The Spencerian

Bachmann in Decline

Over at FiveThirtyEight, Nate Silver has some graphics which don't bode well for the Michele Bachmann for President campaign.

Nate explains: 

We see that Mrs. Bachmann’s numbers have faded a bit — to an average of about 8 percent, as compared with a peak of roughly 12 percent that she achieved in mid-July. It’s not a catastrophic decline, but since we’re now seeing quite a few polls of Republican voters, it’s larger than can be explained by statistical noise alone.

I confess, I'm torn on this.  There was a small piece of me that would have relished it had Congresswoman Bachmann gotten the nomination.  It'd have been a disaster for the GOP.  Of course, it was never going to happen (to be fair to Nate, he does see a scenario in which Bachmann can get to the nomination, but it's a long, tough, complex road).

The other -- admittedly, much larger -- piece of me is glad she's fading.  Good riddance.

I only just finished the Ryan Lizza piece in the August 15 edition of the New Yorker on Bachmann.  It should give any sentient being chills.  

Bachmann belongs to a generation of Christian conservatives whose views have been shaped by institutions, tracts, and leaders not commonly known to secular Americans, or even to most Christians. Her campaign is going to be a conversation about a set of beliefs more extreme than those of any American politician of her stature, including Sarah Palin, to whom she is inevitably compared. Bachmann said in 2004 that being gay is “personal enslavement,” and that, if same-sex marriage were legalized, “little children will be forced to learn that homosexuality is normal and natural and that perhaps they should try it.” Speaking about gay-rights activists, that same year, she said, “It is our children that is the prize for this community.” She believes that evolution is a theory that has “never been proven,” and that intelligent design should be taught in schools.

These folks aren't politicians.  Hell, they don't even like government.  These are rabid, two-bit charlatans whose sole agenda is to push their twisted version of Christianity into whatever unfortunate corner of our broken, beat-up world they set their collective eye to.

Please don't get me wrong.  I don't feel any better about Rick Perry, down in Texas presumably praying the wildfires away.  He's as crazy as Bachmann.  Any human being with even a modicum of decency would cower in shame if they stood by the serious (and profoundly absurd) proposals of secession of their state followed by the statement that climate change is a hoax after helplessly witnessing the ravaging of their own state by wildfires that have burned an area the size of Connecticut. 

Will Perry now accept federal disaster funds?  And how will the merciless scorching of his state speak to the power of prayer?   

Nevermind, of course.  You'll notice in that chart up there that he's the red line rocketing towards the ceiling.

I'm not so sure Perry, like Bachmann, won't fade as well.  I remain unclear on the case for Perry, much like I always remained a little foggy on the case for Bachmann, except that she hated gay people, loved god, was somewhat articulate in her hatred of Obama, and that was about it.  It certainly wasn't her legislative accomplishments, such as they were.  

I am also not sure Bachmann is totally out of the picture just yet.  If an "establishment" candidate -- say, Romney -- gets the nomination, he may need a wingnut to balance the ticket for the tea partiers.  

Bachmann may just be the answer.

Political Newsclippings, Issue 2, Vol. V: Love Letter to a Beautiful Mind, The Taxman Cometh, Ben Kirby Trivia, Bring The Funny, and More

I have been struggling with this first part a bit, and I don't know why.

Well, maybe I know a little bit why.  It's because this segment of the Newsclippings is personal, not so much an actual clipping per se.  I want to tell you about a beautiful political mind, the most savvy I've ever come across, maybe ever, and frankly, that's saying something.  I talk about working in Washington some, but I try not to be real braggy and gross about it.  The point is, I've met a lot of political people.  A lot.

I've met all kinds of people, in fact, and none of them with a few very notable exceptions have as versatile a political sensibility as my wife, Duncan Warner Kirby. 

This is going to embarrass her, probably horribly.  I don't mean to. 

It is her birthday today, and I have a million kinds of love letters I'd like to write to her, because I feel a million kinds of love for her.  And she deserves to have every one of them written.  She's a wonderful wife and a great mother.

But because this is a political blog, I've got to do what I can to stay on-message.  You probably already know that Duncan and I met on Jan Schneider's campaign for Congress in 2002.  I remember watching her work on that campaign.  She poured a lot into it, she was dedicated, even though the whole thing was a zoo.

Here's the thing -- she works hard.  And when we were in Washington, D.C., she worked hard for the non-profit and the research firm which employed her.  When she managed Keith Fitzgerald's campaign in 2006, she kept working hard.  I like to think I'm the king of rolling up your sleeves and getting to it, but next to her I look like Rumplestiltskin on Ambien. 

But the very best part of those campaigns -- Jan's, and then Keith's in '06, '08, and the little bit we did last year -- was when she allowed me in close enough to call it collaboration.  You can almost feel her mind working.  Her passion for substance and policy and issues combined with the will to work and change is nothing less than a force of nature, like a freight train going by your window.  It's a natural velocity you can't even come close to stopping.  You can only sit back in awe and watch the fire in her eyes burn with focus and light most two-bit burnout politico kids in D.C. only dream about after a West Wing marathon and too many martinis.

Duncan is working on her M.P.A., and is throwing herself into her coursework with her usual vigor.  I don't remember the class, but they're doing a reading on the forced sterilization of Native American women which took place in the 60s and 70s (and um, just a quick aside: Fuck all!  Seriously?  I am embarrassed and ashamed that I somehow didn't know about this awful, sickening part of our very recent history).  She had me read the paper she was reading for her class on this issue of forced sterilization, and how it came to be in America (hey, some people watch "Two and a Half Men" -- we read peer-reviewed policy journal articles and write bizarre, rambling blog posts).

She was tired, but I could see it.  As tragic and gut-wrenching and awful as the subject matter was, she was as passionate about it, as engaged and interested in it as I've ever seen her.  Duncan cares.  And Duncan is smart enough to be the person who does more than sit at a keyboard and write about how to make America better.  She'll go out and do it.  I can't wait to be there with her when she does.

Anyway, like I said, it's her birthday.  I love her very much, which I think is obvious, and I think she is just wonderful.  Oh, and don't worry.  This won't embarrass her.  She doesn't read my blog, so if you thought I was doing this to score brownie points, forget it.

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Hospital grifter Governor Rick Scott unveiled his budget for the state.  I linked to that good editorial from the Times, but I'm not going to burden you with all the links to the budget and breakdowns.  You can find those easy enough at this point.

If anyone is surprised, then I'm surprised at you.  Say what you will about the hospital grifter, this is pretty much what he promised.  It hurts state workers in many, many ways, it helps big business and the privileged elite.  It cuts critical programs that are already hurting after Amendment 1, which capped property taxes, followed by the worst economic recession in a generation. 

I'm really sorry if you thought maybe the Governor would, I don't know, find Jesus (real Jesus, not the Jesus that wants to drug test people who get food stamps).  This is who the governor is.  This is what he does. 

And this is what he will continue to do.  For four more years. 

To be fair, I agree with the assessment that it's the legislature that has the political power right now -- they're in the driver's seat.  So they probably won't take his budget lock, stock, and barrel.  But I doubt they'll follow the Times recommendation and chuck it. 

Oh, and if you're wondering what I'd do to fix the hole in our state budget, I'm actually man enough to say it out loud: raise taxes.  Start with taxes on the wealthy, then work your way down to middle-class folks like me. 

If you're really curious about what I'd do as governor with my party in a veto-proof majority in the legislature, it'd be this: set up a commission to examine progressive taxing structures in other states (like North Carolina).  Then re-design the taxing structure.  Then raise taxes.

Before you recoil in horror, raising taxes is not the worst thing I've ever said.  In fact, I'm in pretty good company: 

It is not a sacrifice for the industrialist or the wage earner, the farmer or the shopkeeper, the train man or the doctor to pay more taxes, to buy more bonds, to forgo extra profits, to work longer or harder at the task for which he is best fitted, rather it is a privilege.

If you play that quote backwards on a record, Rick Scott sneaks into your window at night and cuts all your social programs while you sleep.

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Senator Jim Webb won't seek re-election: this is going to be a tough one for Democrats.  Looks like Tim Kaine is the front-runner to replace Webb.  But I wouldn't call him a lock just yet.  By the way, it looks like racist turd George Allen is going to try to make a comeback on the Republican side.   

Keep your eyes on this one.  Could be interesting.

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The saga of Nerdy Apple Bottom continues.  The latest twist is a little heartbreaking, but she's really quite something.  A remarkable story.   

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What do you suppose is wrong with Matt Lauer?

This right here is why I stopped watching The Today Show.  That, and Roker just got way too creepy.

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Time for a little Ben Kirby Trivia. 

I have been what I derisively refer to as vegetarian-lite for a few years now.  About 2005, I decided to stop eating meat.  This was mostly thanks to Duncan, who has been a vegetarian pretty much all her life.  I stopped eating red meat, pork, and poultry, and I did it all cold... um... tofurkey.  I drew a hard and firm line at seafood, my one true culinary indulgence (don't get between me and some steamed crabs with Old Bay and a pitcher of Coors Light). 

It was the right thing to do, and it was very, very tough.  Even today I still crave a Buffalo Grill burger every once and again.  There's something about a pepperoni pizza that is as good for your soul as it is bad for your arteries.  I pine for prosciutto.  I get a hankerin' for an old fashioned Philly cheese steak.  There's something not right about green beans that aren't cooked with a gigantic ham hock.  Do you know how hard it is to live in Tampa and not be able to eat a Cuban sandwich?

A couple of years ago we kind of dialed it back a notch.  We do poultry now, which makes life a whole lot easier.  The real truth is, it's pretty easy -- and it's healthier if you plan your meals out.  Lots more fruits and vegetables and grains.

Nonetheless, when I saw this, all I could think about were greasy slabs of pork fat in my great aunt's black iron skillet, sizzling and popping away.

I miss bacon like a forlorn lover.

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I've got a friend -- at least in the Facebook definition -- out there, a guy I like and respect, and I know he's down.  When you're pals are down, it's your duty to try and coerce a smile. 

And really, that's pretty much all I'm good for.

Your hiliarous Uncle Ben brings the funny...

In the form of Steve Harvey, and our corrupt, soulless nation:

Funnier than this?  The debate continues...

