Storm, D-Overland Park, filed with the Secretary of State for election to the State Board of Education, representing the second district. In January Storm will retire from her current position as State Representative of the 22nd House District.

"Children and educators lose more from ideological division in Topeka than anyone else," said Storm. "All of Kansas' hopes for growth are tied to education- it is the best possible investment in our future. Kansas kids can no longer afford the continued political struggles within the State Board."

Since 1997, Storm has represented the 22nd district of the House of Representatives, which covers portions of northern Overland Park. Throughout her tenure in the Legislature, Storm has worked across party lines to advance educational initiatives. As the ranking minority member of the House Education Committee, she consistently fought to protect school budgets and all students regardless of need. Storm also served on the 2010 Commission, which is tasked with maintaining adequate and equitable funding for the state's public schools.

"Sue has always acted in the best interest of Kansas kids, both as an educator and as a state legislator," said Governor Kathleen Sebelius. "Her experience has been critical to establishing a long-term vision for our schools."

Storm holds a master's degree in special education from the University of Kansas. She received her bachelor's degree in English from William Jewell College. Prior to her service in the Legislature, Storm worked as a secondary education teacher for over 30 years, mostly in Shawnee Mission. She specialized both in English and special education.

"To foster our students' competition in a global economy, we must focus on the issues that hinder our students in reaching their full potential," said Storm. "Teacher retention and recruitment, math and science education and an increased commitment to early childhood education will be critical to student success in future years."

The Kansas Board of Education's second district covers portions of Wyandotte and Johnson counties. This includes all of Shawnee Mission, as well as portions of Turner, Blue Valley, DeSoto and Olathe school districts.

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I love the smell of economic policy in the morning......

See the new website about the GasTax Scam While this is a pretty simple website that addresses a single economic issue - the great thing about this is that with true rapid response fashion a website was developed, designed, and launched to attack a specific policy. This is a new era of politics and its clear that a specific ideology of people owns the web... and they're not really friends with John McCain

Jane over at Firedog Lake thinks democrats will screw up FISA this week

Take a look at the ways in which minority voters will be effected by the new ID law in Indiana. Ally Klimkoski at Wiretap (who has been known to post on here from time to time) also posted a piece about this law on Monday.

Young Voters Flexing Muscle - via USA Today

NYTimes Op-ed about the GI Bill and the disappointment about McCain's resistance to help soldiers who are serving in combat have access to educational opportunities ...

Not to be outdone by Obama's Top Ten .... now... HRC's Top Ten List



(The super nerdy section)

Bloggers of Color now have a specific conference to address issues that face their community. Register today!

Stoller discusses the recent overthrow of a democratic incumbent who was too conservative for his own district. What is notable in this piece is that Stoller and his blogging buddies raised over $400,000 from 8,000 donors. Think blogs don't matter?? Think again... They aren't going away. Spread the news...

There is another attempt at a rockstar viral video endorsement ad (via the YesWeCan trends). While I am a huge advocate of using pop-culture and counter cultures to engage a new community of voters ... this video is just... well... bad. Maybe I'm getting to be too old...

Interesting Video

A new video posted by the National Center for Science Education's new website Expelled Exposed

A Better Deal

Demos is hosting a great conference this week that will address some of the economic concerns that new workers are facing in this unpredictable, unstable, and darn near frighting economy.

A Better Deal: Reclaiming Economic Security for a New Generation will be May 8-9th, 2008, at The Liaison Capitol Hill in Washington DC. While this is a schlep for many folks there are scholarships and stipends available for need based folks interested in this topic. It would be wonderful if I could attend but ... alas... I cannot. The good news is that Mike Connery at Future Majority will be live blogging the conference and I'm sure there will be helpful multimedia available after the fact.

Discussing economic challenges to a new generation is a topic I've always been interested in but had little information available. Demos is not only providing extensive materials to address these issues but they're bringing together folks from a wide variety of political outreach, non-profit, get-out-the-vote orgs and more all in a collective effort to elevate this generation’s economic crisis onto the national agenda, to offer policy substance to sustain the rise in youth voting, and to forge partnerships for future reform efforts. Attendees will get the tools to connect politics to the personal financial struggles of young voters, and forge connections with others to build a movement for a better deal in their communities.

According to the site

"It's getting harder for young adults to get ahead in America. Compared to previous generations, today's 20-somethings earn less, carry more debt and pay more for everything from health care to housing. With young people voting in record numbers, it's time to put this generation's economic crisis on the national agenda and build a movement for a better deal."

I will bring you much more on these topics in the coming weeks and more information as the conference unfolds. If you can make it I certainly recommend it.

Wilk won't see re-election to Kansas House

Topeka — A longtime Leavenworth County state representative will not seek re-election to his 42nd District seat.

In a telephone interview Monday morning, State Rep. Kenny Wilk said it was time to "let someone else" have a chance to serve.

"I've been thinking about it a long time," Wilk said. "We've had a 16-year ride. There've been lots of ups and some disappointments, but I'm ready to turn the page. It's been a great experience."

Wilk first was elected to the House in 1992 and began serving in 1993.

In 2004, Wilk and State Sen. Nick Jordan pushed through the Legislature the Kansas Economic Growth Act. The legislation, which won bipartisan support, makes an estimated $500 million investment over a 10-year period to solidify Kansas as a major player in the biosciences industry.

The Washington, D.C.-based Biotechnology Industry Organization named Wilk its 2005 State Representative of the Year.

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And the most interesting things happening today are:

Dr. Roy talks about our stimulus checks

Moderate Democrat Don Cazayoux wins Republican leaning district by two points. This indicates to me that the MS-01 will also be a race to watch for 2008. Freedom's Watch put in a million to this race, coordinated with the NRCC, and lost. Their messaging doesn't work...

Obama and Clinton differ on Iran, sort of. She wants to 'completely obliterate' if Israel is attacked with nuclear weapons, he won't say. They spent Sunday on the morning shows

Reductions in Medicare feared

Interesting LTE about former Rep. Jim Ryun

Clinton on George



Obama on MTP


Joel Mathis over at Red, Blue America talks about how Obama never smiles

Pres. Bush was in Greensberg to do the graduation ceremony of the students there. CNN has been running a special about Greensberg in the last week so if you get a chance to catch it, I highly recommend it.

Clint Bowyer won this weekend's NASCAR race. Clint is from Emporia, KS ... so I'm a fan


Royals won their game this weekend against the Indians ... Bale breaks hand by punching a door

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Today in the news

(in super nerd tech news) Microsoft is going to get hostile in taking over Yahoo. Google is fighting this in DC.

Another former DNC Chair, Paul Kirk, endorsed Obama.



When was the last time Guam saw a presidential candidate? HRC goes up on TV there

McCain camp continues to do behind the scenes videos

Meanwhile, McCain still has "yet to capture the hearts and minds" of Ron Paul supporters (Los Angeles Times).

Following a piece on NPR yesterday afternoon, there are more accusations coming out against WVWV.

Speaker Nancy Pelosi said yesterday that the gas tac holiday proposal will not be considered with the supplemental spending bill (The Hill).

Stay tuned to Ex-MN Gov. Jesse Ventura (I) on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" (NBC, 10:35 pm).

State:
Veto Falls Short in House

State Budget ... yada yada


AND THE BEST NEWS - hardly reported by any sources today

Congress passed House Resolution 1096 commending the University of Kansas Jayhawks on their 2008 National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I basketball championship. (release)

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Todays things to read and pay attention to:

Abortion veto survives the Kansas Senate

Exxon made 'only' $10.9 billion this quarter.

A NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll shows Barack Obama leading Hillary Clinton 46-43%. In a general election matchup, Obama leads John McCain 46-43%, while HRC leads McCain 45-44% (release).

Greensberg continues to rebuild

Happy Mission Accomplished Anniversary! Read it here

MAINdigest

Hi everyone! I'm going to try and start doing a daily digest of articles of interest that folks might want to know more about. With more sources for information we can all count on getting closer to the real story.


McCain needs to take his memory pills

"There are fundamental differences," McCain told Politico. "He creates a new bureaucracy and new rules. His bill offers the same benefits whether you stay three years or longer. We want to have a sliding scale to increase retention. I haven't been in Washington, but my staff there said that his has not been eager to negotiate."

"He's so full of it," Webb said in response. "I have personally talked to John three times. I made a personal call to [McCain aide] Mark Salter months ago asking that they look at this."

Bill would throw up road blocks for servicemen applying for the GI Bill.

Newsweek: the McCain plan has too many details.


Heartland Institute caught in a lie about the 500 scientists they had that dispute global warming



Elizabeth Edwards calls John McCain out saying that if he honestly thinks that a family can buy a comparable health policy for $5,000 he is out of touch with regular Americans. In reality a family health plan is about $12k a year and most companies pay for them for their workers. I'd like to join many Americans in welcoming Elizabeth Edwards back to TV - her voice has been missed.

McCain Health Plan here

Some say the solution to cheaper health care is getting married ... Brings a whole new meaning to matchmaker... What happens when family values are dependent on pre-existing conditions?

Roberts Senate Race upgraded from safe republican to just republican favored

Economic growth weakest since 2002

Finally - in good news. President Bush has helped move a lot of new voters away from him.

BREAKING: Voting Rights Under Assault

UPDATE 2: Rock the Vote recently released statement calling it "supremely wrong."

UPDATE 1: Politico has also reported on the topic

----------------------

The US Supreme Court just voted to disproportionately disenfranchise our rights to cast a ballot. Remember that whole thing about democracy and everyone having the right to vote - HA! I bet you thought that was real, right??

According to a press release from Common Cause

“In a year in which millions of people have registered to vote in the presidential primaries, including thousands for Indiana’s primary next week, it’s disheartening to see the Supreme Court uphold a measure that will deter and prevent Americans from participating in the electoral process and having their votes count,” said Tova Wang, Common Cause’s vice president for research. Although the court left open the possibility of future “as applied” challenges to voter ID laws, this will do nothing for the citizens of Indiana in this crucial election year, Wang added."

According to the CNN report

"The 6-3 vote allows Indiana to require the identification when it holds its statewide primary next week. It also will give most state legislatures time to revise their voter laws for the November elections.

At issue was whether state laws designed to stem voter fraud end up disenfranchising large numbers of Americans who might lack proper documents to prove their voting eligibility. The case raised important constitutional questions, but also involved race and partisan politics."

What this piece leaves out is that the cases of voter fraud are literally slim to none. In many places like New York City or Chicago most people use public transportation and don't have driver's licenses. Older voters, particularly those in senior centers or nursing homes, don't always have access to an ID that has the address of their assisted living center on it, and young voters, who often move around or who vote from school but have a driver's license with their home address on it will all be told that they cannot vote or are no allowed to vote.

While AARP or other senior lobbying groups have yet to comment on this ruling the Young Democrats of America released a press comment

“Young voters will feel the effects of these disenfranchising laws just at the time when turnout among turnout among young people is on the rise,” said David Hardt, President of the Young Democrats of America. “Make no mistake. These laws are a voter suppression tool, with young voters – who have been voting overwhelmingly for Democrats in recent elections – in the crosshairs.”

“Voter identification laws are simply a partisan tool used by Republicans to intentionally disenfranchise voters who are less likely to support their extreme agenda,” said Alexandra Acker, Executive Director of the Young Democrats of America. “The Young Democrats of America will work to incorporate voter education into all aspects of our campaign programs this Fall to help young voters, among those most impacted by this law, bring proper ID to the polls and make their voices heard through the ballot box.”

Speaker of the House, Rep. Nancy Pelosi also released a statement with a similar regard

"The right to vote is a foundation of our democracy. American citizens who wish to vote must be able to do so.”

And representatives of the US PIRG's also agree in a recent statement released

"The ruling comes on the heels of youth vote surges throughout the country in the presidential primary contest to date. "Today's ruling sends a chilling message to young voters who are more energized and excited than ever."

U.S. PIRG assailed the majority decision saying it will create real problems in order to address perceived ones. A majority of justices accepted Indiana's argument despite the fact that no evidence of voter fraud in the state's history was presented."

