so since the DNC is here (Denver, YEAH!) it has been all over the news/radio. This morning on the radio they had someone from the MLK whatever talking about Obama banking on his race and that if MLK Jr, was alive he would not endorse Obama because he is a left-wing “extremist”.

HAHAHAA…I laughed my arse off.

Btw, all those rollbacks in policy the Bush Administration is pushing for that you mentioned at the end of your post are all ones that either need Congressional action to enact or, in the case of the Endangered Species Act, will be by executive order which will be challenged in court and reversed.

By all accounts, Congressional Democrats will pick up a wide majority of seats this year in both houses of Congress and state governments will increase their number of Dems. Question is, can they do more with this? Pelosi has been rather dissapointing so far, but she is biding her time until after this election when she can pick up seats and 1. end the war 2. rollback various environmentally questionable acts of the last 8 years and 3. reform healthcare insurance.

My point: Congress won’t pass any anti-gay marriage amendments or anti-choice acts.

State governments (which after all control much of the “Devil is in the details” verbage of these types of social policy laws) after this election, will be Democrat heavy.

The courts, for now, are still holding strong against Bush and Co (See: scandals, justice department. )

To riff on this topic briefly, I’d even say that Bush II is one of the best things to happen to the leftist movement in this country. Setting aside all of the damage he and his cronies have caused, he’s also emboldened an entire generation of left-leaning voters. He’s given an enemy to a movement desperately in need of one since Nixon was impeached. He’s given a cause for those folks to rally against (civil liberties, unjust military action, environmental degradation, corruption and cronyism in our courts and our government).

And those people I’m talking about, are of course, us. And with that, we need to follow up by voting, organizing, talking about this, phonebanking before this election, donating to a cause of your choice.

Wow I sound like an optimist!

Don’t give up hope arw!.

And while I do not agree with a lot of McCain’s policies, I do applaud his goal to shut down Guantanamo Bay. The next president, whether he be a Republican or a Democrat, must correct Bush’s horrible crimes against humanity.

Great article in Slate. There is the real fear that racism will overcome any conherently rational choice much of the electorate could choose to make. But hey, to frame this in some historical perspective, you could argue racism has dominated every election since Brown vs. Board of Education.

Examples:

Michael Dukakis torpedoed by the racially polarizing Willie Horton ad.

Richard Nixon purporting to argue for the “Silent Majority” (yes, he was referring to the Vietnam War, but he was also appealing to white americans who feared the racial turmoil they had seen on TV in the late 60’s in places like Newark and Watts).

Here, the racism with Obama is clear-eyed and upfront. It’s the only way the other side can win. Hillary, who I love as a Senator, and her campaign had Obama running scared when they pulled out the racial advertising (Rev. Wright etc).

I won’t offer any predictions, just wanted to frame this in a historical perspective. Racism in campaigns has always happened, let’s recognize that slowly but surely it will get better and has gotten better.

The new Agenda, a group formed mostly from leftover Hilary supporters is doing it’s best to stick it to Obama, and though I do not think he is the messiah should McCain get elected I would have to wonder if moving back to Australia wasn’t a better option.

The young voters have to put their money where their mouth is an actually vote, at this point this looks like the next few months is going to be ugly.