 -- More later --

 

Political Newsclippings, Issue 1, Vol. V: Enterprising Ventures, Good Sports, Shake It Up, and More

The Captain Owen Honors/USS Enterprise video scandal managed to capture my attention.  During his time as XO of the Enterprise, Honors made some raunchy videos to entertain the sailors on board.  Today he has been relieved of command. 

A high-ranking Navy officer who produced and showed raunchy videos to the crew of an aircraft carrier three or four years ago is expected to be relieved of his command of the ship, defense officials said Tuesday.

A senior defense official said the announcement on Capt. Owen Honors of the USS Enterprise was expected Tuesday afternoon. The officials said the Navy has chosen a commander to replace Honors on the nuclear-powered ship that is currently stationed in Norfolk and scheduled to deploy to the Middle East this month.

Anyone who posses even a passing familiarity with this blog knows I maintain an abiding respect for those who serve in the military.  I have great disdain for the war of choice we started in Iraq, and it seems by all outward appearances that Afghanistan has simply come off the rails.  But there is a difference between disapproving of the war(s), and disapproving of those who serve their country in the thick of them.  They are certainly far braver than I, and their service is worthy of honor. 

You probably also already know that I worked closely with several active duty military officers during my time at the Drug Czar's office (under General McCaffrey).  Looking back on the mid- to late-90s, I have a very, very difficult time imagining any of my military co-workers from that time doing anything as stupid as what Owens did.

This is really not rocket science.  If you ran an organization or company of six thousand people, would you think it a wise business move to make raunchy videos and show your employees?  Of course not.  Indeed, the military is quite different than a business, but there are underlying principles that remain the same.  And Owens should have known better.

I even understand that as the XO he was in charge of morale, that militarized life aboard what amounts to a floating city is very different from our everyday working experiences, and that the young men and women under his command were under a great deal of stress every day.  He had a tall order to fill generally, and certainly with respect to morale. 

None of that is excuse enough, or even comes close. 

The gay slurs seem especially out of touch with reality, given the long-awaited repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" -- it's more than just tone-deaf, more than just careless. 

My disappointment comes in expecting much, much better from my Armed Forces.  The amount of money that goes to the "defense" of this nation is so astounding, especially in a difficult fiscal environment, that I don't think it's too much to maintain high standards for those who serve.  As I think we all should.  This behavior certainly did not meet those standards.

As with many aspects of American society, so too is the United States military undergoing dramatic social change.  All the more reason to peek outside the bubble of the Enterprise and the United States Navy to take stock of the nation and the world.  If only to perhaps read up on a little history...

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For my friends in Gulfport: Chief Robert Vincent, the Gulfport Chief of Police, has a blog, here -- and it's pretty good.  His latest post is about pensions, which are going to be a tough issue all over the state. 

Check it out and see what you think.

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I'm not sure if this is a trend yet, but there's another "sports" figure critical of Obama out today.  And I have a couple of questions here before I make any defense of Obama:  Does anyone really care what a sports professional has to say about public policy and the leadership of America?  Is anyone else uncomfortable with this melding of worlds?  It's like when I was a kid and I'd play G.I. Joe, but in a strange dimensional crossover sometimes introduce Star Wars characters to the mix.  Um, yeah, when I was a kid...

What's more, does anyone know or care who Jacob Volkmann is?  Well, me either.  But he is an ultimate fighter, which is essentially a boxing for dummies kind of deal. 

Said Volkmann, whom I can only assume was headed towards his local Mensa meeting at the time, of who he wanted to fight next: 

"Actually, Obama. He's not too bright. Someone's gotta knock some sense into that idiot."

Actually, Dr. Volkmann (he is a chiropractor!  This is true!), the one who is going to feel like an idiot is you after you get a visit from the United States Secret Service.  It'll be unpleasant.  Think of it as a kind of verbal knee to the face and a poke in the eye.

This comes on the heels of an earlier interview with Baltimore Oriole and resident Camden Yards brainiac Luke Scott.  Scott came out full birther to the Yahoo! Sports Answer Man:

 "[Obama] was not born here," Scott asserted to Answer Man in the session's last segment. "That's my belief. I was born here. If someone accuses me of not being born here, I can go — within 10 minutes — to my filing cabinet and I can pick up my real birth certificate and I can go, 'See? Look! Here it is. Here it is.' The man has dodged everything. He dodges questions, he doesn't answer anything."

In fairness to the Answer Man, and to his great credit, he provided a copy of Obama's birth certificate within the article.  

The tired birther deal is troubling enough, but the De Leon Springs native, .269 career hitter, and Oriole's MVP for 2010 couldn't help but continue the rant (in between an awful lot of uncomfortable talk about guns and Ted Nugent; ugh):

QUESTION: So how's Obama doing?

LUKE SCOTT: Obama ... hmm ... Obama does not represent America. Nor does he represent anything what our forefathers stood for. This country is basically built on an attitude. It's a way of life. It's not because you're born here. It's not that you're supposed to take from those who have and give to those who haven't. That kills a country. It killed Russia.

The bold is mine, because I wanted you to see how this starts.  Obama does not represent America.  That is quite a statement, Luke, with an awful lot of dangerous implications.  You're already in foul territory.  You sure you want to keep going?  

He does, he does: 

I have friends of mine who are in the ministry who [work] in churches in Russia. If they can describe [the country] in one [phrase], it's "messed up beyond repair."

That's what communism does. Cuba, Venezuela. People are trying to escape these lands like a plague. What would make a human being swim 90 miles in shark-infested waters on a raft made of tires and planks? To leave their culture, their family, their language, their way of life. Everything they've ever known. What would make someone do that?

You don't see people in America doing that. There's no one here in America swimming the Pacific Ocean — or the Atlantic, or the Caribbean — to leave this place. The reason why is because of the freedom. Freedom for a man to mark out his own destiny. It's not, "Hey, you have so much." Hey, that person worked for that. That's not to be taken and given to someone who didn't put in the time, the effort, and do his part.

Obama, he doesn't represent that. He represents, "Hey, everyone. Give me votes and I'll give you stuff." And there's even people on TV who [are asked], "Hey, who you voting for?"

"I'm voting for Obama."

"Why?"

"So I can get more free stuff."

This, if you're wondering, is where Luke's reasoning goes off the cliff.  Kind of hard to keep reading, but why not try?

That's not what makes this country great. That's what tears down a people, tears down nations. Hence, the problem we're having in this country, where we're experiencing unemployment. We're experiencing all of these negative things that are happening in our land as a direct result of that type of attitude — of too much government involvement, of moral decay, and of people lacking honor and integrity.

Eighty years ago, 50 years ago, a man would walk up to another man and go in for loan. He'd extend his hand, he'd shake it and he'd look at the man and he'd say, "I'll pay this back." He would do it. You couldn't even ... to even mention that [scenario] today ... is that a cartoon fantasy? That's how far we are removed.

If any of that makes any sense to you, I urge you to leave your interpretation in the comments.  Is he saying that elections tear people down?  Is he suggestion Obama bribed people for votes?  This seems to be exactly what he is saying.

The problem is, the guy is not a regular on the This Week roundtable.  He doesn't have an opinion column in the Washington Post.  He's not writing policy papers at Brookings.  

He's a slightly better than average baseball player for a team that ended up dead-last in the American League East standings.  (And to be fair to the Orioles organization, they released a statement distancing themselves quite far from Luke's comments.) 

If I had Luke Scott's talent, I'd make damn sure I stuck with baseball.

Oh, and before I get a lot of crap about "everyone can have an opinion -- you just don't like his" kind of stuff: Yes.  It's true.  Everyone can have an opinion.  Everyone should have a well-informed, articulate opinion. 

My point here is that I'm starting to see more and more thoughtless, careless comments from people who are clearly ill-informed.  Not right or wrong -- just without all the facts.  If I were Luke Scott, I'd be pretty embarrassed by that interview.  The Answer Man literally provided correct answers to several of his untrue statements.  Whether you're a media savvy public policy wonk or a baseball player, who could possibly think that's a good thing?  

You struck out, Luke. 

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A White House staff shake-up is not surprising at all.  I'm sure the time-honored Beltway parlor game of who-goes-where is in full-effect right now in bars and restaurants around D.C.

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Um.  Ookaaayyy...  Say what you will about Justice Scalia -- he's almost always entertaining. 

Also, I find his views on pizza to be abhorrent. 

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I always wondered how the rich got richer, and well... this is how.

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Speaking of the rich, congratulations to my fellow Floridians: Rick Scott is officially our governor.  

So much to blog about, so little time.

 -- More later --

Political Newsclippings, Issue 11, Vol. IV: Hot Deals, Race, Good Government, and More

Well, Obama and the Republicans in Congress have struck a deal to continue to the Bush tax cuts across the board -- including the wealthiest Americans.  Here's the Washington Post story on the deal. 

Although his liberal supporters are furious about the decision, President Obama's willingness to extend all of the George W. Bush-era tax cuts is part of what White House officials say is a deliberate strategy: to demonstrate his ability to compromise with Republicans and portray the president as the last reasonable man in a sharply partisan Washington.

Here is a New York Times editorial on the whole thing.

President Obama’s deal with the Republicans to extend all the Bush-era income tax cuts is a win for the Republicans and their strategy of obstructionism and a disappointing retreat by the White House.

We suppose it could have been worse. The deal could help to stimulate the weak economy. And if the Republicans had blocked an extension of unemployment benefits, as they were threatening to, millions of Americans would have suffered greatly.

But the country can’t afford to continue tax cuts for the rich indefinitely. And by kicking the issue down the road to 2012 — a presidential election year — it all but guarantees more craven politicking then. 

Some economists have said that the cuts won't stimulate the economy at all, and the liberal base is indeed furious (Twitter, I'm discovering, is actually a fairly decent political barometer, if you're following enough people). 

My take is two-fold.  First, it seems that the extension of unemployment benefits for 13 more months is a very big (and much needed) win for Obama.  Also, I feel like he's done a nice job of co-opting the victory message from Republicans -- one of the few advantages for always looking for compromise is when you finally do get compromise, you can flog it as a legitimate victory.  And when you're as rhetorically gifted as Obama is, that works out quite well.

