Friday, October 31, 2008

31 Oct 2008 05:03 pm

Thank You, Bill Clinton

I'm as surprised as I am impressed:

"This is Bill Clinton calling to ask you to vote NO on Proposition 8 on Tuesday, November 4th. Proposition 8 would use state law to single out one group of Californians to be treated differently -- discriminating against members of our family, our friends and our co-workers. If I know one thing about California, I know that is not what you're about. That is not what America is about. Please vote NO on 8. It's unfair and it's wrong. Thank you."

Clinton's recorded message went to millions of Californians overnight. If he makes the difference, we can finally forgive him for DOMA. But seriously: a great thing. He came through. I won't forget. None of us will.

31 Oct 2008 04:54 pm

What's At Stake: The Rule Of Law

Esquire, in its first endorsement in seventy-five years, echoes Garry Wills. Yes, something profound is at stake on Tuesday:

More than any other recent election, we are voting this year not merely for a president but to overthrow two governments. The one we can see is the one in which constitutional order has been defaced, the national spirit degraded, and the country unrecognizable because so much of the best of itself has been sold off or frittered away. The other one is the far more insidious one, a doppelgänger nation of black prisons, shredded memos, and secret justifications for even more secret crimes. Moreover, the current administration has worked hard not only to immunize itself from the political and legal consequences of the government we can see, but it has also worked within the one we cannot see in order to perpetuate itself...

Continue reading "What's At Stake: The Rule Of Law" »

31 Oct 2008 04:38 pm

Prop 8 Update: Yes We Can

Towleroad has a massive round-up of prop 8 news including this new ad by no on 8 with Samuel L Jackson's voice-over:

(hat tip: Dan Savage)

31 Oct 2008 04:26 pm

On Khalidi

A reader writes:

I am an observant American Jew, my grandparents were survivors of Auschwitz and Bergen Belsen, and I am a proud Zionist, although one who identifies more with the J-Street Project than AIPAC. I am also a supporter of Barack Obama. I have been following the "controversy" over Rashid Khalidi and just read the article in The Nation to which you linked. I know nothing else about Khalidi, other than some biographical information I picked up on Wikipedia and news reports. I have to say, based on the article, he seems to have a very reasonable, thoughtful approach to the "situation" in Israel and Palestine.

Continue reading "On Khalidi" »

31 Oct 2008 04:20 pm

Mental Health Break

Drawing with water:

31 Oct 2008 03:55 pm

Meanwhile, In Utah

It's important to understand that not all Mormons are anti-gay or anti-equality. It's the official Mormon church that has funneled $20 million to amend the California constitution. Gay Mormons and their families are as plentiful as they are courageous:

Mormon mothers of gay children are staging a candlelight vigil in Salt Lake City to oppose the LDS Church's support of California's proposed gay-marriage ban. Co-hosted by Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), Equality Utah, the Utah Pride Center, the Inclusion Center, Affirmation and the Human Rights Campaign, the event will be held Sunday at 6 p.m. at Library Square, 210 E. 400 South. In a news release, organizers invited all allies and members of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community - Mormon and non-Mormon - to join the vigil to support civil rights.

If you live there, join them. And if the Watts family is there, much love from me.

31 Oct 2008 03:44 pm

Quote For The Day

"I said to my wife, after watching Palin’s debate with Senator Biden, that I could only think of one question that woman might not duck—one she actually might answer, even with enthusiasm. Here’s the question. I have never field-dressed a moose, but—in my deer-hunting days—I have field-dressed deer, and I would have liked to ask the perky Alaskan if the process is more or less the same. (Only a lot bigger!) I could easily imagine Gov. Palin’s eyes brightening; an onslaught of pre-orgasmic winking might have ensued. “Ya know,” she might have begun, “ya just gotta make a big slit from the critter’s brisket to its crotch, and ya gotta reach way the heck up and grab hold of the rectum. Ya can’t let the feces fall out and get all over the meat, ya know. But there’s really nothin’ to it. It’s just a moose—it’s not a Russian, or somethin’!” I think that pretty much covers what the governor might say in answer to that question, except that she probably wouldn’t use the feces word—if ya know what I mean," - novelist John Irving.

31 Oct 2008 03:36 pm

Executive Power And The Court

The New York Review of Books asked several contributors to weigh in on the election. Here's Garry Wills:

The next president will undoubtedly nominate one or more Supreme Court justices—which, justifiably, makes some worry about the fate of Roe v. Wade. But there should be even deeper worries about the Court. Even if Roe is reversed (and that is no certainty, even with new justices), some states—perhaps many—will legitimize abortions, and others may find a ban unenforceable (more so than Prohibition). But a new justice appointed by a Republican president will with certainty create results more drastic than any affecting Roe.

