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Letterman Ticked; Olbermann Takes McCain Spot
Per The New York Times Caucus Blog, McCain may be in Dave's doghouse:
Open Thread: McCain-Palin's Lies, Damn Lies and Distortions
The whole coal-gate controversy, pushed by McCain and especially Palin, has inspired me to start a list of the lies/distortions that duo has pushed in recent weeks. I need y'all to help beef it out.
Doth the State GOP Protest Too Much?
It strikes me that the state GOP is getting pretty bent out of shape over Edwards, considering that the state is supposedly so locked up for George Bush. Over on their Web site, they're playing the Pickering and Kennedy cards left and right (pardon the pun). Are they really as confident as they let on over this election, or are they worried that voters in the state that given up so many of its children in the Iraqi War might not be so predictable this time around?
Tate's the Treasurer, Man
State Treasurer Tate Reeves also has a new Web site up and running in time for the 2006 legislative session. It's kind of brown and flat and ugly, and seems to be mostly about Mr. Reeves the Treasurer. (Isn't a little early for him to start running again?) A JFP reader pointed out in e-mail, also, that it is very unusual for a state treasurer's office Web site to have the name of the elected official as the domain. I don't know if that's true, but the thing does seem a bit self-focused.
Ridgeland Democratic Committee Forming
[Statement] A meeting was held on Saturday to establish a Ridgeland Municipal Democratic Executive Committee so that anyone who wants to run as a Democrat for city office may do so. Temporary officers were elected to ensure this for the coming election. Ten Ridgeland Democrats attended, but we need more to be involved in order to establish a Democratic presence in Ridgeland.
Proclamation by the Governor
[verbatim/including the annoying all-caps]
WHEREAS, by the provisions of Section 121 of the Constitution of the State of Mississippi, the Governor is vested with the power to convene, by public Proclamation, the Legislature in Extraordinary Session whenever, in his judgment, the public interest requires it; and
Kerry Has Wide Support Among Blacks
AP is reporting:
Blacks prefer Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry over President Bush by a nearly 4-to-1 margin, though their support for the Democrat is down slightly from the backing Al Gore received in 2000, according to a poll released Tuesday.
The Death of Conservatism (As We Know It)?
Conservative columnist David Brooks rethinks today's Republican Party in the cover story of this week's New York Times Magazine: "Democrats may imagine that the G.O.P. is an amalgam of fat cats and conservative ideologues, but things feel different inside Republican circles. Inside there are, beneath the cheering and the resolve, waves of anxiety, uncertainty and disagreement. You hang around Republicans, and you begin to hear all sorts of discordant things. Jesse Helms recently remarked he wouldn't have voted for the tax cut if he'd known how bad the deficit would become. Three of the senior right-wing columnists -- George F. Will, Robert Novak and William F. Buckley Jr. -- have come out, in their different ways, against the war in Iraq. I had lunch recently with a senior Republican official who said his party had succumbed; it was ''defeatist'' about reducing the size of government. As Will himself has observed, under President Bush, American conservatism is undergoing an identity crisis."
Blogging, the Dems and Trent Lott
A New York Times editorial today: "H. L. Mencken is said to have guffawed and slapped his thigh in delight at times as he would write about a typical day at a presidential nominating convention. Those long-ago times are enviable for their unpredictability — eons removed from the scripted conventions that will soon be offered to the nation once more as lean cuisine for thought. All the more reason to hope, then, that this year's one potentially risky innovation — accepting dozens of free-form online bloggers as accredited convention journalists — may lace the proceedings with fresh insight and even some Menckenian impertinence."
Ole Miss: Debate Is Still On
Official Statement From Chancellor's Office
The University of Mississippi is going forward with the preparation for the debate. We are ready to host the debate, and we expect the debate to occur as planned. At present, the University has received no notification of any change in the timing or venue of the debate. We have been notified by the Commission on Presidential Debates that we are proceeding as scheduled.
