Help Save Brad Miller, NC-13 from One Bullet, No Gun

Many of you have read the diaries written by Representative Brad Miller from North Carolina. You know that he gets science. You know he supports the blogging community and was part of a panel at Yearly Kos. You know he's a progressive and you probably know he's just a great guy - very honest, very smart and very genuine. What you might not know about Brad Miller is something that many of you will think is trivial, but I think is vitally important.

Have you heard the saying that 80% of success is just showing up? Well, Brad Miller shows up to vote. Every. Single. Time. He is one of only 5 representatives in the U.S. House that has bothered to show up for every single vote during the 109th Congress.

This record is something to be proud of. His support for technology and science is something to be proud of. His progressive record is something to be proud of. The new endorsement from Markos applauding Brad Miller's support of the online community is something to be proud of. All this could be taken away in November by Vernon Robinson, aka - One Bullet, No Gun. That's right, a man who appears to be so desperate to be accepted he dresses up like a cowboy and panders for the gun vote. This is almost as pathetic as Bush in his flightsuit.

You've probably heard the stories about the slime tactics Robinson uses. He linked Brad and Markos romantically, though they'd never met and are both married; and he delved into the Millers' private lives as if the public had a right to know why they did not have children. As abhorent as it seems, this man who adopts these vile, loathsome tactics could be the next representative from the 13th District. As much as it pains me to say this, we need to keep Robinson in North Carolina and not send him to Washington.

True to his character, Congressman Miller wrote a diary earlier this week asking DKos readers to help out a couple of challengers before the deadline tomorrow (Friday). One of the candidates he has endorsed for your support is Larry Kissell, a candidate in North Carolina's 8th Congressional District. Larry Kissell is challenging flip-flippin' Robin Hayes. Larry is coming off some successful fundraising with two more planned before the deadline. I've blogged about Larry before as have others here on DKos. He has quite a following in this state. At the state convention this past weekend progressives from all over the state were flocking to Larry's table to find out how they can help.

There has been such a response from some areas that fundraisers, phone banks and neighborhood walks are being planned by voters outside the district. Everyone who meets Larry seems to feel the same way.

Here's a report from a fundraiser held last night. Congressman David Price and BlueNC's Anglico teamed up for this amazing fundraiser where they raised more than $25,000 for Larry. Another fundraiser is June 30th in Robin Hayes's home town of Concord.

This past Saturday the wonderful folks atFireDogLake hosted a fundraiser for Larry and Heath Shuler through Howie Klein's Blue America posts and raised almost $1200 in just a couple of hours. Howie also wrote an excellent post at Down With Tyranny

The polls look good and the fundraising is picking up. The candidate and staff are constantly on the move meeting as many people in the district as they can and getting the word out. For more information you can visit BlueNC or The Southern Dem.

Many of you have met Larry here and have been so generous with your financial support and your words of encouragement. Larry started out his campaign networking the online community in North Carolina. The enthusiasm and energy for this campaign is shared by the grassroots community and the local weblog community. I wish all of you could meet him in person so you would know why we feel so strongly about his candidacy.

Robin Hayes is a millionaire and Republicans will be piling on with leadership pac contributions this month, so it's vital that Larry raise as much as possible by Friday. If you still aren't sure, just read this diary by RANT that includes a letter from Larry's minister.

Precinct by precinct, district by district Democrats can win in the South. It won't be easy, so we can't afford to lose great Representatives like Brad Miller and we can't afford to lose the opportunity to replace Bush loyalists with excellent candidates like Larry Kissell.

Many of you have dug deep into your pockets already. Thank you for all you have done to help our candidates. For those of you who have a little more room in your budgets, please go here to help. Every $5 dollars counts. Here is an ActBlue link, or visit Larry Kissell's site or Brad Miller's site.

Thank you.

Update: After a re-read, I realized that I had called Vernon Robinson a vile, loathesome man and I have never met him. I decided to change that to "a man who adopts vile, loathesome tactics" because that sounded more fair. If I ever meet Robinson, which I doubt will happen, I will let you know if he is as vile in person as his campaign tactics make him appear to be.

NC Democratic Convention News

Yesterday, I attended the North Carolina Democratic Party's convention in High Point. I didn't know what to expect and was pleasantly surprised at how organized the event was. High Point was a great location for the convention since it was central enough to most of the state. It also provides great hotel and meeting facilities in a small city setting.