I hope to write about this very soon. It is, in my judgment, the most important thing at stake on Tuesday. Wills continues:

Continue reading "Executive Power And The Court" »

31 Oct 2008 03:14 pm

Happy Halloween II

Alex Tabarrok crunches the numbers and finds the Sarah Palin has a better chance at becoming president than John McCain.

31 Oct 2008 03:00 pm

Happy Halloween

A hockey mom sings:

31 Oct 2008 02:57 pm

Dead Even In Iowa?

That's the latest from Bill McInturff and Rick Davis. Obama is there today, which suggests he senses some kind of shift. But all the public polls show a big and stable Obama lead. The most recent, SUSA's, has Obama 15 points ahead. Mcinturff

believes Party ID will skew about three to five points in favor of the Democrats on Election Day.

I don't know, of course.

31 Oct 2008 02:45 pm

If 538 Covered The World

They'd come up with a very cool interactive map of Obama-McCain support across several continents like this one.

31 Oct 2008 02:42 pm

Media Attacks Threaten The First Amendment?

Yes, she is that dumb.

31 Oct 2008 02:34 pm

Political Malpractice?

A new McCain ad:

Mark Kleiman is perplexed:

The thrust of the McCain campaign, especially for the past month, has been that Barack Obama is evil and scary: a metrosexual cosmopolitan celebrity who wants to molest your children while his terrorist friends plot to kill you and his homeboy welfare chiselers from ACORN steal elections so they can then steal your money. Now, four days before the election, McCain shows the voters Obama "reaching across the aisle" to praise his rival in his best calm, reasonable, thoughtful tone.

What am I missing here? Is Steve Schmidt in the tank?

31 Oct 2008 02:23 pm

"Or"

Here's John McCain. I think he now realizes what a total disaster the Palin pick was. And it was his decision. The craziest in the history of modern American presidential politics.

31 Oct 2008 02:16 pm

Can Bloggers Save Journalism?

If you missed NPR's On Point a couple of days ago, you can listen to me, Tina Brown and Nick Lemann debate the impact of blogging on the future of journalism here.

31 Oct 2008 01:55 pm

Is It Tightening?

Blumenthal:

Is the race for president "narrowing" enough for John McCain to catch Barack Obama by Tuesday? While our national trend has closed slightly over the last two weeks and today's new polls show a whisper of a narrowing in the battleground states where the McCain campaign has increased ad spending, time is short and Obama's lead still looks daunting.

31 Oct 2008 01:55 pm

Reality Check

Ohio, where McCain has been furiously campaigning:

31 Oct 2008 01:53 pm

That Infomercial

Did it work?

31 Oct 2008 01:43 pm

Early Vote Crack

The numbers:

...one in six likely voters has done the deed, and as many say they will between now and Election Day. Their preference: Obama by a substantial margin.

Continue reading "Early Vote Crack" »

31 Oct 2008 01:17 pm

So You Think You Can Dance?

An Obama-McCain smack-down. Hilarious:

31 Oct 2008 01:08 pm

In His Own Words

Scott Horton points me to this article by Rashid Khalidi on Palestine and Israel. Judge for yourself whether he is an anti-Semite.

31 Oct 2008 12:55 pm

Obama On Offense

The Dem goes up on the air in three red states:

Obama manager David Plouffe opens up a media conference call with the announcement that they're going on TV in three deep red states: Arizona, North Dakota, and Georgia.

31 Oct 2008 12:55 pm

The Halperin Indicator

Greg Sargent argues that Drudge's influence has waned. I miss his old tabloid instincts, contempt for the powerful, and nose for what people want to talk about. I'm still a fan. But a somewhat disillusioned one.

31 Oct 2008 12:53 pm

Baby-Killer!

The pro-life far right is not pulling punches with Obama.

31 Oct 2008 12:41 pm

Jumping The Broom

Many gay couples are rushing to get married in California, fearful that the Mormon church's Proposition 8 will soon strip gay couples of legal rights in their state. I remain confident that we can win - because we have the best argument. The new Field poll shows it very close - but winnable. If Obama and Schwarzenegger speak out as they promised in the next two days, that would help. Their silence is deafening. But the experience of these rushed weddings is also profoundly affecting:

In a symbolically loaded part of their ceremony, an African-American friend invited them to “jump the broom.” During slavery, society refused to recognize the rights of many African-Americans to marry. Despite this, marriage — formalized by a couple jumping over a broom — continued to thrive.