Second, I would counsel my liberal friends that, politically, this is not the hill to die on, as they say.  What is looming now are budget cuts -- serious ones.  The deficit problems aren't going away, and Obama and the Republicans just closed the door on increasing the funding streams, however modestly, to fill that budget hole. 

Which means cuts.  Big, big cuts.  

Cuts, and gimmicky crap like the Federal employee pay freeze, which saves the equivalent of pocket change as compared to, oh, say Fort Knox.  

Extending tax cuts and the pay freeze are, of course, the tip of a very nasty iceberg.  I think we're starting to see the narrative for domestic policy develop for the course of the next two years, and it involves a lot of pain and misery.  (Hint: if you're close to retirement, you may want to pay attention...)

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A couple of must-reads on race and history over at Balloon-Juice.  First from Angry Black Lady on a progressive wing (splinter group, more like) that has reverted to racist ads in challenging Obama.  (Also, as a brief aside, I knew there was something I didn't like about Jane Hamsher and Fire Dog Lake).

The other must-read is from Dennis G.  (He's managed to define, successfully, the Republicans as a "Confederate Party".)

The key to victory when dealing with the Confederate Party has alway been to keep your eye on the prize—to keep your focus on the slow and steady work to perfect our Union. This work is about governing and the slow bending of the arc of progress towards justice. It is tedious and unnoticed work. It is about passing laws and then writing smart regulations to move those laws towards justice—and then implementing them. It is work that almost never gets a mention in a news cycle. It never wins the morning over at Pravda on the Potomac. It never wins the Tweet cycle. And yet—over time—it does win the day. It does move us towards a more perfect Union.

This is why I am an optimist. This is why—despite the current levels of Republican obstructions—I know that they are Confederate dead-enders and that time, reality and demographics are moving them to the dustbin of history.

This fight has been going on for 200 years. It is important to understand that you move towards steady progress by the embrace of persistence, patience and pragmatism.

Read all of it, I implore you.  It should almost be required reading for students of history and politics.

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If you're ever trying to put your finger on what is wrong with Republican thinking, it's this right here, via Rumproast (one of the best blogs around).  

Kate O’Beirne, crone denizen of The Capitol Gang and Washington DC editor of The National Review announces at a GOP strategy session, “I just don’t get why millions of school children qualify for school breakfasts unless we have a major wide spread problem with child neglect.” 

Mrs. O’Beirne just can’t imagine how a poor, single mom can’t get a bowl of cereal and a banana on the table before school in the morning without said mom being a child abuser.

You'll want to be sure to check out the video.

You know, I used to think that Republicans just didn't get it, that they were fundamentally misinformed, that they had collectively botched the facts.  I attribute this faulty thinking to a persistent optimism, which in politics can be a real albatross around your neck.

This bunch isn't just woefully misinformed; they're despicably evil.  They have actually purchased the now-cliched false reality that Ronald Reagan sold them so many years ago of the welfare queen cruising around town in a Cadillac.  And they've settled themselves in this non-reality not because they were duped, but because they want to be there.

And despite Reagan's false admonition that "government is the problem," it is not government that these folks hate.  

It is poor people.  It is the less fortunate, and it is their failure, for lack of a better word.  It is acknowledging the fact that we all fall down and some of us (many of us) need a helping hand.  Whether it is a mother struggling to make ends meet or an unemployed person, these are who the Republicans loathe.

They loathe them, their fellow Americans, because they are a living testimony that America is not a shining city on a hill, it is not perfection, it is not happiness -- it is the pursuit of happiness. 

The guarantee is that we all have an opportunity to pursue that happiness. 

Government, by the way, is supposed to be the honest broker who makes sure that opporunity is applied equally.

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Elizabeth Edwards is gravely ill.  Our thoughts are with her and her family.

UPDATE: Mrs. Edwards has died.  She was 61.

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Can anyone really believe this is actually being discussed by sentient human beings?   

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The Stogie, ever the visual blogger, has a picture that'll make your skin crawl... 

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Dave at Re/Creating Tampa asks a good question about watch-dogging corruption (there's so much to watch...)

 -- More later -- 

Political Newsclippings, Issue 10, Vol. IV: Sad Departures, Stem Cells, Strong Persuaders, and More

There have been all manner of inside-baseball machinations going on in the Florida political and blog world.  Kendrick Meek has let his campaign's new media director go.  Kenneth Quinnell is the guy behind the Florida Progressive Coalition, and is as savvy a political person as you can find.  Click here to read Kenneth's post about his leaving the campaign. 

September 15 will be my last day with the Kendrick Meek campaign. I was effectively laid off based on two reasons: 1. I couldn’t move to Miami to work out of the campaign headquarters. I am the divorced father of three young children, at least one of whom is special needs, and I can’t live eight hours away at this point. 2. It really is a luxury for a campaign to have a full-time paid new media director when you are facing the combined fund-raising prowess of the sitting governor of one of the largest and most powerful states in the union and the darling of the Tea Party movement.

Well, let's see -- on point two, that seems to make sense.  Kendrick has got to spend every penny wisely, and Florida is an expensive state.  It's a tough call, but those are the hard choices you have to make in any campaign. 

On point one, that is as detailed a personal reason as you could want.  I have a lot of respect for anyone who recognizes their qausi-public senior role in a campaign (which itself is really always public), and shares enough personal detail to give you context and perspective.  And yeah, as a fellow father, I am as biased as can be.

Despite Kenneth's good reasoning, and his good will towards the campaign, he drew some fire.  Michael Hussey runs a blog I read regularly and enjoy, Pushing Rope.  He's not been a fan of the Meek campaign, and apparently is not a fan of Kenneth, either.  Click here to read what he had to say about Kenneth's departure.   

At this point, I'm going to refer you to the Reid Report's take as well as the view of Peter at Saint Petersblog (who had nice things to say about this blog, which I really appreciate). 

Kenneth had a response to Michael's post here.  Excerpt:

See if you can spot the first big factual error in what Michael posted after you read this quote that I posted earlier: “So my position is being eliminated and the duties handed off to other positions.”

If you can’t spot it, I’ll highlight it for you: “The Meek campaign is taking on a new media director. No word yet on who that will be.”

My position is being eliminated. They are not taking on a new person for the position. Existing campaign staff who have other jobs will be taking on the duties that I performed.

This is Michael's follow-up.  Excerpt:

Kenneth Quinnell lamented that I didn't know what he did. Kenneth, most people in Florida politics didn't know you existed. For the record: I couldn't figure out what you did. At least give me credit for acknowledging your existence.

And this is the latest from Kenneth.  Excerpt:

Michael admits to judging my performance without knowing what I did. Can’t imagine how one could defend that. Generally you find out the details about something before determining if it is good or bad. I offered Michael an opportunity to learn about what I did, he refused.

Peter Schorsch suggests that perhaps there's not really any such thing as a "liberal blogosphere in Florida":

First of all, the liberal blogosphere in Florida which Quinnell held dominion over prior to his involvement with the Meek Campaign is not even a paper tiger, it’s a digital tiger.  The left-wing blogosphere in Florida is a myth.  It doesn’t exist.  Or if it does, it is simply an echo chamber for the worst side of the Democratic Party.

Given that the last email I got on the Florida Progressive listserve was from a Green Party write-in candidate for Congress talking about what a terrible gubernatorial candidate Alex Sink is, Peter may be on to something.  

That said, my take is that Michael is being too tough on Kenneth.  The guy has a family to take care of.  And hey, Gelber's campaign was the first to host bloggers on a conference call, and Kendrick followed suit once Kenneth joined.  That matters, at least to me. 

As for the advertising, well, I don't have ads on my blog so I don't really care.  If this is really just about advertising bucks (and I can't believe that it is), then boy, do we have a long way to go.  

I know that Kenneth has a lot of big plans for the FPC site and the organization in general.  I'm looking forward to the changes.  Who knows -- maybe Michael will like it, too.  

# # # #

A federal appeals court has permitted the funding of stem cell research -- for now.

The government is asking the appeals court in Washington to strike down a preliminary order by U.S. District Judge Royce Lamberth blocking federal funding for some stem cell research.

The three-member appeals panel says it is suspending Lamberth's ruling for now. The appeals judges say they want more time to deal with issues in the government's appeal.

Lamberth rejected the administration's request to let funding continue while it pursues an appeal of his order.

The appeals court said the purpose of its administrative stay was to give the judges sufficient opportunity to consider the merits of the Justice Department's emergency motion which seeks to suspend Lamberth's ruling.

On the legal side, I feel certain this is going to get to the Supreme Court.  On the political side, this is one of those issues that carried Obama to the White House, and Democrats to wide margins in Congress in 2008.  Count on it being a political issue again.

# # # #

I hope you can take a minute and help out Keith Fitzgerald.  Speaking from up close and personal experience, his last two races have been razor-close.  And this one looks to be the same, though the opponent is different. 

# # # #

It certainly is interesting and good news that Obama is re-emerging onto the campaign trail swinging for the fences.  But I am linking to this story from the usually restrained and often lyrical Mustang Bobby because of the title: Getting a Boehner.  It's a reference to House Minority Leader John Boehner (pronounced "BAY-ner" for whatever it's worth), and, um... well, you know.  I don't think the FPC does a Netroots Award for Best Title of a Post, but if they did, I'd nominate this one in a heartbeat.  

# # # #

This is really just an awful story and hard to read.

# # # #

I weep for my fellow communications majors everywhere. 

And I ask Duncan: how's that Master's in Public Administration working out for you?

# # # #

Political Newsclippings, Issue 9, Vol. IV: Spies, Smugglers, Soldiers, Sacrifice and More

Big environmental news out of Gulfport.

Most of you don’t know that soon to be 5th grader Catherine Hicks of 45th St. South, Gulfport made a heartfelt presentation to the City Council seeking their help in saving Clam Bayou and her feathered friends who live and die there.  It was a wonderful presentation and we have provided the full text below.

Through Mayor Yakes, she received a patronizing response that the Council had acted on the issue and that work was underway to fix the problem.  What they didn’t tell her was that precious little was being done to preserve the Bayou in Gulfport, the part that serves as her back yard.  The only thing that is being done in Gulfport is to remove some silt that had created a blockage to the flow.  They didn’t tell her that the 6-7 feet of nasty runoff from St. Pete’s streets that had accumulated for 50 years is going to stay right where it is and that, instead, a 35 acre “water feature” is being created in St. Pete as a replacement for Clam Bayou.

