The Republican Party no longer has a set of ideas that resonate with the American people.  They've cast about trying to find one but they just don't have a coherent platform that will win elections.  Perhaps they'll blunder into it, but I wouldn't hold out much hope for that (were I a Republican, which I'm not).  While I wouldn't go so far as to call them all intellectually bankrupt (though they're close these days), they do show a willingness to eat their young.

This country benefits when both parties hit their stride and have real and meaningful policy goals meant to improve our liberties, standards of living, and security.  I'm not happy to see the Republicans implode.  Oh, sure, as a Dem I'm thrilled by the prospect of us being in control.  I want that very badly, and at this point in history our country needs it.

The problem is that if the pendulum doesn't swing both ways we all suffer.  It is when a party is out of power that it often finds itself, and its soul.  The Republicans have about run out of useful ideas.  Perhaps their self-imposed exile will help them.  They're about to be cast out into the wilderness for a time.  I hope they learn something from it.

I am saddened by louisprandtl's diary on Prof. Randy Pausch.  I immediately thought of Prof. David Goodwin ~ another smart man in a similar predicament, and with a similar desire to play his cards well.

Dave, as it turns out, has also been busy.  He has been writing a novel, which I am promoting in this diary... because it is hilarious, creative, and because it promotes a very relevant message.

If any of you have connections in the publishing world, I would urge you to contact Prof Goodwin for his novel.  It is about Mr Z, who has setup Earth as a reality TV show to fund his work, and who is concerned that Earthlings are going to destroy the Earth and thus deprive him of his funding stream!

Crossposted from MY LEFT WING

My friend PHIL. I. STINE, one of the few Republicans I actually respect and admire, seems to think the liberal and not-so-liberal left (I being one of the former, the majority of the Netroots Nation being the latter) are naive with respect to Obama and the Democratic Party...

Phil, responding to Tim Gatto's Laissez Faire to Netroots Nation:

"Some of the people that I've seen interviewed at "Netroots" seem to be completely convinced that the Democratic Party is only leaning right to capture the presidency."

Makes it easier and much more enjoyable experience to bullshit yourself.  

Over here on the Right we have the exact opposite problem.  McCain has moved to the right and nobody on the right believes him.  They think he's still a quasi-liberal.  I know he's a moderate because I've been watching him most of my life. So, I'll be voting for him but many on the right won't.  That's your problem with Obama, you don't have a clue what he really is. One thing he definately (sic) is (is) a pol.  I can promise you he won't allow the "netroots" to define him for Americans.  Why?  He's after the bitter/clitter and hispanic vote, not you guys.

by: PHIL. I. STINE @ Sun Jul 20, 2008

No, I think I know what Obama is.

July in Oklahoma heats up, especially in election years.

With the primary election four days away, Andrew Rice's campaign is getting more intense.  We took it to the next level on Monday by launching our first TV ad, called "Leader."  This 30-second ad has received great feedback from all corners of Oklahoma.

Here's the ad; more on the heat below the fold.

cross posted from dailykos

There has been a lot of hyperventilating recently with the new Quinnipiac polls showing McCain gaining strength in several key swing states, including surpassing Obama for the first time in my own state of Colorado.

Breathless MSM outlets have siezed upon this one set of polls to push the false meme that McCain is catching up.

But the MSM reality seems to be an alternate reality. If we take a more holistic look at the situation, another side of the story emerges. Even as the Wall Street Journal tries depserately to zero in on statistically insignificant details of their own new poll to spin reality towards some kind of "good news" for their preferred conservative candidate they can not escape their own poll results.

A couple weeks ago, over at the Progressive Future headquarters, a couple of us started wondering out loud how much of of our taxes went to fund the Iraq War. My colleague did a little research and found a formula for how to figure this out. After discovering that in 2007, I paid for $204 of war, my first thought was, “Dang. That money could have gone to pay a month of my health care premium.”

So then, as a fun little game (yes, we over at Progressive Future have an interesting take on what's fun), we decided to make an internet tool that would not only calculate someone's contribution to the war from their 2007 income, but would also tell that person how many days that money could have covered their health care, education, powered their home with renewable energy, or paid for a veteran to receive higher education.

Turns out, any of those last four options would be the more lucrative investment.

 

You have to love The Daily Show. I know it's all about the comedy, but sometimes, often times, you see some truth in the "daily news" Jon Stewart covers. For instance, last night, he showed a clip of John McCain standing in the aisle of some supermarket. He was drooling all over some lady pushing a shopping cart. Suddenly, off screen, you hear the sound of falling cans. The camera pans down and to the right to show some hapless store clerk (who is probably working for minimum wage with no health care benefits, etc.)with can goods spread about him on the floor. You can almost see him thinking to himself "Oh sh*t!."

All of this happened within inches of McCain's right foot. Mind you, Jon Stewart was making the point that, in comparison to Obama's recent press, McCain's has been nothing but boring and under whelming. But, I saw something else. I saw proof of John McCain's compassion for the working people - the proof was in the details.

Did McCain attempt to help the clerk by picking up some of the cans? Hell no! But, what a photo op that would have been! Would Obama have assisted the unlucky clerk? Maybe. As a matter of fact, yes, I believe he would have.

For those who are freaking out about recent polls showing a sliding trend for Obama in some battleground states, take heart because not even even Karl Rove believesMcCain is making any headway

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2 008/07/25/1223199.aspx