Continue reading "Jumping The Broom" »

31 Oct 2008 12:40 pm

The L Word

David Kurtz wonders what kind of mandate Obama will have if he wins:

...what will an Obama landslide translate into in the first year he's in office? It's not clear to me. One of the most toxic effects of the decline of the two parties as political institutions and the rise of the modern TV-based political campaign, with its cult of personality politics, is that the election becomes a referendum on the candidates themselves, rather than on broad policies or platforms.

31 Oct 2008 12:25 pm

"America's Half-Blood Prince"

The VDare right tackles Obama.

31 Oct 2008 12:21 pm

The Next GOP Message

Mona Charen explains "why Jews should be more grateful to Christians." (Link now fixed).

31 Oct 2008 12:18 pm

McCain-Khalidi!

A deep and lucrative connection. To see how deep, check out Andy McCarthy's defense!

31 Oct 2008 12:13 pm

Lanny Davis's Almost Future

McCain snuggles up to Hillary in the latest campaign literature.

31 Oct 2008 12:00 pm

Holy Shit

Kos's poll in Arizona finds a dead heat between McCain and Obama: 48 - 47. Among early voters, Obama has a 54 to 42 lead. I'd be amazed if that's how it turns out. The broader context:

31 Oct 2008 11:54 am

Ohio Man's Profound Insight

Joe The Plumber, anyone? Sometimes, when a campaign is as execrable as McCain's, you need satire to predict it.

31 Oct 2008 11:52 am

Obamacon Watch

The Cunning Realist, a lifelong conservative, comes out in support of Obama:

For Obamacons there is of course a possibility, perhaps even a likelihood, of buyer's remorse somewhere down the road -- maybe even the morning after the election. Will the taboo love affair survive Obama's first massive corporate bailout or Supreme Court nomination?

Continue reading "Obamacon Watch" »

31 Oct 2008 11:50 am

The View From Your Window

El Cerrito, California, 11 am.

31 Oct 2008 11:28 am

Really

Reihan still believes that McCain would make a better president:

We haven't seen the real McCain in this campaign.

31 Oct 2008 11:25 am

The Small Tent

David Frum asks:

How small has the house of conservatism shrunk when it can find no room for Anne Applebaum? What has happened at NR when this generation's greatest living expert on the crimes of communism can be dismissed as an unserious and dishonorable person?

Paul Mirengoff answers that no one who votes for Obama is a conservative. Ugh.

31 Oct 2008 11:20 am

Malkin Award Nominee

“Just this past week, we saw what Barack Obama said about judges. He said, ‘I’m tired of these judges who want to follow what the Founding Fathers said and the Constitution. I want judges who have a heart, have an empathy for the teenage mom, the minority, the gay, the disabled. We want them to show empathy. We want them to show compassion,'" - Sen. Kit Bond.

31 Oct 2008 11:11 am

Hewitt Award Nominee

"Anyone watch the afro-mercial last night?," - Dan Riehl.

(hat tip: Oliver Willis)

31 Oct 2008 10:48 am

More on Khalidi

Juan Cole defends Khalidi:

McCain's and Palin's attacks on Khalidi are frankly racist... Khalidi was not, as the schlock rightwing press charges, a spokesman for the Palestine Liberation Organization. He was an adviser at the Madrid peace talks, but would that not have been, like, a good thing?

Scott Horton likewise comes to Khalidi's aid. I've posted other views here. Jeffrey Goldberg posts here. I haven't read enough of or about Khalidi to say either way, to be honest. But I really don't see how this is a critical issue in this election either.

31 Oct 2008 10:33 am

Email From The Base

Every now and again, AOL puts one of my posts up as a link on its home-page, and I get a bucket load of new readers who are skewed toward people who still use AOL. And what I read is helpful in getting out of my elite cocoon. Here's one of many, responding to my ten reasons for conservatives to vote Obama:

You failed to take into account the one glaring reason not only to NOT vote for Mr. Obama, but to hope and pray desperately that the polls are dead wrong and Mr. McCain pulls off the shocker of the century: Supreme Court nominations. Should Obama win and the left get control of the court, the Second Amendment will surely be overturned and I predict all hell will break loose when previously law abiding citizens like me are told to give up our guns...

Regarding your Reason #3, "Two words: President Palin", I say "PLEASE!" Governor Palin's selection to the ticket was the reason I was able to vote the way I did without holding my nose.

31 Oct 2008 10:12 am

Awwwwkwaaaard

Obama and Bill Clinton aren't very chummy:

The truth is that no real relationship exists between 42 and the would-be 44. A lunch in Harlem, sure. A few perfunctory phone calls, yeah. But that's about the extent of it.

