At This Point In 2007 and 1991

Over the weekend, Political Wire asked, "Do early polls mean anything?"

The answer is a solid, unequivocal "no."

At this point in 2007, Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani were on their way to cakewalk wins in their respective primaries, with Giuliani beating the former first lady by a small margin in 2008 general election polling.

Over Memorial Day weekend in 1991, President George H. W. Bush enjoyed approval ratings up near 70% following the successful completion of the Persian Gulf War. He seemed so invincible for reelection that the heavy guns on the Democratic side sat out the 1992 presidential race. A year and a half later, with the economy in recession, Mr. Bush received only 37% of the national vote, the lowest tally for a sitting president since 1912.

So, no, the polls at this point mean nothing. The Republican field is still very fluid and lackluster, and, despite that, unless unemployment makes it way down to 8% or lower, the President should be considered vulnerable for re-election.

54 Percent

The President's approval rating continues to climb, slowly but surely.

Three Day Weekend

I'm off the grid until Tuesday, folks. Have a safe Memorial Day weekend.

End-of-the-Week Serenity

The mirrored skyline of Chicago.

Floating Chicago - A collection of mirrored skyline timelapses from Craig Shimala on Vimeo.

Music: "Libra" by Neon Canyon

Quotes of the Day

"It's as if someone bought an iPod, uploaded one song, and hit 'shuffle.'"

-Steve Benen, on the ten-page, large font with lots of big pictures, "jobs plan" released by House Majority Leader Eric Cantor's office yesterday.

More from Ezra Klein: 

"Large-print books -- you know, the ones for kids or the visually impaired -- fit about 250. The House GOP's jobs plan, however, gets about 200 words to a page. The typeface is fit for giants, and the document's 10 pages are mostly taken up by pictures. It looks like the staffer in charge forgot the assignment was due on Thursday rather than Friday, and so cranked the font up to 24 and began dumping clip art to pad out the plan."

And finally, Rachel Maddow lays out the real priorities of the current Republican-led House:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

She's Running

Be afraid.  Be very afraid.

More on the NY-26 Election

While Kathy Hochul, the Democratic candidate, won Tuesday's special election in New York's 26th congressional district, I remain of the contention that the seat is still favored for the Republicans in the 2012 general election.  A few key points:

The Democrat won this seat with 47% of the vote against a Republican opponent (43%) and an independent tea-bagger backed opponent (9%).  The math here supports my theory.

Moreover, in 2008, when Barack Obama carried New York state by an overwhelming landslide, the Republican candidate won this district's House race by 15 points.  If I were a betting man, I'd place a wager on the theory that the President will win New York state by a smaller margin in 2012 than he did in 2008, and that the lack of coattails will flip this House seat back to the GOP.

Independent voters and old-school Republicans were disgusted with their former Republican congressman following his unfortunate sexual tryst via CraigsList.  Enough of them were willing to vote Democratic this one time only in an effort to clean out the system, so to speak.  (In 1994, following rather damaging ethics violations, super-powerful Dan Rostenkowski was dumped by voters in his highly Democratic district in Chicago in favor of a little known Republican candidate.  Two years later, voters put the seat back in the Democratic column, where it has remained since. It is my belief that something similar is playing out in NY-26.)

Ms. Hochul is not a resident of the 26th district. And while New York law simply states all candidates for office must live within the state, next year's Republican candidate will slap the "carpetbagger" label on her back unless she relocates soon.

Of course, I am not a New Yorker, let alone a western, up-state New Yorker, and I could be completely wrong here.  Needless to say, I'll be watching this one with interest on election night next year.

Anthony Weiner for President in 2016!

 To be sure, it is my sincere belief that Medicare needs to be overhauled slightly as the Baby Boomers start retiring, but Rep. Paul Ryan's plan to essentially eliminate it, thus leaving seniors at the mercy of the unscrupulous insurance companies, is about as reckless as it gets. And in the video above, Weiner, as he always does, calls the Fascist tea-baggers on their shit.

