Democracy for New Mexico

Parting Shot on McCain

We're packing our bags, getting read to head to Austin for Netroots Nation, but I had to add a parting shot about McCain's visit to Albuquerque. Amidst all the hoopla and often fawning coverage of McCain, I wish someone would have thought to ask him why he flew in on a plane and then got into his massive, Straight Talk Express-decorated bus to go to the Hilton.

Talk about a double whammy of gas guzzling. Think about it -- McCain was flying here while his bus was driving here from wherever it was last used to hawk his alleged "straight talk" on the campaign trail. No wonder McCain wants to drill everywhere regardless of the consequences. He'd better start encouraging the oil companies to start using all those leases they've left undrilled while they lobby for Congress to open up even more land and water to drilling.

Using Interior Department data for its analysis, The Wilderness Society reports:

More than 44 million acres of public lands are leased for oil and gas development, according to a new Wilderness Society analysis of Interior Department data. The analysis points to an explosion of drilling on federal lands, with 7,124 drilling permits (APDs) issued in 2007, a new record for the Bush Administration. Nationwide, the leasing is outstripping the oil and gas industry’s capacity to drill, as industry is drilling on only a quarter of the leases they hold.

And we've seen the price of gas come down magically after all that increased drilling, haven't we? Of course not. Thanks in large part to the hedge fund cronies and other poorly regulated speculators in the oil market who are artificially driving prices up. And don't forget all those interest rate drops in response to mortgage and bank failures that are effectively driving down the value of the dollar so everything costs more. What a racket. And remember, McCain is getting campaign money from many of the very people perpetrating the racket. Straight talk indeed.

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Obama Shares 'My Plan for Iraq' in NY Times Op-Ed

Obama has an op-ed in today's New York Times laying out his position on Iraq. I imagine one reason he put it out now is that he's being accused by some of backtracking on his pledge to start withdrawing troops on day one if he wins the presidency. Obama ran into some wary criticism recently when he said he'd be willing to "refine" his Iraq policy if conditions warrant.

In today's op-ed, Obama pivots off al-Maliki's recent request for a troop withdrawal timetable, and reiterates his firm intention to end the war as quickly as possible. You really should read the entire op-ed. What's your reaction? Excerpts:

The call by Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki for a timetable for the removal of American troops from Iraq presents an enormous opportunity. We should seize this moment to begin the phased redeployment of combat troops that I have long advocated, and that is needed for long-term success in Iraq and the security interests of the United States.

... Only by redeploying our troops can we press the Iraqis to reach comprehensive political accommodation and achieve a successful transition to Iraqis’ taking responsibility for the security and stability of their country. Instead of seizing the moment and encouraging Iraqis to step up, the Bush administration and Senator McCain are refusing to embrace this transition — despite their previous commitments to respect the will of Iraq’s sovereign government. They call any timetable for the removal of American troops “surrender,” even though we would be turning Iraq over to a sovereign Iraqi government.

... In this campaign, there are honest differences over Iraq, and we should discuss them with the thoroughness they deserve. Unlike Senator McCain, I would make it absolutely clear that we seek no presence in Iraq similar to our permanent bases in South Korea, and would redeploy our troops out of Iraq and focus on the broader security challenges that we face. But for far too long, those responsible for the greatest strategic blunder in the recent history of American foreign policy have ignored useful debate in favor of making false charges about flip-flops and surrender.

It’s not going to work this time. It’s time to end this war.

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Tuesday: DPNM Day of Action While McCain's in ABQ

From the Democratic Party of New Mexico:

A DAY OF ACTION

While John McCain campaigns at a closed event at Hotel Albuquerque

Join us to wave signs, cheer on our Democratic candidates and send John McCain the message that New Mexicans are Ready for Change

GUEST SPEAKERS: Chairman Brian S. Colón and Elected Officials and Candidates

WHEN: Tuesday, July 15 at 10:30 AM

WHERE: Old Town Gateway Park at Mountain and Rio Grande in Albuquerque

QUESTIONS: Call Buck at 505-830-3650

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Obama Loses Ground Overall and With Independents in National Newsweek Poll

I guess Obama's suddenly politics-as-usual campaign honchos, who've engineered a new "let's become like every other spineless Dem" strategy for their candidate over the past few weeks, have caused Obama to lose ground nationally, not gain it. According to the latest Newsweek poll, Obama is now beating McCain by only 3 points at 44-41%, down from the 15-point lead he held in last month's Newsweek survey, when he was up 51-36%. And keep in mind, Obama's numbers have gone down during a period when McCain's campaign has been stumbling, unraveling and producing negative news almost every day. Let's just hope the Newsweek poll is an anomaly or wrong.

