Finally it seems someone in the White House has done some work on the message they want to convey. In Madison, Wisconsin, President Obama stopped whining and dropped the "you Dem voters need to stop whining" jag, adopting a better approach:

President Obama delivered an impassioned argument to young voters Tuesday night, declaring that the changes he promised in 2008 are underway and that "now is not the time to give up." "The biggest mistake we could make is to let disappointment or frustration lead to apathy . . . that is how the other side wins," Obama said. "If the other side does win, they will spend the next two years fighting for the very same policies that led to this recession in the first place."

[. . . Russ] Feingold did show, dismissing the idea of an enthusiasm gap between the parties. Obama picked up the theme, announcing to the crowd at the outset that he was "fired up" - another 2008 echo. Then, with his sleeves rolled up and his shirt unbuttoned at the top, Obama rolled out a rollicking 45-minute campaign speech. He defended his record, joked with the crowd and challenged the conventional wisdom that Democrats are going to lose in November. "The prediction among the pundits is, there's going to be a bloodletting for Democrats. That's what they're saying in Washington," Obama said, drawing boos. "And the basis of their prediction is that all of you who worked so hard in 2008 aren't going to be as energized, aren't going to be as engaged." He continued: "Wisconsin, we can't let that happen. We cannot sit this one out. We can't let this country fall backward because the rest of us didn't care enough to fight."

"We can't let that happen." Finally, Obama is not whining about people not cheering him. Instead he is saying everyone needs to roll up their sleeves to fight back the extremist GOP onslaught and to keep trying to move forward. This is the right message. One last thing - keep Biden off the stage please.

Speaking for me only

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed 21 bills into law yesterday. Some were good for liberty, some were bad.

The good: Incapacitated prisoners will now be eligible for medical parole. Savings to California: $46 million.

The bad: He scaled back the early release of prisoners in county jails by cutting good time for misdemeanors from 50% to 33%.

On drunk driving: He signed a bill that lengthens the time a driver's license is revoked for a third DUI from 3 years to 10 years. It takes effect in 2012. [More...]

Albert Brown will not be executed Thursday in California. The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals directed Judge Jeremy Fogel to re-examine his decision last week allowing it to go forward.

The stay came a day after California officials announced that the state’s supply of sodium thiopental, a barbiturate used in executions, was good only until Friday, a revelation that seemed to shock the appellate panel. “It is incredible to think that the deliberative process might be driven by the expiration date of the execution drug,” the panel wrote.

The 9th Circuit said Judge Fogel did not have the authority to allow the inmate to choose his lethal cocktail: [More...]

I have a confession to make - outside of a few races - Boxer, Feingold, Grijalva, Joe Garcia, Blumenthal, Eric Schneiderman- I really am not very engaged in this election. Part of it is I think the cake is baked. Part of it is disgust with the political ineptitude of the Democratic Party. But part of it is I'm not sure this election matters all that much, other than the progrssives who are threatened. Do I really care if Heath Shuler, Travis Childers, Jim Marshall, Bobby Bright or Stephanie Herseth, et al., win? Why? I suppose they are better than their opponents, but what happens if they lose? IS any policy going to change because of it? I will vote straight Dem on my ballot. But I am not sure that it matter all that much. 2012 will be very important of course. But this election? I am not so sure.

YMMV. In the meantime, my thoughts turn to Saturday afternoon in Tuscaloosa where my Gators face the Crimson Tide in the biggest game of the college football season so far. To be honest, I'm thinking a lot more about that than the election. Sorry, President Obama.

Open Thread.

Via Digby, Alan Grayson's opponent Daniel Webster does not like people knowing about his religious group, Institute in Basic Life Principles:

[Webster] brings with him 14 years of experience with Gothard's Institute in Basic Life Principles, where Webster has not only attended seminars, but also taught classes and even made an instructional video that raised money for the institute.

The group preaches a literal interpretation of the Bible, including the belief that women should submit to their husbands' authority. [. . .] Webster is an enthusiastic supporter. His six children learn at home, taught by his wife, Sandy, using the institute's curriculum. The family, which also is active in its Orlando Baptist church, has participated in numerous institute seminars over the years.

(Emphasis supplied.) Daniel Webster believes wives should submit to their husbands. No amount of spin from Factcheck.org can change that fact.

Speaking for me only

Remarking on the President's whine about not being appreciated by Dem voters, Steve Benen writes:

It probably won't surprise regular readers to learn that I find this pretty compelling. Regardless, it raises an opportunity to make a distinction between different kinds of center-left critics of the president. [. . .] I'd argue that if Glenn [Greenwald]'s contingent represents one group of the disaffected, the other two general groups of center-left critics are (2) those who believe the president's accomplishments have been inadequate; and (3) those who are struggling badly in this economy, and expected conditions to be better than they are under Obama.

For those in the "inadequate" camp, the president's pitch may or may not be persuasive, but I think it should be. [. . .] I continue to believe it's a record that's as impressive as anything we've seen in modern times. [. . .]