The Whole Tea-Bagging Truth

The Republican-led war against women is all but declared:

News item #1: The Kansas state legislature passed, and Gov. Sam Brownback signed, a law that bans private insurance companies from providing abortion coverage, even in the case of rape or incest.  When the proposed law was challenged by pro-choice Republican state representative Barbara Bollier as too extreme, a pro-life state rep by the name of Pete DeGraaf replied that women should "always be prepared" for these things, stating, "I have a spare tire in my car."  And then, digging his hole even deeper, added, "I also have life insurance."

News item #2: In an effort to make sure federal funds are not being used for the procedure, tea-bagging Fascists in the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill that would require the IRS to audit any woman who terminates a pregnancy.

News item #3:  And, in another jaw-dropping move, the very same tea-baggers proposed another U.S. House bill that would redefine the definition of "forceable rape" to exclude women who say "no" but don't physically fight off their predator, women who are drugged and raped, and minors who are impregnated by adults.

And so, with those three proposals (one of which succeeded in becoming law in the state of Kansas!) the tea-bagging Fascist Republicans show their true colors.  They spent much of the 2010 congressional campaign hyperventilating over the fact that their desire to take control of congress was based on fiscal and unemployment concerns (never mind the fact that it was on their watch that we got buried under the current mess in the first place, but that's a different post for a different day); they insisted that social issues would not dominate their agenda if they were to win majorities in either or both (gasp!) houses of congress. 

Alas, to date, only half-baked measures have been passed to keep the government in business for the rest of the current fiscal year, while nothing (N.O.T.H.I.N.G.) has been proposed on the jobs issue.  (Remember that little fun fact when their presidential candidate points to any possible lackluster jobs numbers next year.) 

No.  Instead, these Fascist goons have declared a war against American women, propsing laws that one might find on the books of radical, anti-women Musilim governments. 

I guess it shouldn't surprise me.  I mean, these same right-wing zealots think that MAN gave birth to WOMAN (see the story of Adam), which is why the current crop of them should never, ever be allowed near the levers of power.

Say it with me:  Obama/Biden and a Democratic House in 2012!

Buyer's Remorse

It seems the serious case of buyer's remorse I spoke of yesterday in Wisconsin extends beyond the U.S. Senate seat they handed to the Republicans last November.  From Public Policy Polling: 

Recall Governor Scott Walker?
Yes:  50%
No:  47%

She's Running

She's leaving her home state of Alaska for the Fascist Republican pastures of Arizona, and a "two-hour long, sweeping epic" documentary about the half-term half-wit will air next month...in Iowa.

I'm telling you, she's running.  She's running.  She's running.

And, despite any polling you see, she is the front runner for her party's nomination.

Aaaand, despite shouts of joy over the theory that this imbecile would get clobbered by President Obama in next year's general election, just remember that this is the country that gave us George W. Bush.  If unemployment is still sitting at 9% next year, enough people in enough states could very easily tilt the Electoral College in Ms. Half-Wit's direction.

And you think things are bad now?

Eric Cantor to Tornado Victims: "Fuck you!"

House Majority Leader, Eric Cantor (Fascist-VA), is threatening to withhold emergency funding for tornado-ravaged areas in Missouri and Oklahoma unless they are immediately off-set by cuts elsewhere in the budget.

Let's get one thing straight:  The argument from those on the tea-bagging right that the American government needs to balance it's checkbook the same way a typical American family balances theirs doesn't sit well with me.

In this immediate case (denying disaster funding), I would argue that when emergencies hit the typical American household, Americans generally don't hold back on the rent or the groceries, but rather, they put the emergency charges on their credit card or, short of that, borrow the funds in some other way.  Either way, in most cases Americans take on additional debt to get them through the emergency.

For Cantor to hold emergency funding hostage for the purposes of political theatre is beyond vile, and proves yet again that the tea-bagging Fascists in the Republican Party have no desire to govern responsibly.

