Barack Obama to Give Keynote Speech at Democratic Convention?

The New York Times thinks so!

The Democratic National Committee has not yet announced or, in fact, selected the keynote speaker for its convention in Boston next month, but Senator John Kerry, the likely Democratic presidential nominee, let a hint slip here this morning.

"I cannot wait to hear his voice," Mr. Kerry said of Barack Obama, the Democratic Senate candidate here in Illinois, who became a hot commodity in national political circles after emerging from a crowded primary field this spring. "First at our convention, where he's going to have an opportunity to speak in a few weeks, and then on the floor of the United States Senate."

So far, the Democrats have said little about marquee names for the convention, scheduled to begin in Boston July 26. On Monday, officials announced that former President Bill Clinton would kick off the festivities with a prime-time speech Monday night, and that Mr. Kerry's senior colleague, Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts, would also have a coveted evening slot. The candidate's wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, would take a prominent turn at the microphone, too, they said.

But Mr. Kerry himself was the first to publicly name Mr. Obama, a young state legislator from Chicago's South Side who has already been whispered about as a possible presidential or vice presidential candidate in coming years.

Good-looking, Harvard-educated, well-spoken, half-Kenyan, Mr. Obama has become an instant poster child for a party always eager to cultivate its black and Hispanic constituencies, particularly as Mr. Kerry faces criticism for surrounding himself mainly with white men.

Party officials said Mr. Obama's name was among those being tossed around for the coveted keynote speaking slots, which are traditionally traded among the party's elders and its rising stars. Affirmative action is also practiced in scheduling, as organizers try to showcase a rainbow of talent.

Senator Harold Ford Jr. of Tennessee gave the keynote speech at the Democratic convention in 2000, and Ann Richards, then the governor of Texas, splashed onto the national scene with her keynote address ("born with a silver foot in his mouth") in 1992. Other keynoters include Mario Cuomo (1984), Morris K. Udall (1980), Barbara Jordan (1976), and Daniel K. Inouye (1968).

Republican keynoters of note include Earl Warren (1944), Douglas MacArthur (1952), Thomas Kean (1988) and Susan Molinari (1996).

We hate it when our friends become successful.

Nick Confessore at The American Prospect Online directs us to a great post on Campaign Desk illustrating just how completely abritrary -- and inevitably self-contradictory -- the press's characterizations of a political candidate can be.

Liz Cox Barrett points out that back when John Kerry was being looked at as a potential running mate for Al Gore, the pundits fell over themselves to proclaim how charismatic and exciting a politician he was. Some of the same pundits now routinely parrot the cliches that Kerry is boring and wooden.

Obama brings husband's campaign to Coles County

From the Journal Gazette and Times-Courier:

Michelle Obama, wife of Obama, visited Charleston Saturday and spoke to Democratic supporters at What's Cookin' restaurant. Obama told the crowd of about 50 people that her husband's campaign depended on their support even more now despite the recent announcement by his senate opponent Ryan.

***

"Over the last few days, some people have said this is a done deal," Obama said. "But no one in our house has said it is a done deal."

***

Prior to marrying her husband, Obama recalled when she and him worked together at a Chicago law firm. She said she fell in love with him for the same reason many other people respect him; his connection with people.

Obama recalled her future husband had invited her to a community event at a small church where he would be speaking. Obama said the audience was compromised of grandparents raising grandchildren.

These people were concerned with the high crime rate and poverty, she said.

She watched as Obama took off his suit jacket and tie, rolled up his sleeves and told the people the importance of being connected and how everybody is connected regardless of education and social status, she said. He told them they were entitled to a decent living, health care and education, she recalled.

As he spoke, the people gathered at the church nodded their heads in approval or openly said ‘yes', she said.

"I knew he was special and that he connected with the people," Obama said. "That is how I fell in love with him."

***

"I am here because I am a taxpayer, a mother and the daughter of an elderly parent," Obama said. "I don't like the direction our country is currently taking when it comes to working for the middle class."

more...

FORMER GOV. EDGAR GOES STUMPING IN SOUTHERN ILLINOIS:

EDGAR CAMPAIGNING FOR SUMMERS, NOT U.S. SENATE SEAT
From the Southern Illinoisan

The very first thing that former Gov. Jim Edgar got out of the way during a stop at a political rally in Benton Saturday night was to let everybody know that he was a 'campaigner' for a state senate seat and not a 'candidate' for a U.S. Senate seat.