But if it's on target, Obama's so-called "centrist" back-tracking on the Iraq war, a woman's right to choose, the death penality, guns, NAFTA and -- most of all -- FISA, have appealed to "moderates" and independents so strongly that his numbers are ... shooting downward. Even worse, many of the young people and activists of all ages who have strongly supported him online and on the ground seem to be backing away and losing passion and trust for Obama. His small donors on the web are reportedly lagging. Grumbling is heard everywhere in the much maligned Dem base, from the netroots to the local Dem rank and file. As Newsweek reports:

In the new poll, 53 percent of voters (and 50 percent of former Hillary Clinton supporters) believe that Obama has changed his position on key issues in order to gain political advantage.

More seriously, some Obama supporters worry that the spectacle of their candidate eagerly embracing his old rival, Hillary Clinton, and traveling the country courting big donors at lavish fund-raisers, may have done lasting damage to his image as an arbiter of a new kind of politics. This is a major concern since Obama's outsider credentials, have, in the past, played a large part in his appeal to moderate, swing voters. In the new poll, McCain leads Obama among independents 41 percent to 34 percent, with 25 percent favoring neither candidate. In June's NEWSWEEK Poll, Obama bested McCain among independent voters, 48 percent to 36 percent.

And what has he gotten in return for dissing his most ardent supporters? Nothing. The GOP and the pundits keep doing what they always do -- bashing Dems whether their criticisms are based on reality or not. The independents he's supposedly trying to attract are evidently starting to see him as just another expedient politician unwilling to stand up for what he believes in. By trying to please the mythic and poorly defined "middle" -- and embracing the "conventional wisdom" that's been proven anything but wise in the past -- Obama is managing to deflate a lot of the passion and excitement that was the strength of his campaign.

I certainly don't like to be highly critical about our presumed Dem nominee at this stage of the game. But what choice do I have? I can't tell you how many people I've spoken with who have said that, while they'll still probably vote for Obama, at this point they don't intend to volunteer for his campaign or donate any more money. What a lost opportunity for Obama and for progress. What did it gain him to vote with all of the Party's most Republican-lite Senators -- and on the opposite side of the Party's most popular and respected Senators -- on FISA? Absolutely nothing except distain from those who understand what was at stake in the battle.

I hope he and his campaign get the message and get back on track quickly and forcefully. In order to win, he needs widespread and enthusiastic participation by the Dem base, young voters, new voters and independents. These are the very people he's recently been seen to be dismissing and patronizing while he panders to some ill-defined group of voters who don't seem to be out there for him. Wake up Obama, before it's too late.

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AFL-CIO Vets Launch Council, Release Video Critical of McCain

Today, AFL-CIO union veterans are launching the first Union Veterans Council, which will bring together the power of union veterans on the issues that matter most to veterans and all working families...for the 2008 elections and beyond. 

Find out more—and get the facts on John McCain’s record on veterans issues and his economic record here. If you are a veteran and a union member, retiree or Working America member, join the AFL-CIO's new Union Veterans Council now. Sign up here.

According to a statement by the AFL-CIO, more than 2 million union members are veterans. Together with other union members, union veterans will help elect leaders who will fight for working families. The Union Veterans Council will play a central role in reaching out to the 13 million union voters in battleground states about the stakes of this election—everything from quality health care to good, family-supporting jobs and funding for veterans services.

Union veterans also will share information with other union members on Sen. John McCain’s record. Union veterans like Jim Wasser (video), who served during Viet Nam and is an IBEW member, absolutely respect Sen. McCain’s military service but express deep concerns about his record in the Senate.

