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LIGHTNING ROUND: BATHROBE BLOGGING EDITION.
- Mark Begich currently leads incumbent Sen. Ted Stevens in Alaska by 814 votes, with the counting to finish up between 7:00 and 8:00 PM Alaska Time.
- The RNC is filing a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the 2002 Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, or McCain-Feingold. Although RNC chair Mike Duncan claims this is to protect his party's free speech rights, ABC's Political Radar gets to the real heart of the matter: "The move by Republicans, which comes just nine days after the election, indicates a concern among the GOP about party fundraising and its ability to influence state and local politics. One lawsuit, which the party says it filed today in the District of Columbia, seeks to overturn the ban on unregulated contributions or 'soft money.'"
- Al Gore takes a pass on being the "climate czar" in the Obama administration and SEIU president Andy Stern denies interest in a cabinet position as labor secretary.
- Barack Obama will resign his Senate seat on Sunday, leaving the appointment of his replacement to IL Gov. Rod Blagojevich. Adam Doster has a breakdown of each of the likely candidates over on the main site.
- Newt Gingrich describes the GOP as "a midsize college team trying to play in the Superbowl," and Tim Pawlenty, speaking at the Republican Governors Association, identifies the problem more concretely: "We cannot be a majority governing party when we essentially cannot compete in the Northeast, we are losing our ability to compete in Great Lakes states, we cannot compete on the West Coast, we are increasingly in danger of competing in the mid-Atlantic states, and the Democrats are now winning some of the Western states." Ok, so the geography isn't favorable. But surely the demographics are GOP-friendly, right, Tim? "Similarly we cannot compete, and prevail, as a majority governing party if we have a significant deficit, as we do, with women, where we have a large deficit with Hispanics, where we have a large deficit with African American voters, where we have a large deficit with people of modest incomes and modest financial circumstances."
- The source for some of the more embarrassing McCain campaign leaks has been revealed to be an elaborate hoax perpetrated by two filmmakers. But as Steve Benen observes, the reports that Sarah Palin couldn't identify Africa as a continent are likely to still be true, since they were initially reported by Fox's Carl Cameron.
- Tim takes a look at this Washington Post story about the government of Iran not trusting Barack Obama because "people who put on a mask of friendship, but with the objective of betrayal, and who enter from the angle of negotiations without preconditions, are more dangerous." Perhaps. Or could it be that heightened tensions with the United States are the only thing likely to keep Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in office when elections come around next year? Also, did you know Ahmadinejad's office has a blog? And, like many blogs, it hasn't been updated in about a year!
- Want a job working for Barack Obama? The New York Times looks at the application process: "The questionnaire includes 63 requests for personal and professional records, some covering applicants’ spouses and grown children as well, that are forcing job-seekers to rummage from basements to attics, in shoe boxes, diaries and computer archives to document both their achievements and missteps."
--Mori Dinauer
COMMENTS (8)
...the reports that Sarah Palin couldn't identify Africa as a continent are likely to still be true...
The reports are as likely to be accurate as not. Cameron's source could have been exaggerating or lying. The point is, the hoax pertains to the claim of who the source was, not the actual source's original claim. And because we still don't know who that source is, we cannot validate the claim.
Posted by: Grumpy | November 13, 2008 8:35 PM
In my opinion, the Secretary of State should be someone who hates war and would only use war as a last resort, and who can firmly see Peace in their mind's eye; someone who recognizes that all men are brothers/sisters and that we all come from the same Source or Creator, to truly make some headway at bringing people together in reconciliation. That said, Hillary Clinton has earned her right to some cabinet post within an Obama administration. I am just not sure if being Secretary of State is the right one for her.
Posted by: Angellight | November 14, 2008 7:38 AM
I have no brief for or against Hillary as Secretary of State, although I would much prefer to see her on the Supreme Court. But regarding Angellight's heartfelt encomium, I would offer three words: William. Jennings. Bryant. Worst Secretary of State of the 20th Century precisely because his idealism prevented him from being able to deal with the actual facts of a world war unfolding before his eyes. I really thing we need pragmatic competence at this stage of the game, not pious hopefulness. I do hope the day dawns when Angellight's vision becomes a reality. I'm not sure, however, I'll see it happen in my lifetime.
Posted by: Marti Perez | November 14, 2008 10:02 AM
"Think" not "thing." Is it too early to start drinking?
Posted by: Marti Perez | November 14, 2008 10:04 AM
If Bryan's policies of actual neutrality and keeping out of European wars had actually prevailed, the history of the 20th century would have been a great deal pleasanter. He failed, but there's only so much a Secretary of State can do against the determined opposition of a president, in this case Woodrow Wilson, the worst president of the 20th century.
Posted by: William Burns | November 14, 2008 10:48 AM
Mr. Burns, how dare you try to rob Warren Harding of his rightful place in history! Wilson wasn't even the worst Democratic President of the 20th Century (I'd give Jimmy Carter the nod on that one). Anyway, my point is that Bryan didn't have the actual political chops to prevail. His vision was wonderful, but he was not the kind of man to actually lead the nation toward it. And while I detest Wilson myself, I would point out that the Germans did pretty much everything they could to drag the U.S. and its President kicking and screaming into the war. Google Franz von Papen, one of the premier idiots of the 20th Century and the man who thought it would be a good idea to bring Hitler to power.
Posted by: Marti Perez | November 14, 2008 11:21 AM
I would much prefer to see her on the Supreme Court.
Her age alone makes this a terrible idea. Age discrimination is bad, but Supreme Court appointments are lifetime, and if the GOP keeps appointing kids and the Democrats appoint people in their 60s, the Court will become even more dominated by right-wingers.
Notice that Ruth Bader Ginsburg is tipped to retire imminently, and Thomas and Scalia aren't, even though Thomas and Scalia were appointed before her (Scalia was two Administrations before her). Why? Because Ginsburg was a lot older when she was appointed.
Let's not make that mistake again. I don't want to see anyone nominated for the Supreme Court who's over 55 at most; if the GOP justices are going to stay on the Court for over 30 years, the Democratic justices should be ready to stay on the court for at least 30 years.
Posted by: Matt Weiner | November 14, 2008 3:52 PM
Carter the worst Democratic president? What did he do? Other than keep the country out of war, manage the handover of the Panama Canal so as to remove it as an issue both in American and Latin American politics, and be the only American president ever to be a successful peacemaker in the Middle East?
Posted by: William Burns | November 14, 2008 3:55 PM