Edgar was referring to his name continuing to be mentioned as a possible replacement for Jack Ryan, who withdrew as the Republican Senate candidate on Friday after allegations surfaced in divorce papers that he had persuaded his ex-wife to attend sex clubs and had tried to get her to perform sex acts in front of other people.

Edgar addressed the issue at the Benton Civic Center Saturday night where he was the featured speaker at a fund-raising event for longtime friend Ron Summers. Summers is challenging state Sen. Gary Forby in the 59th District Senate race.

"The only person you're going to be calling 'senator' is Ron Summers," said the former governor. "I'm very flattered when people ask me about that, but my wife and I addressed that issue last year and went through this discussion and we felt at this point in our careers the U.S. Senate is probably not the thing for us to do right now.

MORE...

Washington Post: In Illinois, a Star Prepares

E.J. Dionne Jr. writes about Barack Obama in today's Washington Post.

Update: The rising star will deliver the weekly Democratic Radio Address. The address will be broadcast on Saturday, June 26 at 10:00 AM. It will be rebroadcast Saturday afternoon at 1:50 pm on C-SPAN radio.

Update: ABCNews story on Obama's Democratic Address.

Update II: Read or listen to Barack Obama's Democratic Radio Address.

Not With a Bang...

But with a whimper.

Blagorg-ass

Archpundit makes a compelling argument that our governor is The Biggest Ass in the Illinois Democratic Party for calling special sessions in Springfield when there is no business for the legislators to conduct.

Another way Blagorgeous' meaningless special sessions have screwed things up is that every time he calls one he pulls the Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate off of the campaign/fund-raising trail.

I have been to at least two events where Barack Obama was to attend, where instead of asking, "Where does Obama stand on the issues?" the attendees asked, "Where's Obama?" (The answer was, "He's down in Springfield trying to help hammer out a budget.")

While this might not have seemed like a big deal while the Ryan campaign was imploding, Obama still does need to glad-hand contributors and make them feel "special" to keep money flowing into the campaign. And now the new GOP candidate -- whoever it is -- will get a heap of free televised face-time, while Blagorgeous holds Obama (and the rest of the state) hostage in Springfield.

If I was a paranoid man, I might think that the governor was trying to ham-string the rising Democratic star from Illinois -- someone about whom the national press is already saying "future Presidential candidate" -- for his own personal gain.

Fortunately, we know that Blagorgeous would never let presidential aspirations hamper his performance in his current office, and that he would never manipulate the process in Springfield for his own political benefit.

Giant Humanitarian Bike Drive 2004 in the Western Suburbs

Working Bikes Cooperative is hosting a major humanitarian bike drive for developing countries!

Your donation can provide vital transportation in economically disadvantaged countries all over the world.

Please donate your old bicycle on
Saturday, June 26th from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm at
the First United Methodist Church of Elmhurst,
232 South York Rd., Elmhurst map, or on

Sunday, June 27th, 8:00 am – 8:00 pm at
Printer’s Row 48 W. Polk Street, Chicago map

Recycled bicycles make a giant difference in developing countries – Your unused bicycle could help someone in a developing country collect a paycheck, bring home food and supplies to their family, or carry goods to market. For many, owning a bike is a dream and becomes “Vital transportation that leads to a better life,” said Working Bikes Cooperative (WBC) volunteer Brandon Zagorski.

The Chicago based WBC has shipped thousands of bicycles all over the world since its inception in 2001. Thousands more have been requested from partner organizations in Kenya, Angola, Ghana, Peru and Nicaragua. Working Bikes Cooperative puts unused bikes in the hands of people who need them. Working Bikes Cooperative is hosting the bike drive this weekend to fulfill these needs.

Interview with WBC volunteer Brandon Zagorski on WBEZ' Worldview

Replacing Jack!

Now that it appears that Jack! is "exploring an exit strategy", the question arises:

"Who will the GOP replace Ryan with on the ballot?"

Archpundit examines many of the potential candidates, but overlooks the obvious choice for the Republicans.

The GOP's ideal candidate to run against Barack Obama will have to possess certain qualities:

1. He will need to have a history as a legislator to match up with Obama's stellar career as a lawmaker;
2. He will need to be willing to enter a race where he has almost no chance of winning;
3. He will need to have that special "something" that allows him to win a race where he is the clear underdog...

