I thought about this topic while Michelle Obama spoke last evening.  Her mention of "America, the way it should be" really focused, for me, what this election is all about.  While "the way it should be" is totally vague, progressives have many ideas about what this means.  Being vague also allows many voices to take part in forming "America, the way it should be." 

Certainly one of the key aspects of how America should be centers on having intelligent, open-minded justices.  But I'm sure more than a few Democats are nervous about what discussions about this topic would entail...talk about abortion, talk about gay marriage, etc.  If we talk about these topics, we polarize voters.  If we don't talk about these issues, many will not fully comprehend the importance of this election. 

As a side note, I have a strange question. 

Does anyone know if Planned Parenthood offices have voter registration forms available for their clients?  I've always assumed that women who opt to use their right to choose are woman who probably have so much going on in their lives, they don't always think about voting, but they are exactly the people who should care the most about keeping a woman's right to choose alive and well.

Governor of Montana, Brian Schweitzer just gave a barn burner of a speech at the Democratic convention. The whole crowd was on their feet. Yet, of course, the Corporatist Cable News Networks missed the whole thing!  Just like they missed Barack Obama's keynote address in 2004!!

It's like their TRYING to be irrelevant!!!!!!!!!

I haven't been here for a while. I don't know if we're supposed to stay on topic, but it's surprisingly quiet, I'm just going to go with it.
________

Two examples of why the greedy, the hate-filled, and the tricksters will always lose. The universe is designed to usurp these people.

1. The corporate media tried to media-assasinate, ignore, discredit, and make fun of John Edwards because of his populist, anti-corporate message. Ironically, if they wouldn't have done this, he may have won the nomination, but his affair would have come out eventually and the Republican most likely would have won.

Backfire!

2. I think the fact that Barack Obama had to have secret service protection early, made his candidacy seemed all the more plausible. This is not, of course, the intention of whomever made those threats. Ironic.

Backfire!

The universe is designed to usurp the greedy, the deceptive, and the hateful.

Believe it!

Ok, I can't believe I'm saying this, but kudos to Fox.

demeans everything Howard Dean stands for, and if they had a bit of pride the current blogmeisters would turn the place over to someone who cared 

standby while every comment here gets tossed because not a one adheres to the code

The elephant in the room is the cliff dive the blog took when they started to "disappear" people

thanks J.Peter Lewin for writing a blog post on an important subject, and one main impact of that perspective is to work our tails off in the Senate races
we need to win in Texas

Judges traditionally have been a collaboration with the Senate.

to one issue voters this one issue runs against us though, at least here in Iowa it is the only issue I have seen Democrats split their ticket at the top and then come home on down ballot

I spend a lot of time in the days following Election day comparing vote totals per precinct up and down the ballot, and a pro-life push in one parish by the priest showed clearly in the split voting totals and was centered completely on the issue of Supreme Court Justices. Here in Iowa that was the margin of defeat of Kerry (the pro-life effort)
we can only hope McCain is stupid enough to go with Ridge

Ginsberg, Souter and Stevens could be gone in the next four years.

Ginsberg and Stevens are older then dirt.  Souter can't stand the place.

If McCain wins, our society will be negatively changed for the next 25 years...minimum.

I was hoping HC would have mnentioned that in her unity speech.

I watched Jim Leher on PBS. He had Brooks and Shields provifding commentary and they were pretty good. More factual then partisan.
Brroks described the Hillary support as generational. Older women have felt discrimination their whole lives and see Hillary as payback. Younger women, who benefited by the struggle made by older women, don't see loyalty to Hillary as mandatory by women.
Brooks does not understand that women are still being discriminated in the market place. Because his female book editer and publisher are doing fine, he assumes all women - especially eductaed womes, are doing fine. Another out of touch Repug.

My mom, whose life with my dad wsn't the world's greatest, was a huge Hillary fan.  She spouts all the right wingnut talking points.  My folks were huge racists and didn't understand my civil rights involvement at all - and were decidely against it.   Her support is deeper then that.

She unloads her discrimination at Hillary's feet.  If Hillary were to get the nod, it is almost like her anger and rage at being treated a second-class citizen would be removed.  During WWII, my mom was a heavy crane operator who helped install all the 16 inch gun turrents on the Iowa class battleships.  After the war, she could not get a job.  and even if she could, my dad would not permit it.  His false pride would be hurt.

As a shop steward and life long Teamster family, the only Repub my folks ever supported was Ike.  My dad died long ago but my mom will probably support McCain.

Schumer was interviewed by Judy Woodriff (mis fluff piece) and afterward Jim Lehrer stated the Dems won the Senate in 2006 because of the work done by Schumer and Emanual. Ignoring the fact that Howard's 50 state campaigns builds the party from the bottom up. Dems are done for the next generaton without Howard's vision and activity.