Not only has McCain voted against increased funding for veterans health care the past four years in a row, he publicly opposed the 21st Century GI Bill that finally passed the Senate by a 92–6 vote and was signed into law. And he has turned his back on America’s middle class. He wants to tax our health care benefits while giving tax breaks to Big Oil. And he STILL thinks the North American Free Trade Agreement is a good idea.

Sen. Obama’s voting record, on the other hand, shows that on issue after issue—the 21st Century GI Bill, wages, housing, veterans health funding, trade, health care reform—he is ready to work for working families. 

Our veterans deserve the best—not the lip service combined with second-class treatment they’ve been receiving. Do your part to make America a better place—for veterans and all working families.

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Colorado Activists Set Up Defense Fund for Librarian Cited at McCain Event

Rachel Maddow reports on Denver free speech incident

Beware the wrath of foes of civil liberties if you intend to use your free speech rights anywhere near the McCain campaign events in Albuquerque next week. McCain will be here for two days -- at a big ticket fundraiser on July 14th at the home of car dealer Ken Zangara, and at a town hall meeting at the Hotel Albuquerque in Old Town the next day. (Doors open at 8:45 AM but all seats have been filled.)

McCain held what was called a "public" town hall meeting yesterday in Denver, but it turned out to be none too public as a peaceful and polite woman holding a sign outside the event was cited and threatened with arrest for "trespassing." ProgressNowAction, a network of Colorado grassroots activists, fills in the details with an email today, and asks for donations for a defense fund they've set up for Carol and others who may get caught exercising their rights:

This is what we're up against. 

Yesterday, Sen. John McCain's Secret Service detail had a 60 year-old librarian removed from a public plaza.  The librarian, Carol Kreck, was merely carrying a sign that said: McCain = Bush.

As our state moves to the national spotlight later this summer, you can bet there will be more occurrences like this. And you can bet we'll be there to document and publicize it [see video above].

... After you've seen it for yourself, I hope you'll pitch in and help us help Coloradans like Carol Kreck. Please make a donation today at the following link.

Here's the thing: while other people in line were sporting pro-McCain messages only the 60 year-old librarian was cited - for trespassing and ordered to appear in court July 23rd.  That's just wrong. And illegal. 

We believe her First Amendment Rights were violated and we're going to help her fight back.  We can't allow this instance to set the precedent for how Colorado treats its citizens who choose to make good on their freedom of speech during a critical election year.

Like New Mexico, Colorado is a battleground state this election cycle and has a good chance of turning Blue. Both presidential candidates are sure to visit often and then, of course, there's the Democratic Convention in Denver on August 25-28. Time to stake a claim for freedom of speech and help Colorado progressives prepare for the possibility of many more incidents like this one. Click to make a donation to our compadres to the North. I just did. Who knows? Since I'll be covering the Dem Convention as New Mexico's rep on the DNC's State Blogger Corps, it could be me that needs some help later this summer.

Lawsuit Already Filed on First Amendment Rights
By the way, the ACLU and several advocacy groups have filed suit against the U.S. Secret Service and the city and county of Denver that says protestors and demonstrators may have their First Amendment rights violated by security restrictions for the Convention. One point of contention is a chicken-wire or chain-link fence that will be placed around the so-called "public demonstration zone" outside the Pepsi Center, which is the main Convention venue. Stay tuned.

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(Updates) Capitulation Day on FISA

Rachel Maddow and constitutional law professor Jonathan Turley discuss the Senate's cave-in

See voting result updates below the fold.

Today's the day for the Senate showcase on political convenience and expediency on FISA. Apparently it's focus groups before the Fourth Amendment or the rule of law. Hey, it's not their problem, as Jonathan Turley explains in the above clip. "The founders would have found this incomprehensible," he says. Many of us do too.

So far, a significant majority of our noble Senators have defeated the Dodd amendment to strip the immunity provisions from the bill by a 32-66 margin. They then proceeded to off the Specter amendment, which would allow broader court review and require the cases to be dismissed if the court determines that the warrantless wiretapping programming was legal, by a margin of 37-61. Next they killed Sen. Bingaman's amendment, which would delay the immunity and make it contingent upon the results of a report on the telecom surveillance by the Inspector General, by a 42-56 vote.