Fortunately for the Illinois Republicans, such a man does exist:









The Hon. Michael P. Flanagan

1. Flanagan represented the 5th District of Illinois in the 104th Congress.
2. Flanagan decided to enter a long-shot race against an 18-term Congressman -- the then-Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee -- during a game of darts with friends at a North Side saloon
3. Despite overwhelming odds, Flanagan -- with some aid from a 17-count federal indictment against his opponent -- was able to vanquish his powerful foe.

I just hope that, for the sake of the Republican party in Illinois, Mr. Flanagan will answer Judy Baar Topinka's inevitable call.

Jack! Free Post

The directions on my package of Quaker Instant Grits say:

1. Empty packet into bowl.
2. Add 1/2 cup boiling water; stir.
For Thicker grits decrease liquid; for Thinner grits increase liquid.

People who actually need that tip to regulate their grit thickness should not have access to boiling water.

From October 31, 2003: George F. Will on Jack!

"Amid the cold world's uncertainties, there is the comfort of having one incontrovertible axiom: If something seems too good to be true, it isn't true. Something, or someone.

"Then along comes Jack Ryan."

***

"Earlier he had been doing what his family has always done, which involves making the rest of us seem like moral slackers."

More

George... Jim... Jack...

One of my more paranoid fears right now is that another Abraham Lincoln is growing up somewhere in Illinois, but that he will never be elected to public office -- because his last name happens to be "Ryan".

Maybe He Just Likes Senate Candidates

Eric Zorn said, regarding Jack! Ryan's papers:

Without violating his confidence I can tell you that, in my opinion, there is absolutely no shame relating to the matters we discussed-- they have to do with health (that much has been reported elsewhere) and, trust me, absolutely no one would be buzzing about it today if Ryan had matter-of-factly disclosed everything and asked the media not to dwell on it out of respect to the boy.

I hope his right-wing critics recognize that, despite his alleged fondness for Barack Obama, Zorn was apparently totally snowed by Jack!.

Note: On further consideration, I suspect that Zorn-bashers will just say that media-liberals like Eric think there is "absolutely no shame relating" to matters of public sexuality.

UPDATE: Zorn addresses the lies of Jack!:

So I asked him: Does all this material in the files have to do with the health situation that we spoke about?

He remembered our conversation clearly and said, very directly, man to man, dad to dad, that yes, it did. He was doing what any father would do.

Now it turns out that he was lying, not just to me, but to all the reporters and Republican honchos whom he had assured that there were no personally embarrassing allegations in those divorce records.

In fact, as we learned Monday, Ryan's ex-wife alleged in divorce filings that in 1998 he took her to sex clubs in New Orleans, Paris and New York, the last featuring "cages, whips and other apparatus hanging from the ceiling," she said.

I can't blame him for wanting to keep those sorts of allegations under wraps. They're very personal, they may reflect only a minor and brief dalliance in the "Eyes Wide Shut" world; or simply a nasty invention during the custody wrangle.

***

The measure of Jack Ryan's character is not that he had a rough divorce, or that he may have or may at one time have had unconventional sexual interests. It's not even that he didn't spill every juicy detail when reporters came nosing around.

Few will fault him for not being perfect or heedlessly forthcoming.

The measure of Jack Ryan's character is that he continues to invoke his child to advance the increasingly flimsy idea that he has higher priorities than his own ambition.

Okay, I guess we can safely say that Eric Zorn is not particularly fond of Jack! Ryan.

Just A Reminder

Jack!

Ryan papers contain charges he pressured wife for public sex

Ryan releases divorce records

Ryan Allegedly Took Wife To Sex Clubs

UPDATE: JACK RYAN ON THE DEFENSE OF MARRIAGE:

The breakdown of the family over the past 35 years is one of the root causes of some of our society’s most intractable social problems-criminal activity, illegitimacy, and the cyclical nature of poverty.

As an elected leader, my interest will be in promoting laws and educating people about the fundamental importance of the traditional family unit as the nucleus of our society.

Applying Jack Ryan's Standard to Jack Ryan

"A family law judge in California decided the public's interest to know -- their need to know -- is more important than the safety and protection of our nine-year-old son. So we are disappointed, we are unhappy, we are disturbed by this judge."

-- Jack Ryan on NPR's Sunday All Things Considered

And the Republican candidate for Senate has decided that his political aspirations -- his personal needs -- are more important than the safety and protection of his nine-year-old son. I am disappointed, I am unhappy, I am disturbed by this candidate.