I will work to keep you updated as the story unfolds, but more states are working to continue this trend in voter suppression tactics - chances are its coming to a state near you soon.

Schwab elected

OLATHE—Former State Rep. and current Johnson County GOP Chairman Scott Schwab of Olathe was elected to succeed Rep. Ben Hodge, R-Overland Park.


As reported, Hodge has resigned his 49th House District seat effective with the end of the legislative session this year. Schwab held the seat for two terms before an ill-fated run for 3rd District U.S. Congress in 2006. Schwab will see election to a full term in the Kansas House later this year.

Wimmer to challenge Julia Lynn for Kansas Senate seat

Former Olathe school superintendent Ron Wimmer will kick off his campaign for the Kansas Senate on Tuesday, April 29, at the Ball Conference Center, 21350 W. 153rd St., Olathe at 6:30pm.

This is one of Johnson County's most interesting and anticipated elections. Wimmer will be trying to take the Senate seat away from Sen. Julia Lynn, an Olathe Republican who was the hand-picked successor to Kay O'Connor. Lynn was elected by GOP precinct committeemen and committeewomen. This will be Lynn's first general election.

Mainstream has many members in Olathe and will be keeping our eyes on this exciting race.

The Whole Package

Crossposted from WiretapMag
I remember working in the 2004 Election about as fondly as those who attend boot camp. It was a conservative state, in a conservative district, and more than once a day (when I was in the field with the candidate) I encounter someone asking me where the candidate was on "abortion." I wanted to shout! Hoping desperately that people of faith would see the whole package. Guess what. This year, younger people of faith actually do get it.

This month's cover story in C&E Magazine is about the "new evangelical divide."

"It is generational; the way we view the Gospel is more well-rounded-or we see it that way," laughs Ginny, 33. . . But pro-life for us is more holistic, more all of life and all of the environment-endangered species, and not just the human species."

I feel like many people of faith have been trying to advocate this kind of thinking since they were hoodwinked in the 2004 election by fear and clever marketing on behalf of power-hungry pastors. To put it in perspective check out these charts from a CBS poll done right after November 7, 2004.

"In the years since, white evangelicals between the ages of 18 and 29 "have become increasingly dissatisfied with Bush and are moving away from the GOP," according to Cox. Just since 2005, Republican affiliation among young evangelicals has slipped from 55 percent to 40 percent..."

The most beneficial of those numbers are issues specifically. Values voters who look outside the single issue box are now seen fighting causes previously ignored by these groups a few years ago. For example, as part of a series of blogs, Bid for Green has begun posting Unexplored Connections in dealing with the climate crisis.

C&E sees similar trends.

"Another factor is that so many Christian college students have been changed by their experience helping victims of poverty and natural catastrophe. For some, it was volunteering in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. For others, it was a spring break trip to a Third World country, now a common rite of passage for evangelical youth."

On campuses that trend continues. More and more students are becoming active in community outreach, causes that give back, preserve, clean up, or help those who need it most. In just a few short years we've managed to create a culture of compassion beyond the marketing ploys and focus groups.

"On Christian campuses, academics have for a decade been moving away from "the either/or mindset of either fundamentalism or the Social Gospel," says Lisa Sharon Harper, author of the forthcoming Evangelical Does Not Equal Republican...or Democrat. But it's just in the last couple of years, she says, that "evangelicals en masse are beginning to realize that the Good News encompasses both." For her book, Harper interviewed 67 evangelical leaders across the country and found that "almost everybody said yes, absolutely there is a shift happening that's prevalent in this new generation."

I like the conversations now. Enhancing compassion and moving even beyond "tolerance" instead to appreciation and grace is something I find the Millennial Generation is eager to embrace. And I say Amen to that!

Unexpected Connections: Creation Care

The following blog appeared as part of a series for Bid For Green an organization that fights to stop the climate crisis through alternative fuels.

Early this year I traveled to some of the early primary states to learn more about different groups involved in the presidential primary elections. One was South Carolina, where I drive from Charleston to Columbia and everywhere in between and back again asking different kinds of people what mattered most to them.

I interviewed Rev. Don Flowers, head pastor of Providence Baptist Church just outside of Charleston on Daniel Island. The good Rev and his family treated me to lunch and told me about a series of sermons he had done called Faith at the Ballot Box, and his first addressed the climate crisis and as Christians how we can care better for God's creation.

"This morning we finished our prayer ... thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. ... Thy Kingdom come, oh God. It is a reminder to us this morning that we pay our allegiance not to the Republican party or the Democratic party or the United States of America. We come here professing that our primary citizenship is in the Kingdom of God.... that should form the very core of who we are as persons, who we are as citizens, and who we are as voters. We will hear plenty of partisan answers to issues, but what about biblical answers? What about faith answers. What does our faith our scriptures, our Bible, have to say about the issues we face in this election."

Rev. Flowers goes on to discuss a drive he made to Atlanta to pick up his daughter at the airport. She had been overseas for a time and when he dropped her off he remembered people water-skiing on a local lake, but as he drove by months later the lake had only small pools of water surrounded by mud flats. He brings up a story he heard about Bangkok, Thailand which was build originally on marsh lands - much like the city of New Orleans. The city is now rapidly sinking at a rate of 4 inches a year while the outside waters rise around them. In just 15 years - the entire city will be gone.

And of course we all know why. As Rev. Flowers says "we are cooking our planet."

The Evangelical Environmental Network a state away from Rev. Flower's Church addresses specifically what the Lord's word says about creation care and being good stewards of our lands.

"The environment is actually a part of God's creation - of which humanity is also a part. . . As many of the scriptures below will demonstrate, the Bible teaches that both "nature" or "the environment" and humanity are part of creation.

Both are inextricably linked to one another, have been ever since God formed us from the earth (Gen. 2:7; 3:19; Ps. 104:27-30), and will continue to be in God's future when we will exist as resurrected bodies on a new earth (I Cor. 15:35-44; Rom. 8:19-23; Isa. 65:17; Rev. 21:1).

In other words, humanity and the rest of creation are part of all of creation. Therefore, creation-care does not just mean caring for "nature," nor does it just mean caring for humanity; it means caring for both. A biblical creation-care ethic is a holistic ethic. "

I Cor. 10:26 similarly says "'The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it," and yet today we disrespect the Lord our God by trashing that which he has created and blessed us with. The President mocks and ignores the suffering of our earth calling it "climate change." As if global warming was merely an inconvenience that a public relations firm can make go away.

With those waters depleted in rivers and lakes we see the warming continue as it melts and displaces those waters rising higher and higher. Which means the entire city of Bangkok, over 9 million people, will need to be relocated. Where do they go? How do we help 9 million of our brothers and sisters? Surly, this task cannot be single handily taken on by one episode of American Idol Gives Back.

Rev. Flowers says this is the question of stewardship and to whom does our world really belong.

"Is it our plaything to be used as we want it to? For too long we have treated it that way. We have done with the earth what we want because it belong to us, but scripture lessons this morning give us a different answer. 'In the beginning God created the heaves and the earth.' In the beginning God created. . . this was His world. We are merely the stewards... the caretakers."

He began his sermon by reminding us how important this election is for our country, for our world, and for us. I would add that it is important for all people of faith to accept our short comings in caring for the gifts we were given and instead embrace those who offer us solutions. And in saving our world we ourselves shall also be saved.

Peace be with you.

Ben Hodge to resign at end of session

Prime Buzz Blog is reporting that Ben Hodge is going to resign form the Kansas House at the end of the veto session.


Rep. Ben Hodge, an Overland Park Republican whose district includes part of east Olathe, announced Tuesday he will resign from the Legislature next month.

Hodge, a member of the Johnson County Community College Board, said he's planning to move to northeast Johnson County where he grew up.

He said his resignation from the Kansas House will become official at the end of the Legislature's upcoming wrap-up or veto session, which begins April 30 and will last six or seven days.

Reports have been circulating for weeks that Hodge was planning to run for a higher office in the northeast part of the county. Mentioned was a possible run for the state Senate in either Sen. Barbara Allen's or Sen. David Wysong's district.

In a letter stating his intention to resign, he did not indicate whether he would seek a different public office.

Hodge was elected to the Kansas House in 2006 when former Rep. Scott Schwab, currently county GOP chairman, ran unsuccessfully for the Congress.

According to state law, Republican Party officials have 21 days to hold a convention to replace Hodge. The clock started Tuesday when the secretary of state's office received Hodge's resignation letter.

The convention will be made up of committeemen and committee women from Hodge's 49th District.

The person they elect will then fill out the rest of Hodge's two-year term in the House. That term runs out this coming January.

Schwab said he might be interesting in seeking his old House seat but needed to discuss it with his family before making that decision.

Hodge's district is east of Interstate 35 and goes as far east as Quivira Road in Overland Park. About one fourth of the district is in Overland Park and the rest is in Olathe.

Goin' Green on St. Patrick's Day

Crossposed from Wiretap

There was an interesting piece in the Fashion section of the NYTimes this Sunday that is a little weird but it gets into some pretty fun stuff.

The piece follows a kid from Brooklyn who is hell bent on becoming an organic farmer. Trucker hats, Carhartts, and Pabst were the fashion but now some are putting the heart behind the fashion and finding the funk in farming.

"The Billyburg scene has changed, said Annaliese Griffin, who contributes to a blog called Grocery Guy. “Having a cool cheese in your fridge has taken the place of knowing what the cool band is, or even of playing in that band,” she said. “Our rock stars are ricotta makers.”

The same is true for Sarah Love, an Oklahoma University political science graduate and sometimes young Clay Pope a former DC staffer turn conservation lobbyist who have formed an organization that helps farmers become more environmentally friendly and companies to offset their carbon emissions.

Pope says he doesn't know about New York farmers but in Oklahoma the coolness of farming just brings the same stream of folks. "But stuff like that usually starts on the coasts and works its way inward." "Boutique farms in Oklahoma would go a whole lot further if you legalize marijuana, though," Love laughs. "I see a lot of kids getting involved then!"

Kidding aside, they hope to increase the interest and financial availability to small farmers and new farmers by providing financial incentives to those who run environmentally friendly operations.

"There are a lot of ways that farms hurt the environment over time," Love tells me. "With someone providing incentives to be more eco-friendly more people are happy to do the right thing for the environment."

Their plan is three fold.

1. Switch to no till farming methods. Traditional farming methods have you work the land, turning over the soil to get rid of weeds and work in fertilizer. When you till the soil, however, carbon dioxide escapes from the ground into the atmosphere. The best way to get the soil to chill out is to let it sit for a while and let grasses grow over it which converts the carbon dioxide into oxygen via photosynthesis. You can let your cows graze on it and plant the next year. This is what people mean when they talk about carbon sequestration through the natural terrestrial cycle.


2. Pasture land management is the next idea. This is what is mentioned a little bit above. The more the land sits and the the grasses can grow and suck the carbon out and change it to oxygen. Reducing production and using it for livestock instead lets the grass do its thing.


3. Buffer zone repairs. In places like Oklahoma there is a lot of water. Tons of lakes, rivers, streams... just a lot of water moving around. And of course a lot of farmland and grazing lands bump up against these waterways. With cows grazing so close to them you have them pulling the grass out of the banks reducing the vegetation that is holding the soil in around the waterways. As a result the land falls into the water... as does everything that is on the land... which means... cow poo too. That pollutes the hell out of the rivers and streams and lakes.
   
   So we have a couple of choices here. Move the buffer zone back 75-300 meters from waterways and it saves the grass. For the waterways that have already been compromised you'll allow the grass to regrow, or you can do what is called active re-forestation and plant trees and grass along to hold the soil together.

What Love and Pope do is work with companies to offset their own carbon emissions by contributing to farmers who do this kind eco-friendly farming and adopt some of these practices.

Organic is hot farming, but here's another way that new farmers can do their thing while also making the environment better and be adequately compensated for it. And its a great way for companies to offset their own emissions in a homegrown local way.