Good job, Catherine.  Keep advocating -- it may take a little time, but people will listen! 

# # # #

You know, given how big the intelligence industrial complex turned out to be, you think we would have already caught all of these hot spies and smugglers.

Memorandum to gigantic American spy network: it's called Facebook.  Check it out.

# # # #

I was going to do a link to Thomas Ricks' underwhelmed reaction to the whole Wikileaks thing.  He has a better post up I'll link to in a moment.  But first, with respect to Wikileaks and the 90+ thousand classified documents they published out of the war in Afghanistan, I find it presents a fascinating question.  Most sane people have had a similar reaction to Ricks's: so what?  The war is going badly.  Tell us something we don't know already.  Yes, and what's the next step now that we are all sort of made aware of this ugly truth? 

While you're unraveling the moral (not to mention legal) implications of Wikileaks, let me link here to the guest blogger Mr. Ricks had today.  Blake Hall is a former Army Captain and a member of the Army Rangers.  He is a co-founder of TroopSwap, and write about "PTSD," a term he says he despises.  

Excerpting his post about the dangers and the national tragedy of post traumatic stress disorder and what it does to soldiers would not do it justice.  Please read Captain Hall's important post.

# # # # 

Indeed, read Captain Hall's post... then read this. 

The package arrived at Cindy Lohman’s home in Great Mills, Maryland, just two weeks after she learned that her son, Ryan, a 24-year-old Army sergeant, had been killed by a bomb in Afghanistan. It was a thick, 9-inch-by- 12-inch envelope from Prudential Financial Inc., which handles life insurance for the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Inside was a letter from Prudential about Ryan’s $400,000 policy. And there was something else, which looked like a checkbook. The letter told Lohman that the full amount of her payout would be placed in a convenient interest-bearing account, allowing her time to decide how to use the benefit.

“You can hold the money in the account for safekeeping for as long as you like,” the letter said. In tiny print, in a disclaimer that Lohman says she didn’t notice, Prudential disclosed that what it called its Alliance Account was not guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., Bloomberg Markets magazine reports in its September issue.

[snip]

Lohman, a public health nurse who helps special-needs children, says she had always believed that her son’s life insurance funds were in a bank insured by the FDIC. That money -- like $28 billion in 1 million death-benefit accounts managed by insurers -- wasn’t actually sitting in a bank.

It was being held in Prudential’s general corporate account, earning investment income for the insurer. Prudential paid survivors like Lohman 1 percent interest in 2008 on their Alliance Accounts, while it earned a 4.8 percent return on its corporate funds, according to regulatory filings.

“I’m shocked,” says Lohman, breaking into tears as she learns how the Alliance Account works. “It’s a betrayal. It saddens me as an American that a company would stoop so low as to make a profit on the death of a soldier. Is there anything lower than that?”

Yes, Ms. Lohman, there is something lower than that. 

Not cutting entitlements so Neel Kashkari can make a few billion more.  It's always this "me first" mentality with you people who lose your sons in war.  So shortsighted.  The invisible hand of the free market will fix everything.

# # # # 

The people who will bring you more of this evil apparently have a great shot at the U.S. House in November -- though the Senate is still looking elusive. 

How is just beyond me.   

# # # #

I really enjoyed this post from Mustang Bobby on Phyllis Schalfly, class and race.  If you're looking for a steady diet of quality writing like Bark Bark Woof Woof, bookmark it and visit daily.

# # # #

Kendrick Meek as his first ad out.

It's an interesting strategy: attacking Jeff Greene.  Most of the time what you see in a first TV ad is a nice, gauzy introduction to the candidate.  Hi, I'm Kendrick.  And this is my wife and kids.  I'm from Miami!  I like to do a lot of the things you do.  I believe in these issues -- and I'll fight for them!  There'll be a lot of good video montages with the usual clips included: Kendrick in a hard-hat at a jobs site.  Kendrick nodding sternly at an old person in a VFW cap.  Kendrick in a parade waving to kids.  Kendrick doing that thumb-laid-over-forefinger-fist thing that Bill Clinton perfected (they actually call that "Clinton Thumb"), lecturing a bunch of people in suits.  Kendrick looking hopeful at the American flag.  And if you didn't have enough for the montage, a few seconds of Kendrick looking earnestly into the camera.

I mean, that's certainly the safe road.  Or at least the usual road.  Kendrick has had his critics (myself included).  And there are plenty of people who don't like this -- who say that this is a terrible way for Meek to introduce himself to the voters (Pushing Rope and Saint Petersblog have ripped it good).

My take is, we got a few weeks until primary day.  Kendrick's got no time to lose, so he's cutting through the bull-crap and getting to the heart of the message... and (hopefully) saving himself in the primary in the process.  I think he will.  And as the Reid Report noted, he's kicking off a big bus tour, so that'll help with the introducing himself to Floridians piece.  I kind of like that -- introduce yourself to Floridians face-to-face, attack on TV.  It's a new strategy, and I respect it.

# # # #

When the history books are written, the villians of the oil drilling fiasco will include the Republicans in the state legislature.  They're cowards and crooks. 

One hero, though, is Keith Fitzgerald.  In the midst of war and oil spills and senate races and the larger political rat race, it can be easy to lose sight of people who are making a difference, who are having a good, positive impact.  Who are making our state a better place, or at least working towards that end.  Keith is one of those people -- help him out if you can.

 -- More later -- 

Political Newsclippings, Issue 8, Vol. IV: The Year of the Bully, Men Only, Fatherhood, and More

From The Thomas Ricks Blog on Foreign Policy: why the GOP is wrong strategically... but right militarily. 

Here is the problem I have with the Republican approach. Yes, they are right that  it is not good to have a war policy the military doesn't like. And I think there is a good argument to be made against the Obama deadline.

That said, just because the military is strongly against an approach doesn't mean the approach is wrong.

Basically, because you, Barack Obama, are a Democrat (and by "Democrat" I mean "woman," which of course means you have no right commanding the United States Armed Forces, what with your vagina and all) you must do whatever the military demands. 

Hey, isn't that the definition of a coup d'etat?

It seems like -- throughout the course of my lifetime -- the standard narrative has been that Democrats are weak and silly and only Republicans can keep us safe.  Well, that is bullying of Democrats, and it is extorting of the American people. 

And given the stakes of war -- the stakes abroad, in lives, and at home, politically; though I concede the former is much more significant than the latter, the two are inextricably interwoven  -- when and if the GOP ever comes out of their spell of national insanity, this ought to be the first place they begin to sound reasonable again.

# # # #

Maybe Ralph Nader still has some lessons to teach us, this time about bullies -- or at least how not to be one. 

# # # #

Patrick Gavin writes about journalist junkets in Politico. 

I am no longer the drinking man I used to be.  I enjoy a beer every now and then.  I think Duncan and I have had the same six or eight beers on the floor of the pantry for nearly a year, now (they take up too much space in the fridge, so we only put one in when we want one).  We drink wine, but that is a rarity, too.

I admit to having enjoyed martinis with colleagues in the past -- very much a social drink -- but my real drink of choice has always been scotch.  Still is.  Reading about Ana Marie Cox's trip to Scotland to write about scotch stirred a little bit of a craving...

The flip side is, my weight is trending downward, and I'm probably as healthy as I've been since high school.  Drinking -- at least regularly -- has the direct opposite effect on that trend.  I'll stick with displine, abdominal work, and the treadmill at the gym.  

# # # #

The Florida Pipe Trades -- a union 12,000 strong -- has endorsed Charlie Crist.

"This is a bit unusual,'' said the union's international representative, John Lindstrom. "We stepped out on this one because we thought it was that important...We have probably 30-35 percent unemployment in our ranks, and we think Gov. Crist has a better handle on it and can feel our pain more than anyone else.''

A "bit unusual," indeed.  Congressman Meek, I don't know if you're getting the message here or not.  But while you're fending off recession pimp Jeff Greene, Charlie Crist is, well, winning. 

Lindstrom is laying it out for you: welders and plumbers across the state have something like 35 percent unemployment, and they "think Gov. Crist has a better handle on it and can feel our pain more than anyone else." 

"Has a better handle on it."

Can -- this one hurts -- "feel our pain".  Good Lord Almighty, Congressman, they're quoting Bill Clinton in support of Charlie Crist.  Bill Clinton endorsed you!  Has the world gone mad?

I don't know what to tell you and your campaign team, Congressman Meek.  You've got to get out there and show that you have "a better handle on it," and that you feel their pain "more than anyone else."  It's a question everyone will answer for you, so I won't be presumptuous and disrespect you like that here.  I'll just ask the question: can you do that?

Can you and your campaign prove to Floridians that there is no other candidate in the race who understands the pain and suffering of those Floridians better than you? 

You're running out of time, Congressman.

# # # #

Some may say I'm bullying Congressman Meek above.  I don't think so. 

Mustang Bobby gives us a good reminder of what bullying really is.  

Hey poor people!  You suck!  I'm rich and I'm on a fancy TV show and you make me uncomfortable, so why don't you just go to prison! 

# # # #

Speaking of gender-based bullying and the U.S. Senate race Congressman Meek is losing, here's a head-scratcher: the Florida GOP's "men only" meetings in the Bahamas. 

I don't even know where to go with that. 

I'm asking this as a legitimate, non-snark-based question: what would have been the advantage of a men-only meeting in the Bahamas in which they "thank big donors to Crist’s Amendment 1 property tax campaign"?  Weren't there women who donated and supported that campaign?  I am assuming it is so that the men could go to strip clubs and basically act like asses without their wives, girlfriends, or female co-workers around.  But who knows. 

Maybe I'm just that clueless when it comes to GOP politics. 

And these are the people who are openly stealing support from Kendrick Meek.

# # # #

Emeline update:

I have been a father for five months on Saturday.  I love it.  

Emeline is doing great.  She's growing -- up to 16 (or so) pounds.  She is smart, curious, funny, and when she wants to be, very chatty.  

It's amazing to see her begin to develop her personality.  She can be bright and charming and outgoing, and she can be coy, shy, introspective.  

I know.  It seems crazy to say that a five month old baby is introspective, or coy, or charming.  But she really is.  