There were women in great hats and plenty of folks dressed in patriotic clothing. The theater was loud with delegates meeting up with fellow Democrats and friends from across the state. I'm not fond of large gatherings. I usually hang out on the fringes and observe. Not today. There was something different about being in a gathering of people I immediately felt some kinship with - if for no other reason than we are Democrats.

























Standing at a table reading bumper stickers and buttons I immediately fell in with the other women laughing at the funny sayings. We didn't know each other, but we quickly were showing each other the funniest of the buttons and laughing at our nation's leaders over the witty sayings and funny images. My favorite: The Three Stooges pin that showed the hair of Larry, Moe and Curly on Cheny, Bush and Rumsfeld.


The bumper sticker I saw held up for friends to see and that was purchased most often was a large black oval that framed a yellow dog. I purchased one. I have voted for Republicans in local elections when I honestly felt they were the better candidate, but have never and will never vote for a Republican in a national election. Ever. Could this Southern Democrat actually be a Yellow Dog Democrat afterall?

A young man set up a booth and was displaying Warner for President bumper stickers and buttons. He made sure to say he wasn't affiliated with Warner, so these weren't official items. I didn't care. I have a bumper sticker and button to add to my collection.

I also picked up a Brad Miller bumper sticker. I didn't see Brad, but I did meet Denise Turner, with the Miller campaign. He has obviously surrounded himself with smart, energetic people.

Another group represented was NOOLF or shortened OLF which stands for the Outlying Landing Field. This group wants to protect the Pocosin Lakes National Wildlife Refuge from a landing strip that would bring noise and fumes to a peaceful wildlife refuge and disturb the winter resting grounds of over 100,000 large migratory birds. This group will get more attention at a later date in one of our action plans, but please visit their web site to learn more about this issue.

Several other candidates were represented and none was more prominant than the black and gold signs of Larry Kissell. Larry had more staff and supporters at the convention than it seems any other candidate. Larry was juggling the convention and a blogger meet and greet being held online. Howie Klein from Down With Tyranny hosted an event at FireDogLake where regular commenters from across the country donated close to $1200 in a couple of hours. Howie has worked with Christy Hardin Smith and Jane Hamsher, of FDL, to highlight Democrats in races that might not be in the national spotlight, but deserve more attention. It was exciting for me to see one of my favorite blogs showing respect to my favorite candidate.

Mel Watt also had staff and supporters attending and he arrived later after attending events in Charlotte. Mel is my representative. He gave a lively speech in April for the Mecklenburg County convention. He has worked hard on the Voting Rights Act that the Republicans in Washington seem intent on destroying, so I know this has been a rough week for him. I'm sure it was good for him to spend some time among supporters and fellow NC Democrats.

Before I get into the details of the convention, let me mention one more person I met who is running for Attorney General in 2008 and he is Hampton Dellinger. He's a lawyer and has served as the chief legal counsel for the Governor of this state and has held top posts in the Department of Justice. He's also a genuinely nice guy. I encourage you to visit his site to learn more about his candidacy. Oh, did I mention that he's a BlueNC reader?

The NCDP Chair, Jerry Meek, started the meeting by welcoming the press in attendance. Schorr Johnson, NCDP Communications Director, had been kind enough to give me a press pass so I sat up front near the stage where I could hear just about everything, but gave myself a case of whiplash trying to see the delegates as they stepped to the various microphones to speak. Jerry not only invited the press, something the NCGOP had not done for their convention, he invited the few protestors that were outside to come in and join the convention.

I have to take Jerry's word for it that there were actually protestors. I did not see them shortly before noon, nor did I see them a couple of hours later when I took a blogging break at the Radisson across the street. It was classy of the guy to step outside and welcome them in, even if they didn't take advantage of the invitation.

Oh, and Jerry runs a meeting like noone else I've ever seen. At times it seemed like everyone and their brother and sister were going to try to make changes to the platform, but Jerry kept the meeting moving along quickly and the delegates stayed on their toes to close debate and move to a vote without letting the debates drag into arguments. This doesn't mean the meeting didn't drag a bit longer than some of us liked, but Jerry definately kept the meeting moving.

There were some emotional pleas from the anti-abortion faction of the party. On one hand I do feel for them. Most differ from the party on this one issue and they stand by their convictions. They wanted language inserted into the party platform that recognizes them as a significant voice in the party and to have their differences acknowledged. While that doesn't seem unreasonable, I did have to agree with the majority who enthusiastically voted this down.

