On the horizon is perhaps the single most important election of the past thirty years. Our economy, military, infrastructure, legal structure, and foreign alliances  are all literally falling apart. The nation that created the U.N. is now seen as a larger danger than Iran, Russia, and North Korea by a majority of the world, including Europe. In a nation of laws, those laws have been broken and openly ridiculed by those who are supposed to uphold them. Our neglected infrastructure already has a body-count that will likely grow. Our military is far past the breaking point, only held together by the sheer willpower of our men and women in uniform who are carrying ever-heavier burdens. Our economic future is bleak, with no signs of recovery for at least a year or more.
Our president is willing to ignore the Constitution, lie to suit his needs, invade foreign countries without cause, and ignore those in need. In the past eight years, the top 1% has grown exponentially wealthier, while the bottom 90% have struggled to stay even.

Aside from the to and fro of Obama's VP pick.  And aside from simmering questions about cones and crosses.  There is a palpable sense of discord in the left-wing blathersphere because Obama's polling numbers seem to be tanking a bit from their stratospheric heights of yestermonth.

I look at www.fivethirtyeight.com quite regularly and even understand some of what is said there.  That site has become, I believe, the gold standard of election forecasting.  Their model has Obama maintaining a slim, although eroding, lead in the polls with overall a 56 % shot at winning.  Beyond that particular site, others have recently noted the erosion in Obama's lead.  Particularly TPM and several bloggers on this site.  However, I believe that the numbers as they look now are not only realistic, but demonstrate the best way for Obama to win in November and offer the Democrats the building blocks for long-term political ascendancy.

Crossposted from Left Toon Lane, Bilerico Project & My Left Wing


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(Proudly cross-posted at Clintonistas for Obama)

I'm sure we've all heard about all the buzz on "expanding the map". Democrats may finally be able to do it this fall. We have enough winnable Congressional races and enough new swing states to build a stronger Democratic majority.

So can we do it? Only if we make it happen...

Some of Barr's key points:

1. McCain, like his mentor, is clueless when it comes to "geopolitics and the ethnic and demographic problems in that part of the world (Georgia)." I should add that this ignorance extends across the globe: he is equally clueless on the Middle East, Asia, Africa, LA and, of course, the Real America (not the one where a person graduates from the middle class after five million dollars).
   
2. McCain, like his mentor, recklessly bases his foreign policy judgments on metaphysical data like that gathered by Bush when he peered into Putin's soul (or spoke with G-d).
   
3. McCain is a moron for his "we are all Georgians" remark. His advisor, Randy Scheunemann, might be a Georgian in the same way that I might  be an Iranian if Ahmadinejad gave me $730,000 for a shoulder to cry on. But, like Barr said, we are not all Georgians.
   
4. McCain, like his mentor, does not understand that American power is not based solely on empty bluster, especially when it can't be backed up.
   
5. Republicans are sucking in the free world (as opposed rocking in it).

sike!

but that was a fun preview of how excited you'll be when you do!

you're welcome!

Okay, so there are rumors here, rumors there, and rumors everywhere else.  Rumors spinning around our heads.  So here comes a rumor that Barack Obama will announce Kathleen Sebelius for Vice President.  Tribble Ad Agency has a post up on its blog suggesting that the Obama campaign may have registered the domain name OBAMASEBELIUS.COM.  The evidence is very circumstantial, but it's worth a read.

Were you paying attention?

Do you remember the muckrakers the Republicans had hired to derail the Clinton Express? Rush Limbaugh was cackling with glee at his revived career.

Hillary spent since 2001 preparing for this election. You think the Republicans didn't? They prepared for Clinton. They wanted Clinton, because let's face it -- they aren't exactly the fastest people on their feet.

Could Hillary Rodham Clinton have won the general election? No doubt about it. Just like there's no doubt that Obama will win this one.