Rich Miller talks to Congressman Danny Davis about his coronation of Reverend Sun Myung Moon

From Capital Fax:

I AM NOT MAKING THIS UP Back in March, Illinois Congressman Danny Davis participated in one of the more bizarre public events I've ever heard of. And that's saying something.

During the event, held on federal property, Reverend Sun Myung Moon proclaimed himself the "Messiah" and "Returning Lord." Congressman Davis spoke at the ceremony and, wearing gleaming white gloves, solemnly carried a golden crown that was placed on Moon's head. Moon, whose followers are often derisively referred to as "Moonies," is the founder of the Unification Church and owner of the Washington Times.

More.

"I bet there's some bad apples."

Do you suppose that Mayor Daley regrets admitting that his administration contains "some bad apples?

Someone should tell him that Americans are no longer comforted when their leaders try to distance themselves from repeated, systematic problems by blaming them on a few "bad apples"

UBecause Not Everyone Can Just Write a Check to Finance His Senate Campaign

The Springfield State Journal Register tells us why it is important to click on the photo of the nice man on the right side of this page:

State Sen. Barack Obama, D-Chicago, who is running for Fitzgerald's open [Senate] seat, listed his 2003 state salary as $65,786 and his University of Chicago Law School salary as $64,287. He listed assets, including retirement funds, ranging from $145,000 to $350,000 and no liabilities.

If it seems like this Obama fella has dedicated his life to public service instead of using his Harvard law degree to line his pockets, its because he has. You can click here to support his dedication.

Update: Barack's wife Michelle does earns a salary of more than $1,000 from the University of Chicago's hospital.

"They remained friends after the 2002 election and have had a relationship for approximately a year."

Big "news" on the latest member of congress:

The newest, most eligible bachelorette in Congress appears to be off the market.
Rep. Stephanie Herseth (D), who just won the special South Dakota election, had a boyfriend waiting for her on Capitol Hill when she arrived last week.

He’s Democratic Rep. Max Sandlin, a four-term Texan.

The couple met during Herseth’s failed 2002 election bid against then-Rep. Bill Janklow (R-S.D.), who recently was released from prison for his second-degree manslaughter conviction. The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, which has its own version of a “big buddy” program, appointed Sandlin to be Herseth’s mentor during that campaign.

Even a Broken Clock...

George W. Bush:

"Bill Clinton showed incredible energy and great personal appeal. As chief executive, he showed a deep and far-ranging knowledge of public policy, a great compassion for people in need, and the forward-looking spirit that Americans like in a president."

Bush singled out the Clintons' daughter, Chelsea:

"The fact that you survived your teenage years in the White House speaks to the fact that you had a great mom and dad."

From Sun-Times/AP

"One-Size-Fits-All Conservatism" Chafes

Nick Confessore of TAPPED from The American Prospect Online understands that the southern-fried, moralistic, pro-corporate conservatism dominating the national Republican party doesn't fit with South Dakota's more traditional leave-me-the-hell-alone flavor of conservatism. Why doesn't the GOP?

THE GREAT PAINS.

There's an interesting article in South Dakota's Argus Leader today on concerns by state Republicans that the national party has not been too helpful to their efforts. I think the headline -- "National GOP hurts S.D. Republicans, lawmaker says" -- overplays the idea, though.

What's going on is not that the state is becoming liberal (although the southern conservatism that dominates today's GOP is historically rather foreign to the plains-state conservativism one gets in a place like South Dakota), but rather a welter of factors all combining to make life difficult for Republicans there. For example, national Republicans, including those GOP leaders who have come calling to help out their South Dakota brethren, aren't pandering as well as they could be. (They've flip-flopped on country-of-origin labeling, military base closings, and the like.)

I'm not sure if this has any long-term meaning for the state's Democrats, but in the short-term, it may help preserve the currently all-Democratic congressional delegation come November.

If you want to help the GOP "preserve the currently all-Democratic congressional delegation come November," feel free to click here or on the photo of the young lady to the right.

Good Question

The Bush/Cheney folks have gotta squirm when the Reagan retrospectives run the clip of the Gipper asking, "Are you better off today than you were four years ago?"

Not to mention the uncomfortable questions about the Bush administration road-blocks on stem-cell research for treating Alzheimer's disease.