New School Evangelicals

Crossposted from Future Majority

There was a great story on NPR yesterday that captured my attention. Pew recently released their extensive 35,000 person survey that examines the role of faith in daily lives and in political affiliation.

Here is a video that talks about it in an overview. I would embed it but there were issues.

It does a number of things that I consider notable. First, it does a great age demographic breakdown in Chapter 3 (pdf). 68% of 18-29 year olds consider themselves to be Christians. 43% of 18-29 year olds consider themselves to be Protestant but only 22% of those consider themselves Evangelical Protestants.

What is shocking is that more people are comfortable not only church hopping but are considering themselves to be unaffiliated with any religion at all. That number is on the rise according to the survey.

"A good percentage of folks in that group tell us that religion is at least somewhat important in their lives, but they have become disassociated from institutionalized religion," he says.

Among Americans ages 18 to 29, one-in-four said he or she is not affiliated with any religion."

When I think of the image of a Protestant Evangelical I see a young family maybe late 20's early 30's. Its actually old people 60-69 year olds consider themselves Protestant Evangelicals 29% and 70+ 30%.

Secondly, it deals with some of the smaller religions. When we talk about things like Evangelicals its a pretty broad group. Are we talking about Baptist Evangelicals, or Free Evangelicals, or non-affiliated Evangelicals? Most, (41%) of Protestant Evangelical churches are Baptist with 26% being Southern Baptist. And 64% of historically African American churches that are Protestant Evangelical are considered Baptist as well but they are more National Baptist.

This data is interesting when looking at retention rates from childhood. 60% of those who were raised in largely Evangelical families continued to identify as Evangelicals. But what is super interesting, is that a majority those who were less likely to stick around with traditional churches they grew up in were more likely to get involved in another "New Protestant" church. New Protestant Evangelicals are like the Rick Warrens and Joel Osteens of the world.

What they've seen too is that faith is no longer an indicator in voting preference. Where we saw a huge turnout for Republicans among Evangelicals in 2004 that is not necessarily the case anymore, according to reporter Alex Cohen.

"The new school of younger Evangelicals is big and getting bigger and they're not necessarily going to back McCain..."

According to Professor Clyde Wilcox from Georgetown University "Mega church leaders, you know, tend to be a little conservative, but in the middle. And they're not so afraid because they think their churches are doing just fine, so they are willing to enter into dialogue with all kinds of people..."

People, including Barack Obama...."

The piece goes on to tell the story about Obama's visit to Rick Warren's church in southern California in 2006 where he and Sam Brownback had an interesting exchange. Brownback welcomed Obama to "his house" and Obama later declared "This is my house too. This is God's house..."

As has been mentioned before both by Mike and by Zach Exley from Revolution in Jesusland, this is certainly Not Your Father's Religious Right. The "new school" is eager to deal with humanitarian causes, stopping genocide, creation care (i.e. global warming), and a slew of other issues where Republicans have faltered considerably.

The more Democrats become comfortable talking about their faith in a non-trite more genuine way and developing relationships with pastors in their districts or their states the less powerful I think the major old white guys will become.

In the end the cool thing is that Millennials are not merely changing the face of politics, they are changing the evangelical movement as well or they are simply leaving churches altogether which can put more "mainstream" churches into financial instability in the next 5-10 years.

I want to caucus again...only better next time

I was just beginning to have that cold bug that is going round the night of the caucus. I had flown that afternoon--not only feeling like my head was going to explode but really feeling bad that I was that person on the plane who no one wanted to get too close. I rushed home from the airport so that I could arrive at my caucus site early. Which I did.

It was spitting sleet, parking was getting crowded, but there was no big line. But, then, I had to go back home to get my ID because I was changing my registration. By the time I got back to my caucus site, the line was longer than I could have imagined and there was no real parking. I made a spot and went back to find my voting companion who was already inside.

By the way, a word to the wise, I also learned later that I should not have had to use the ID if I knew the last 4 digits of my social security number, which I do, but that's what I get for not being well enough informed.

I will admit now that I slipped into the building to get back in the registration line and did not go back outside to get in the line for entrance to the building. I knew that if I had to stand in that line, I was not likely to make it long enough to get back into the building.

I was part of a small group backing a candidate who was no longer viable, so I had almost a balcony view of the ever-expanding crowd. This candidate has old ties for me and I really caucused for him as a show of respect. It turned out to be the thing that gave me this incredible view of a caucus that I would have never had had from one of the 2 larger caucus groups.

Anyway, I watched as the room filled up, at times wondering if we might run out of oxygen and staying by the back door just in case. I found myself becoming more & more excited by watching democracy happen. Right in front of me. Oxygen or not, we were putting our selves out there as living, walking, (sometimes) chanting, votes--I kept thinking: we are voting with our bodies.

And, the young people--they were so excited! But, they weren't the only ones. Everyone seemed to be giddy from getting to be part of the process like this.

So, here's what I've been thinking: maybe it's not that we need primaries next time. Maybe we need well organized caucuses. I think "we" liked them. I think "we" turned out on both caucus days in numbers that indicate our willingness to engage with our fellow caucus goers in a more intimate way than just stepping quietly into a booth and pulling the curtain.

Anybody else wanna caucus again--only better next time?

My Heart Belongs to Barry

I would be for Hillary, if she weren't a Clinton. I know that seems like an impossible notion, but she has everything that it takes to be a terrific president. She's intelligent (I'm talkin' crazy genius smart) with her wonkish, photographic memory of foreign policy to-dos and health care and education mandates. As a senator, she has been able to reach across the aisle to effectively work with her Republican colleagues, yes, the very same ones who were part of the vast right wing conspiracy, bound and determined to water board her husband's brilliant political career.
I'm not saying that the Clintons aren't capable politicians. They both are. They're a dream team of brains, charisma and bare knuckles know-how. It's just that when you have a Clinton in the public eye, dysfunction and poor impulse control are sure to follow. Let me count the ways. Paula Jones. Gennifer Flowers. Monica Lewinsky. Health care. Travelgate. Whitewater. Cattle futures. The Marc Rich pardon. The Lincoln bedroom. I'm sure I am forgetting many of the scandals and faux pas of the Clinton era. And, yes, there were people out there--Richard Scaife, the far right wing heir to the Mellon fortune, for one--who threw millions behind slam dunking our boy Bill. But somehow, in South Carolina, when Bill Clinton referred to Obama as a niche candidate, comparing him to Jesse Jackson, there seemed to be a visible push back by the American public that invariably said, "Enough!" Somehow, all the problems of the Clinton presidency came rushing back into our collective memories. The wind from Hillary's win in New Hampshire was sucked out of her sails. And along came the wind of change, a need to turn the page, somebody who could get people, both young and old, excited and engaged in American politics once again.
The nay-sayers say that Obama is all hat and no cattle, that he is unproven, untested, that Hillary will be ready to run the country on Day One.
But I was shocked and delighted when I read in the New York Times on February 17th that Mark McKinnon, the Bush media person who has similarly helped John McCain's campaign, said that he would step aside from his duties if Obama became the Democratic nominee because he "likes Mr. Obama and what he's doing for the country."
Now, if Hillary is the nominee, bet your sweet bippy that McKinnon and his cohorts will be sharpening their knives and throwing into our faces every misstep the Clintons ever made. Do we need that kind of negative dialogue, all that bad karma, back into the political arena after we have suffered eight years of Bush's disastrous domestic and foreign policies? I say no. We all need to move on. You go, Barack...

Kansas GOP Laughs off Young Voters

This week after the Kansas GOP primary I got a tip off about a piece in a local Kansas paper about the caucus and the comparable turnout. Understandably, there was immense turnout for the Democratic caucus and not so much for the GOP despite the fact that the GOP caucus was infinitely more convenient - being on a Saturday morning which wasn't plagued with a blizzard.

That said, while more people turned out at the Democratic Caucus (independents, moderates, progressives - OH My!)- more young people also did. I can tell you there are no official numbers, no exit polls, indeed not much other than observable fact that more young people were present at the democratic caucuses.

The last line of the article is a gem:

"Everybody sees a fresh face," he said. "All these college people are really pumped up who probably aren't going to show up in November. It's one of those things that it's really interesting to watch."

The "he said" refers to the executive director of the Kansas GOP. All I could say when I read this was "You hope."

A local Kansas blog picked it up and (God bless them) discovered the youth vote themselves on this day. They mentioned that last week's KS Democratic caucus had

"more young voters participated in the 2008 Democratic caucuses than any other caucus in Kansas history.

I have no data to back this up and I don't know if its true but if it is - boy isn't that cool.

I watched all week to see how the comments from progressives and anti's would unfold, knowing full well that there is truly no youth outreach outside of the local university/college democrats in the state and hoping there would be evidence of an interest on the popular state blog. If there was enough enthusiasm perhaps Kansas is primed for some young voter action. Maybe the progressives there are interested in doing something about encouraging the youth vote.

Read the comments - they are priceless. One from what seems to be a Libertarian, one with more clarifying data about how young people turnout, and one from the KYD president who clearly has been swimming up stream like the many that have come before her.

The best part of this is the quote not included in the article is the Kansas Dem ED saying that he thinks the KS GOP is daring young people to get involved. If young people come out the way they did for the caucus there are quite a few races in Kansas that could swing to our favor. As a result, some of us are in cahoots about a potential state based youth organization for the Sunflower State. Seems they might just be ready.

Cross Posted from Future Majority

Tell us about your caucus or primary experience!

So, we know the Democratic caucuses in Kansas were well attended--and in some cases, that sent people home. In some cases, it put them in very long lines in spitting rain and sleet. And, in all cases, it sounds like the spaces were generally too small. Our Missouri members also participated in a primary election that was contested in both parties.

What problems to have! Participation in the process is at the heart of what the Mainstream Coalition is all about.

Beyond the physical inconveniences, what did it feel like to caucus? What did you see? How did you feel about participating in democracy with your neighbors? What were you feeling if you couldn't get in? What was most exciting to you?

And, if you voted in a primary, we want to hear from you about your experience voting.

So, come on, take a minute to tell us about your caucus or primary experience.

Caucus Hangover

Our buddy Joel Mathis over at the new site RedBlueAmerica.com identified it correctly... it was so hardcore that I know I'm exhausted.

The Caucus itself took for....ev....er. Not the voting part - oh no, once people got in the door it was lickity split, the trouble was getting them in the door. I feel like I got in pretty quick and I spent the rest of the time causing trouble and meeting and greeting with friends I hadn't seen in a while.

I got up at 7:30 this morning to check the CA results - still not fully in - reporting at 83% and my buddies over at CIRCLE needed to wait until at least 93% before they could start coming up with the numbers for youth turnout in the Golden State.

Joel claims that conservatives are coming to terms with their sad sorry loss to John McCain. Awww.... well isn't that too bad.... maybe next time that will teach you not to elect nutbar conservatives that aren't going to totally DESTROY OUR COUNTRY!!!! Hey, I'm just sayin'....

CIRCLE has numbers for turnout in Arizon, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Deleware, New Mexico, Tennessee, Georgia, Missouri, Oklahoma, and Massachusetts...

There were a number of states that don't have that kind of data available. One of course is the Great State of Kansas. Despite the hard hard work of a writing partner of mine we couldn't get anything on demographics from Kansas. She said the KDP will have internal numbers but won't share that with the press. I say fooey! Why wouldn't you want people to know the unbelievable turnout numbers, the insane number of non-democrats who showed up to vote, and the count for those caucus sites?? What do ya do?

Mike Connery over at FM analizes some numbers here:

"As a share of the Democratic electorate, young voters increased their share in every state for which comparable data is available.

In most states, that increased turnout was to the advantage of Barack Obama, who won the youth vote in 13 12 of the 15 states for which data is currently available. The margin by which Obama carried young voters in those states varied wildly. In some states, like Georgia, he maintained his towering advantage over Clinton among young voters, and in Missouri, where he won by a mere 10,000 votes, young voters may well have been the difference in his campaign. In other states, though, like California, Clinton cut that advantage down to just a few points. Clinton actually won California. Guess the CNN exit polls are still adjusting.

