Chris Bowers joins the burgeoning Unity Ticket Movement (by burgeoning I mean me, Chris, Todd Beeton and Ed Kilgore.) Chris writes:

I do know that we are not going to achieve a realignment unless we win all of the states where one candidate or the other is strong. We need Obama's strength in Alaska, Colorado, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon and Washington. We also need Clinton's strength in Arkansas, Florida, Missouri, Ohio and West Virginia. If we are going to truly realign the country, we need to win all of those states, plus a few others like Texas, North Carolina, Virginia and Indiana, four seemingly red states where both candidates are performing reasonably well.

In other words, we need to combine the Clinton coalition with the Obama coalitions, rather than arguing over whose coalition is superior. The nomination campaign is over anyway, so that argument is moot and academic. And, correct me if I am wrong, but isn't the most obvious way to combine the Clinton and Obama coalitions to put them both on the ticket?

Chris might get run out of the Creative Class for this one.

The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a trial court's dismissal of a "Don't Ask, Don't Tell Lawsuit."

A decorated Air Force nurse who lost a challenge to the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy and was fired for having a lesbian relationship will get another chance to state her case before a judge.

A panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said it was unclear whether the military's policy, as specifically applied to Witt, would hurt unit cohesiveness, as the Air Force had argued in winning its case in July 2006 in U.S. District Court.

"The government now has to make a showing that it can't possibly make" -- that Witt's presence causes a problem in her unit -- given that those who worked with her in the military supplied her with glowing recommendations and outrage at her ouster, said James Lobsenz, part of her ACLU legal team.

The decision means the military can't automatically discarge gay servicepersons. Maj. Margaret Witt's lawyers think she will prevail the next time around. [More...]

Bad fence:

At a Congressional hearing this month in Brownsville, the president of the University of Texas campus there, Juliet V. Garcia, testified that she had not been consulted before Homeland Security officials announced plans to build an 18-foot-high barrier that she said would leave the campus’s technology center and golf course “on the Mexican side of the fence.”

Watching the NBC pundits, Russert, Tweety, Olbermann et. al, rail against Hillary Clinton's fight to count the votes in Florida and Michigan, it is important to remember that the Media has always been against counting the votes. Here is Eric Alterman on the Media's reaction to Al Gore's desire to count the votes in 2000:

. . . Listen to Tim Russert, among the most influential journalists in the entire country, advising Al Gore to be “magnanimous and statesmanlike,” by suggesting he tell the nation, “I won the popular vote. I gave up the presidency, in effect, because of the Electoral College and the Constitution.” . . . Chris Matthews is reported by Salon.com to have offered up a similar observation that Gore concede for ‘the good of the nation.’ . . .

The Media has always had contempt for the voters. Always. Their contempt for Hillary Clinton's fight to count the votes in Florida and Michigan is nothing new.

Our fun is over. Comments closed,

Rassmussen tells the tale:

FLORIDA

Obama 40
McCain 50

Clinton 47
McCain 41

Nuff said.

By Big Tent Democrat

Because I love to tweak, SUSA GE Missouri polls:

Obama 45
McCain 48

Clinton 48
McCain 46

Just sayin'

By Big Tent Democrat

Hillary Clinton raised $21 million in April, her second best month ever. Barack Obama raised $31 million. And for the first time, Obama spent more money than he raised. He spent $36 million in April.

For a candidate the media has written off, that's an incredible achievement.

The amount includes the $10 million she raised in one night, but not the $5 million she loaned the campaign. In other words, it's all contributions. The full report is here.

Hillary also picked up two superdelegates yesterday, one in Ohio and one in Massachussetts.

Talk about Florida and Michigan. It is required of everyone. Not really, this is an Open Thread.

Comments closed

What a great speech. The transcript is here.

We may get to the convention after all. From a newer version of the earlier AP article:

Asked if she now envisioned the race extending beyond June 3, Clinton replied: "It could, I hope it doesn't. I hope it's resolved to everyone's satisfaction by that date, because that's what people are expecting, but we'll have to see what happens."

Comments closed

The Rules and Bylaws Committee of the DNC today announced how it will proceed at the May 31 hearing at the Marriott Wardman Park Hotel. It's open to the public, but you must pre-register.

[T]he rules committee will meet at a Washington area hotel and consider two challenges – including one from Jon Ausman, a national committeeman from Florida.

The advisory says, “each challenger (including Ausman) will be entitled to present an Oral Argument before the RBC prior to Committee consideration for a period of 15 minutes each.”

“A representative from each state party and from each presidential campaign will also have an opportunity to address the committee regarding each of the challenges,” the notice explains.

The arguments will be in the morning and the Committee will deliberate after lunch. You can register on-line starting at 10 a.m. on Tuesday (May 27.) [More...]

First and foremost, we agree that we must all come together and wholeheartedly support and work hard for the Democratic nominee for President as well as all the Democratic candidates for elective office.

Second, we agree with this statement:

It's clear this mess of a nomination process the Democrats devised is in desperate need of a top-bottom overhaul.

Comments closed

Via Real Clear Politics:

• Hillary won Florida by 294,772 votes.
• Hillary won Michigan by 328,309 votes
• Hillary won 150,000 more votes than Obama last night in Kentucky and Oregon. She won Kentucky by 249,224 votes while Obama won Oregon by 102,144 votes.

Let's add it all up:

• Popular Vote Totals (w/FL & MI)Hillary leads by 174,047 votes (.48%.)
• Popular Vote Totals (w/FL & MI and Estimate w/IA, NV, ME, WA): Hillary leads by 63,825 votes (.18%)

Regardless of what the DNC does on May 31 with FL and MI delegates, the popular votes were certified by the states. Their numbers are real and they must be added to her popular vote total. Obama removed himself from the ballot by choice, not requirement. This is a consequence of that decision. He needs to accept it. [More...]