I, to say the least, don't think it a "record as impressive as anything we've seen in modern times." (But I'm voting for the Dems anyway.) More importantly, saying it is has persuaded no one but those already persuaded. Whining about people not agreeing with Benen's assessment is simply lousy politics. Whatever you think of the Democratic performance the past 2 years, can we not at least agree that whining from politicians is stupid politics? That the White House has chosen an absolutely idiotic strategy here? That they need to end this strategy immediately? Can I persuade anyone of that?

Speaking for me only

Kevin Drum asks:

[I]f the prospect of ripping apart healthcare reform, shutting down the government, deep sixing START, slashing social spending, and reliving the glory days of investigations over Christmas card lists isn't enough to get you motivated, I guess I'm not sure what is. I wish I got more warm and fuzzies from Obama too. [. . .] But letting Darrell Issa take over the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform doesn't seem like a very good way of getting that message across.

OK then. I think I'll go donate a hundred bucks to someone. Who do you think it should be?

I'm not much afraid of Darrell Issa, and Kevin's message seems mostly about defending all the great accomplishments of the past 2 years. I dunno if that's a winner either. Here's what gets me going in this political season - making sure progressives in the Congress do not lose. The most vulnerable progressive looks like Russ Feingold. I urge Kevin to give his $100 to Feingold's campaign. I urge all of you to give what you can. That is an election to get invested in.

Speaking for me only

It is obvious now that this is a concerted strategy:

Admonishing his own party, President Barack Obama says it would be "inexcusable" and "irresponsible" for unenthusiastic Democratic voters to sit out the midterm elections, warning that the consequences could be a squandered agenda for years. "People need to shake off this lethargy. People need to buck up," Obama told Rolling Stone in an interview to be published Friday. The president told Democrats that making change happen is hard and "if people now want to take their ball and go home, that tells me folks weren't serious in the first place."

While I agree that voters should vote Dem (yes, they are largely the lesser of two evils, but here we are), I strongly disagree that the strategy of scolding voters is a smart one. In fact, I think it is an idiotic strategy. Here is the main problem:

What we are buying here is a modest home, not a mansion. What we are getting here is a starter home. It’s got a good foundation. Think about it that way. -- Tom Harkin

At Balloon Juice, Tim F. writes:

I pimped the hell out of [the health] bill, and I certainly did not think the bill was perfect. I pimped it because no national politician can bring back rescissions or pre-existing condition exemptions and expect to keep his seat. Weaker points can get ironed out later (or made worse), but major protections that affect large percentages of the public are a one-way ratchet. They quickly get fixed in the national character and people move on to fight about other things. Republicans always knew this. That’s why they fought it so hard. The good things got fixed so fast that even the GOP’s half-baked pledge promises to keep them. More will come later. Even if it doesn’t we’re a far sight better off than the status quo ante.

"More will come later?" How? By whom? What's the plan? Will this "starter house" bill survive a GOP hurricane? It's funny because Democrats have insisted on demanding loud clapping for the most progressive achievement in 40 years. That is the natural impulse of a politician - to take credit. In this case, the better approach would have been more of a "stay the course" strategy, and treat the the passage of a health bill as the first step in a longer journey. But apparently Dems have decided to play the "Stop Whining" card instead. Yeah, that'll work.

Speaking for me only

Update: So far it's been a great day. I'm thinking of all the things I have to be grateful for, like a career I love, great cases where I get to go to court and make a difference in someone's life, an incredible kid, good health and a blog that over the past eight years has produced a steady stream of caring and passionate readers. No more gripes from me. Have a great day!

****

Today is my birthday. I'm glad I'll be in court all day because I don't want to even think about it. But the TL Kid wants to take me to dinner, and it's unfair to be negative with your child, so I intend to have a good time. He's the designated driver, so at least I can have a drink or two.

So between court and dinner, I won't be blogging today. On the bright side, at least I won't be hiding in bed. [More...]

CNN has obtained interrogation tapes of the soldiers charged with murdering Afghan civilians. It was done for sport. Not only that:

The charging papers from the U.S. military paint a picture of a band of rogue soldiers, smoking hash, bored and plotting and carrying out murders of Afghan civilians for sport.

Authorities allege Gibbs kept finger bones, leg bones and a tooth from Afghan corpses. Another soldier allegedly kept a skull from a corpse, according to charging documents.... A soldier who tried to blow the whistle was beaten and threatened, some soldiers said....

One soldier is charged with stabbing a corpse. [More...]

Was Sarah Palin being booed on Dancing With the Stars last night, or was the crowd booing the Judges for Jennifer Grey's "low score" of three 8's? In context, and watching in sequence, it had to be they were booing Palin. No way would the crowd have been booing Jennifer Grey's scores because they were too low... she got three 8's. For the second dance of the season, that's high, and it was the top score of the evening. [More...]