Regardless of which candidate carries the nomination next month, that increased turnout will be a big advantage for Democrats in the general election. In Connecticut, Georgia, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York and Tennessee combined, 458,000 more young people voted in the Democratic contest than the Republican. The actual amount varied widely from state to state with Connecticut at the low end (~19,000 more Democratic youth participants) and New York at the high end (~203,000 more).

The one exception to this rule thus far was Oklahoma, in which 10,000 more young voters participated in the Republican primary than the Democratic primary."

I saw Congrats to the great state of Oklahoma!! There is an excited youth population ready to be developed and recruited! They are just all voting for republicans. Not much surprise there. It seems there is a fairly substantial College Republicans operations there. Pity.

Anyway - this is what I got. Go visit Joel and Mike for more. I need another nap.

Caucus Low Down

Braving snow and high winds University of Kansas students attended one of three caucuses in the college town of Lawrence tonight where a huge number of caucus goers in the state showed up.

I'll say it again.... the real winner tonight is young voters!

My location was so full that the fire marshal had problems with the number of people and they had to be split and sent to another location. There Sen. Clinton was barely viable and received only one delegate. And the youth turnout was awesome! Young people everywhere all ready to support their candidates. Young people don't fit into a monolithic block of voters - but a majority of the young people there went for Obama.... indeed the majority of people there went for Obama but it doesn't mean that young people were not voting for Clinton.

At a friend of mine's caucus they had 2,218 people. Upon first count Hillary was also barley viable with only 5 people over the total needed. After the shuffle she earned only 30 more at 385 to Barack Obama's 1833.

My friend took pictures which you can see here:




Nationally we've seen youth turnout increase in every state that held elections and caucuses today. We are still waiting for results to come in but enthusiasm and energy for all candidates were high and turnout was fantastic.

Rock the Vote is seen here talking about young voters

And Karlo from CIRCLE (the guy I always get my numbers from) is here talking about the outstanding movement afoot this year.

Are more young people involved this year?
Karlo says yes with record turnout, amazing engagement on issues and on candidates.

I hopefully will have more info when we get numbers that are better than the exit polls. Exit polls are incredibly inaccurate in calculating the youth vote because exit polling people rarely ask young people nor do they count them.

Jim Ryun Source of KS Voter Caging

I just had to tell ya'll about this because its something that makes me crazy.

Last year around Christmas time - the Kansas GOP sent out what I'm sure they thought was a normal everyday fundraising email. What they mistakenly did was talk about all the great work they are doing and talked about their Vote Caging program.

This erupted into a huge thing here, here, here, and here.

BoydaBloc - a pro-Nancy Boyda blog just broke this story while going through Jim Ryun's campaign finance report disbursements.

"Not only is it unethical to attempt to deny someone their vote, it's also illegal.

Now, the Kansas Republican Party tried, and I'm sure Ryun will as well, to convince people "caging" is just a mailing term and that nothing untoward is occurring.

That just doesn't jive, though. To quote the web site of one of the firms Ryun has used:

We don't engage in creative design, printing or lettershop services. We don't sell mailing lists or involve ourselves in fundraising management. No, we do just one thing- caging."

To refresh, the tactic of voter caging is defined by the wiki

"Caging is a term of art in the direct mail industry, as well as a term applied to a technique of voter suppression. A caging list is a list or database of addresses, updated after a mailing program is completed, with notations on responses received from recipients, with corrections for addresses that mail has been returned undelivered from, or forwarded onward from."

National Campaign for Fair Elections is on the front lines on this with their Caging Prohibition Act that they are encouraging the US Senate to pass.

Reform Elections links to the Raging Caging piece that Slate did that talks about why this is something we should all be fearful of and see as a threat to our democracy.

"Vote caging is an illegal trick to suppress minority voters (who tend to vote Democrat) by getting them knocked off the voter rolls if they fail to answer registered mail sent to homes they aren't living at (because they are, say, at college or at war). The Republican National Committee reportedly stopped the practice following a consent decree in a 1986 case. Google the term and you'll quickly arrive at the Wizard of Oz of caging, Greg Palast, investigative reporter and author of the wickedly funny Armed Madhouse: From Baghdad to New Orleans—Sordid Secrets and Strange Tales of a White House Gone Wild. Palast started reporting allegations of Republican vote caging for the BBC's Newsnight in 2004. He's been almost alone on the story since then."

So, lets look closer at the evidence that BoydaBloc provided us with.

Jim Ryun's Finance Reports can be found here
Here are screen caps of the disbursement (you can click the images to make them bigger):




And here are screen caps of the websites for these companies
Washington Intelligence Bureau



Southwest Caging site screencaps:



Take a look at that "what we do" page a little closer. This is what it says they do as BB correctly recounts above.

Things like this don't just disenfranchise minority voters. They disenfranchise young voters. They disenfranchise our service men and women who often times move around to different bases or living on base or off base. It disenfranchises people who have every right to vote and whose vote we should embrace and encourage.

But the problem is that often times young people, minorities, the poor, these are progressive votes because they want to elect someone who will help them. Take their vote away - you get more Republicans.

This is despicable and disgusting. Say whatever you want about issues, do whatever you want about raising money, but stacking the deck by taking away the rights of voters to cast a ballot is wrong and someone needs to stand up and fix this. Right, by golly NOW.

Florida Vote Triples Edwards and Giuliani are Casulties

Cross Posted to Wiretap

After South Carolina's Primary I drove down to Florida to see if I could talk to some young voters about their interest in the primary.

No surprises, the enthusiasm that I encountered was reflected the next day with a tripling in turnout among young voters.

According to CIRCLE 286,000 Florida citizens under the age of thirty participated in the primary yesterday. That is nearly half of all voters! And an increase in over 200,000 voters since 2000.

"Comparisons to other caucuses and primaries must be made with caution, because turnout is affected by the date of the primaries and by the nature of the Democratic and Republican presidential campaigns, which are different in every state. In the case of Florida, not all the Democratic candidates contested the primary, so turnout was likely suppressed."

I saw this excitement first hand in a local bar in Jacksonville. Jackson of Jacksonville tells me he has never met Rudy - even though he lives in Florida. And when asked if he is voting for Rudy Jackson says "Hell no!! My mom likes Mitt Romney and I think my dad likes Rudy because of the way he handled 9-11."

"I voted for Clinton, even though I don't like her. Because I would rather have a woman president. I have a hard time supporting someone who is against gay marriage and I know she is more like. But I'd rather have a woman president, than Obama who ... kinda sold out and is, ya know Oprah's lapdog. I could be happy and whole heartedly support a woman president than Obama. It's the progressive in me."

Major issues to Jack factors into his decision proving once again that young people are focused on issues more this year than ever. "I don't know... I know that she originally voted for Iraq and I don't like people who turn around say - oh well... just kidding. Now that we know what happened... bad choice... That's a decision you make every day and you can't use that as an excuse. Going into a war ... ya know, maybe we shouldn't... And its one of the things I don't like about her."

Jackson's girlfriend could potentially go Clinton. She didn't vote but she likes that Clinton is a woman too.

With all the talk of Rudy's recruitment of young voters you'd think I would meet some of these people or maybe see pictures of them on his website for students. Maybe that's indicative of the final count.

But CBSNews this morning says that Rudy called on young voters in Florida

"Last night, on the eve of the primary, Giuliani told a roaring crowd of hundreds of Florida International University students that he needs their vote.

“We’ve been campaigning in Florida, it seems like months, and I feel like I’m one of you.”

Stressing the importance of keeping the United States safe from terrorism, Giuliani said energy independence would silence the current administration’s enemies..."

But the folks I talked to were voting for anyone save Rudy.

Eric was my bar tender and was a solid Ron Paul guy. "He wants to legalize pot and that's not the only reason, I mean, he wants to do a sales tax not an income tax. So basically people can't skirt the law any more - they have to pay their fair share. Strippers, hookers, corporations, whoever."

Jackson thought this was insane. "I see college kids handing out Ron Paul shit all over campus. I see the revolution signs spray painted everywhere - its borderline graffiti. I don't think a candidate should be handing out graffiti. I don't want someone like that running my country - it makes me feel like he's smoking too much pot."

Like many of the voters in CBS Miami looks this evening at the student vote here in Florida:

"...students like Brody Shulman at the University of Miami said they hit the polls because they were concerned about issues like the economy.

"It's gonna be our jobs, going out there leaving college" said Shulman. "You can get the education but if there's no jobs out there, what are we gonna do. We want to have something for the future..."

"I hope that this year will be different because you see a lot of momentum in college students now that wasn't there especially in the last election," said Lindsey Cartee. "So I hope that we have a voice that makes a difference because you know we really are the future of the country."

The Florida Primary has left serious casualties. John Edwards, who has not broken out above the second place finish he had in Iowa will bow out this afternoon at 1pm ET in New Orleans - the site of his announcement. Edwards has brought issues to this campaign that no one was talking about until a year ago including poverty. CNN reports that Edwards called both Obama and Clinton and he has a commitment from them to include poverty in their overall message and in their administrations.

Rudy Giuliani plans to endorse John McCain today after putting all of his eggs in Florida and finishing only 3rd.

The SC Prospective

Crossposted to Wiretap Magazine

Pastor Ron Flowers of the Providence Baptist Church on Daniel's Island in South Carolina's low country is an unapologetic progressive. But he had a hard time picking his candidate this time around.

"Republicans don't know who to pick, democrats want to vote for all three. Its a great place to be," he said over lunch after Sunday Services.

Don's wife Anita and daughter Alison are Hillary Clinton supporters, but nearly 18 year old daughter Savannah is all Obama.

"I like what he says about health care," she said. "I like that he voted against the war. And that he'd be the first African American president - I like that he talks about change."

While Don was going back and forth between Clinton and Obama he said the deciding factor was the last debate and the weeks former president Bill Clinton spent in the few weeks leading up to E-day talkin' smack. Don said that it was disappointing given all of the awful things that were said about him in the 1990's you'd think he'd rise above the fray. But instead Don said he realized the Clintons would do anything it took to win. He just couldn't support that and joined Savannah in supporting Obama.

"I didn't expect him to win," Flowers said. "You gotta know, Obama won big in a state that just took their Confederate flag down from the state house 8 years ago. This is incredible and encouraging on so many levels"

I've talked to over 50 people this week about South Carolina and now Florida and Georgia. All have mentioned that debate and Bill Clinton's mean spirited comments with disappointment. One even went so far as to mention that she thought Bill Clinton was the major reason South Carolina wasn't a closer primary on Saturday.

Savannah was having lunch at the same place we were but only by coincidence. Her three friends had a range of opinions and ideology and they all supported a different candidate.

Thomas is the token Huckabee supporter - he likes Huck's personality but he loves his economic policy.

"I'm moderate on social issues," he says. "I like how he took the deficits in Arkansas and turned them around into a huge surplus."

I asked him if he was sure he's not a democrat. "No," he said laughing. I asked him if he was sure. "I think abortion is an abomination..." he said. I told him about my pro-life democratic friends and told him he needed to come out of the closet as a democrat. He shook his head and laughed.

Ben is a solid Edwards fan. His whole family is for Edwards, and not just kinda for Edwards they are about as hardcore as you get. Anita was telling me earlier about Ben's mom Vickie who was talking about an Edwards/Obama ticket.

"That'd be like... intense..." Ben said. "I like his health care ideas. He's done really well in the debates."

Thomas made a joke about Edwards' hair and Ben made sure to mention he did think Edwards had nice hair.

Emily is too young to vote but at 15 Don says she's one of the smartest in the crew.

"Well, I was a Thompson person but now he's out, so I'm thinking about Huckabee..." Thomas chimed in quickly, "Really!?" Health care is a major issue for her, as is the economy and education.

Each of these students is the embodiment of what Cate Edwards said to me Saturday night at the rally. All are not just engaged but they are well connected and informed on all of the issues and as a result were opinionated.

