4/30/2005
Thunderbird
by Matt Singer on 11:38 pm.
I decided to switch to Thunderbird today; mostly because between Firefox’s tabs and Thunderbird’s RSS Feeder, I figured I could drop to just two programs running most of the time. It does open far more quickly than Outlook. It incorporated everything fine for the most part. I apparently can’t rebuild my old folder system, but I think my old folder system kinda sucked, so that’s probably just fine. One complaint I’ve seen in numerous places is that the program is not compatible with Plaxo. Plaxo says they are working on it. Once Plaxo incorporates with Thunderbird, I just may pay for the Cell phone update service too so that I’m completely in touch with all of it.
| Comments (3) | Permanent Link | Categories: general |
Fork the Interest Groups, Save the Senate
by Matt Singer on 11:16 pm.
David Brooks reports that Reid offered a Supreme Court Justice as part of the negotiations over the nuclear option that Frist refused. Frist’s counteroffer was another all-or-nothing. Brooks is now chiding him for demanding the all-or-nothing, saying that Frist is handing the Senate over to interest groups.
| Comments (0) | Permanent Link | Categories: law, political |
Daily Kos for the Policy Set
by Matt Singer on 11:02 pm.
For those of you who are not Josh Marshall regulars, I think it would be wise to keep an eye on the forming TPM Cafe.
So far, the descriptions have been limited, but we know that it’ll allow for more interactivity. The set of contributors also sounds quite excellent. Ivo Daalder, a contributor, guest posted earlier. I’m hoping to see more people involved in the policy shops. I feel like Kos does a great job of highlighting the political side. A similar, one-stop shop for inside-the-beltway policy thinking would be helpful.
| Comments (0) | Permanent Link | Categories: general |
Dammit, Janet, We Might Need You
by Matt Singer on 6:28 pm.
A while ago, Colorado Luis asked why not Janet Napolitano for President? I must confess I don’t know enough about her tenure as Governor to answer that question. Luis wonders why Schweitzer sucks up all the air. I don’t think it is media bias. Schweitzer is also getting more attention that Kulongoski or what’s her name in Washington. He’s simply a larger-than-life figure.
But why Janet’s name is never floated. Well, that I don’t know. Two thoughts in his comments: she is unmarried and AZ enviros don’t like her that much.
Any other thoughts?
| Comments (3) | Permanent Link | Categories: democrats, political |
The Fedora Makes Me a Journalist
by Matt Singer on 4:20 pm.
Roger L. Simon has “been sneaking around” (his term) setting up a news service with the likes of InstaPundit, PowerLine, and some other conservative bloggers. Now what the Hell they mean by a news service is beyond me. It is apparently beyond them too, with Simon writing, “As for the Blog News Service, a lot of work needs to be done and a lot of questions answered.”
I mean, I know I for one am sure looking forward to Iraq correspondents based in Toledo, but I really am wondering where they are headed with this.
Oh, and they’re also starting some sort of blog ad thing, since, well, they don’t really explain why, saying they “do not wish to go into competition with Henry Copeland’s BlogAds, which we fully support.” Entering the same market is a form of competition. I’d be awfully surprised if they couldn’t work something out with Henry Copeland. Honestly, if a number of blogs wanted to enter into a profit-sharing partnership and sell a single ad that is placed on all of their blogs simultaneously, thus making themselves heavy-hitters in terms of traffic. Well, I’m sure BlogAds would be willing to work with them, somehow. As for seeking corporate advertising, my own guess is that companies like Coke and Pepsi will really need to start working harder to understand the entire internet thing before they start putting corporate dollars here.
Regardless, how is this is not competition? And how are people whose sole experience with journalism seems to be their ability to get the facts wrong (in the case of PowerLine) starting a news service?
I am so confused.
(Via Oliver Willis and TBogg.)
| Comments (1) | Permanent Link | Categories: cultural, general |
Frontier PAC
by Matt Singer on 2:47 pm.
Frontier PAC has become LitW’s first advertiser. Give them a look if you’re interested in making a difference, especially in electing Reform Democrats in the West.
| Comments (0) | Permanent Link | Categories: general, political |
Huh
by Matt Singer on 2:41 pm.
Ezra Klein brings my attention to an effort by the abstinence-crowd to oppose an HPV vaccine because it may be interpreted as license to have sex. Ezra writes,
This appears to be what Christ’s legacy has come to: the prioritization of abstinence over life….Their overriding objective is not protecting women from AIDS and HPV and cervical cancer and potentially deadly childbirth (as in partial-birth abortions) and other potential killers, it’s stopping them for having premarital sex. And if a few — hell, if a lot! — have to die to make that future manifest, then so be it.Absolutely disgusting. Consider this another reason to chalk me up as a partisan. I believe in health care over moral righteousness. Who is behind this attack?
