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No mention of party affiliation except for "Walt Minnick, Right for Idaho."

"I've had to say 'no' far more often than I've said 'yes'." Wassamatta Walt, embarrassed by the party members that got you in office or the 70% voting record you have for voting with the Democratic Party? A great man once observed "In matters of principles, stand like a rock; in matters of taste, swim with the current." I would venture to say that Thomas Jefferson also denoted the difference between a follower and a leader. Are you a leader, Walt? I'm none too interested in following after that ad.

I am perplexed by Walt's assertion that he voted against Wall Street bailouts. That vote occurred in October, 2008, a month before he won election.

Not bad, for a start. The overall look is a bit more 'staged' than I'd prefer, but Keith looks quite comfortable in front of the lens. (But what the heck is with the 3D circle-slash 'NO' graphic? A flat image works fine, thanks.) I'm looking forward to the next spot.

Now stop staring:

No one has been able to say how long U.S. Forest Service Officer Scott Cairnes and Deputy Derek Hamm stood watching the trio, but in Cairnes’ report he wrote that he saw Dennison and Adkins engage in three sex acts and then Adkins and Walsh began to fondle Dennison.

Sheriff fires deputies caught naked in forest

But not before I share a few things with you. Next time you root down into one of your emails and find the word "abomination" in reference to teh gay, reply with this.

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Kiplinger, the business forecast and personal finance guru, has put together a slide show of the Great Cities for Raising Families in the U.S. and low and behold, Pocatello, Idaho, made the list.

Yeah, I'm scratching my head a little, too.  read more »

From Boing Boing comes this compelling presentation on the method by which we save the planet. Its less than 20 minutes but once you click play, you'll never notice the time.

As I buried in the post on the Beckpocalypse, unfortunately the Nuge won't be performing at the "I have a nightmare" speech. He's been scrubbed, no doubt because of the racist comments. Beck's partners couldn't have that on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial on the anniversary of MLK's landmark speech. But the tea baggers' loss is Boise's gain. But $60! Hell, Dylan was just here for $50. Good luck with that.  read more »

Yes the economy sucks, but there ain't no way electing this will make it better.

I must say Labrador fits right in with this cast.

Christ on a crutch. Who knew that almost a half century after Brown v. Board of Education, there's still segregation practiced in southern schools.

Updated 8/27: Shortened the title from "Senator Crapo Unwittingly Publicizes the Inherent Contradiction in Republican Campaign Strategy" Catchy, no? And I got some wonky quibbles on the numbers down below.

You think teh crazy talk and inhibited logical faculties are limited to the tea baggers? Its embedded in the Republican game plan of reducing deficits while repealing health care reform. Senator Crapo, in an election year gambit, attempted to demonstrate economic justification for the repeal of the Affordable Care Act (health care reform). Crapo asked the Congressional Budget Office for an analysis on the deficit should the ACA be repealed. And the response (.pdf) probably won't be heralded by any press releases from the Senator's office:

"[Y]ou asked what the net deficit impact would be if certain provisions of PPACA and the Reconciliation Act that were estimated to generate net savings were eliminated -- specifically, those which were originally estimated to generate a net reduction in mandatory outlays of $455 billion over the 2010-2019 period. The estimate of $455 billion mentioned in your letter represents the net effects of many provisions. Some of those provisions generated savings for Medicare, Medicaid, or the Children's Health Insurance Program, and some generated costs.

"If those provisions were repealed, CBO estimates that there would be an increase in deficits similar to its original estimate of $455 billion in net savings over that period."  read more »

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"I regret that I have but one vote to give Mr. Labrador," writes Dan Welker on the Facebook page of Labrador for Idaho. "Great position statement. Now lets go get you elected!"

Welker is referring to the 1st Congressional District Candidate's position statement on illegal immigration.

"I agree with Dan," added Angela Ippolito-Cross "I regret that I have but one vote to give Mr. Labrador."

But apparently, Republican words regarding their candidate are not worth the blog windows they are printed on.

According to KBOI:  read more »

Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) penned an editorial this weekend which should be the template for every leader in this country on the controversy near Ground Zero. He nails it in seven short paragraphs.

The debate swirling around the proposed mosque and Muslim community center in lower Manhattan near the World Trade Center site has, for many, tapped into strong emotions of a national trauma that is still raw. But in the churning political and constitutional arguments, one question has not been adequately addressed: what makes a mosque near ground zero offensive?

Nearly everyone in this debate affirms the constitutional right for the mosque's construction. Indeed, that right is a cherished founding principle. As Thomas Jefferson said, "The constitutional freedom of religion [is] the most inalienable and sacred of all human rights." It is no accident that the right to worship in accordance with one's own conscience is enshrined in the First Amendment.  read more »

Down With Tyranny

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Our post Hostility to minorities is held by the far right majority of the Republican Party was picked up by several reference sites, including Topix.com.

In this discussion, kodbager writes (among other things):

Here's a valid question. As a "minority" ... just what the hell is it that really distinguishes YOUR want's and wishes from that of MINE???  read more »

Maybe Harry Reid should consider adding the thought: I don't know how any woman could be a Republican, OK? ... Do I need to say more?

A Minnesota Republican Party operative yesterday waded into one of the signature political issues of our time: "Who's hotter — Republican women or Democratic women?" writes Rachel Rose Hartman on Yahoo News.  read more »

The 'almost next to hallowed ground zero Mosque/Islamic Center/ex-Burlington Coat Factory' controversy is being demagogued to death by bigots and opportunists. Discriminating on the basis of religion is against everything this country was founded upon. Glenn Greenwald observed this exchange which is the first mention in the traditional media of what this controversy is really about, telling the Muslims they can sit anywhere they like on the bus, just not the front. When this first broke I thought this was an actual proposal to build a Mosque deliberately on ground zero. And upon reflection I can think of no better way to signal to the world that Islam is not the enemy of America. No American Muslims flew those planes or killed the innocent and the first responders. We should encourage moderate Muslims and seek retribution from the killers who have declared America its enemy.

The Daily Show With Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Mosque-Erade
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor Tea Party

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No matter the group, one can almost feel the seething disgust the GOP has for people they don't like.

Simply put, there is one party that welcomes people of all colors and faiths, and there is one that does not.

- brooklynbadboy

***

Harry Reid really touched a nerve when he said: "I don't know how anyone of Latino heritage could be a Republican, OK?" ... "Do I need to say more?"

Out of necessity, 1st Congressional District Republican candidate Raul Labrador, who was born in Puerto Rico, weighed in:

“Harry Reid’s latest race-baited words are simply unacceptable to all members of the Hispanic community and I fully expect his party and Walt Minnick to condemn these terrible comments immediately.” he said

Calling Reid's comments "ill-tempered," and "ignorant," Labrador issued the following statement:

I cannot believe an elected leader of Harry Reid’s stature can continue to make racist comments about huge numbers of Americans. Harry Reid’s latest race-baited comments are simply unacceptable to all members of the Hispanic community. Denigrating the entire Republican Hispanic community, including myself, is simply outrageous. Contrary to Senator Reid’s beliefs, the Latino community is perfectly capable of making choices of political affiliation that are in its best interests, including being Republicans.  read more »

From Popkey:

Former Idaho GOP Sen. Larry Craig will be on KBOI-670 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Monday, [CALL 336-3700 or 1-800-529-KBOI] filling in for conservative host Nate Shelman. Craig will be joined by Wayne Hoffman, executive director of the Idaho Freedom Foundation, and formerly an Statesman political reporter and spokesman for former U.S. Rep. Bill Sali, R-Idaho.  read more »