Bravo Senators! No wonder the approval rating of the Congress is down to an all-time low of NINE PERCENT according to the latest Rasmussen survey.

The Senate is now in recess and will reconvene at 2:15 PM EDT to vote on cloture and the bill itself. The telecom lobbyists and felons in the White House must be ecstatic!

Update: Here are the Dems who voted for Dodd's amendment to strip retroative telecom immunity from the bill. Remember these names -- and then see how they vote on the bill itself:

YEAs ---32
Akaka (D-HI) Baucus (D-MT) Biden (D-DE) Bingaman (D-NM) Boxer (D-CA) Brown (D-OH) Byrd (D-WV) Cantwell (D-WA) Cardin (D-MD) Casey (D-PA) Clinton (D-NY)	Dodd (D-CT) Dorgan (D-ND) Durbin (D-IL) Feingold (D-WI) Harkin (D-IA) Kerry (D-MA) Klobuchar (D-MN) Lautenberg (D-NJ) Leahy (D-VT) Levin (D-MI) Menendez (D-NJ)	Murray (D-WA) Obama (D-IL) Reed (D-RI) Reid (D-NV) Sanders (I-VT) Schumer (D-NY) Stabenow (D-MI) Tester (D-MT) Whitehouse (D-RI) Wyden (D-OR)

The spineless Dems who voted against Dodd's amendment:

Bayh (D-IN), Carper (D-DE), Conrad (D-ND), Feinstein (D-CA), Inouye (D-HI), Johnson (D-SD), Kohl (D-WI), Landrieu (D-LA), Lincoln (D-AR), McCaskill (D-MO), Mikulski (D-MD), Nelson (D-FL), Nelson (D-NE), Pryor (D-AR), Rockefeller (D-WV), Salazar (D-CO), Webb (D-VA).

And of course faux-Dem-Lieberman Party-Independent Joe voted nay too. No surprise there. My biggest disappointments are McCaskill and Webb, whom I've generally come to admire, and Feinstein, who represents a deep Blue state. I think Bayh should be stricken from consideration by Obama as a possible VP based on this vote alone.

More to come on the other votes when they're available.

Update: Cloture passed 72-26. FISA Amendments Act passed 69-28. Obama voted for the bill as advertised. Clinton voted against it, probably to show how much more liberal she is than Obama. We can all predict how she would have voted if she had the nomination in hand. Good job by Tester from Montana who voted nay even though he represents what's still considered a Red state.

Shout out to Sen. Jeff Bingaman, who voted the right way on everything and worked hard to get support for his amendment. Thank you, Senator. McCain didn't bother to show up to vote today.

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FISA: Last Stand

I could write more about tomorrow's vote on the FISA bill and why the bill is awful, but anyone who would bother to read it probably already knows what I know, or understands more than I understand. The rest of our fine citizens apparently don't care or understand the implications, and many actually think the executive branch should be conducting unlimited wiretapping and data vacuuming without any oversite. It makes them feel "safe."

I don't claim to entirely understand all the complexities of the FISA bill, but when the ACLU, acclaimed constitutional and legal scholars, Glenn Greenwald and Senators I respect are all against it, that's essentially enough for me. And then there's the whistleblowers.

I'll leave you with a diary by mcjoan at Daily Kos that discusses the views of two recent telecom surveillence whistleblowers, as well as those of one of America's most famous all-time whistleblowers, Daniel Ellsberg. Ellsberg, as you may recall, is a former military and intelligence analyst who risked everything to release the Pentagon Papers in the early 70s, showing the horrors going on within the government related to the Viet Nam war and other matters. Excerpt from the statement by Ellsberg on FISA:

You can't have a democracy with the state--the executive branch--having that kind of information, total information about every communication, every credit card, every transaction, every fax, e-mail, telephone conversation of everyone. And as far as we know, that's what's being collected now. We do need to know whether that's yet true or not, but I think it's a pretty good assumption.... You can't keep a republic, a constitutional republic with that degree of knowledge by the president, by the executive branch of all of our private affairs. You can't have it. You have something else, you have, you can call it an autocracy, a dictatorship. It's the basis for tyranny, and that's what the Constitution was meant to prevent and that's what this bill would confer--unlimited power....