Tony Perkin’s Family Research Council. Tony Perkins, of course, has some ties to those lovely folks we know as White Supremacists. And now he wants people to die of cervical cancer. Color me outraged.
| Comments (0) | Permanent Link | Categories: health care, policy, political, sex and abstinence |
In Defense of Partisanship
by Matt Singer on 2:33 pm.
Dave Budge attacks “the insufferable, partisan David Serota [sic]” who described Jim Douglas’s refusal to run against the independent Bernie Sanders “shows just how frightened the Republicans are – and should be – of Sanders.” Apparently, in making such an argument, David is being ridiculous, because the Republicans would never be scared of “not pick up a seat.” Budge also ridicules Sanders as a socialist (which, to be fair, he is) and Democrats for thinking that Sanderism is a way to broaden the tent. He then refers to Sirota as a Democratic Sean Hannity, which I think is crossing the line.
| Comments (1) | Permanent Link | Categories: political |
Bob Bergren Throws Hat in AFL Ring
by Matt Singer on 11:53 am.
After Jerry Driscoll withdrew his name from contention for another term as Executive Secretary of the Montana AFL-CIO, Bob Bergren, a State Rep from Havre and union member since he was 15, has thrown his hat into the ring. He faces an uphill fight. The other candidate, Jim McGarvey, is currently President of the AFL and Vice President of the MEA-MFT, which controls over half the votes in the union.
Notably, Bergren is being recruited as someone who people in the breakaway Teamsters and Progressive Labor Caucus could likely support. Reuniting labor is a huge issue and I think Bergren could probably do it.
On that note, there is also a race for Chair of the Montana Democratic Party occuring. Anyone got some names for who is seeking that office?
| Comments (1) | Permanent Link | Categories: democrats, political |
When Wingnuts Attack
by Matt Singer on 11:28 am.
The GOP already began attacking John Vincent yesterday. Vincent is the former Speaker of the House who rose up to mount a challenge against Roger Koopman after Koopman crossed the line for the fortieth time in a legislative session.
Vincent is a retired teacher, a successful former legislator, a former Mayor, and a popular County Commissioner. The GOP, of course, attacked him for this, saying he wasted taxpayer money.
Gallatin Democrats has an official response worth checking out. He absolutely eviscerates the complaints levelled against him.
He also provides an address for donations:
Vincent for the HouseGo get ‘em, John.
680 Low Bench Road
Gallatin Gateway, MT 59730
| Comments (1) | Permanent Link | Categories: democrats, koopman, montana, political, republicans |
4/29/2005
Interlake Defends Morrison, Slaps Burns
by Matt Singer on 3:19 pm.
The Daily Interlake, in an editorial mostly concerned about timber operations in the Flathead, takes a moment to look at the pending 2006 Senate race:
It would also be premature to predict what will happen in the 2006 Senate race for the seat held by Republican Conrad Burns, but it’s not too early to start talking about it.The Interlake is up in the Flathead, one of the most conservative regions of Montana (and an area where Burns took fire for touring around on Social Security). If the Flathead turns on him, consider him toast.This week, State Auditor John Morrison, who has Whitefish connections, announced he will run for the Democratic nomination. The state GOP denounced him on two fronts, first because he started his career as a trial lawyer and second because he was only recently re-elected as auditor.
We hope this will not set the tone for the election. Morrison is an able and likable politician and he certainly deserves a chance to prove himself before he is subject to the usual slings and arrows.
If the GOP wants to ask questions, maybe it should start with Conrad Burns. When originally elected, he promised Montana voters he would serve just one term, then he said his second term would be his last. Now that he’s nearing the end of his third term, with every indication that he will run again at the age of 70, Montana voters might just mistake the one-time cattle auctioneer for a professional politician.
| Comments (4) | Permanent Link | Categories: Conrad Burns, montana, political, republicans |
Er ist ein Auslander
by Matt Singer on 2:30 pm.
In 1994, in response to anti-immigrant strains, the band PWEI recorded a song called “Ich bin ein Auslander” (I am a foreigner) stating solidarity with immigrants (by referring to JFK’s famous “Ich bin ein Berliner” line).