Don has preached a series of sermons called Faith at the Ballot Box that concluded this Sunday with a conversation about the war. Quoting my personal favorite scripture Matthew 5:9 "Blessed are the peacemakers." Each- health care, the environment, immigration and the war - looked at issues from a faith based perspective. Despite his involvement in getting his parishioners to focus on the issues Don says most people are already engaged. Their family always discusses the issues - but even the friends of the girls are plugged in.

I knew this was going to be a different election when I was at an Obama rally and a woman comes up on stage and says 'We're going to give away free t-shirts.' Well kids love free t-shirts. So she says, 'text your name to this number and the first three get a shirt.' So for the price of a few shirts the campaign gets three thousand cell phone numbers and names right there."

"But look at what they've got!" Don laughed. "People here don't like McCain, Romney is a Mormon and too many people here were taught in their churches growing up that it was a cult. Its not right, but its the way things are. No one knows who Huckabee is, really. Giuliani is a pro-choice, pro-gay, anti-gun guy from New York? He doesn't have a chance. And Ron Paul? He's like everybody's crazy uncle! You can have him in the back telling stories but you don't wan him in the driver's seat."

That night the 11 o'clock news out of Charleston interviewed Majority Whip Jim Clyburn (D-SC) who says this kind of enthusiasm is going to present an amazing general election for his party.

Live Blog the SOTU

GOV. Sebelius responds

9:26:30 Lets get to work

9:26 Mentions the common good again

9:25 Choices made and challenges unmet - a new majority has come together - and we're tired of our leaders who don't ask anything of us at all.

9:24 Mentions working for the common good - greatest generations are still to come (is that a youth reference?)

9:23 Our resources were committed elsewhere

9:22: In the Heartland we honor and respect military service. As the gov of KS she is the chief of the Kansas Guard - shes seen the impact at home of the war being waged. Join forces with peace loving nations to fight terrorists - but our soliders can't solve the political disputes where they are - and solve the other problems elsewhere. We are ready to do something new and different. We can fight a more effective war on terror.

9:21 Mentions Greensburg - the Mayor was in the VIP box at the SOTU. But more than just recover the Kansans are building green to build a better community for the next generation. Thank god! Go Kathleen go!

9:20 We are strongest as a nation when our people have the highest quality health care and can care for our children - indeed 10million children - Join us Mr. President.

9:20 Commits to results to get the job done.

9:19 Our economy needs our attention. They are acting quickly and its encouraging - but a temporary fix isn't going to help us long term. We need real results, Mr. President.

9:18: Giving the American Response as a wakeup call to Washington from the American people.

9:16 Kathleen brings us together. And talks about how we are all probably not as divided as we think. She slams the pundits.





On the eve of the Florida Primary I decided I would try and liveblog the State of the Union.

I'm currently in Florida in a hunt for Rudy. Since Rudy is only focusing on Florida... I decided I would go and find him - or at the very least try and locate some folks who met Rudy.

Tonight however... we are watching the President in his last State of the Union, in his last year, of his last term, forever. And ever. Join with me in talking about how he plans to save our country from the scary fluctuating financial markets that are hopping all over the place and a war that has turned into a civil and political war. If you are interested in participating in the Drinking Game I recommend looking at this website.

9:02 Setting forth to do stuff. Showing Ted Kennedy and Claire McCaskill.

9:00 Finally taking care of veterans (show Kansas Son Bob Dole. Personal note: my brother is 14 and only knows Bob Dole as the Viagra guy... seriously... I blame NCLB)

8:57 Stop AIDS in Africa (ten bucks says it is an abstinence only program)

8:56:30 We support Cuba? I couldn't have heard that correctly...

8:56 Someone finally notices the genocide in Sudan. FINALLY!!!

8:54: Thanks the troops. We like the troops. We want them to come home. (Click here for stats on troops that are losing their homes in KS from Foreclosure)

8:53 Announces war with Iran

8:51: Another president who thinks he can create unification between Palestine and Israel - one of these days it may just happen. But I think we'll all be dead....

8:47 Our Troops are coming home. Not all of them - just from the surge. Don't get excited yet.

8:46 Fully funding troops - show Ike Skelton. He's such a great guy - I love him. We need to start a facebook group thats like an Ike Skelton fan club or something...

8:45 Big applause at defeating Al Quada ... what year is this again?

8:42 A delayed standing ovation from republican members

8:41: As you can tell I'm totally just going to make fun of this the whole night to make everyone laugh.

8:40: Pelosi looks down to finish WaPo crossword Puzzle

8:39: Dick Chaney stares down the camera - frightens children at home

8:37:45 "Freedom" (take another drink...)

8:37:10 "Terrorists" (take another drink..)

8:37 War on Terror (take a drink...)

8:36 The domestic agenda is over... time of death 8:35pm

8:35 Advanced technologies to stop illegal immigration
Note Dems standing and clapping loudly - and R's not so much standing ... hurm...

8:32 Bush goes back to New Orleans for the first time since Brownie...

8:31 I think Chaney rolled his eyes at "Charitable Choice"

8:31 The pursuit of happiness

8:30: Attack activist judges.

8:28 Here it is ... preserve life - moral stuff... we created embryonic stem cells without having to kill unborn children. We are also now outlawing cloning. Some dems stand at this.

8:27: Global warming - not climate change.... Did he just say we're trusting scientists now? I thought he didn't like science... this is freaking me out!

8:25: Talk about alternative energy - show the energy secretary who arguably cold generate solar energy from the shine off his own head.

Oh the camera just showed someone who looks like they are asleep - I think he's just looking down but it looks like he's asleep. I love that they are showing the crowd more often.

Dems stand at reducing green house gases. Republicans are puzzled.

8:23 Trade deals!? Ohhh Nancy Boyda is going to have something to say about that.

Speaking of Nancy - I think Pelosi is about to fall asleep...

8:20: I'm sorry did he just say NCLB is working?? He's GOT to be drinking....

8:19: Ok I think the camera dude just fell asleep... something is very strange - now I'm not seeing the President's forehead. Ok.. ok we're back

8:18: Oh - there's HRC. Super cute suit. Applauding. Obama pursing his lips and looking frustrated. He probably wishes he could play the drinking game.....

8:17 He keeps laughing. Are ya'll noticing that? I think he's playing his own SOTU drinking game.

8:14: Oh... Pres says funny line... Smacks x-Pres Clinton..dems don't clap - HRC looks mad. "Some have said that they should be paying more taxes... I want to remind them we take checks and money orders." Thus far the only reference to the Presidential races. HRC def looks mad.

"Tax cuts permanent" And half the room does not stand. Pelosi whispers to Chaney "Hahaha - that's such a sweet little dream he has there."

8:13: That's actually not Dick Chaney behind him. Its a hologram. Cheney is still in a secure location on an island.

8:11 "Expanding opportunity" - its kinda like a fortune cookie. After each fortune we should say "for the rich"

"Trust people with their own money"... what money? anyone... anyone...

8:10: We recognize our responsibilities ... the question is... do you, sir?

8:05pm: He enters - with a blue tie. Should we read anything into this? Minority Rep. John Boehner looks like he has a fresh tan - despite the fact that he is from Ohio...

8:00: Woolf Blitzer mentions the awkward moment where Obama didn't shake Clinton's hand while they were in the same area.

Heartland Candidate Schedule

For those who want to catch the candidates up close and personal in the Heartland here are local locations for where the candidates will be in our neck of the woods

John Edwards

Jan 28, 2008

5:30 p.m.
Special Event with John Edwards
Teamsters Local #245 Hall
1850 East Division
Springfield, MO RSVP HERE

Jan 29, 2008

8:45 a.m.
TWU #514 Hall
11945 E. Pine St.
Tulsa, Oklahoma RSVP HERE

Jan 29, 2008

12:00 p.m.
The Fraternal Order of the Eagles Banquet Hall
1411 Missouri Blvd.
Jefferson City, Mo.

RSVP HERE

BARACK OBAMA

Jan 29th
Butler County Community College Gymnasium.
Doors will open at 11:45 a.m, but his campaign said space will be limited. For reservations, call 316-789-5194. No signs or banners will be allowed.
RSVP HERE

Jan 29th
Obama is to be in Kansas City on Tuesday for a town hall meeting at 301 West 13th Street. Doors open at 3:45 p.m.

Feb 2nd
Sen. Barack Obama will be in St. Louis for a rally Saturday night. Details are still being worked out, a local campaign spokesman said. I'll fill in info as it becomes available.

HILLARY CLINTON

Chelsea Clinton: This morning, she is scheduled to make a stop at 9:45 a.m. in Columbia at the University of Missouri's Memorial Union. Sunday night, she visited Cape Girardeau, Mo.

Chelsea Clinton will be at the Millennium Center at the University of Missouri-St. Louis at 1 p.m. today. At 3 p.m., she's scheduled to stop by Kayak's Coffee, 276 North Skinker Boulevard.

HUCKABEE
no events scheduled in Kansas, Missouri, or Oklahoma

MCCAIN
no events scheduled in Kansas, Missouri, or Oklahoma

GIULIANI
is in florida

ROMNEY
no events

RON PAUL
no events

SC Young Voters Triple Edwards Daughter Excited

Cross posted from Wiretap

Obama may have won South Carolina - but once again the real winners of last night's success were young voters.

"This increase in youth turnout in the early primary season continues a trend observed in other elections since 2000. In the 2006 congressional elections, the voter turnout rate among 18-to 29-year-olds increased by three percentage points compared to the previous congressional election of 2002. And in the 2004 presidential election, the national youth voter turnout rate rose 9 percentage points compared to 2000, reaching 49 percent. In 2004, under-30-year-olds were registered to vote at the highest rate in 30 years. " says our friends over at CIRCLE

For a breakdown of who young people voted for - check out this nify chart:

Election Day was insane. Polling places in Columbia's high youth city were packed to the brim with students of the like 60 Universities in that town. There were people on street corners with huge signs for their favorite candidate people were honking like crazy. It was unbelievable.




This served as a day for voters. Most candidates mingled around throughout the day. I think Obama had lunch down in 5 Points in Columbia. I say this because there were dark cars and a sheriffs car - not to mention a bunch of guys in suits standing around looking casual (secret service), not to mention the media out front taking pictures of the restaurants sign. Edwards visited a few polling locations and thanked supporters. Clinton spent the day traveling in other states, eager to move on to February 5th.

The media was wonderful. We saw more reporters and camera people in bars and restaurants drinking and eating. Seemingly grateful for a touch of a day off. The international media are the best. They tend to wonder around in large groups thanking people and smiling a lot.

That evening we attended the Edwards Rally. We were front row hugging the ropeline all of us speculating on where Edwards was going to enter from. We made friends with all of the people around us each who had been impacted by the closing of major businesses in their towns that took their jobs. We met Amanda and Trevor, a younger couple probably in their 30's who had gone to USC and now live in a small town outside of Columbia. Amanda talked about the small town hardware stores and grocery stores that all fell to the giant corporate takeover of The WalMart. All liked Edwards because of his populist message.

The Kansas City Star has a great piece today that talks about young voters in SC's primary

"Young voters have been a potent force for Obama, and Saturday's primary was no different.

Obama got solid majorities among voters who were 18 to 24 years old, 25 to 29 years old and those 30 to 39 years old.

"I like all of his ideas," said Brooke Perkins, a 20-year-old political science student at the University of South Carolina. "I know they are a little far-fetched, but I think it's good to think big."

Perkins and her sister, 24-year-old Hillary Perkins, share a last name, a university and a major - but not a presidential preference.

"I voted for Hillary Clinton," Hillary Perkins said. "And, no, her name had nothing to do with it."

Hillary Perkins said Clinton's experience and health care plan won her over.

Her sister, however, said she doesn't like Hillary Clinton's style.

"Hillary's been a little too catty lately," Brooke Perkins said. "That's turned me off."

Cate Edwards spoke with us after the rally as a few people puttered around taking advantage of the cheese platter and cheap drinks.

"This is a great election for us," she said about young voters. "I remember in 2004 they were more concerned with the war and those were the questions I got the most. This year young people want specific details. I went to a forum where I spent the entire hour talking about the differences in all of the candidates' health care plans. Young voters are educated on the issues and they care about the issues. Its encouraging!"

