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- I'm glad there's been a swift and dedicated push back on the incredibly shameless efforts by the RNC to continue sending out "census" forms designed to confuse and loot their would-be constituents, even after the practice was specifically banned by Congress. And while congressional Republicans are to be lauded for taking the lead on this, the whole episode is a reminder that whatever corruption, mendacity, and cynicism exists in the Democratic Party, it pales in comparison to the lows the GOP has been sinking to for the past 30 years.
- So John Boehner, paragon of integrity, insists that Democrats have a "credibility gap" on everything from the "$1 trillion" stimulus, the "trillion-dollar government takeover of health care," and a "job-killing regulatory bill" that "institutionalizes" "bailouts." Well gee, when you put it that way, it sure does sound like the Democrats have a "credibility gap." Greg Sargent suspects that this will form the core of the Republican's populist re-emergence this fall, and he's probably right.
- It's strange that the belief that Arizona was poised to be a swing state could have had any purchase as far as Washington conventional wisdom goes, especially given that the only Democratic presidential candidates to ever win there were Wilson, FDR, Truman, and Clinton (1996 only). The Southwest couldn't have less in common with liberalism's strongholds in the Northeast and West Coast, and now is positively repugnant having succumbed to Hispanic xenophobia. And as Linda Greenhouse suggests, Barry Goldwater libertarians ought to be (and are) appalled by this nasty piece of state-level government oppression.
- Remainders: More on measuring epistemic closure; Joshua Green's commentary on Andrew Sullivan's obsession with the former governor of Alaska is a good reminder of why I don't read Andrew Sullivan; Virginia enhances freedom in Old Dominion by allowing the much-needed pairing of alcohol and concealed weapons; the youth vote is not exactly a key element of a successful Democratic electoral coalition; and the birthers are going to have themselves a little "march on Washington" next month.
--Mori Dinauer