I have to say that no senator, Republican or Democrat, should be voting for this Senate bill. Not one. Everyone who does so is in fact, I would say, violating his or her oath to defend the Constitution. But they can do better than that.

This New York Times op-ed provides an excellent overview of the flawed FISA bill. There are still three amendments out there that would quash at least the tip of the iceberg of bad stuff in this bill. They aim to either delete telecom immunity from the bill or make it more conditional. Not one of them is expected to gain the votes necessary tomorrow. My understanding is that they'd have to get the support of at least 60 Senators due to some rule or agreement in play.

Last Ditch Efforts
Those who care about the rule of law are being urged to contact their Senators and persuade them to at least vote for NM Sen. Jeff Bingaman's amendment, which would put off retroactive telecom immunity at least until Congress gets a report on an investigation to be done by the Inspector General on what happened. Bingaman has gotten a lot of praise for the effort in the netroots and from civil liberties authorities. The word is that his amendment has the best chance of passing, although the chances are still slim so close to an election. We all know what happens when an election is nigh.

The diary by mcjoan also suggests we call the Senators who did not vote for FISA last time to urge them to stand their ground:

These are the 30 Senators and the potential president who can hold firm now and lead the charge to fix this next year. Holding them to their previous vote now is critical to making those improvements in the next Congress.

Akaka (D-HI)
Biden (D-DE)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Boxer (D-CA)
Brown (D-OH)
Byrd (D-WV)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Cardin (D-MD)
Dodd (D-CT)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Durbin (D-IL)
Feingold (D-WI)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Harkin (D-IA)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Klobuchar (D-MN)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
Menendez (D-NJ)
Murray (D-WA)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Sanders (I-VT)
Schumer (D-NY)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Tester (D-MT)
Wyden (D-OR)

Not Voting
Clinton (D-NY)
Obama (D-IL)

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Dems/Obama Ask for Input on National Platform; Patricia Madrid Co-Chairs National Platform Committee

Be a Part of the Process
As I reported back in January, former NM Attorney General Patricia Madrid was elected to serve as one of three Co-Chairs of the DNC's national Platform Committee, along with Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick and former president and chief executive of Discovery Communications, Judith McHale. The Co-Chairs will be overseeing an intensive party platform process -- designed to be inclusive and transparent -- that will ultimately produce the Dem's national platform for 2008.

Today, the DNC and Obama for America released a statement announcing an initiative to reach out to Democrats nationwide for their input into the national platform. This year, for the first time, voters will have the opportunity to take part in Platform Meetings in all 50 states to help shape the Democratic Platform. DNC Chairman Howard also announced that Governor Napolitano will chair the Platform Drafting Committee. Michael Yaki will serve as National Platform Director and Karen Kornbluh will be the Principal Author of the Platform.

How You Can Get Involved
Members of the public are invited to host and/or attend Platform Meetings in their communities as an opportunity to exchange ideas and share perspectives on the challenges we face. To facilitate the process, the Obama campaign and the DNC will send policy experts and DNC Platform Committee members to as many meetings as possible to serve as facilitators. Each Platform Meeting will produce a written summary that will be reviewed and considered by the Platform Committee.

From today through July 15th, you can register to attend or host a Platform Meeting here -- where you can also download a host guide with everything you need to create your won Platform event. The Platform Meetings will occur across the country from July 19th through July 27th.

"From the beginning, we said we were going bring down the traditional walls of the Democratic Convention and make this event more accessible and include as many people as possible," said Democratic National Committee Chair Howard Dean in a statement today.

"This process will empower Americans in all 50 states to make their voices heard as they help write the document that embodies our Party's values and vision for the future. Barack Obama will bring real change to Washington, and as we write the Democratic Platform, there will be a clear choice between more of the same failed policies of the Bush Administration with John McCain or real change with Barack Obama who will make the American people, not the special interests, the priority again."