People ask me what the biggest surprise with her is.  It's her love of people.  She loves people.  This I would have never predicted.  

When we went to see my sister in Missouri, she enjoyed sitting on my lap on the plane, watching all the people stand up, grab their bags and de-plane.  We took her to a Ray's game the other day.  She loved it.  She sat in my lap and looked at the kind older gentleman next to me, and just smiled and smiled.  And she smiled at his sons and grandkids he'd brought to the game.  She smiled at the Trop, about 2/3 full.  She loved the jumbo-tron.  Yeah, she got tired and slept through a few innings, but she was back up and happy as could be from about the seventh inning stretch on to the very end.  

Anyway, fatherhood is great.  I speed home from work every day, and I get to hang out with her, and we get to do story time together every night.

I could ask for more out of life, I suppose, but I honestly don't know what it would be.

# # # #

And so I consider myself very, very lucky.  Lucky inasmuch as I am able to write about politics without having to be (too much) a practitioner of it, write about campaigns without campaigning (too much), write about writing, write about being a father to my beautiful daughter, and write about war without having to go to war myself.  I fully recognize my place in the world, and it evokes a deep respect for those of us who are actually in the game, so to speak.

In the end, I hope I am always able to post pictures of my daughter like the one above, and not ones like this, to the left.  A daughter who will really only ever know her father as a folded up American flag.

There are many more remarkable pictures of this awful war in Afghanistan from The Big Picture.  It'll put some things in perspective for you, I promise.

With thanks to Ghost in the Machine for steering me that way.

 -- More later --

Political Newsclippings, Issue 7, Vol. IV: Presidential Address Echo Chamber Reaction, Mergers, Confusion, Cupcakes, and More

I saw the president's address last night and thought it was really good.  Sure, I'm biased -- I am a Democrat, I like Obama, I want him to succeed.  But even stepping outside of that, as best I can, being as objective as possible, I thought it was good.  

I believe his goal was to re-frame what the oil spill means to people.  And what it means to people right now is this horrible thing that if someone powerful were to just work harder, it could be fixed quickly, efficiently and cleanly -- all in time for the summer tourists to visit Gulf beaches.  

This crisis -- like most crises -- doesn't work that way.  Or rather, it's not going to work that way.  

There was a whole lot of really negative reaction to the remarks in the Oval Office.  I think these folks (and many, many more Beltway insiders) are missed the point.  The purpose of his address wasn't to rally a nation behind... something.  He's not a cheerleader.  In one of those linked reactions, someone actually laments that all the president gave us was talk of "a plan".  Well, just what do you think the president does?  It's the most powerful office in the universe.  Running around like a cheerleader simply reacting to things strikes me as a dangerously bad idea.    

They didn't hear what they wanted to hear.  And that is the underlying theme of the Obama Administration: he's going to tell us what we need to hear -- not what we want to hear.  It may mean short-term political paint, but it's going to be better for the country -- and this disaster -- in the long run.   

# # # #

Bill McCollum's campaign for governor is in real trouble:

Lobbyist and strategist J.M. "Mac" Stipanovich, who helped mastermind Republican Bob Martinez's winning campaign for governor in 1986, marveled at the "nerve" of Scott to have "scammed the taxpayers" while in business and now "taking that money and trying to scam them again." But Stipanovich added that McCollum is not a dynamic candidate.

"McCollum is not cut out of the same bolt of cloth as Jeb Bush or Charlie Crist or Lawton Chiles," he said.

Hey, I'm no expert on who's who in the Florida Republican Party, but I do know enough to know that Mac Stipanovich is kind of The Man.  He's a big dang deal.  And when he says -- on the record -- that you're "not a dynamic candidate," you've got big, big problems.  Seriously.

If McCollum doesn't shake up his staff soon, I'll be very surprised. 

# # # #

McCollum's opponent, Alex Sink, was on MSNBC talking oil spill and corporate thuggery at BP.  She was great. 

Keep it up, Alex. 

# # # #

As usual, Carl Hiaasen is (depressingly) right.

# # # #

Five Thirty Eight is partnering with the New York Times?  I didn't know that.  How did I not know that?

# # # #

As usual, I'm confused:

Enthusiasm Sinks for Democratic Voters

New Poll Bolsters Democrats

Do we not know what we want?  Is that the deal?

# # # #

Quick moment of personal trivia: I wear a hat (baseball cap) pretty much all the time when I'm not at work.  Work people didn't know that about me, so when the see me with one on, they get all freaky.

# # # #

In my rich fantasy life, litbrit feeds me sinfully delicious cupcakes while we blog our angry politics together.

In my real life, my own beautiful wife feeds me her own delicious dessert concoctions and thinks my blog is pretty okay.  Her smarter politics help me make it better.  

Sometimes reality is just as good -- better, even.  Still, you should be visiting with litbrit regularly, if you're not already. 

# # # #

The Rays are tied for first with the Yankees.

Stupid Yankees.

# # # #

Wow.  Just... wow.

A German man outside of Munich has been arrested after a bizarre scene where he stormed into a clubhouse of Hell’s Angels, dropped his pants and threw a puppy at gang members. He then stole a bulldozer and tried to make an extremely slow getaway.

It's hard to know where to go with that.

 -- More later --

Political Newsclippings, Issue 6, Vol. IV: Whither Journalistic Integrity, Stupid, Confused and Afraid, Twitter Rec, and More

I like to think I am usually pretty level-headed when it comes to reacting to stuff in the news.  The C-SPAN call-in show never pissed me off.  I kind of liked "Crossfire."  Overdone, reactionary stories usually roll off my back.  I read editorials from goofballs like Bobo, Krauthammer, Nooners, and worse, and 99% of the time they just never get me lit up.  Maybe it's because I'm sort of trained to watch and monitor the news professionally.  You really can't get too worked up if you get pissed off at every other editorial or news story or blog post you read.  You'll pass out before lunch.  

So I was doing okay -- until I read this from Andy Barr at Politico: Obama pushing racial 'myth'.  This gem from Sarah Palin, of course.

Former Alaska GOP Gov. Sarah Palin on Tuesday night declared that there is “no ability or opportunity” for the new Arizona immigration law to encourage racial profiling, and blamed Barack Obama for “perpetuating this myth.”

The new law allows police offices to stop anyone they suspect of being an illegal immigrant and ask to see documents proving their legal status. If the person cannot provide the documents, Arizona police now have the right to detain them until the federal government can prove they are legal.

You know, I expect as much from hillbilly snow grifter Sarah Palin, to be honest with you.  But the idea that a quote-unquote "news organization" would print this is just... stunning.

I mean, really.

Conservatives who had been bashing the new Arizona law are now backtracking -- but the truth is already out there.  Look, sometimes the law, such as it is in this case, is just common sense.  If you're a cop and you pull someone over for speeding and you suspect they are an illegal immigrant, you can ask them to verify their citizenship.  But how do you suppose that suspicion comes about?  It's true that the law states that it cannot be based solely on appearance.  But the key word there is "solely".  And it doesn't (to my knowledge) state an order in which those suspicions are gleaned.  In other words, you -- a cop -- can pull someone over for speeding.  Then you can see that they are of, say, Hispanic heritage.  Okay, there's criteria one.  Then maybe you see that they have four of their friends crammed into a sub-compact car.  Illegal aliens usually come over the border all crammed in small spaces... so... there you go.  Two criteria.  Done.  If the driver (and passengers, I guess) don't have documentation to prove they are American citizens, you're taking them to jail.  

Look, the point is not to analyze the law.  I'll leave that for the courts and the lawyers.  The point is that someone in the media should be doing it as well.  What the hell, Politico?  Please, just stop paying attention to Sarah Palin. 

# # # #

To make me feel a little better, Thomas Friedman makes a lot of good sense in the New York Times.

Much of our politics today is designed to make people stupid, confused and afraid of change. The G.O.P. has been particularly egregious on energy and climate. I believe if you talk straight to the American people on energy and climate, they will give you the right answers, and, ultimately, the support needed to trump the vested interests and lobbyists who have kept us addicted to oil. Obama has all the right instincts on this issue. He just needs to trust them. If he brings his A-game to energy legislation, Americans will follow — and then maybe we can have a good century.

Bold mine.  The (the GOP) has been "egregious" on a lot of other issues, too, Mr. Friedman (see item above). 

# # # #

I do think it would have been funnier if Senator McCaskill had used the word "shitty" while apologizing for using the word "shitty." 

# # # #

I can't decide who I feel worse for, John McCain for dropping, or Charlie Crist for becoming a transformative figure in the political lexicon -- and not in a good way.

Oh, yeah... I don't feel bad for either of them.  Heh.

# #  # #

Speaking of Hard-Luck Charlie, Trish at Pensito Review is going to be sorry to see him go.  I, on the other had, will somehow be able to cope with the pain.   

# # # #

On the other hand, Carl Hiaasen is going to have fun with it.

# # # #

My embrace of the Twitter-verse has been a slow one.  In fact, I've found a lot more success with Twitter at work -- where we have a broad base of content and news to push out -- than I have with my personal Twitter account (@bkirby816).  I mostly like to re-tweet stuff I follow that I like.  That, and talk about how nice the evening dog walk adventure was.  In a pseudo-ironic kind of way.  I'm not sure how well it works out for me.  

Anyway, some good tweets from someone new I'm following: @Richard_Florida

Please, if you are on Twitter, follow this man.  He is a prolific author and "thought leader," which yes, sounds pretentious -- but this guy has earned it.  I'll be asking for his book, The Great Reset, for my birthday this summer.  It's all about how we live and work in a post-Great Recession world.  

In the meantime, follow his tweets, or my occassional re-tweet.  You'll learn something, I guarantee it. 

# # # #

You know what is odd to me?  Obama's approval rating (Gallup) has been pretty steady since around last October or so.  In the 50-ish range, up or down two or three.  Given all that has been happening, and most especially with health care reform, I'm kind of amazed by that.

I'll have to think about how to interpret that a little more.  Does it mean the electorate is more even-headed than we give ourselves credit for?  Or does it mean most of us aren't paying attention and think Obama's mostly doing fine?  Or is the truth somewhere in between? 

# # # #

Action Alert!