NY-26 for the Democrats

Take that, Ryan, Cantor, and Boner!

Feingold for Senate in 2012?

It seems the people of Wisconsin are suffering from a serious case of buyer's remorse.

Daniels Will Not Run

Gov. Mitch Daniels of Indiana has announced he will not run for the 2012 Republican presidential nomination.


Many old-school conservatives and right-leaning independents were hoping Daniels would join the circus, heaping praise on his fiscal acumen. 

Many forget, however, that Daniels, as the head of the White House budget office from 2001 to 2003, was the architect of the Bush economic program that buried the United States under a tremendous pile of shit in 2008, and from which we are still digging out.
  
If he was the Republicans best hope for 2012, then I must say...I like Obama's chances.

Happy Rapture Day, Evra-Body!

Preparing for Tomorrow

SomeGreyBloke has some very important advice for those of you rapturing tomorrow...

Flaming Republicans

Quote of the Day:

So the question is, will 2012 be the Republican version of [the Democrats'] 1972 or the Republican version of [the Democrats'] 1984? They could nominate a base hero like Michele Bachmann or Sarah Palin or Newt Gingrich and go down in epic flames [1972 - McGovern]. Or they could nominate a worthy timeserver like Mitt Romney or Tim Pawlenty and go down in flames [1984 - Mondale].

Or, of course, they could pray for some kind of gigantic global disaster — maybe an economic collapse, an oil spike, or a drawn-out hostage crisis — in which case they can win with anybody. That seems like a pretty weak hope, but right now the fever dreams of the GOP base are so debilitating that it's hard to see them coming together and beating Barack Obama any other way.

-Kevin Drum, on the despair the Republicans seem to be suffering over their 2012 presidential prospects.

Penises on the Ballot in San Francisco

An initiative that, if passed, would ban circumcisions within San Francisco city limits, even for religious reasons, has qualified for this November's mayoral election ballot.

Ok, I understand the arguments against circumcision, but as progressives, why would we demand the government keep their hands off a woman's body only to turn around and vote FOR something like this?

This is tricky. Unless it is for religious reasons, parents shouldn't be making this decision for their boys; and even in the case of religion, I am not entirely convinced it should be done, as I find it irrational to do things for purely religious reasons. But to have the government mandate a ban - let alone the SAN FRANCISCO government - that I can say, with 100% certainty, I am against.

Daddy!

Meh!  If you've seen one really tall, bearded, bomb-wearing Arabian at the Powerhouse, you've seen them all.

Un-Creativity

Can you say "Mad Men ripoff?!"

Jefferson Davis, Redux

So, Rick Perry, the man who backed secession in 2009, wants to be his party's nominee for president in 2012? 

Someone has been smoking too many cow pies.

Newtered

It seems the former House speaker's presidential campaign is already falling apart at the seams.

Complete and Utter Imbecile

Quote of the Day: 

"He doesn't understand how enhanced interrogation works."

-Former Sen. Rick Santorum (Fascist-PA), discussing John McCain's contention that torture didn't lead us to Bin Laden.

In Chicago

As Rahm Emmanuel takes the mayor's seat in Chicago today, let's remember this significant fact: For 43 of the last 56 years, the mayor's office there was held by someone named Richard Daley.

Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

The Donald won't run.  And as fun as it would have been to see that train wreck happen, the slightest chance that he'd be elected was too much for comfort.  Remember...this is the country that gave us George W. Bush, and the same country in which 45.6% of the population cast ballots for a presidential ticket that included Sarah Palin.

Huckabee Out

The former Arkansas governor really wants to be president, so I think his decision to sit out the 2012 contest says a lot about what many regard as President Obama's strong chance for reelection.


The current field of Republican challengers is, so far, a pretty sorry list of whack jobs and has-beens.  When I look at who is running (or about to run), I immediately realize that today's Republican bench looks as pathetic as many say the Democratic bench looked in the 1980s.


