Hey, wasn't it just a couple of days ago we were being told that GOP smear merchants weren't going to be doing anything this year because they couldn't raise any money?

Yeah, I didn't believe it either.

Posted at July 3, 2008 12:26 PM in response to Today's Must Read

It won't be anything like that, of course, but thanks for giving us a preview of how Fox News will describe it!

Posted at July 2, 2008 3:40 PM in response to Elizabeth Edwards To Promote Health Care Group

In particular, Brooks talks about donor occupations in terms of absolute dollars without regard to the fact that Obama has raised about 2.7 times as much money as McCain. So a profession can have donated more money to Obama, but unless they donated more than 2.7 times as much, they can't honestly be described as having more influence (masterfully explained in detail by Jesse at Pandagon.) For five of the eight categories of supposed "elites" that Brooks cites, this is not true.

It is left as an exercise for the reader whether Brooks is incapable of understanding simple arithmetic, or is deliberately being dishonest to pretend that Obama is the one supported by "elites." (Hint: "Both" is also an acceptable answer.)

Posted at July 2, 2008 1:05 PM in response to Muddy Brooks

You're asked to provide it because the campaign is required to report it if you make multiple small donations that add up to more than $200, if I remember correctly. This is to keep contributors from evading limits by breaking up their donation into smaller amounts. But if you don't go over that limit, the campaign is not required to report that information.

Posted at July 2, 2008 12:46 PM in response to Muddy Brooks

When you elect people who believe that government can't work, you get a government that doesn't work. To the Bushies, worsening a hiring crisis was just more fodder for "government is the problem" demagogue rhetoric and privatization kickbacks.

Posted at July 2, 2008 12:23 PM in response to Class Action Lawsuit Filed Against the DOJ

It'll be interesting to hear what McCain has to say in Mexico. The interesting thing is that any real solution to the immigration situation lies in economic development in Mexico. That's how the EU prevented the opening of Eastern Europe from producing the predicted flood of immigrants into Western Europe. Plus, it seems to be one of the few subjects that McCain actually cares about.

However, for a Republican, that runs up against the business wing's desire for cheap exploitable labor, the nativist wing's opposition to doing anything for brown people, and the know-nothing dittoheads' belief that half of their taxes go to foreign aid, which is all wasted through corruption.

So will he actually say something substantive, or just pander for votes?

Posted at July 2, 2008 10:28 AM in response to Election Central Morning Roundup

Even worse was the GOP rep who was outraged at the reports that the basis for the war was lies, and fulminated that saying that was telling the troops their sacrifices were for nothing. Because, I guess, it won't be for nothing if we just don't tell anyone.

Shhhh...

Posted at July 1, 2008 3:19 PM in response to McCain Campaign Accuses Obama Camp Of Coordinating With Webb To Attack McCain

I suspect McCain's campaign is trying to distract from the other part of that interview, where Olbermann asks Webb if Bush is falsely claiming credit for himself and McCain for the GI Bill, and Webb is good-natured about it, but confirms it straight up without any hedging.

Posted at July 1, 2008 3:14 PM in response to McCain Campaign Accuses Obama Camp Of Coordinating With Webb To Attack McCain

There are a lot of things that need to be fixed post-Bush, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't care about breaking more things.

Posted at July 1, 2008 1:36 PM in response to Anti-FISA-Cave Group On Obama's Web Site Keeps On Growing

I dunno, they probably figured he was the "least bad." Anyone running for the GOP nomination this year would be stuck in the same place -- need to get distance from GWB to get enough votes other than the dead-enders to win, but can't openly repudiate GWB without losing the dead-enders. The only answer, which McCain is trying to do, is to lie about it. The only difference if it were someone else is that they might be able to lie more convincingly.

Posted at July 1, 2008 1:30 PM in response to Poll: Large Majority Concerned That McCain Will Continue Bush Policies