If you live in Florida State House District 69, download and sign a petition [PDF] for Keith Fitzgerald.

I know he will appreciate it.

 -- More later --

Political Newsclippings, Issue 5, Vol. IV: Deconstructing Brooks, District 67 Horse Race, Graphical Goodness, and More

Matt Taibbi offers up what has to be one of my favorite passages I've read on a blog in a very long time:

I would give just about anything to sit David Brooks down in front of some single mother somewhere who’s pulling two shitty minimum-wage jobs just to be able to afford a pair of $19 Mossimo sneakers at Target for her kid, and have him tell her, with a straight face, that her main problem is that she doesn’t work as hard as Jamie Dimon.

He's talking about David Brooks and the online conversation he had with his New York Times colleague Gail Collins, in which Brooks actually says to Collins:

...for the first time in human history, rich people work longer hours than middle class or poor people. How do you construct a rich versus poor narrative when the rich are more industrious?

I mean, really.

I don't see that Taibbi uses the word "douchebag" to describe Brooks, but that's probably because he's a better writer than I am.  Someone should deconstruct the psyche of Brooks and people like him.  I think you'll find they really are insulated in some sort of Bizzaro World bubble.  It's kind of fascinating, in a sociological kind of way.  

I'd suggest deconstructing David Brooks' soul, but my guess is he doesn't have one.

# # # #

I have been writing about train-wreck Mike Huckabee almost since I started this blog.

He hasn't gotten any better with age.

# # # #

Watching the tragedy in West Virginia with the death of 29 miners unfold has been just heartbreaking.  But the CEO of the company that owned the mine saying that safety regulators caring about the safety of miners is "as silly as global warming" is pretty bad.

# # # #

I normally don't care about stuff like this, but for whatever reason, it caught my eye. 

Kitty Kelley has apparently done a book on Oprah.  And it's going to be a doozy. 

# # # #

Florida State House District 67 runs right up by Keith's District (69).  Turns out the race for the State House going on there is going to be one of the most expensive in the state.  For that reason alone, I'd call it one to watch.

The five candidates running to represent District 67 this fall have already combined to raise $392,000 -- about $2,000 ahead of the next highest race, which is in the Orlando region.

Only two other districts have seen candidates raise more than $300,000 for a statehouse seat, which pays the winner less than $30,000 a year.

The candidates include Republicans Greg Steube (who I think ran for Sheriff last go-'round), Jeremiah Guccione, Robert McCann, Marie Nisco, and the only Democrat, Z.J. Hafeez (what's being an "Independent Advocate" all about?). 

Steube has raised the most at $152,000. Guccione has raised $102,000, including $50,000 from himself. McCann has raised $96,000, with about $25,000 from his own pocket. And Hafeez has raised $41,000, which includes $10,000 from himself.

Republican Marie Nisco has also filed to run but has not raised any money.

I should say I don't know much about Z.J., but I do know that he went to New College with Duncan.  And with the exception of Steube, I don't know that I've heard of any of the others.   

This is Ron Reagan's district, and he's termed out.  All new faces -- it should be an interesting one to watch.

# # # # 

For me it was Tribeca, even though I did actually live in Harlem for six months.

You'll see what I mean when you click the link.

# # # #

Via Bark Bark Woof Woof, a great political graphic.

 -- More later -- 

Political Newsclippings, Issue 4, Vol. IV: Pay It Forward, Shoot the Moon, Let the Sun Shine In, and More

As a guy who used to carry around a ton of credit card debt, I sincerely hope we can finally impose strict rules on those credit card companies who make a fortune off the misery (and usually insurmountable debt) of the avearge consumer. 

I got lucky -- I had a generous family member who helped me out.  But I still had to pay back a lot of money -- five figures worth.  It took work and financial discipline but I did it.  Not everyone will be as lucky as I was. 

I also recognize that most of us got in to debt by spending too much on stuff we shouldn't have.  While some of my debt was putting my college courses on a credit card, a lot of it was not.  Going out for dinner, drinks, or weekend trips -- all on the credit card, all poor budgeting and financial planning, all stuff I did, and all stupid.  With ultra-high interest rates, that stuff adds up faster than you can pay it down. 

Whether we came by our consumer debt irresponsibly or not, as a nation we need to figure out the debt epidemic.  Right now, there are too many companies profiting off the misery of others.  Level they playing field.

# # # #

I do think the Florida Delegation may be over-reacting a little bit to the Obama plan for NASA -- it's not like he's scrapping the whole thing.  That being said, NASA and going to the moon are political sacred cows in Florida, to say the least.  I hope Obama and his crew know what they're doing.

# # # #

You've got to read the Evan Osnos profile of Chicago Mayor Richard Daley in the New Yorker.  

# # # #

It'd take a lot for me to go back to Washington, D.C.  I wouldn't, at this point, want to pick up my family and just move back there.  We are really happy here in Florida. 

I can think of only about three scenarios in which I'd have little choice but to go: 

1.  The White House calls and wants me to work in either Political Affairs or Communications. 

2.  Someone from Arne Duncan's office calls and wants me to work a senior gig in the Communications Department.

3. Someone calls from Senator Amy Klobuchar's office and wants me to be her Communications Director. 

Be assured that the liklihood of any of those scenarios taking place are about twenty gajillion to one.  If that.

Anyway, it's no surprise to me that Senator Klobuchar is one of the smartest Senators on the Hill.

# # # # 

He annoys me for reasons I cannot specify, but I nonetheless found Peter Beinart to be correct: Democrats are forever changed upon the passage of HCR. 

# # # #

You didn't think the oil drilling debate went away, did you?

# # # #

Who knew -- it's Sunshine Week in Tallahassee. 

I'm glad to see that the House Joint Resolution sponsored by Representative Keith Fitzgerald -- and Senator Dan Gelber in the other chamber -- is getting some media attention... and Keith some well-deserved acknowledgement.  A champion, indeed.

And I really hope you'll remember Keith when his re-election race heats up.  This is good public policy, and it's good for our state.  We need to keep leaders like Keith in Tallahassee.

# # # #

Via TPM: things might be turning around for Democrats. 

# # # #

Ugh, this is so freaking gross.  Honestly, I have a pretty strong stomach when it comes to skeezy people and gnarly goings-on.  After all, I follow politics.  But I could only read four or so pages of this before it just got ridiculous.  Does anyone really care about Reille Hunter and John Edwards and any of this stuff anymore?  Haven't they all hit rock bottom?  Lower than rock bottom?  How can there possibly still be a market for anything any of them have to say?

I will say this: there is a lesson to be learned here for all you young political operatives.  And the lesson is this, found in this exchange between the interviewer and Hunter:

Did you know who he [John Edwards] was?
I did not know who he was.

Really?
I did not. The John Edwards I saw in 2004 on TV I believed to be a disconnected, two-dimensional-geek kind of guy. And the man sitting across the room was not that at all.

Then what happened?
He got up and left, and Josh Brumberger [one of his aides] left with him. But the other person they were with—a donor, a lawyer named Tony—stayed. And when they left, my friend went over and asked Tony if that was John Edwards, and he said yes. And my friend turned to me and said, "See, I told you it was John Edwards." And then I came over to the table, and I said, "I can't believe that was John Edwards; he's so hot. He's really got it going on. He's got something unusual about him, and I never would have recognized him." And Tony said, "Oh, my God, you should have come over and told him that. He would have loved to have heard that." Anyway, my friend and I stayed there, and we had another friend come join us. And then Josh came back. And when I went to the restroom, I stopped at Josh's table and gave him a card and got Josh's card. I did that because my friend really wanted to work for John Edwards. So I gave Josh a card. And my card, by the way, never said truth seeker on it.

What did your card say?
It said rielle hunter. being is free.

Jesus.  I have to tell you, Junior Campaign Operatives, when a woman comes up to you and the first thing she says of your male candidate is "he's so hot," then you know you need to keep that person away.  Far away.  And when you don't keep that person away and instead say "he would loved to have heard that," you're no longer a campaign aide -- you're a pimp. 

Seriously, though, if campaign operatives are complicit -- at best -- in hooking up a presidential candidate with a woman whose card says "being is free," and insists she can "help" the candidate by meeting with him one-on-one in his hotel room, then they all get everything they deserve. 

Read the interview if you can stomach it.  God knows I couldn't.

 -- More later -- 

Political Newsclippings, Issue 3, Vol. IV: Carded! Disgraced, Pay it Forward, and More

It is shaping up to be a no-good, awful, terrible, very bad week for Florida Republicans.  Let's start with the big enchilada.

I think it is almost unspeakably hilarious that the party of "fiscal responsibility" finds itself hip-deep in money woes.  Witness the GOP primary battle in the race for the U.S. Senate, and Marco Rubio's credit card problem.

U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio charged grocery bills, repairs to the family minivan and purchases from a wine store less than a mile from his West Miami home to the Republican Party of Florida while he was speaker of the Florida House, according to records obtained by the St. Petersburg Times/Miami Herald.

This is bad -- and quite possibly fatal to his Senate dreams -- for a host of reasons.  Here are two.

One, the Florida GOP is split right now, and it's split between Charlie Crist establishmentarians (though I'm reluctant to call them that as it implies Charlie Crist has a base, and I agree with Steve Schale that he does not) and the Tea Bag-types who have helped propel Rubio ahead in the polls.  In other words, GOP rank-and-file donors, many of whom are backing Charlie Crist right now, will read this as Rubio having misappropriated their money. 

Oh, Marco is offering up plenty of plausible-sounding excuses.  The money was spent when he was Florida Speaker, it was spent in his capacity as a Party leader.  It's all true, sure.  But where he's in a corner is these tricky expenses on a donor-funded credit card.  So, where are the expenses from Charlie Crist? 

Turns out Crist doesn't carry a Party credit card.

Oops.

Hey, I think Charlie Crist is as empty a chair as you're going to find, but not carrying a Party credit card (and thus inviting this kind of trouble on yourself) is a wise move.

The second downside of this is with respect to Marco's base: the teabag wingnuttery.  They're big anti-government, right?  That Marco used this card while Speaker of the Florida House A.) reminds everyone that Marco Rubio is not some outsider -- he's a political insider, and a former leader of this state, and B.) that he used it for such frivolous spending (really, Marco?  A $130 haricut?  Have we not learned our lesson about politicians and expensive haricuts?  And no, I wouldn't chalk this up to the rantings of a bitter balding man...) will alienate a base that has built a message around restraining spending.