Our focus now turns to Florida where some speculate that we are going to make up a big part of the elections as well. Despite the fact that democratic candidates are not allowed to campaign there, enthusiasm for all of the candidates runs high. Florida news says the demographics are quickly changing:

"The face of Florida's pivotal voter is changing from that of a golf-playing retiree to one of an involved youth as a nationwide election trend gains momentum in the Sunshine State.

"We've been seeing that in Florida for several voting cycles," said Susan McManus, a distinguished professor of state and local politics at the University of South Florida in Tampa. "I've seen more interest on our college campuses than in many recent years."

What soccer moms were to the 1992 presidential race, young voters are to the 2008 elections."

On the Road with SAVE in South Carolina

Cross Posted from WiretapMag.Org

Friday - aka primary eve in South Carolina, a group of students with SAVE hosted their second candidate forum asking questions that concern young voters and voting rights. Sen. John Edwards faced a crowd of young people eager to ask questions. Given the focus this election on the uprising of young voters, young volunteers, and enthusiastic young folks SAVE is playing an important role in mandating the candidates talk about their issues.

"Edwards, born in South Carolina, focused on the economy -- South Carolina lost 6,000 jobs last month alone -- and made a straight favorite-son pitch, showing off his parents and pointing out that Clinton and Obama's feud reflect New York and Chicago politics (almost as if the state of "Pitchfork" Ben Tillman, Strom Thurmond and Lee Atwater was a stranger to the culture of bare-knuckled campaigning).

“You have been forgotten too long, and I will not forget you,” Edwards told the kids, urging them to be part of a "tidal wave of change." Says the NY Daily News

Once I met up with the leaders of SAVE - Matthew Segal (Illinois) and Kate Barney (Atlanta), and Hannah Ahern (New York) and asked a few questions, we quickly saw that we were kindred spirits in the youth movement.

"The turnout at our Edwards event shows that young voters are energized to learn substance and issues rather than slogans and catch phrases.

"Edwards talked about Washington being too polarizing and the polarization between the parties creates a negative atmosphere for young voters who are subsequently turned off by politics. He said that negative attacks fail to bring issues such as health care, the environment, the war, and the economy to the forefront. It deludes the dialogue in this country.

"He further discussed the importance of removing voting barriers. He said the last thing we need to do is disenfranchise eligible voters, particularly young ones who have an idealistic view of the process."

We then embarked on a day of Candidate Hopping - trying to find every event for every candidate we could.

Sen. Hillary Clinton was next. On street corners in Columbia, SC, volunteers held giant signs and implored us to Honk for Hillary. Two miles down the road a group of Obama supporters asked us to do the same. We did both times, eager to make noise and cause a ruckus.

In a nearby town probably 5 miles from Columbia the South Carolina Democratic Party was hosting a hot dog fundraiser where representatives of each of the campaigns were speaking. Former Congressman John Bonior for Sen. Edwards and Sen. Clinton herself who brought along her good friends Rep. Charlie Rangle chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Majority Whip Jim Clyburn, and David Dinkins - the former mayor of New York City.

While the event was hosted by the State Party those working for the event were all young. I later found out that the party got the Young Democrats of South Carolina to serve their hot dogs to the crowds of people who turned out for a $25 hot dog with Hillary.

Filled to the brim with middle aged (and older) women, it seemed the only young people in the audience were kids being dragged along for the drive. When I'd see the perfect looking young person to ask about the event they would generally turn revealing press credentials or that they were HillStaff.

Finally a huge group of young people - I'd say lower twenties - walked by me - hotdogs in hand. I quickly stopped them to ask questions.

"Oh.... we're not from here. We're volunteers from Eastern Kentucky University," I decied this was a conspiracy.

Heather Ellis, 22, Political Science Major from EKU was here with her American Chief Executive class as a field trip to see politics in an up close and detailed way.

Are you a Hillary Clinton fan?
"No.... I'm a republican. There are about 25 of us here volunteering for democratic candidates, or the party, or just observing as neutral people..."
Who are you supporting for President?
"I actually really like John McCain. His opinion on Iraq is something I can agree with. He not only talks about a topic he actually gives a plan of action, how he plans to do it."
Are you volunteering for his campaign?
"I haven't yet. I've actually spent more time volunteering for democrats because of this trip. Kentucky's primary isn't until March so its not as big a deal."
Do you know if McCain has a big youth following?
"Well, he's a much older candidate... much much older. Older than dirt, so I don't know what he's doing with youth, but I like his plans of action."
What do you think about all of this - the primary, this election... everything?
"Its an interesting process. Its exciting to be involved in, and something to take very seriously. When young people step up and meet the requirements its nice when we can finally be appreciated."

Senator Clinton spoke with excitement and enthusiasm and the crowd was engaged and happy to applaud. Women for Hillary and Health Care Voter signs dotted the crowd.

She talked about the need to "Scrap No Child Left Behind," "Bring our Constitution out of cold storage," and "Act like Americans again." No mention of young voters, but a brief acknowledgment for the need of more affordable college tuition "for your children."

I'd say the final tally was probably 50 people under 30 in the audience, but that might have more to do with the fact that a hot dog was $25.

We weren't about to pay that, not to mention the long line that meandered through the parking lot. We clearly circumvented the volunteers at the front and came in a back door where all the media trucks were. I had my laptop and press pass around my neck, Matt and Kate, oozing confidence, were wearing suits and looked like they were meant to be there. No one asked questions and we got a front row seat to Senator Clinton. That said, we didn't eat their food... that would have been dishonest. Its entirely possible, however, that the SCDP is going to send me a bill for $75.

This might be a good point to mention that I chose South Carolina as another state to report from because I thought it would be warmer than Kansas and I wanted to flee the freeze. Not really working out the way I planned.

Next was Sen. Obama. We ran some quick errands thinking that if we showed up two hours, before the event began, at 10:45pm, that we'd get good seats. We were wrong. Two hours before the event even began there was a line around the block and down the street in the freezing Carolina night.

Again, my friends in suits, warmed only by our own hot air and audacity, walked around the building where the line began and stood in another line that seemed to be for VIPs. We went through security and were admitted into the event before anyone asked us who we were and what we were doing.

"That guy told us to come over here...." I said vaguely.
What guy?
"The tall one, with the dark hair. There he is!" and we made a run for it into the event - seating slightly left of center in the fourth row - behind the VIPs and the reserved seating. People in their 40's could never get away with this.

We waited two more hours while the auditorium that was filled to capacity all the way to the 2nd balcony, all with eager people who were clearly "Fired up!" and "Ready to GO!"

What was remarkably different from all of the other candidates, and from all of the events I attended in Iowa, was the community participation. An hour before the event started - with the place nearly filled, a local high school gospel choir took the stage with their band to perform the most most incredible performance I've ever seen. Hands raised high, clapping, stomping, feeling the power of music, of soul, and of change.

After them was a young man who played a violin piece with a hip-hop style mixed with an MLK speech as a hook. When I've see groups like the American Democracy Institute at one of their summits encouraging young people to impact their world and empower change in their own way - not just through politics but through playing - music, dancing, singing, and more I think about it in more of a traditional way. You know, things like documentaries or P!ink's new album or the Dixie Chicks. These people were the embodiment of those who are enacting change and empowering themselves to be heard in the best and one of the most profound ways I've ever seen.

Obama's rally was revival. It was the movement everyone talks about. I didn't get to see this in Iowa. I saw enthusiasm and excitement from all campaigns but this was something different. Two straight hours of high energy audience run activism. Chanting, several rounds of the wave, loud proclamations about being FIRED UP... it was the most powerful social movement I have ever witnessed in my life.

Alex sat down next to me. He was dressed nicely in a white button-up shirt, black slacks and a bright red bow-tie. He did NOT look like he belonged there. We deemed him the leader of "Bow-ties for Obama." As it turns out Alex is a republican who voted last week for his favorite candidate Mitt Romney. He loves the Governor - but fears that he's both unelectable and will probably not win the nomination. If that happens and he's faced with the likes of candidates Huckabee or McCain, Alex says he's going Obama.

Bright smile and just as amazed as I was, Alex pointed out that concerts he's been to at the auditorium that hadn't been as full as the event. He over heard us talking about Hillary's electability and coattails and agreed that a lot of the newly elected members of Congress are going to have a hard time running with Clinton at the top of the ticket.

"I know. I'm from here," he said.

If you thought the event couldn't get more insane with excitement and energy, throw the Senator into the mix. Obama came out to a crowd that stood jumping up and down and shouting for an entire hour. Through half of it I called my mom to let her hear the speech. She said she could barely hear Obama speaking but said she could tell that it was packed full of people who were screaming.

People not only cheered when they were supposed to - but they cheered when they weren't supposed to - totally unbridled by traditional polite crowd report folks shouted back as if empowered by the moment. Think of a Baptist Church or a tent revival. People were shouting AMEN - and at one point when Obama made a comment about starting out months ago when no one knew his name a woman in the back shouted "THEY DO NOW!" Obama laughed and for a solid minute the crowd erupted into chants of his name.

"I've never seen a crowd so excited. It was inspiring to see something as enthusiastic as a rock concert for a political event. If this is what we are seeing for politics it bodes well for our generation" Segal later told me.

It was well after midnight by the time we left the venue and we were too fired up and ready to go to crash for the night. So we went to the Flying Saucer - a bar with like 500 beers on tap. That was where I met Joe - a non college grad who was not voting because he didn't care.

"What does it matter," he said as he checked my ID. "I don't bitch about politics either. I just don't care."

It was an insane day with a range of thoughts and opinions about the election. One thing is for certain - this is the first time in my life I've seen anything like it. I think my generation will talk about this election for a long time.

South Carolina Update

Well there is a lot going on in the southlands these days.

I wasn't going to post this but honestly every time I see this video I laugh. It's truly hilarious. I call this - Mitt Romney trying to pretend like he is cool - or ... trying to communicate with non-white folks.

He later approaches a baby with a necklace on and refers to it as bling bling. Sometimes, they just make it easy...

Last night I posted an update about the Clinton Youth Initiative and briefly mentioned the new Reuters polling info that came out with Obama in a double digit lead. On a brief stop off I noticed a quick CNN report that mentioned that Edwards has also seen some favorable moves in the polls.

In terms of ad buys - its exactly what you'd think it is. The airwaves are covered with he said she said crowd shots of people clapping and nodding and "I approve this message" all over the place.

While I usually crank my iPod while in the car - I've resisted in hopes of hearing talk radio discuss the election and the candidates and have also been blasted with ads about the two front runners. One Obama ad I heard today claims that Hillary Clinton will say and do anything to change nothing. (ouch!!) I tried to find the audio of it somewhere online but all I could find was this article that quotes everything.

If that isn't bad enough I read about this today and was shocked!! Apparently it was by a Ron Paul (R-TX) supporter "Robert Morrow, on behalf of all of the citizens who have been violated by Hillary Clinton." Here is an audio recording of the call accusing Clinton of killing cats and covering up rape. TPM Mukraker did a further investigation here.

WaPo says the transcript of the call echoes major themes of the anti-Clinton e-mails Morrow has been sending to bloggers and reporters for months.

Today Obama scored endorsements from the Rock Hill Herald and the Greenville News.

And Dennis Kucinich will announce tomorrow he's dropping out of the race - even though he's got more delegates than Giuliani..... .... i think....

Tomorrow's adventures will be traveling to two youth events with Sen. John Edwards and Sen. Hillary Clinton. Clinton's event will be Swinton Campus Center, Benedict College and Edwards is doing an event by the Student Association for Voter Empowerment (SAVE).

Press release from SAVE says

"The event will mark the second in a series that SAVE is hosting with Democratic and Republican Presidential Candidates. “The gap between politicians and young people is too wide,” said Matthew Segal, the executive director of SAVE. “The purpose of our forum is to show politicians that young people care and to show young people that politicians are accessible and listening. I am pleased that John Edwards recognizes that youth are a crucial component of the electorate who require the same respect, attention and consideration that older voting blocs receive.”