Top Dollar

In the wake of former president Ronald Reagan's passing, Republicans in Washington have proposed putting his face on U.S. currency -- everything from replacing FDR on the dime and JFK on the 50-cent piece to replacing Andrew Jackson on the $20 bill.

I propose a compromise: Lets put Mr. Reagan's image on the million dollar bill. That way the money handled by working-class Americans could stay as it is, and the multi-millionaires that prospered so much under Reagan could still gaze at his image whenever they like.

A False Dichotomy

Archpundit analyzes Kevin McCullough's mischaracterization of Barack Obama's position on gay marriage and civil unions and determines that Kevin McCullough is either Stupid or Dishonest.

And if you look into the rest of McCullough's column, you will see plenty of evidence for both. For instance, I was particularly stunned by McCullough's closing paragraph:

If Barack Obama is given a seat in the United States Senate it is clear that it will be historic from the viewpoint of his place as an African American, but the larger question will ultimately be - 'Will it be a record that African Americans will be proud of?'"

Thank Heavens there is a white guy out there brave enough and smart enough to let Illinois African Americans know that they shouldn't be proud to send Barack Obama to the United States Senate. What ever would African Americans do without such smart, principled white guys?

And the lack of an editor provides further evidence for AP's first option:

Ryan made his fortune at Goldman-Sachs. But before that he was always conscience of those less fortunate. That was one of the reasons he spent time right out of school, on the Mexican border, assisting those who were trying to get into America to begin a new life. He saw through proper immigration what America could be trying to relocate here. His time spent among the Latino community gave him perspective that many in America do not have - an identity of what it is like to become American.

But don't rule out Dishonest just yet. In his column McCullough leaves some key things out of the biographies of both candidates.

Of Mr. Ryan, McCullough notes that Mr. Ryan is the first Republican to run for the Senate who has spent time teaching in an inner city, African-American school. But when McCullough tells the oft-repeated tale of Republican personal and professional sacrifice to help African-American boys, he omits that -- although Ryan taught at Hales Franciscan from September 2000 to January 2003 and donated most of his $21,717 salary back to the school -- Mr. Ryan never actually left the corporate business world.

The Sun-Times' Lynn Sweet reported last November:

Starting in September 2002, Ryan joined the board of First Health Group Corp., headquartered in Downers Grove. The publicly traded company handles group health insurance plans for large private and public employers, an industry that is heavily influenced by federal laws and regulations.

Ryan received a $35,000 director's fee for attending meetings. He also was given options to buy 48,000 shares of the company at a strike price of $25.99 for 32,000 shares and $25.22 for 16,000 shares. A strike price on an option, when exercised, sets the value for a share no matter what the stock is trading at on a particular day.

***

Ryan's disclosure shows he already holds First Health Group stock worth between $250,000 and $500,000.

In January 2001, Ryan joined the board of a company called K-12 Inc., based in McLean, Va., a suburb of Washington. The company is a privately held for-profit educational firm providing supplies to people who home-school their children. K-12 markets materials for a home "virtual academy.''

It sure seems noteworthy to me that Mr. Ryan has a significant financial stake in one of his campaign's centerpiece issues -- federal policies regarding school choice. But apparently McCullough didn't think so.

McCullough also omitted significant portions of Mr. Obama's biography. McCullough stated that

Obama was born in Hawaii, the son of an economist, and eventually attended Hawaii's top prep academy. His father was not only a PhD but a Kenyan government official who later divorced Barack's Kansas born mother. She then married a man who worked in the oil business, and due to this Obama, (who retained his father's name) lived for a while in Indonesia and later returned to Hawaii. Father and son both attended Harvard. Obama eventually became the first African American editor of the Harvard Law Review. Obama then rocketed through the Illinois Democratic senate ranks.

All fine as far as it goes, but if McCullough is impressed with Mr. Ryan's juggling corporate duties and inner-city employment, he owes it to himself to review Mr. Obama's work on the south-side of Chicago.

Mr. Obama graduated from Columbia University with a degree in political science and a specialty in international relations. He worked as a community organizer in some of Chicago's toughest neighborhoods, helping church groups create job-training programs, reform area schools, and improve city services. It is noteworthy that, like Mr. Ryan, Mr. Obama was paid a salary in the neighborhood of 20K for his work, but that Mr. Obama had neither Ryan's personal fortune, nor Ryan's directors fees, nor Ryan's stock options to subsidize his inner-city work. Mr. Obama didn't just work with the people of the south-side of Chicago, he lived with them.