Mr. Obama will have to fight for a second term, and I am sure a 2012 victory will be much closer than the 2008 rout of McCain/Palin.  But, right now, I like his chances.

Quote of the Day

"I regard the brain as a computer which will stop working when its components fail. There is no heaven or afterlife for broken down computers; that is a fairy story for people afraid of the dark."

-Stephen Hawking, telling it like it is.

End-of-the-Week Levity

The comedic brilliance of David Walliams and Matt Lucas.

Senator Kohl to Retire

From TPM:

Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI), will reportedly announce today that he will not run again in 2012, after having served four terms. This in turn will open up a potential top-tier Senate race, in a swing state that has become the center of a polarizing political debate over labor unions in the wake of Republican Gov. Scott Walker's anti-public employee union legislation.

Ok, Wisconsin Democrats, the time to start playing hardball to keep this seat begins today. The last thing you need is to let this seat fall into the hands of some tea-bagging fascist like Paul Munster Ryan.


As RuPaul would say, "Don't fuck it up!"

The Amy Myers Throwdown

A friendly invitation to Rep. Michelle Bachman (Fascist-MN) from a high school sophomore:

Though I am not in your home district, or even your home state, you are a United States Representative of some prominence who is subject to national media coverage. News outlets and websites across this country profile your causes and viewpoints on a regular basis. As one of a handful of women in Congress, you hold a distinct privilege and responsibility to better represent your gender nationally. The statements you make help to serve an injustice to not only the position of Congresswoman, but women everywhere. Though politically expedient, incorrect comments cast a shadow on your person and by unfortunate proxy, both your supporters and detractors alike often generalize this shadow to women as a whole.

The bat-shit crazy congresswoman from Minnesota hasn't had a chance to reply, as her brain froze up immediately at the term "unfortunate proxy." Once the blinding light and loud humming noises retreat, I am SURE she'll get back to Amy.

Rep. Bachmann, the frequent inability you have shown to accurately and factually present even the most basic information about the United States led me to submit the follow challenge, pitting my public education against your advanced legal education:

I, Amy Myers, do hereby challenge Representative Michele Bachmann to a Public Forum Debate and/or Fact Test on The Constitution of the United States, United States History and United States Civics.

Working It Out

For over a decade now, I've suffered with chronic lower back pain that occasionally radiates around to my left hip.  Perhaps it's time to chat with the ergonomic team at work about having one of these put in my cube...

Welcome to the Left Coast

And so I begin again. 

Several attempts at blogging over the last several years have fallen by the wayside for one reason or another. One blog belonged to a friend, who seemed to lose interest after Howard Dean left the 2004 presidential contests. I started my own blog in 2004, but my writing output seemed to have peaks and valleys, with creative spurts lasting several months or so before I would scale back or stop all together.


My latest self-imposed break started in July of 2009, following a health scare. What I thought was a heart attack wasn't (my heart is relatively healthy, thank you), but the ordeal took a lot out of me physically, as well as mentally; and, as a result, the writing suffered.

The thing is, over the last couple of years, I have felt as if my brain isn't getting enough exercise.  Sure, I read as much as I can, but writing always seemed to get the endorphins flowing; blogging kept me sharp and focused throughout the day.  I have missed it, and have been yearning to return for a while.


And so, today I launch Left Coast Journal.  Essentially it will be just that - a journal - a combination of commentary on issues of the day, music posts, movie reviews, book recommendations, pictures of my dog... you get the idea.


I am not the best writer in the world, far from professional, but I enjoy it immensely. The late screenwriter, Stirling Siliphant, once said, "The secret to writing is to write, write, write, and then write some more." And so, I plan to do just that. I don't expect to overload Tumblr's bandwidth, and Left Coast Journal isn't intended to become some big overnight internet sensation.


It exists, simply, so I can write.


And with that, I begin...