"Barack Obama believes that every American should be able to contribute to the Democratic Platform, just as record numbers have participated in this campaign," said Steve Hildebrand of Obama for America. "It's not the lawmakers in Washington who live the day-to-day reality of our policies--it's workers, teachers, parents and first responders--everyday Americans who just want to the best for their families. What better way than to incorporate their voices into the process than to have them help shape the Democratic Platform, the statement of our ideals, values, and proposal for change."

What Happens Next?
A National Hearing will take place August 1st in Cleveland, Ohio, where presentations will be made before the Platform Drafting Committee. The Committee will then meet separately August 2nd and 3rd to draft the Democratic Platform. The Platform Drafting Committee is responsible for preparing an initial draft of the Platform, which is used as a working document by the Platform Committee at its meeting.

Also named as members to serve on the Platform Drafting Committee are: U.S. Representative Tammy Baldwin; State Representative Dan Blue of North Carolina; Maryland Lt. Governor Anthony Brown; Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman; U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro; DNC Secretary Alice Germond; Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm; Donna Harris-Aiken, a National Education Association Policy Advisor; Platform Policy Advisor Heather Higginbottom; Platform Policy Advisor Chris Jennings; Florida Tallahassee Commissioner Alan Katz; AFL-CIO Policy Director Thea Lee; UFCW Local 1428 President Connie Leyva; U.S. Representative Patrick Murphy; Speaker Emeritus of the California State Assembly Fabian Nunez; Obama for America Foreign Policy Advisor Susan Rice; U.S. Representative Linda Sanchez; Youth Representative Giancarlo Sopa of Florida; Ron His Horse is Thunder, Chairman of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe of North Dakota.

Madrid's Role
The full Platform Committee will meet and recommend adoption of the platform August 9th in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Governor Deval Patrick of Massachusetts, former New Mexico Attorney General Patricia Madrid, and former Discovery Communications President and CEO Judith McHale serve as Chairs of the full Platform Committee. At the Platform Committee meeting, members discuss each plank of a draft platform. They have the opportunity to submit new proposed planks, or amendments to the draft. Proposals and amendments must be approved by a majority of the members present and voting.

Meetings of the Drafting Committee and full Committee are open to the public and press. Details will be announced at a later date.

Michael Yaki will serve as National Platform Director. A lawyer in private practice, Yaki is a former senior aide to Speaker Pelosi from 1989-1996 and worked on the 1992 Democratic Platform. He also served as a member of the Board of Supervisors in San Francisco, CA from 1996-2001 and has served as a Commissioner on the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights from 2005 to the present.

Karen Kornbluh will be the Principal Author of the Platform, while on leave from Senator Obama's Senate office where she serves as Policy Director. Previously, Kornbluh directed the New America Foundation's Work and Family Program, where she published articles in the Atlantic Monthly, New York Times and Washington Post calling for new policies to support families in the global economy. Kornbluh served as Deputy Chief of Staff at the US Treasury Department and Director of Legislative Affairs at the Federal Communications Commission.

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(Updated) McCain Town Hall Meeting Set for ABQ 7/15

Update: It didn't take much time for the event to fill up, most likely with GOP insiders who won't upset McCain's applecart. It should be like watching paint dry. Let's hope there are lots of people outside raising a peaceful ruckus though ...
***********
According to this morning's scuttlebutt, McCain will be at a town hall meeting in Albuquerque on July 15th, at the Hotel Albuquerque in Old Town. Doors will open at 8:45 AM. No word yet on whether attendees will be forced to sign a loyalty oath to the GOP ....

Later ... The event is now on McCain's campaign website, where it appears that anyone can RSVP and it says you don't have to receive a reply back to attend. Oh, too bad we'll be heading to Netroots Nation in Austin that day, but I'm sure other progressives will be standing by to greet McSame.

I guess I could go to the $1000 per person fundraiser the night before or dig deep (very deep) for the $2300 it'll cost to have a photo taken with Go Johnny Go, but I think I have to watch the grass growing that evening.

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