Continue reading "Awwwwkwaaaard" »

31 Oct 2008 10:04 am

"Of Course" Not

Larry Eagleburger on Sarah Palin. Can anyone say with a straight face that Sarah Palin is ready to assume the responsibilities of the presidency if something were to happen to John McCain? The question answers itself.

31 Oct 2008 09:52 am

Out-Godding Each Other

She is too a Christian. Nyah:

Has it come to this? I like Hagan's attitude, though. Sounds like a senator to me.

31 Oct 2008 09:49 am

"Why I Like David Frum"

Michael Weiss explains. Sticking up for the integrity and seriousness of Anne Applebaum is part of it:

I'm under no illusion that an Obama administration will usher in a period of American "healing." The politics of polarization has always been with us, and it's in no danger of expiring in the Age of Blogorrhea. But how sad that those paid to do the hard thinking about the future of conservatism should all rush to prove that they've got the intellects of four-year-olds, and the temperaments of Comintern agents.

31 Oct 2008 09:44 am

Why Glenn Reynolds Backed Bush-Cheney For Eight Years

Finally an explanation:

"Some may say, and you call yourself a libertarian. But I have decided I can be a kind of statist, big government, expansive regulation, high spending, low investing, industrial policy, aggressive religion enforcing sort of libertarian. If you look at libertarians for Bush, I would hardly be the first. . . . It's not so bad really. It feels kind of like when you wake up in the morning and your mind is kind of blank, but in a peaceful sort of way. Rather nice, really. You know, healing."

(Yes, I'm having fun here. But, seriously, what a joke. Now he discovers he's a libertarian?)

31 Oct 2008 09:22 am

Marriage Equality In The Balance

Marc says it's close:

Internal polling for proponents of Proposition 8, which would ban same-sex marriage in California, shows the race tied; public polls have it tied at 44% to 44% with 12 percent undecided. Internal polling for opponents of proposition 8 have the race within the margin of error.

Donate here. A vivid report on the overwhelmingly Mormon Yes On 8 campaign here:

At Friday's rally, the ladies in charge of the booth selling signs and tee-shirts were LDS, as were numerous audience members. Still, perhaps to guard against anti-LDS prejudice, the church is by all appearances trying to play its role quietly. Only later did I discover, for instance, that Marvin Perkins, the "community leader," is also something more unusual: an African-American Mormon--and one who appears to be very active in church outreach.

You don't say. Yes On 8 has been bankrolled to the tune $20 million from the LDS church. And their main theme has been the ancient blood libel against gay people (and Jews): that we're out to "recruit" or abuse others' children.

31 Oct 2008 09:02 am

Change And The Election

This, it strikes me, is the most salient finding in the NYT poll:

Sixty-four percent of voters polled said that Mr. Obama would bring about real change if elected, while only 39 percent said that Mr. McCain would. And despite Mr. McCain’s increased efforts to distance himself from President Bush, a majority still said that he would generally continue President Bush’s policies.

This is an election about change. The only way McCain could have reversed this dynamic was attacking Bush as a disaster from Day One. But he couldn't do that with the party he heads up and his 90 percent pro-Bush voting record. Failing that, he could have picked Lieberman as his veep, and cast his ticket as a bi-partisan, experienced change agent. But his party could not have tolerated that either. No social and cultural moderate can be a Republican presidential ticket in the era of Rove. So McCain was left with the party that brung him - and we now know what motivates that party: fear of the other and religious fanaticism. Hence his appalling fall campaign - among the most disgusting and hollow I can remember.

31 Oct 2008 08:40 am

The Looming Flip-Flop

Matt Cooper on Obama's economic predicament:

My bet is that he's going to have to modify his plans slightly. Whatever majority he garners should he win, it's not going to be one that's eager to hike taxes. Bill Clinton had almost 60 Senate Democrats in 1993 and barely got his tax hikes through. I'm not sure it's going to be that much easier this time, even with a bevy of Democrats. Of course, Obama just has to let the Bush tax cuts expire, but since he wants to keep them in place for lower-income workers, he still has to pass something. Watch for the top tax rate to go up a tad, but any increase in capital gains taxes are a harder sell. There's going to be too much market volatility and too much organized interest against those hikes.

31 Oct 2008 08:20 am

234-105

Obama is still out-pacing McCain in newspaper endorsements. He's also leading among the unexpected newspaper endorsements that matter the most:

At least 47 papers -- the most recent, the Cape Cod Times -- have now switched to Obama from Bush in 2004, with just four flipping to McCain (see separate story on our site). In addition, several top papers that went for Bush in 2004 have now chosen not to endorse this year, the latest being the Indianapolis Star in key swing state Indiana.