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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

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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.

MAINdigest

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.

MAINdigest

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.

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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

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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??

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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 a