Planet Weekly: Fear and Voting In Jackson
And he is alleging that Republicans are trying to "steal" the Democratic primary:
"Nick Bridger" writes a good column this week about the whole fearmongering phenomenon in Jackson, and how candidates are trying to play politics based on fear.
UPDATED: Voter Suppression Growing Nationwide
CNN is reporting:
The voter-purge machine is kicking into overdrive this week. Down below, and in the comments, we will keep you apprised of stunts being pulled, so we can watch for them here on the homefront. Please add to the list as you see examples.
Palin: Vice President "In Charge of" the Senate (!?!)
Q: Brandon Garcia wants to know, "What does the Vice President do?"
Vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin has now erroneously stated, twice, that the role of the vice president is to be "in charge of" the Senate. Watch the latest example here. Here's what she said:
State GOP Offended that Hood Supporting Kerry
"Kedwards"? Are they guys for real? They sound like a bunch of fourth-graders.
The state GOP party is all bent up like a pretzel over the fact that a DEMOCRATIC attorney general is supporting the DEMOCRATIC candidate for president. They whine on their Web site: "Jim Hood (D - Houston) ran for Attorney General as a mainstream, small-town Mississippian, but yesterday he came out for the gun-grabbing, anti-Mississippi, anti-family agenda of the Kerry/Edwards - 'Kedwards' - ticket. What is he thinking? Are Hood's true beliefs coming out now that the election is over? One thing is certain, Hood's endorsement of Kedwards is a long way from mainstream Mississippi values. Do we really want him issuing legal opinions on our behalf?"
Barbour Expands Special Session Call for Budget
May 20, 2005—Click to read full statement, but here's the money quote (quite literally):
It is important that every Legislator know the amount available to spend is $4,585,559,267 and that all appropriation bills must fit within this number. The Constitution requires us to pass a balanced budget and to do so we must work out our differences within the limits of this number and the total of all the appropriation bills must not exceed it. I encourage Legislators to spend the weekend considering the best apportionment of these funds."
Mississippi Black Caucus Endorses Obama
Granted, no surprise here, but the Mississippi Legislative Black Caucus just released a statement endorsing Barack Obama, and perhaps more important pledging a massive get-out-the-vote effort for November. Verbatim:
Braun Drops Out; Endorses Dean
AP is reporting: "Former Illinois Sen. Carol Moseley Braun dropped out of the presidential race Thursday and endorsed Howard Dean as 'a Democrat we can all be proud to support.'
Bush Flip-Flops on ‘Winning' Terror War
AP is reporting that President Bush is trying to take back his earlier statement that the war on terror cannot be won, a statement that is causing a firestorm just as he is getting ready to accept his party's nomination in Washington. "President Bush said Tuesday 'we will win' the war on terror, seeking to quell controversy and Democratic criticism over his earlier remark that victory may not be possible. In a speech to the national convention of the American Legion, Bush said, 'We meet today in a time of war for our country, a war we did not start yet one that we will win.' That statement differed from Bush's earlier comment, aired Monday in a pre-taped television interview, that 'I don't think you can win' the war on terror. That had Democrats running for the cameras to criticize Bush for being defeatist and flip-flopping from previous predictions of victory."
James Meredith on the 5 Most Important People in the Obama Campaign
In James Meredith's JFP Interview this week, he details the five people he believes have (or had) the greatest effect on the Obama campaign, starting with Sean Hannity. His thoughts, verbatim:
Barbour Stashes Riches in Blind Trust
[Statement] (Jackson, Miss.)--In one of his first actions after his Inauguration, Governor Haley Barbour created a blind trust and will place all of his investment and income earning assets in it. Previously, Governor Barbour resigned as Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Barbour, Griffith and Rogers, Inc., his Washington lobbying firm. The firm is entirely owned by the Interpublic Group of Companies, a holding company that is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange.