Nas and Color of Change deliver 620,000 petitions to Fox News calling it out for its racist behavior.

Just a little reminder from Berlin ....

This is what "proud to be an American" looks like in the 21st Century.

• Who is this guy and why is he so whiny? He was "frightened and intimidated" by the "angry left blog Daily Kos"? What a wuss.
• Wondering what the Sarah Palin scandal is all about? Here's a good roundup of the affair that has knocked a Republican governor once sporting an over-90 percent approval rating back to earth..
• Comments are scary. Yup, that means you.

  To add, these stories always start with sensational ledes about "death threats", as though it's those crazy liberals or whatnot that engage in that kind of idiotic behavior. Here's an email I got a couple of days ago:

  killaliberal@yahoo.com to markos
  show details Jul 22 (2 days ago)

  addresses are being compiled of all kos personnel...once this has been done they will be targeted for execution... death to all KOS.

  Is that a "death threat" or just a George Bush-loving fringe wanker trying to be tough hacking away at his cheetos-stained keyboard? Having grown up in El Salvador and seen what real political violence looks like, this is all pretty lame. In El Salvador, dissenters were actually assassinated. It wasn't all idle threats. And so far, this country hasn't descended into that dark abyss.

• The number of registered Democrats in the 29 party registration states has grown by 700,000. The number of registered Republicans has dropped by 1 million. That's a 1.7 million net gain in our direction.
• Colbert dedicated most of his show to rapper Nas and the Color of Change petition on Fox's racism.
• Yeah. Old people tend to be stubborn too.
• Obama's small donors outraise McCain.
• I had to look at this for a great deal of time to figure out that it wasn't parody.
• Larry Sabato and a couple of co-authors, over at his place, say there is no toss-up.

  While no election outcome is guaranteed and McCain's prospects could improve over the next three and a half months, virtually all of the evidence that we have reviewed--historical patterns, structural features of this election cycle, and national and state polls conducted over the last several months--point to a comfortable Obama/Democratic party victory in November. Trumpeting this race as a toss-up, almost certain to produce another nail-biter finish, distorts the evidence and does a disservice to readers and viewers who rely upon such punditry. Again, maybe conditions will change in McCain's favor, and if they do, they should also be accurately described by the media. But current data do not justify calling this election a toss-up [...]

  Barack Obama is not a national hero like Dwight Eisenhower, and George Bush is no Harry Truman. But if history is any guide, and absent a dramatic change in election fundamentals or an utter collapse of the Obama candidacy, John McCain is likely to suffer the same fate as Adlai Stevenson.

• As Ford posts yet another crazy-ass quarterly loss ($8.7 billion), it makes one wonder how much better the US auto industry (and its unions) would be doing if they had let the government raise CAFE standards, huh? The government could've bailed them out of this mess.

  And it makes one wonder how much better that industry would be doing if they hadn't so viciously opposed Bill and Hillary Clinton's 1993 health care initiative. In 2004, GM spent over $5 billion in health care costs -- a number that is likely significantly larger today. That's billions that would be off its balance sheet had they not opposed universal healthcare.

  Lots of industries may shoot themselves in the foot, but none more so than the auto industry. It truly deserves the comeuppance it is getting (and it has gotten a healthy assist from its unions). The people who don't deserve it -- of course -- are its workers, who are getting screwed.

Nas and Color of Change deliver 620,000 petitions to Fox News calling it out for its racist behavior.

Tonight's Diary Rescue crew was Louisiana 1976, BentLiberal, dopper0189, Yashua, Avila, ItsJessMe, dadanation and srkp23.

The rescued diaries

• First-time diarist MindWideOpen brings us some perspective in an op-ed about the state of the world in Fire + Fire = More Fire. (Yashua)
• First-time diarist lyubansky examines The Racial Implications of a Barack Obama Presidency. (dopper0189)
• Lib Dem FoP pens an eloquent tribute to a courageous Royal Marines reservist who has been honored with the George Cross medal for his service in Afghanistan in For Gallantry. (Avila)
• Immigrant Punk introduces us to a new canvassing organization and how we can help in Progressive Future: The Foot-Soldiers of Your Revolution. (ItsJessMe)
• In a well-researched and well-crafted diary, Liberal Youth cites case law and precedent in asking and answering the question How Likely is it that Bush Pardons Himself? (BentLiberal)
• Stranded Wind writes how medical services for the poor are not equal in all states in Universal Health Care Has Made Me Whole and uses his own health history to illustrate the point. (Louisiana 1976)
• We all want "fair and balanced" news. This includes RKA who believes McCain deserves more media coverage. (Spoiler -- excellent snark contained in this diary - editor). (dopper0189)
• Press to Digitate presents a compelling argument for lending an ear to various opinions on saving our planet in A Carbon Future: Now 'Up In The Air'. (Yashua)
• In a diary chock-full of helpful advice, margeauxtex describes her own and her family's personal experience in I can't be broke -- I still have checks left and tells us how we can raise financially-responsible children. (Louisiana 1976)
• Eternal Hope delves into the depths of 19th Century philosophy, and argues against the practices of Christian Fundamentalism in Nietzsche: Beyond Good and Evil. (Yashua)

The regular extras

jotter has High Impact Diaries - July 22, 2008.

va dare brings Top Comments 7.23.08 'Progressive Mojo' - an oxymoron?

The reminder

Please use this as an Open Thread as well as your chance to promote your favorite diaries of the day. Respectful engagement is most welcome here. Please keep in mind that each Diary Rescue's daily purview extends from 3pm PST yesterday to 3pm PST today.

Here's some Selena, who was murdered far too young by the deranged president of her fan club.

And here's the J Lo version from the movie Selena -- J Lo's breakout role.

I likes me some war, my friends, my friends.

• Um, Katharine? I wrote that post a year ago. The 2007 should've given that way.
• The AP's Ron Fournier really is a problem.
• BooMan tallies the candidates and elected officials who were present at Netroots Nation. There's a crapload of them. So I guess Democrats really aren't afraid of us. And the good ones really do have little to fear.

  There were a lot of politicians from red and purple states and districts who had the common sense to understand that the (New) New Left may be anti-war but they have little else in common with the 60's counterculture (except insofar as the Netroots welcomes the veterans of those wars with open arms). The Netroots is unapologetically pro-Constitution, anti-torture, and pro-Small Business. Our consensus positions on the war, on reproductive rights, on gay rights, and the environment are now majority American opinions. They aren't fringe. We have the (Old) New Left to thank for a lot of that, but the Netroots' culture is decidedly different, as are our primary goals. The (Old) New Left was tackling the Establishment on desegregation and women's liberation in an attempt to tear down centuries-old injustices. The (New) New Left is not attempting anything so bold or transformative. We're trying to get universal health care, Fair Trade, a green energy plan, and a restoration of the consensus American governmental and legal values of the post-war period...including internationalism and human rights.

• Cool pictures of a leopard ambushing and killing a croc, apparently for no reason at all (crocodiles don't have enough meat to justify the risk and danger). (Via John Cole's place.)
• The McCain campaign lied to Bob Novak, telling him they'd be choosing a veep on Tuesday to try and steal some of the thunder from Obama's overseas trip. Now Novak is pissed. So pissed, apparently, that he ran over a pedestrian. He drives a black corvette.
• Jindal is reportedly taking himself out of the veep-stakes. Too bad. The GOP has just lost its only "not ancient and white" option.
• I write in The Hill that the left has inherent advantages online.

  This disparity isn’t surprising. While conservative bloggers can rightfully claim a couple of minor successes, they’ve been generally relegated to the fringes of their movement. There’s been little need for them. Conservatives eager for conservative voices have long had a smorgasbord of options from which to choose, from Fox News Channel to an AM radio buffet dominated by Rush Limbaugh and clones, to hordes of movement conservatives clogging up newspaper op-ed pages, to well-established online message boards. Despite "liberal media" cries, there has never been any medium truly dominated by movement progressives. So-called "liberal" voices, like Joe Klein and Richard Cohen, have been more concerned with getting approbation from their friends in the D.C. cocktail party circuit than truly fighting for progressive causes.

  Furthermore, the right-wing media machine operates in a top-bottom fashion, relying heavily on its firebrand personalities — Limbaugh, Sean Hannity and Bill O’Reilly. Progressives instinctively chafe at this hierarchical approach. Yet the Republican ability to march in lockstep has paid huge political dividends, yielding GOP victories on the strength of simplistic, well-crafted, oft-repeated (and even more often, bogus) messages, like the fabricated quote that Al Gore claimed to have "invented" the Internet.

  But the horizontal, collaborative structure of successful online communities clearly poses a problem for right-wing bloggers, precisely because their movement excels in following orders instead of participating in bottom-up discussion and organizing. Americans get enough one-way communication on TV, radio and print; those who follow politics online do so because it allows them to engage in something larger, not because they want to hear yet another bloviator blather.

• CO-04: The wide consensus is that this is Marilyn Musgrave's swang song, increasingly out of touch with a blue-ing district and done in by her single-minded obsession with gay bashing. Colorado Independent takes a look at the numbers of one of the district's key counties:

  The number of Weld County Republicans has remained relatively flat since 2004, rising 2 percent to 50,110 as of last month, according to Secretary of State data.

  Although the number of registered Weld Democrats during the same time is up 5 percent to 31,289, it’s the 12 percent increase in unaffiliated voters that has Democrats smiling.

• Way back in the day, Obama was a rare vote against eliminating rent control in Illinois.
• Yup. This is certainly pretty darn stupid.

In the House, courtesy of the Office of the Majority Leader:

FLOOR SCHEDULE FOR WEDNESDAY, JULY 23, 2008

House meets at 10:00 a.m.: Legislative Business
Fifteen "One Minutes" Per Side

Last vote predicted: 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.

Suspensions (8 Bills):

1.     H.J.Res. 93 - Approving the renewal of import restrictions contained in the Burmese Freedom and Democracy Act of 2003 (Rep. Crowley – Ways and Means)

2.     H.R. 6532 - To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to restore the Highway Trust Fund balance (Rep. Rangel – Ways and Means)

3.     H.Res. 1360 - Honoring and commemorating the selfless acts of heroism displayed by the late Detective John Michael Gibson and Private First Class Jacob Joseph Chestnut of the United States Capitol Police on July 24, 1998 (Rep. Edwards (MD) – House Administration)

4.     H.Res. 645 - Expressing the gratitude and appreciation of the House of Representatives to the professionalism and dedication of the United States Capitol Police (Rep. Mario Diaz–Balart (FL) – House Administration)

5.     H.Res. 1286 - Recognizing and celebrating the 20th anniversary of the National Black Arts Festival (Rep. Lewis (GA) - Education and Labor)

6.     H.Res. 1355 - Expressing support for designation of Disability Pride Day and recognizing that all people, including those living with disabilities, have the right, responsibility, and ability to be active, contributing members of our society and fully engaged as citizens.  (Rep. Davis (IL) – Education and Labor)

7.     H.Res. 655 – Honoring the life and accomplishments of Katherine Dunham (Rep. Rangel – Education and Labor)

8.     H.Res. 1296 – Supporting the designation of a National Child Awareness Month to promote awareness of children's charities and youth-serving organizations across the United States and recognizing their efforts on behalf of children and youth as a positive investment for the future of our Nation (Rep. Calvert - Education and Labor)

H.R. 3221 - American Housing Rescue and Foreclosure Prevention Act of 2008 (Rep. Frank– Financial Services) (Subject to a Rule)

H.R. 3999 - The National Highway Bridge Reconstruction and Inspection Act (Rep. Oberstar –Transportation and Infrastructure) (Subject to a Rule [That rule is contained in H. Res. 1344])

Postponed Suspension Bill (1)

1.     H.R. 6545 - National Energy Security Intelligence Act of 2008 (Rep. Cazayoux – Intelligence)

In the Senate, courtesy of the Office of the Majority Leader:

Convenes: 10:00am

Resume motion to proceed to S.3268, Energy Speculation, post cloture.

Time until 11:00am equally divided and controlled with the Republicans controlling the first half and the Majority controlling the next half. The time from 11:00 until 4:00 controlled in 30 minute alternating blocks with Republicans controlling first 30 minutes and the Majority controlling next 30 minutes.

Recall that post-cloture debate can go on no longer than 30 hours, with no Senator speaking for more than one hour during that time. (See Rule XXII). Cloture was invoked by a vote of 94-0 at 11:28 a.m. yesterday, and will wind up at 4:00 p.m. today, technically about an hour and a half short of 30 hours, but with the benefit of not having to stay up and in session all night to run the 30 hour clock. The Senators, by agreement, just gave themselves the 30 hours that Republicans could have forced them all to sit through, provided they had enough of them lined up to eat that clock up one hour at a time.

Considering that the cloture vote was 94-0, it might seem an unlikely prospect. But as a matter of courtesy, the 30 hours were preserved. Without that courtesy, it's possible that Republicans may well have found enough malcontents willing to inconvenience everyone, just to make the point that you shouldn't stick your finger in anyone's eye if you don't have to. I mean, if you can vote against your own filibuster -- which is exactly what they just did -- then anything's possible.

On the Radar:

• The "Coburn Omnibus" has been introduced and assigned a bill number: S. 3297.
• The House Judiciary Committee has Attorney General Michael Mukasey before them today, for a general DOJ oversight hearing. But look for some close questioning of the AG on topics including Karl Rove's claim of "absolute immunity" from subpoena, Mukasey's own refusal to turn over FBI reports of their interview with Dick Cheney regarding the Valerie Plame outing, and the enforcement of contempt of Congress charges against various officials, possibly to include Mukasey himself.

Off the Radar:

• Senate appropriators are likely giving up on moving their bills forward for the rest of the 110th Congress. Just as with their House counterparts, Republicans trying to shoehorn offshore drilling into every bill has frayed the Democrats' last nerve.
• A Senate "resolution of disapproval" aimed at blocking the Bush "administration's" heap of new rules making it harder for states to expand their SCHIP programs may now be doomed, a victim of poor clock management. The resolution, permitted under a procedure for negating executive rule-making established by the Congressional Review Act of 1996 (PDF), was submitted too late to qualify under the rules as privileged, which puts a motion to proceed to consideration of the motion at risk of a filibuster. Whose job was it to be watching the deadline? Why, none other than Health Subcommittee Chairman Jay Rockefeller. Where do you suppose his head has been, lately? Whoops! Sorry, kids! But at least we'll be able to tell when you're sick by monitoring your calls to the doctor. And maybe the phone companies will pick up your health care bills, now that they don't have to spend their money on lawyers.

It's been a while since I posted Latin music clips. This morning, let's start with a Mexican cumbia by Grupo Limite.

Tonight's Rescue Ranger Krewe consists of vcmvo2, Larsstephens, jlms qkw, Avila, ItsJessMe, dopper0189, shayera, and srkp23, with YatPundit riding trains in The Netherlands tonight, wishing they were New Orleans streetcars.

• In McCain vs. Amtrak, gooners explains why it's a good thing that the light at the end of the tunnel really is a train. (Larsstephens)
• alefnot analyzes the carbon cycle and its vital place in the health of our ecosystems in Earth Science: Carbon cycle basics -- Reservoirs. (vcmvo2 & Larsstephens)
• xofferson introduces Kossacks to Kathy Kelly and tells us that she's Walking across Wisconsin, witnessing against war. (shayera)
• In As The Spirit of the Eagle Weeps diarist WolfmanSpike tells a personal story of Native American pride and experienced prejudice. (dopper0189)
• anidealiveson shares a love of space exploration in the beautifully-written Space is There, and We're Going to Climb It. (ItsJessMe)
• In History for Kossacks: Bonus Expeditionary Force, Unitary Moonbat pens a definitive yet chilling tale of the tragic events leading up to the US Army's firing on its own soldiers. (vcmvo2 & Larsstephens)
• In McCain's Rewritten Essay: You Can't Handle The Truth, organicdemocrat gives us a sneak preview of McCain's re-written New York Times Op-Ed piece. (ItsJessMe)
• JohnnyRook analyzes coverage of Al Gore's speech on Thursday and finds Gore Ignored: The Dead-Tree Media's Dereliction of Duty. (shayera)
• In Media Liberals Applying a Softer Standard to McCain, Ivan Carter compiles a damning and detailed account of the media's complicity in "the straight talk express." Bookmark this for future reference! (vcmvo2)
• angryreader18 takes a look at the national debt and tells Kossacks that The National Debt: A National Problem. (shayera)
• California Nurses Shum wonders if it's true that As Goes California Health Reform, so Goes the Nation? (shayera)
• A fine series on the nation's student debt crisis continues in Slow death by strangulation, part 8 by Dotted Timeline. (dopper0189)
• vbdietz offers up one for the hotlist--an excellent round-up of news about Netroots Nation: NN08 in the News & on the Blogs Roundup #3. (srkp23)

brillig has Top Comments- 7/22/08 Sunburn Edition

jotter has High Impact Diaries - July 21, 2008

Please suggest your own favorites of the day, and use as an open thread.

If Code Pink's goal is to prevent people from wanting to join Code Pink, they're succeeding -- BiPM

Sooooo ... what's up?

In the House, courtesy of the Office of the Majority Leader:

FLOOR SCHEDULE FOR TUESDAY, JULY 22, 2008

House meets at 12:30 p.m.: Morning Hour, 2:00 p.m.: Legislative Business
Unlimited "One Minutes" Per Side
Last vote predicted: 7:00 p.m.
Votes will be postponed until 6:30 p.m.

Suspensions (17 Bills):

1.     H.R. 6362 - To amend title 35, United States Code, and the Trademark Act of 1946 to provide that the Secretary of Commerce, in consultation with the Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, shall appoint administrative patent judges and administrative trademark judges (Rep. Berman – Judiciary)

2.     S. 2565 - Law Enforcement Congressional Badge of Bravery Act of 2008 (Sen. Biden – Judiciary)

3.     H.R. 6531 - The Vessel Hull Design Protection Amendments of 2008 (Rep. Berman – Judiciary)

4.     H.Res. 1241 - Congratulating Ensign DeCarol Davis upon serving as the valedictorian of the Coast Guard Academy's class of 2008 and becoming the first African-American female to earn this honor (Rep. Thompson (MS) – Transportation and Infrastructure)

5.     H.R. 6493 - The Aviation Safety Enhancement Act of 2008 (Rep. Oberstar – Transportation and Infrastructure)

6.     H.R. 5949 - The Clean Boating Act of 2008 (Rep. LaTourette – Transportation and Infrastructure)

7.     H.R. 6556 - To clarify the circumstances during which the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency and applicable States may require permits for discharges from certain vessels, and to require the Administrator to conduct a study of discharges incidental to the normal operation of vessels (Transportation and Infrastructure)

8.     S. 294 - The Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2007 (Sen. Lautenberg - Transportation and Infrastructure)

9.     H.R. 4049 - Money Service Business Act of 2007 (Rep. Maloney – Financial Services)

10.   H.Res. 1139 - Recognizing the 100th anniversary of the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard and congratulating the men and women who provide exceptional service to our military and keep our Pacific Fleet "fit to fight".  (Rep. Abercrombie – Armed Services)

11.   H.Con.Res. 364 - Recognizing the Significance of National Caribbean-American Heritage Month (Rep. Lee – Oversight and Government Reform)

12.   H.Res. 1311 - Expressing support for the designation of National GEAR UP Day (Rep. Fattah – Oversight and Government Reform)

13. H.Res. 1202 - Supporting the goals and ideals of a National Guard Youth Challenge Day (Rep. Tom Davis (VA) – Oversight and Government Reform)

14.   H.Res. 1128 - Expressing support of the goals and ideals of National Carriage Driving Month.  (Rep. Davis (IL) – Oversight and Government Reform)

15.   H.R. 6226 - To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 300 East 3rd Street in Jamestown, New York, as the "Stan Lundine Post Office Building" (Rep. Higgins – Oversight and Government Reform)

16.   H.R. 5235 - The Ronald Reagan Centennial Commission Act (Rep. Gallegly – Oversight and Government Reform)

17.   H.R. 6545 - National Energy Security Intelligence Act of 2008 (Rep. Cazayoux – Intelligence)

• Conference Reports may be brought up at any time.
• Motions to go to Conferenceshould they become available.
• Possible Motions to Instruct Conferees.

In the Senate, courtesy of the Office of the Majority Leader:

Convenes: 10:00am

Resume motion to proceed to S.3268, the Energy Speculation bill.

12:15pm - 2:15pm Recess for the weekly caucus luncheons

If cloture is invoked on the motion to proceed to S.3268, the time from 2:15pm - 6:15pm will be equally divided and controlled in 30 minute alternating blocks of time, with the Majority controlling the first 30 minutes and the Republicans controlling the next 30 minutes.

Votes:
At approximately 11am, Roll Call Vote on the motion to invoke cloture on the motion to proceed to S.3268.

On the Radar:

• A second domestic economic stimulus package may be unveiled shortly. A markup originally scheduled for today has been postponed, but is expected to happen shortly, with an announcement on the package (expected to be in the neighborhood of $50 billion in total) by week's end. The White House is skeptical of the need for such a bill.
• The White House is also looking askance at the housing bill still making its way through Congress (H.R. 3221), and has issued a veto threat if the final product contains a program of federal grants to buy out and rehabilitate foreclosed properties.

Fun fact: If the Democrats pick up 34 seats in the House, they'll have a 101 seat majority.

Tonight's Rescue Rangers are dadanation (also mentoring HansScholl), BentLiberal, Louisiana 1976, joyful (mentoring drbcladd), shayera, and vcmvo2, with srkp23 editing.

• mamamedusa's first diary, Infant mortality, race, and myths, is a chilling must-read. (dadanation)
• RO45 considers Obama's impact on teen and tween fashions in Grandmothering and Politics. Another anecdote from the enthusiasm gap. (drbcladd & joyful)
• Wattree considers whether race is thicker than ideology in Your Brother is The One Who Thinks Like You. (drbcladd & joyful)
• Avenging Angel tells Kossacks that Barack Obama will be repairing some McCain damage during his European trip in Obama Seeks to Rebuild European Alliances McCain Mocked. (shayera)
• phoebe1st tells Kossacks she was Inspired by Darcy's T-Shirt. And what she's doing about it. (shayera)
• Dotted Timeline continues a series on the financial barriers to higher education in Slow death by strangulation, part 7 and describes the ruin that today's students must risk to pay for college. (HansScholl)
• billlaurelMD's charts, graphs, and pictures continue to record the shrinking Arctic icecap in North Pole today, 7/21/08. (HansScholl)
• Johnny Venom offers up some good news (with a caution) about the low standing of the dollar, in Manufacturing Monday: The Prius to be made in America, VW expands too! (BentLiberal)
• faithfull takes a look at the ramifications of "peak coal" in Appalachia and the environmental impacts of mountaintop removal, in Mountain Monday: 10 Years of Coal. (BentLiberal)
• dhonig highlights some NFL hypocrisy in Wine, the NFL, and competing with the government. (shayera)
• In The Desperation of John Hagee, Frederick Clarkson distills the many reasons why this preacher's apocalyptic rhetoric has been toned down. (vcmvo2)

jotter serves up High Impact Diaries - July 20, 2008.

sardonyx brings Top Comments: Corrections Edition.

Enjoy and please promote your own favorite diaries in this open thread.

Fun fact: The conservative blogosphere's preferred primary candidate was Fred Thompson.

I'd kill to see McCain choose him as VP -- kos

Welcome back for more speculation! Today we'll continue the final elimination thread of possibilities for Obama's v.p.

This elimination series began with the bottom 14 names, and eliminates the bottom vote-getter(s) and replaces them with new name(s) from just up the list, reaveraging as we go (so each thread's bottom vote-getter[s] may not be the ones cut--who's cut will be determined by the new averages generated from this series's votes only). I hope that'll be complicated enough to dissatisfy and confuse everyone equally. I'm hoping we'll have five or six candidates left when Obama picks and see if the DKos wisdom of crowds is. It should take about 14 threads to get all of the top candidates in the poll again, out of the 28 or so total threads. Sen. Jeff Bingaman (NM) was eliminated in the previous round, and Fmr. Sen. Bob Graham (FL) rotated in to replace him this time.

Please discuss any v.p. candidates in the comments. The most correct format would be to simply state their name, unless you have further comments, in which case please include them. "Oh my God, where's Jane/Johnny Politician?!" would be a bit alarmist, don't you think? I'm sure they're fine. I'm happy to hear all ideas, and of course I'm no official gatekeeper, so play nice.

(continued below the fold)