Bottom line: Marco is in trouble.  It'll be interesting to see how he extricates himself from this political riptide.  If he can do it at all.

# # # #

And speaking of Speakers of the Florida House: disgraced former Speaker Ray Sansom resigned his seat in the House.  Read the full Miami Herald story here.

# # # #

You'd think maybe the Republicans from around the state would breathe a sigh of relief to have shameless grifter Ray Sansom out of the way.  

But it apparently has only focused public scrutiny on one of the next guys in line for the Speakership: Chris Dorworth, from District 34.  Looks like Chris has some money issues.

The home of Rep. Chris Dorworth of Lake Mary is in foreclosure. He is struggling to pay a $2.7 million legal judgment from a bad land deal. And his driver's license was temporarily suspended this month after what he called a misunderstanding with his car insurer.

You know what?  I take it back.  "Money issues" are more along the lines of coming up short on your rent, or not being able to pay your electric bill.  You know, normal people problems.  We've all been there.

$2.7 million in a bad land deal is what happens when rich people are too stupid to know they're getting in to a bad land deal. 

And this guy is going to be the Speaker of the Florida House in 2014.  Great choice, GOP!  Very responsible.

# # # #

The bad news just keeps coming for Florida Republicans: an ethics complaint has been filed against -- you guessed it -- Speaker-designate Dean Cannon.

The Republican leadership in Tallahassee just can't give us an honest Speaker.

# # # #

In fact, it's so terrible to be a Republican right now, even Charlie Crist himself is looking at running for the Senate seat as an independent.

Either Charlie Crist realizes he can’t escape the stimulus, or he’s leaning toward an independent run for Senate.

Crist is saying some curious things for a man in the midst of a conservative primary challenge.

[snip]

An independent run is easily the most tempting scenario for political junkies, and polls show Crist would stand a better chance of winning in a three-way race with Marco Rubio and Rep. Kendrick Meek (D-Fla.) than he would of winning the GOP primary. He’s got to know that he will probably never win the presidency as a Republican, so now is as good a time as any to reevaluate.

If he does want to go down that road, he must decide by April 30. He can still take the $7.6 million he has banked and use it on an independent bid, so he would have a fighting chance without a party infrastructure behind him.

I'll go out on a limb, here: no way Charlie runs as an independent.  The idea that he'd do an independent run is exaclty what Aaron Blake at The Hill says it is: a tempting scenario for political junkies. 

I heard Charlie on Bubba the Love Sponge (don't judge me... they're awful, sure, but they inevitably appeal to my juvenile sense of humor, especially when I need a laugh...) this morning and I thought much the same thing Aaron has laid out: he sounded an awful lot like an independent as opposed to a doctrinaire Republican looking for his party's nomination.

I think that Charlie is banking -- literally -- on his big money advantage, and the slips and gaffes we just read about on Marco's side to carry him through with the Republican nomination.  Honestly, I'm not sure I can fault this strategy.  It would seem to me that an independent run would just alienate more Republicans whose vote he'd ultimately need in a general election.  I'm not usually big on the blog comments, but just look at the first one in the post, from ARTHRO:

If Crist runs as an independent, can I get my money back from the Republican Party of Florida for the donation I made? They stupidly endorsed this clown.

I just don't think part of Charlie's political calculation includes totally alienating people like this.

# # # #

I've been to events where Brian Pitts has been in attendance.  He's kind of over the top -- but you can never accuse him of not being prepared.  This is a shame.

# # # #

In news about good politicians doing good things, here's a link to the Five Thirty Eight guest post from Kendrick Meek: In Support of Question Time.

On the occasion of today’s White House Health Care Summit, I would like to offer my full support for Question Time – a bipartisan effort to hold regular, unmediated, and open exchanges between the President and members of Congress, the direct representatives of the people.

Over 18,000 Americans, representing all political stripes, have joined the online movement for Question Time and many young supporters have approached me about getting behind the idea. After seeing the success of the President’s appearance last month at the House Republican retreat in Baltimore and his subsequent Q&A with Senate Democrats, I’ve become convinced that Question Time will both strengthen our governance and help revitalize our political process.

Nicely done, Congressman Meek. 

# # # #

A little late, I know, but did you read Matt Taibbi's Wall Street's Bailout Hustle yet?  It's a must read.

# # # #

I not only love Pei Wei (we eat there a lot), but I know how to pronounce it, too.

# # # #

You probably already know of my disdain for Washington snob Sally Quinn.  Well, the Washington Post is wisely deep-sixing her column. 

Good riddance.

# # # #

My new favorite online comic is The Red Phone.

# # # #

Action Alert!

Stop the budget cuts in Florida.  Sign the petition.

Save the seagrass.

 -- More later --

Political Newsclippings, Issue 2, Vol IV: The Edwards Effect, What Would Charlie Do (Free Advice to Republicans), and More

Interestingly, two of the editorial writers for the Washington Post talk about the meaning of image in today's paper.

Eugene Robinson makes the case that Obama has to be more than just fancy talk -- he has to back it up with tough action, even if that means stepping on some toes.

It doesn't matter whether Obama speaks in a loud voice. What's important is that he speak in a clear voice, a definitive voice. When he draws a line in the sand -- about health care, jobs, energy, whatever -- he should do everything in his power to defend that line, even if it means bruised feelings and ruffled feathers.

One of the things I hope David Plouffe convinces Obama of is that working with others doesn't mean letting them drive the train.  I'm all for a new way of doing business in Washington, but "doing business" implies that some sort of business end will actually be achieved.

I haven't talked much about the other thing in the paper -- the Edwards affair/baby scandal deal.  Richard Cohen does, and pretty much says that Edwards turned out to be all smile.  Cohen has an interesting -- and worthy -- larger point about how in recent times politicians can skyrocket to the top of the game without us knowing much about them (to include Palin, Obama, and Scott Brown in Massachusetts). 

But I kind of focused on the Edwards deal.  

I voted for John Edwards in the primary in 2004.  I was living in Virginia at the time.  I thought he was a good pick, too, for VP that year.  

I supported him early on in the three-way race with Clinton and Obama.  He was talking about stuff I thought Democrats should be talking about, in a way I think they should be talking about it (mostly poverty, but other things, like the wars and health care, too).

Turns out it was all just optics, apparently.  

I was disappointed in the Clinton/Lewinsky affair, and I was working for the man at the time in his administration.  It was heartbreaking and it took me a year to forgive him .  But I did.  With Edwards, it's different.  I find myself alternately disgusted and not caring.  

Perhaps it's because they stir so many mixed emotions.  I think John is clearly a lying sack of crap.  I feel terrible for Elizabeth, who has had to endure this along with cancer (though even this weird image makeover she's apparently engaging in feels bizarre, contrived).  And I feel just terrible for his children -- especially the child he fathered with his mistress.

I am uncomfortable judging other people's relationships, and this one is no different.  That is mostly because I have been married and divorced, and everyone's relationship is different and I am certainly not any better than anyone else.  

Then again, I didn't run for president twice, and I've never been nominated to be VP.  I've also never asked an entire state to place their trust in me as I represented them in the United States Senate.  

Edwards should have known better, to be sure.  But perhaps the most uncomfortable piece is that maybe we -- the American public -- should have known better, too.

I, for one, will look a little more closely next time... or at least be more thoughtful.  Call it the Edwards Effect.  

# # # #

Rubio now leads Crist -- though it is within the margin of error.

This would be much bigger news if things hadn't been getting progressively worse for Crist over the last few months -- most recently with his humiliating loss to Rubio in the Pinellas GOP straw poll. 

# # # #

Speaking of difficulties for Charlie Crist, this is a tough call for Crist here, politically.  Does the sitting Governor of our state stand with the President of the United States in Tampa on Thursday?  Or is the sting of the optics of his last joint venture with the president too painful?  

Now, you're going to tell me I'm biased -- that I want Governor Crist's senate bid to fail -- and you'd be right.  But let me tell you what I'd do, anyway, if I were a Crist adviser (and I'll try to be as unbiased as I can be, here).  I'd tell him to stand with the president.  (And I think he may.)  It's better to try and transcend the politics than to try look like a leader by avoiding something.  Sure, Rubio's people may use it in a TV ad... but they're going to run negative TV against you, anyway.  

POTUS and VPOTUS are likely going to announce high-speed rail grants for Florida.  Whether you approve or disapprove of the job the president is doing, this is a big deal for Florida, and a big deal for the Tampa Bay area, which has been hit particularly hard in this recession.  It's an issue bigger than partisan optics or a political fight -- and Crist should rise to the occasion.

# # # #

Election Day is like the Super Bowl to political junkies.  Inauguration Day is like church, I believe I said this time last year. 

Well, if both those things are true -- and they are -- then the State of the Union is like... the World Series?  I don't know.  It's a big deal, anyway.  Be sure to check it out tomorrow.

# # # #

I love Balloon Juice.  The proprietor of that daily must-read is John Cole, and he's recovering from surgery today (he slipped and fell on the ice and busted his arm). 

Speedy recovery, John.

# # # #

Speaking of great blogs, Kevin at Ghost in the Machine has had an epic comment battle with Salon's Glenn Greenwald. 

I get that Greenwald is a high priest of the online progresso-liberal movement, and like Kevin, I agree with a lot of what he says.  But that doesn't mean I don't find him to be a preening, self-important bloviator of the worst kind -- "I'm right!  You're wrong!  Nanny nanny boo boo!" -- quite a bit of the time.  

If you feel I've blasphemed, please check out the back-and-forth between Kevin and Glenn.  And for the record, I think Kevin is 100%, and Glenn is 1000% wrong.  Keep up the good work, Kevin.   

# # # #

Speaking of the Supreme Court (their recent decision on campaign finance being what Glenn and Kevin were duking it out over), did you read the Lauren Collins New Yorker profile of Justice Sotomayor?  (She joined the dissent, by the way.) 

# # # #

If my beloved Rays move to Tampa, I'll be sad. 

Of course, it'd be worse if they moved out of state.

# # # #

It's a brawl for the District 58 Florida House seat.