There has been much back chatter about the "accidental" meeting that occured after the debate Monday night in South Carolina between Clinton and Edwards. CNN reports

"The meeting took place in the Edwards campaign green room. One of the sources said the meeting happened by chance and the conversation consisted of light chatter. The source added that Clinton did jokingly take a jab at Edwards about his beating up on her during the debate. In fact, the real fireworks were between Clinton and Barack Obama. An Edwards source noted that it was not surprising the two senators met backstage. 'That happens back there,' said the source, who said it has happened 'more often' with Obama. 'It’s tight quarters – we’re all on top of each other.' The question is — with only two weeks before Super Tuesday — what else was discussed?"

And last but not least here is the uploaded youtube video of Sen. Edwards on David Letterman. Obama is said to be on there tonight and I'll post that as soon as its uploaded. If you'll check yesterday's post about the Clinton Youth thing you'll see a great video of her appearance on the Tyra Banks Show. Edwards will be on Tyra on Friday - find time and channel here but preliminary video has been released which you can find here.

Friendly Neighborhood Process Story

I thought given our recent discussions about Web 2.0 and new technologies I'd cross post this week's tech post over here.

Most people don't like process stories because they don't inform people about anything important or essential. I love them because they can actually teach those of us who are involved in non-profits, campaigns, or technology jobs key dos and don'ts. I like to learn new things from people who are infinitely smarter than me and on a couple of things (very few) I think I've got some game.

So let me talk to you about technology.

The Pew Research Center released a recent report about the growing role the Internet plays in political campaigns. I was reminded about this because I received my first email from the Nancy Boyda for Congress campaign this morning. The last email I received was the one telling me that because of an essential vote that needed to be passed, Speaker Pelosi nor Congresswoman Boyda would be able to attend a fundraiser being held in Kansas City. Date stamp November 8, 2007.

According to the Pew findings, the Internet is now the fifth highest resource people use in finding information about the Presidential Campaigns. It has nearly tripled in importance since Al Gore's run in 2000. And while television is the main source for political and campaign information Pew says its quickly "slipping" to a resource lower than what was used even in the 1990's.

And the internet is still a main secondary new source - the important thing about this though is in just two years - that stat has doubled.

Guess what? The Internet is not going away.

To read the rest of the post you can visit Everyday Citizen to hear about best practices and bad ideas for web outreach.

Today's South Carolina News

South Carolina is asking about the progress of young voters in Saturday's primary.

"The question facing Obama, U.S. Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York and former U.S. Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina this week is whether these enthusiastic young voters will show up in large enough numbers Saturday to decide the state’s Democratic primary.

The stakes are high for the candidate who can mobilize the 612,000 eligible S.C. voters younger than 29.

Last Saturday’s GOP primary drew 44,000 young voters, according to exit polls. That was only 10 percent of the total turnout of 443,000. In contrast, 35 percent of the Republican voters last Saturday were over age 60. That trend relegated Mike Huckabee, who blitzed college campuses last week, to second place behind John McCain, who won with older voters."

Both Edwards and Obama were in SC today - Clinton was in New Jersey with her husband Pres. Bill Clinton traveling throughout the state. She returns to the state tomorrow for a speech at Furman University where she brings her new youth focused campaign "Our Voices, Our Future Tour" that attempts to capitalize on the enthusiasm from young voters.

With a larger population in general, South Carolina has a big number of young voters, and the February 5th states will give an even larger number of young voters to the table. In 2004 the Kerry Campaign employed a single youth outreach coordinator and not until after the primary. Today each of the top three candidates employ several staffers that work to help increase outreach to high school students, colleges and universities, young professionals and young families. Clinton's outreach and start of her program HillBlazers came about very late in the season, after it became clear the increase in youth participation was going to be unprecedented.

"Through visits to high schools, colleges and young professional events, Chelsea Clinton, Members of Congress, and prominent Hillary backers will reach out to young people and inspire and mobilize support for the campaign. New supporters will be encouraged to engage their social networks in support of Hillary.

“Young people have always been a voice for change. Throughout my campaign, I’ve heard students and young professionals speak about the challenges we face and the solutions they’d like to see, from an education policy that makes college affordable to a health care policy that provides quality care to all Americans,” said Clinton. “Young Americans are thinking about our future and making their voices heard during this election, and I am listening, and I’ll be sure to continue to listen in the White House.”

Edwards, a former senator from neighboring North Carolina, criticized the New York senator for not being in South Carolina so close to the Democratic primary election on Saturday, which he hopes will propel him out of third place in the Democratic nominating race.

"Senator Clinton was here on Monday night for the debate that we had in Myrtle Beach. But then right after the debate she flew out and she's been gone and she won't be back until, I don't kginow -- later in the week or on primary day," he told a crowded meeting hall in Bennettsville, near the North Carolina border.

"The question is -- if she's not going to spend time here the week before the South Carolina primary, what do you think the chances are she's going to come back after the primary?" he asked. (Reuters)

The same piece reports the double dit lead Obama has on Clinton 43/25, leaving a mind to wonder if Clinton has written off SC and decided to move forward with Feb 5th states. Which brings about the race question again. Since the recent battles over race, Clinton has continued to slip in polls among African Americans and young voters.

Clinton attempts to reach out to young voters might prove too little too late, but her outreach is exciting. For someone so firmly embedded in the establishment to recognize the importance and power of young voters is exciting! I wish her luck, but I also worry that because she was so late to the party it might not prove fruitful - thus if it doesn't she'll perpetuate the false stereotype that young people don't participate and they don't vote.

Young Evangelicals

I've been researching the growing world of young evangelicals since I first read Lauren Sandler's book Righteous. (I've been fascinated by it since the 2004 election) If you haven't read it I recommend it as a key insight into the counter culture movement in growing mega churches across the country.

Last Night on the Daily Show Jim Wallis tells us that the right wing is dead - and a new movement is afoot.

"The dominance of the religious right over our politics is finally finished.

But the even better news is that now a new generation has come of age and they’re applying their faith to the biggest issues each of us faces: the moral scandal of poverty, the degradation of the environment which we call God’s creation, climate change, Darfur, human rights…the exclusive use of war to fight evil and the cultural assault on your three year old and my four year old.

The country isn’t hungry for a religious left to replace the religious right. They don’t want to go left or right. They want to go deeper. They want to go to a moral center."

Back in July I did a review of Sandler's book and talked a little about the ways in which churches are targeting young people.

"The Introduction of Sandler’s book follows a young woman who became a believer at a mega rock concert for evangelicals called Acquire the Fire. At this stadium filled rock concert she describes a world where children are made to feel like they are evil doers and need only accept Christ to be forgiven for their transgressions – all of which include things like ignoring their parents, drinking, smoking, having sex, or whatever normal kids do now a days.

Once this young girl is reduced to a pile of guilt and sin she bursts into tears prepared to repent. She rushes the concert stage where a young goth kid – about her age- prays with her. And then recruits her to join in their movement by deferring college for a year to attend the one year HolyRoller Bootcamp run by evangelical activist Ron Luce who essentially teaches kids how to become the next generation of worriers in Christ...

It makes me wonder if our model of Rock the Vote even Oregon Bus issue centric and election only organizing is a little flawed. Why don’t we indoctrinate our children? Why don’t we have liberal camps for our high school students to teach them how to organize within their high schools and colleges? Why don’t we have rock concerts with JayZ and the Dixie Chicks and preach a message of no war, helping the poor, dedicating your life in public service, etc … and arm our side from a very early age?"

On Sunday Zack Exley did a piece on OpenLeft that talks about the ways in which Hillary Clinton's campaign is working to train the next generation of field leaders. While Exley only focuses on the Clinton campaign I'll tell you the same is true for the other two candidates who are also training the next generation of leaders.

"But the big field story of 2008 is not about the horse race. In the 2008 and 2004 presidential primary cycles, the early states of Iowa and New Hampshire--joined by Nevada and South Carolina this year--have functioned as training grounds for a new generation of field organizers and incubators of new field techniques and technologies. The dramatic surge in early resources available to campaigns has put large staffs on the ground up to one year before voting day. These organizing hothouses--especially on the Democratic side--are producing a new generation of activists who are as disciplined and skilled as they are passionate.

It remains to be seen, however if this new generation of talented and battle-tested organizers and field leaders will be given the reigns during the General Election."

If non-right leaders can capitalize on this new super connected ultra engaged generation of young people, develop leadership, effectively train operatives, and further retain these leaders I think we'll begin to see a stronger movement.

Further, with the development of a movement that embraces the diverse cultures within the generation I think we'll see more involvement.

A great example of this would be the Live8 concerts designed to combat global poverty or Al Gore's take off Live Earth which brings the world together to combat global warming, and even PunkVoter which works within the punk music movement to get out the vote.

Blunt announces that he will not run...

Missouri Governor Matt Blunt announced this afternoon that he will not seek a second term as Governor of Missouri. You can click on the title of the post to see the video of his announcement.

The Race Card

For the past week it seems everyone has been talking about the race issue. Sunday and Monday's talking heads were no exception and given yesterday's holiday commemorating Dr. King and the struggles for civil rights - I have to wonder at what point people are going to shut up about this whole race thing.

I say that with a strong sense of entitlement, for even as the whitest little farm girl you ever did see, I belong to the most diverse generation our nation's history. In 2050, after the death of a majority of the Baby Boomers and with my generation birthing their first round of kids - whites will officially become the minority. Mine is the generation that is most open to globalization, foreign aid, open boarders, and hate crimes legislation.

But all these ol' fashioned people want to talk about is the race thing. (I'm looking at you Lou Dobbs!!!) And its perpetuated by media who seems infatuated with any kind of in-fighting between anyone regardless of the topic.

SEE VIDEO HERE

Brokaw says its more a generational issue, as older African Americans tend to prefer the Clintons - some because of the 90's some because they fear Obama can't win because he's black.

Commentator from NPR Michele Norris says there is a passionate debate about this.

"I went down there thinking it perhaps it was a generational divide. On the ground what I realized was that its much more of an establishment vs. grassroots divide. Hillary Clinton locked up a lot of the establishment support early on, she had the clergy behind her, and you're hearing in churches almost about revolts with the congregation standing up saying, 'you know we are not going to follow lock-step behind the clergy in this case.'

Her story about a 92 year old man who made an alter call and made his way up to the alter slowly and talked about Dr. King and basically almost took the pulpit from the pastor, and came around to this notion of 'don't be shackled by fear.' And that's what's so interesting about what's going on here. Barack Obama has ignited this debate about whether you should support someone who is viable, whether you should let go of your fears, whether you should believe in the hope...."

I've seen this division in the democratic party grow more since 2004 with the emergence of the grassroots and netroots who are always very anti-establishment. Both what Brokaw and Norris say can be true, because most grassroots and netroots folks are younger and establishment members are generally older and more well... established in the party. Similarly, older establishment members of the party don't recruit and embrace young leaders or young voters as much as they should - which could contribute to further splits.

But that's not when this whole race discussion first started. I wish it was about age or the power of the netroots, but something tells me it isn't.

"Dr. King's dream began to be realized when President Lyndon Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It took a president to get it done" Sen. Clinton said last week.

While I can respect that Sen. Clinton is trying to convey her message of "it takes more than a speech" she totally bungled this in a way that left even me feeling like she was diminishing the power King had on our history and the progress of the movement. While he gave powerful speeches that give me chills to this day - King didn't just give speeches. Clinton began to hear complains from the African American community many of whom support Obama. They began speaking out not on his behalf, but from their own frustration.

And who could blame them? I'm not even an Obama supporter and I wanted to speak out against this statement! But a bungled explanation of a message that doesn't stick to every situation made me feel bad for her rather than wanting to get my claws out. This is a hard race for her. I think its starting to show.

The Clinton campaign said that the Obama campaign distorted her remarks - but the above quote is the correct one (via CNN and verified by the youtube video) - and there is no getting away from a statement like that - regardless of what was intended.

But it didn't stop there.