Recently, Arnold Schwarzenegger, an immigrant himself (and one who likely committed minor violations of law) is falling in with the hard-right camp on immigration issues. David Sirota has the story.
| Comments (2) | Permanent Link | Categories: law, policy, political, republicans |
GOP Already Starts Hitting Vincent
by Matt Singer on 2:23 pm.
The Republicans are apparently feeling threatened by John Vincent. Granted, if I were the Republicans, I would feel threatened by Vincent’s plan to run against Roger Koopman as well. Vincent is well-respected and popular. Koopman is a nut.
The best the Republicans can allege against Vincent? That he traveled to Helena to lobby as part of his position as County Commissioner? And that he was therefore “wasting money.”
Keep in mind that Roger Koopman’s legislation requests alone cost the state over $45,000, $15,000 of which was spent on legislation never introduced. So who is wasting my money exactly?
| Comments (10) | Permanent Link | Categories: democrats, montana, political, republicans |
Jonathan Chait Calls WSJ Editorial “Economic Illiterate”
by Matt Singer on 10:38 am.
And he’s right. The yahoos are ideologues who have lost their minds. Quite sad, really, since the news end of that paper is quite good. Can’t they get bought out by The Economist or something where the editors aren’t out-of-their minds and economically illiterate?
| Comments (3) | Permanent Link | Categories: cultural, economic, taxes |
Thanks to Senator Baucus Also
by Liesa on 10:35 am.
Thanks also to Montana’s Senator Max Baucus for proposing an amendment that would allow states more flexibility to choose how they use federal Title V abstinence-only-until-marriage funding authorized under welfare reform.
Under current law, states that accept the abstinence-only funds authorized through welfare are tightly restricted in the kinds of programs they may fund. Even if a state wants to fund an honest, age-appropriate sex-education program with these dollars, it is strictly forbidden to do so.
The law requires a $3 state match for every $4 the federal government expends. So even though this program requires a state to invest its own funds, it gives the state no say in the type of program it may fund with these combined dollars.
The Baucus-Chafee amendment would not reduce the funding level for abstinence programs. It leaves the current definition of an abstinence-only program totally intact, unchanged, but would simply allow a state to use these funds to put forth the type of abstinence-based program it chooses – be it abstinence-only, or a more traditional sex-ed program that includes abstinence as well as discussion of the benefits of contraception for pregnancy, HIV, and STD prevention.
Eleven states have now published some form of evaluation of their federally funded abstinence-only programs. Astonishingly, (more…)
| Comments (1) | Permanent Link | Categories: general, sex and abstinence |
Good News and Bad News
by Matt Singer on 10:20 am.
The people in Wyoming got some bad news and some good news this morning. What is it?
Well, the good news is that they have the second-lowest tax rates in the country but still generate the second-highest collections per capita.
The bad news is that they live in Wyoming.
| Comments (3) | Permanent Link | Categories: economic, environment, policy, taxes |
On Abstinence…
by Matt Singer on 12:53 am.
Chelsi Moy has the story to read. Let’s just keep in mind that what the government is doing here is making a conscious decision to not spend $172,000 in taxpayer money on a public education campaign that is likely unsucessful and possibly counterproductive. I’ve got an email into a DPHHS staffer asking about those internal studies. If I get a copy, I’ll post it.
| Comments (6) | Permanent Link | Categories: health care, policy, sex and abstinence |
4/28/2005
House Ratifies Stupid, Stupid Document
by Matt Singer on 9:04 pm.
The House just passed 214-211 a budget framework that cuts entitlement spending (think Medicaid) by $40 billion while enshrining approximately $100 billion in tax cuts.
Brilliant.
If I had a lot of money, I’d send those jokers 214 shovels so they can keep digging this great country into a hole.
Update – The Senate adopted the measure 52-47. Both Burns and Rehberg voted for the framework.
| Comments (0) | Permanent Link | Categories: Conrad Burns, Dennis Rehberg, policy, political |
The All Powerful Gays
by Matt Singer on 9:01 pm.
Apparently, they’ve forgotten the definition of censorship down in Alabama, where a state legislator has proposed banning books by gay authors or containing gay character in Alabama school libraries, as if they weren’t already at enough of a disadvantage (rimshot!). Mock Turtle has the details.
| Comments (0) | Permanent Link | Categories: ideologues, overreach, policy, political, republicans |
Live Blogging the Press Conference
by Matt Singer on 6:44 pm.
ThinkProgress liveblogs the President, so we don’t have to.
| Comments (0) | Permanent Link | Categories: policy |