# # # #

Believe me, I am loathe to write the words: I think Meghan McCain is pretty okay.  Look, I have friends who are Republicans (in post-racial America, this is the new "some of my best friends are black").  I like them and it has nothing to do with politics.  We won't agree on everything, but that's okay.

What my friends -- and many, many other Republicans -- are not is ill-informed, racist, reactionary freaks caught up in a mostly silly movement which disturbingly resembles mass insanity. 

I have a sneaking suspicion Ms. McCain is not, either.  I have a further suspicion that you or I (quasi-liberal/progressive Democrats that we are) would sit down with her and have a conversation about something, disagree, and still walk away friends.  

All of that being said, I believe Ms. McCain misses the point on her latest dispatch for the Daily Beast.  Turns out she was disinvited from a speaking gig by the George Washington University Young Republicans because she supports marriage equality.  

So to prove that the Young Republicans were idiots (and that she is worthy of the Republican label), she took the Republican Purity Test.  She managed to get an 8 out of 10.      

So there you have it, my fellow Republicans. One “pure” no and two half-nos equals 8 out of 10. So I passed. I passed this ridiculous “purity test” and apparently even President Reagan himself would have considered me a friend.

Until then, is it too much to ask that the Republican Party be more open-minded, that it learns to respect and accept conservatism without labels and boxes and stereotypes?

Um, last part first.  Yes, it is too much to ask that the GOP be more open-minded.  Thus the whole point of the purity test you just took. 

Second, the idea of a purity test is that you're pure.  It's binary -- you're either pure or your not.  8 out of 10 is only kind of pure.  Sorry, kiddo.  You're out in the cold.  

Meghan, I really do get your point -- that this purity test stuff is nonsense and only divides your party further.  My free advice to you is that you not take the test as validation of some sort of GOP badge, but work to marginalize the wingnut sector of your party toward irrelevance.  You can start close to home, if you like.  Just talk to your dad's old running mate.  

 -- More later --   

Political Newsclippings, Issue 1, Vol IV: Don't Say We Weren't Told, 53 Fixes, Fun with Villagers, and More

Happy new year, readers.  I hope you've got a great 2010 in store. 

# # # #

You'll want to read this piece by our own Bob Graham and former Missouri Senator Jim Talent on the H1N1 response, and what we need to do.

As bad as H1N1 has been for affected families, it could have been much worse. It could have been a human-to-human transmissible form of H5N1, which could kill up to 70 percent of those infected. It could have been an anthrax or ebola attack on a major city, which could expose several million people to deadly pathogens.

We don't know how to repeat our warning or our recommendations more plainly: In the judgment of our bipartisan commission, such an event is not only possible but likely; and it could result in the death of a few people or hundreds of thousands, depending on whether our government develops the complete chain of response, including links for surveillance, diagnosis, stockpiles of medical countermeasures and effective distribution networks.

We know from the attempted airplane bombing on Christmas Day that al-Qaeda is a determined enemy. We also know -- from the discovery and dismantling of biological weapons labs in Afghanistan -- that they are pursuing biological weapons research.

The necessary investment of public funds is relatively modest. What has been in short supply is leadership. The announced review is a good first step. But will real action follow, and will it happen in time?

Let us heed the call.

# # # #

I love this from my State Rep. Rick Kriseman: 53Fixes.com.

What's your idea for fixing Florida? 

# # # #

Mark McKinnon is kind of an a-hole, but he's doing a good job over at the Daily Beast of rounding up who is going to lead the pack of the crazy the GOP and this whole embarrassing tea party deal.  On the docket: Jim DeMint.

# # # #

Joe Klein goes off on the blogosphere with regards to health care reform.  

# # # #

Guys like Klein get so hacked off when they are accused of being out of touch with mainstream America.  But there's a problem -- guys like Klein (to include Klein) frequently are out of touch with mainstream America.

No one embodies this more than Sally Quinn, who seems not only to revel in machinations of the unofficial, unwritten Washington monarchical society, she fancies herself its sort of resident poet laureate -- or worse, the resident social sheriff (she's already laid out her ground rules).  Her piece in the Washington Post today is classic Quinn, inasmuch as it is as combatatively insular as it is nonsensical:

Now it turns out that there was a third uninvited guest at the White House state dinner for Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, this one a member of the Indian delegation. It was enough of a shock that the would-be stars Tareq and Michaele Salahi had crashed. But a third? The Salahi story may have been delicious, but the implications of the appalling breach of security are immense. The president could have been assassinated.

This is classic Washington game-playing: in one sentence the whole thing is "delicious," and in the next, it's the unimaginable.  Which is it, Sally?  Presidential assassination, or an episode of reality TV?

One of the first lessons any administration needs to learn is that somebody has to take the hit for whatever goes wrong. If another culprit is not identified, the president gets the blame.

Yeah, you ever wonder about that?

Many in Washington wondered why the director of the Secret Service, Mark Sullivan, did not resign over the state dinner security breach.

Why?  Why would many in Washington wonder that?  That seems like a weird thing to wonder about.  In the case of the Indian State Dinner, weren't a bunch of Secret Service guys fired?

Finally, of course, the truth reveals itself:

From the start, [White House Social Secretary Desiree] Rogers was an unlikely choice for social secretary. She was not of Washington, considered by many too high-powered for the job and more interested in being a public figure (and thus upstaging the first lady) than in doing the gritty, behind-the-scenes work inherent in that position.

"She was not of Washington..."  What the hell does that even mean?  Is this really the Sally Quinn Criteria for Public Service?  You must be "of Washington"? 

That Rogers stayed and that the White House refused to allow her to testify before Congress reflected badly on the president. He, not a member of his staff, ended up looking incompetent. Although it has emerged that a State Department protocol error is to blame for the presence of a third uninvited guest, both Rogers and Sullivan should step down.

In other words, although it was not actually Desiree Rogers' fault, she should step down.  I mean, she's not even of Washington!

Sally goes on to mischaracterize the Janet Napolitano "the system worked" line, and to lament the firing of Washington insider Greg Craig -- he's of Washington! -- over the mishandling of the closing of the prison at Guantanamo Bay.

That sentences like these can be published -- and taken seriously -- in one of the best newspapers in the world is why people hate Washington, or at least don't understand it: 

There needed to be some reckoning. Someone should have taken the blame and resigned. Even if the person who did so was not solely culpable, the perception would be that it was not the president who screwed up.

What Sally Quinn tells us is that the Law of Washington is, whether you're responsible or not, you could get fired if someone else screws up!  And not only could you, you should take the fall... even if it's not your fault.

Since it's apparently okay to speculate on who is and who is not up to snuff with respect to living and working in Washington, DC, here's a question: would we say that a terribly self-involved "writer" whose special-needs son lost his virginity to a whore and then wrote a book about it is "of Washington"?  

Good god.  Where's the accountability?   

# # # #

If you are a political type in Florida, you should be making FLA Politics a daily read.

And in the spirit of branching out in to web 2.0, follow them on Facebook and Twitter, too.

By the way, you can follow meon Facebook and Twitter, if you like.  Probably not as entertaining or informative as FLA Politics, but I'll make the effort.   

# # # #

Oh, speaking of Twitter: yes to this. 

# # # #

Steve Schale has more on Empty Chair Charlie's quote-unquote [exaggerated finger-scrunching, rolling of eyes, heavy sighing] "base".  Of which there apparently isn't one.  He's got the numbers to back it up.

I have long been fascinated with Charlie Crist as a politician (as is the modus operandi for most Republicans today, I find him to be horrible at actually governing).  How in the hell has he managed to stay so popular?  Well, see what Steve has to say -- it may be that he's not as popular as it would appear -- and draw your own conclusions.  

At any rate, I'd say the governor is about to have a very hard year in front of him.

# # # # 

Read this about the RedState guy.  It's just weird.

# # # #

Action Alert!

Hey, it's 2010 -- we've got a lot to do before November, so let's get busy.  Help how you can:

Keith Fitzgerald for State House

Rick Kriseman for State House

Alex Sink for Governor

Kendrick Meek for Senate

Dan Gelber for Attorney General

Scott Maddox for Agriculture Commissioner

 -- More later --

Political Newsclippings, Issue 17, Vol III: New to the Net, Headgear, Light it Up and More

If you live in Florida, and you've spent even half a second just considering politics, then you probably know who Steve Schale is. 

In 2008, the St. Petersburg Times called him "one of the savviest and most effective political strategists Florida Democrats have seen in ages." He's also been named one of Florida’s “100 Movers and Shakers” by Florida International Magazine and one of the ten most influential Democrats in Florida by Politics Magazine.

Also he wears a red cape.  And is bullet-proof.  And can fly.

Really, though, everything you read about him on his "about" page of his new website is well-deserved and earned through a lot of hard work.  And of course he's one of the nicest guys you can meet.

Read his first two posts -- one on Empty Chair Charlie's base (or lack thereof), and one on RPOF Chairman Jim Greer.  This is excellent analysis from a guy who is at the top of his game.

Keep it up, Steve.  We'll be watching.

# # # #

Speaking of Florida politics, this Rasmussen poll just came out.

Highlights including Empty Chair Charlie's lead against Kendrick Meek being cut in half.  Also, Marco
Rubio's lead against Meek is down one point from last time around

From the same report, weirdly, creepily, the non-existent tea bag party is actually more popular that the real GOP.

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Democrats debate health care reform.

CNN asks: what's the status of Sarah Palin's hat?

We've gone through the looking glass, people.

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Mustang Bobby can get it right in one sentence or less, every time.

Get real, Michael Moore.

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Because they were in the way of his Halloween decorations...?

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This is terrible and wrong.

Also, I have a craving for french fries and a burger in the worst way.

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Your reason to love the Internet, Christmas-style.

Ho ho ho.

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Debating whether or not to scrap the health care bill in the Senate apparently means that in the metaphorical house shared by Democrats and progressives, it's going to be an ugly Christmas.

But that doesn't mean my own personal Christmas is going to be bad.  Hell, I'm going to have a grand old time, getting the baby's room ready and all that.  

We'll be over to see the in-laws for the holidays, and so between that and getting the house ready, posting might be lighter than it already is.  Sorry.  And thanks for your patience.

And have a wonderful and safe holiday.

 -- More later --