Last week:

"The founder and former CEO of Black Entertainment Television apologized Thursday to Sen. Barack Obama for what appeared to be veiled comments this week regarding the Democratic presidential hopeful's acknowledged drug use as a teenager. . .

Johnson drew criticism following remarks he made Sunday at a Clinton campaign stop in Columbia, South Carolina.

In defending the civil rights record of the former first lady and President Clinton, Johnson said, "As an African-American, I'm frankly insulted that the Obama campaign would imply that we are so stupid that we would think Bill and Hillary Clinton, who have been deeply and emotionally involved in black issues when Barack Obama was doing something in the neighborhood that -- and I won't say what he was doing, but he said it in his book -- when they have been involved."

Ouch! Regardless of the personal growth by Obama, these characteristics are not ones embraced by any leaders in the African American community - because it can perpetuate an unfair and inaccurate stereotype.

Then the media went wild. Hannity here, Good Morning America, Hotline TV, over the pond, WaPo, HuffPo, and there are more... I didn't even mention anything about bringing THE OPRAH into the mix!

Eventually Obama and Clinton made up, and the Las Vegas debate was a big democratic love-fest where we proved we no longer needed Bill Richardson there to say "why can't we all just get along."

Both campaigns through surrogates kept going back and forth about it saying Clinton started it - well Obama fueled it, yeah but Obama is playing the race card, but it was because of Clinton's statements were racist... I turned it over to HGTV and watched Color Splash.... no pun intended.

And just when I thought it was over.....

Michigan's Primary where Obama and Edwards were not on the ballot - only Clinton among the top three, you saw 48% young people vote uncommitted, and 68% of African Americans also voted uncommitted rather than voting for Clinton.

In Nevada you saw the same thing. As you saw in my post Monday, young voters went for Obama - but also African Americans voted overwhelmingly for Obama with 83% voting for Obama and only 14% for Clinton.

The candidates might have kissed and made up for Vegas - but the voters seem to still be a little miffed - and the Lovefest didn't last long.

See AC 360's Raw Politics about Race in South Carolina to learn more about how race is playing out here.

Now... to be fair, I'm just a young, non-establishment, white, blogger and I'll be the first one to admit that I'm kinda pulling this outa my backend, but I'm wondering if any of this was capitalized upon to push the African American community into defending Obama which in turn could force him into becoming "The Black Candidate," and turn off his more square supporters.

Because, it HAS empowered the African American community - it further pushed me, as a young person, into being increasingly annoyed with people who are fighting about this, and I have to wonder if there is really anyway out for either of them. Obama becomes "The Black Candidate" and Clinton becomes "The non-black candidate" will both kinda shoot themselves in the foot? Is Clinton resigning SC to Obama, and trying to force him into a corner for the rest of the Super Duper Tuesday states?

Or I'm becoming another stupid media hound enabling the progression of this argument that is still just as silly as it was when I began the post.

I'm split - what do you ya'll think. Talk to me.

Born Again Politics

Thanks to Zack Exley for this tip off from over at the Revolution in Jesusland:

Party Lines and Faith Allegiance

Faith affiliation does not neatly follow party lines: about two out of every five registered Democrats are born again voters, while roughly three out of every five Republicans is classified by the Barna team as a born again. Analyzing the interplay between faith and party reveals some unique relationships.

According to the Barna Group (a nonpartisan firm that aims to "partner with Christian ministries and individuals to be a catalyst in moral and spiritual transformation in the United States") one fifth of those who identifies as Christian labels themselves an Evangelical Christian - but the firm clarifies "Barna surveys do not classify a person based upon a respondent’s use of the terms "born again" or "evangelical," instead basing the classification on what a person believes about spiritual matters."

Further

"The nation's 68 million registered voters who are born again Christians were most concerned about personal indebtedness (79%), poverty (78%), and HIV/AIDS (77%) - levels similar to that of other voters. "

I find it interesting that genocide didn't seem to make the cut.

In looking over this I'm reminded of a panel I did this past week with a group of women considering running for office. I am always the only panelist (in whatever trainings or discussions I do) to talk about faith based outreach. Progressives and progressive women especially are the first to become uncomfortable and talk about "stepping over the line" when it comes to church outreach.

Need I remind us of Rev. Kline and the Slimfast Memo?

Yet, regardless of who I talk to, which candidates I consult for, which organizations I help develop strategic plans, I find that women like this are the best at articulating the ways in which their faith has influenced their inspiration for public service and working for the common good.

Capitalizing off the faith based division in the 2004 election was an organization that sought to consult for political candidates, partisan parties and party leaders, and elected officials all over the country in developing their message with a moral focus.

A good friend of mine, a self described field guy, worked with the organization for a brief time in the 2006 election season and said that their heart was in the right place, but too often he felt stuck in the pages of the famous George Lakoff book Don't Think of an Elephant.

"They'd go in and reframe the issues and I'd be the only one standing there saying... ok.... what now?" he said.

National and state parties took the lead putting people in place to help connect church leaders with their newly crafted message. Still, few candidates feel comfortable, maybe not going as far as Kline did, but talking about ways to meet people through their own church or allied churches in their area.

If these numbers tell us anything its that the economy is a serious concern and not surprisingly Christians care deeply about humanitarian efforts.

Politicians better start asking themselves "What now" soon.

Also, if you haven't seen this video its worth the watch. Here is another for fun.

Peace be with you!

Debate LiveBlog and Open Thred

Videos: I put video links within the given commentaries and quotes below.

Poll I promised: Here is a poll that looks at McCain vs. HRC - only one (CNN) has HRC up against McCain.

Indy Dial Groups: CNN surveyed dial groups throughout the debate - HRC's defining moment was "going to the mat" for health care, BO's was "fighting for everyone, black, white, asian, latino.." and JRE's was "this" referring to the infighting "is not going to get children health care..."

Final MLK Namedrop Count = 11 (maybe 12) said most by Edwards (who also named dropped MLK III)

Spinners: Are saying that JRE won because he was the only one who came out clean and got to be the child of light saying - come on ya'll... lets be civil and connected with voters who are sick of in fighting. they say JRE will do better - and HRC will prob not win SC but that she wasn't running in SC she was actually running in the rest of the country now - CA, NY, PA, and FL. That makes a lot of sense.... JRE Post Debate Video

Wow! Goodness.... I'm tired. WHEW! Anderson Cooper spins it as rough and tumble. You know I've been a pretty strong fan of Obama but I feel like he lost this one. I am not sure who won if it was JRE or HRC...

The spin room is going wild - everyone is shaking hands while reporters are asking questions. Anderson Cooper is replaying large chunks of the debates.

Why should MLK Endorse you
JRE: Because I want to end poverty and create equality and I've been pushing this as loudly as I can and I'll do it as long as I can. He pushed the voting rights issue - and what we need is a pres that believes to their core who is ready to fight for equality and it might not get votes but its the right thing to do.

BO: wouldn't endorse any of us - he would ask America to hold us accountable. He was about bottom up organizing. Them arguing, mobilizing, and forcing elected officials to be accountable, thats how we'll bring about change... Video HERE

HRC: no doubt change comes from the efforts of the american people - and I'm sitting here as a result of this. MLK knew this and did all he could so he could get them over the line so we could have these. And then there was a meeting of morality and politics - american people shouldn't have to work so hard to force leaders to lead with moral values.

8:59: JRE: Beyond a short term foreign policy of convenience - combat global poverty compat HIV, takes young people who are sitting on the fence and Al Queda and jihad and US on the other and if we are a bad country we will drive them in the other direction - but with America as a light we can bring them back to us - we need to be that light again.

8:57 BO - "No ones hands are clean - there is a difference between accepting money and running your campaign by having it be a big part of it... but I don't want to go down that road" huh? I'm confused... what just happened here... Then something about John McCain and security and HRC isn't good on security and meeting with leaders and fear mongering and playing on "their battlefield" and repair our relationships around the world

8:55 JRE - day one: won't have corporate lobbyists working in my white house on day one - will HRC make the same promise. HRC "you take money who are children of lobbyists and spouses of lobbyists" JRE "is that a no - when someone gives you millions of dollars I think they expect something." HRC "and trial lawyers give you millions" JRE "And they expect me to stand up for a jury trial, for democracy, and for the little guy and that's what I do" HRC "Barack has a lot lobbyists leading his campaign and JRE has had people on his campaign who are lobbyists" I don't know if this is true at all actually. VIDEO HERE

8:53: HRC beating them all (beating JRE and BO in national polls... very true.. doesn't win against McCain... looking for poll to link for you.) HRC - they have been after me year after year and I'm still here.

8:52 BO comes back and talks about how he does win against McCain and how he was competitive in areas of NV where dems haven't been in some time (very true). BO talks about his faith and the least of us and how we shouldn't concede the faith based folks.

8:45: JRE: important to know voters aren't just voting in a primary - and we have to think about November - who will tough enough to compete against John McCain in November. JRE will be in SC - and we can't concede these states where we know that we always do well in Chicago and NY, Seattle, are we competitive in the rural areas, the tougher areas. Nothing to do with race and gender. He grew up in rural south and he can compete against McCain - and JRE is the only one who beat McCain everywhere in america. (note: BO does too - HRC does not however win against McCain in a general election)
VIDEO HERE

I like those red chairs on stage... those are nice.

8:42 BO talks about how important is when taking on GOP and redrawing the political map. This clearly affects us here in Kansas Land. Dems haven't had a working majority in a long time - I'm curious if he will come close to saying that HRC can't get the GOP to play nice. He bashes Bush & Co. in shooting their own party in the foot. VIDEO HERE

8:40 In NH HRC found vote - does WJC need to shut up? HRC says "he cares a lot about this - its not about our spouses" (but WJC helps a lot) "who is the best president?" she didn't answer the question...

8:39 JRE goes bio - lived in the segregated south and saw up close the blood sweat and tears and lives of those - what they went through. Video HERE

HRC says GOP doesn't talk about it - there are some things we don't talk about either. If we really believe if every american is of equal value - when are we going to start living together? We have got in housing and economic policy create the kind of opportunity for people to move - shouldn't be rich folks who are worried about crime or school they get to move - everyone should have that chance." Gets applause...

8:37 Woman next to me says "Amen sister" to HRC talking about pay equity... a woman who originally told me she was a republican who hated HRC..

8:35 BO poverty - "shouldn't focus on race and gender we shouldn't ignore problems of race or gender in America...." good point.... but I'm sure politically it can turn a candidate into the "woman" or the "black candidate" faster than Bill O'Reily can kiss Bush's bum. Hate to be political but... its just the reality....

8:32 HRC comes up with a good way of referring to JRE - "Son of the South" Fred Douglas quote - Right has no sex and truth has no color.... MLK Name drop count = 10

VIDEO HERE

8:31 Is Bill Clinton black? BO: admires his work. Admires "no seriously" each generation can create a vision for how we treat each other and WJC deserves credit for that. I have to investigate more in his dancing abilities before I decide whether Bill is a brother. (people like this) HRC: I'm sure it can be arranged. . . .

8:28 JRE was involved with Urban Minstries who takes care of the poorest of the poor. He's been in a fight with Bill O - about the 200,000 men and women who wore our uniforms who live in poverty. We talk about 37m people who live in poverty (more than state of CA) "but I'll never forget the woman in KC who worked full time and in the winter she couldn't pay her rent and her heating bill at the same time. She had to put her kids in all their cloths, pile blankets on top of them to keep them warm. And when they would go to school she told them - please... please don't tell anyone about this because they will take you away from me... No more... not in America..." Had to type that cause it was about a home town family.

8:25 BO - I do have a plan... its true its here BO talked to kids in neighborhoods who had high hopes but we didn't put $ into helping them achieve it. Thats what he did as a civil rights lawyer and as a state legislator.

BO: "One last point - media has focused a lot on race (stay tuned to my blog tomorrow about that) white black latino - people want to move beyond divisions and join together to create a movement for change... BO - media sucks - its hard when we have a black man, a woman, and... um... John... JRE shakes head like.. huh? VIDEO HERE