McCullough states that "Obama eventually became the first African American editor of the Harvard Law Review." I can't imagine what was "eventually" about it, but Mr. Obama was not only editor of Harvard Law Review, he also graduated magna cum laude.

After graduating law school, Mr. Obama organized one of the largest voter registration drives in Chicago history, worked as a civil rights lawyer on cutting edge voting rights and employment discrimination cases in federal and state courts, and teaches constitutional law at the University of Chicago Law School.

Any one of those accomplishments would be the highlight of a proud legal career, but none of them made their way into McCullough's biography of Mr. Obama. Surely McCullough was aware of them, which makes their absence a compelling argument for AP's second option.

And thus we return to our original question: Stupid or Dishonest?

Please understand, I sympathize with McCullough.

As shown above, it is hard to compare and contrast Mr. Ryan to Mr. Obama without either 1) appearing Stupid or Dishonest, or 2) highlighting Mr. Obama's amazing life. After all, if you can only respond to Mr. Obama's many achievements and his lifetime of community leadership by saying, "Our multi-millionaire taught school for a while on the south-side," you start to look pretty silly.

And so I think, rather than Stupid or Dishonest, McCullough is just silly.

Silly for trying to tell Illinois' African Americans which candidate they can be proud of.
Silly for trying to hide his candidate's personal financial interests in education policy.
Silly for trying to make Mr. Obama's anti-discrimination policy look sinister.
And silly for trying to win a battle-of-the-biographies by omitting key facts.

Kevin McCullough: Silly.

A Bad Case of the Puns

Cathleen Falsani's column about the Rev. Koyo Kubose has some pretty clever intentional bathroom humor, but I think that the funniest line in the story was the unintentional pun in the last line of this excerpt:

"I sure am thankful my inner plumbing is working," Kubose, director of the Kubose Dharma Legacy in Skokie, writes in his new book, Bright Dawn: Discovering Your Everyday Spirituality. "Giving thanks before eating is a common practice, but we should also be thankful for the important excretion process. Elimination of toxic waste products resulting from digestion of food is crucial to maintaining life."

In other words, and to paraphrase, holy s---.

After saying, "To me, BM can also stand for 'Buddha Movement,'" Kubose waxes eloquent for a couple of pages on that particular scatological term, reclaiming its Buddhist intent, which has something to do with the transitory nature of the body.

"The privacy of a bathroom is a great place for quiet reflection," Kubose continues. "I think about how my morning hygiene routine has become part of a daily spiritual practice. I like that. The bathroom's cozy privacy brings out intimate conversations that one can have with oneself.

"The bathroom can be a very powerful sacred space."

Kubose's slim volume recounts his early-morning runs along Chicago's lakefront in which every action he takes, from bed to sidewalk, is a meditation.

At least I think it was unintentional.

"Often there's no chance of escape"

Military stop-loss orders are not the only evidence of Bush's policy of "voluntary" conscription.

Obama Reverse Coat-tails?

Illinois: Kerry 54% Bush 38%

Why Herseth's Win Matters

John Nichols of the Nation explains the significance of Tuesday's pick up by the Democrat Stephanie Herseth of a previously Republican-held seat in South Dakota.

To get a sense of how much of a breakthrough Herseth's win represents for South Dakota Democrats, remember this: The party now controls the state's entire congressional delegation for the first time since 1937, when the popular programs of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal helped Democrats to break the historic Republican hold on the rural states of the upper Midwest.

It has been a very long times since Democrats were on the rise in rural America, in large part because the party has abandoned the economic populist, pro-small farmer themes that were traditionally its greatest strength.

Herseth's win is good news, but it's still going to take a hell-of-a-lot of work to keep SD's congressional delegation Democratic through November.

Everything explained in a neat, tidy package

"The truth, hard as it is to accept, is that Bush is an Iranian agent."

That was fun... Let's do it again in November.

The latest Democratic member of the
United State's House of Representatives:



US HOUSE SOUTH DAKOTA 100% Reporting

HERSETH D 132,066 51%
DIEDRICH R 128,990 49%

UPDATE: Kos says expect to see "some Republican-lite out of Herseth in the coming months."
FYI: "Republican-lite" occupies the far-left region of South Dakota's political spectrum.

Dirty Tricks? In South Dakota??

It must have been an out-of-stater.
No South Dakotan would do this.