Pat Patton a delegate from Mecklenburg County spoke against the motion saying that making this consession brings attention to the choice issue as one that divides our party and gives Republicans ammunition against us. It seemed to be almost unanimous among those who spoke against this motion that Democrats are tired of the Republicans defining our party and it is time for Democrats to stand firm.

National issues also seemed to be on the minds of most in attendance. I heard delegates talking about the economy, the war in Iraq and the incompetence in the White House. Overall, though, the mood was positive and the delegates seemed excited about the prospects in the fall.

While I was blogging at the Radisson I had the pleasure to meet Rob Christensen. He saw me writing and noticed my press pass and stopped to chat. I read his article this morning in the Raleigh News and Observer and he did a good job of reporting what happened. One point I might pick with him is that he failed to give any quotes from those opposing the motion proposed by Sandy Babb of Wake Co., but he gave two quotes from anti-abortion delegates. That could have probably used some balance because there were some very eloquent speeches given against the motion.

Another point I would pick with him is that he quoted a consultant and allowed her to speak for the party instead of finding out if everyone agreed with her. This is what she said.

"By traditional rules, things should be good for us," said Beth Sibley, 33, a political consultant from Cleveland County. "But we are still in the middle of a war, and voters may not want to change. The terrorism threats and the war still hold strong sway.

"We'd like to make it a referendum on Bush, [Tom] DeLay, [Dick] Cheney and [Jack] Abramoff," she said, referring to the former House majority leader, the vice president and a Republican lobbyist convicted on influence-peddling charges.

This has been the only person in this state that I've heard who wants to make it a referendum on this list of corrupt Republicans. Tom DeLay and Jack Abramoff? It's one thing to refer to them and to remind people of the corruption that is rampant in Republican Washington, but it is an entirely different thing to make the entire election about these people.

What I was hearing from the delegates as their main issues were the economy and the war in Iraq. You want to know what's funny? Those are the top two issues across the country that were highlighted in the last Pew poll. They were followed by immigration and gas prices, but I didn't hear any delegates talking about either of those issues. In North Carolina it seems health care and education are running third and fourth.

On a happy personal note I had the chance to meet Robert. He was in the midst of all the delegates, so he might have heard something different from the folks he was sitting around. It was great to put a face with a name. Maybe we will all have a chance to get together before Lance heads down to Atlanta.

I wasn't able to stay for the Sanford-Hunt Dinner, but from the comments at BlueNC it sounds like the dinner was a success and folks had a great time. It looks like Jim Hunt might have to fight off a push to get him to run for Senate. I'm old enough to remember those days. In fact, I still have a button. Go Jim, Go!

A Love Letter To Osama

My Dearest Osama,

It has been weeks since we last spoke. Mere words fail to express how much I miss you and the despair I feel at the possibility of never seeing you again. I miss the scratch of your manly beard and the swishing sound of your robe. I mean, it isn't a dress, right? Only the manliest of men can pull that look off. I miss the smell of your unbathed skin and the feel of your hands on my body. Some women might find the feel of raw bone rubbing their skin painful, but no pain is too great when I'm with you.

I have completed the tasks you suggested. I have issued my own fatawa and have called for the killings of a supreme court justice and a traitor who thinks only of surrender in Iraq. Doesn't he know that the only reason I still have you to dream of is that war in Iraq?

If our nation hadn't deserted it's position in Afghanistan and started the holiest of wars against our brother Saddam in Iraq you might have been captured and I never would have the hope of one day seeing you again. As much as I hate to see brother Saddam sacrificed to the American devils, I fear it is necessary if I am ever to feel the heat of your body next to mine.

After our last encounter I feared you would turn against me. I knew that our separation, while necessary, would be difficult. Contrary to what you might have heard, Coulter Culture, does not refer to something growing in a petri dish. Rather, it refers to the messages of hate I must spread in order to direct attention away from you, my dearest.

If I am successful in turning the anger and hate of God-fearing Republicans against those infidel liberals then I might be able to keep them from turning it toward you, my sweet. You do understand why I must do what I do? My heart is full of love and goodness, but I must hide that if I am ever to join you again. I must continue on my path of vile, deceitful raging to keep attention on anything but you.

Oh, and that little thing with Michael Moore. It was nothing. A weekend fling. It was a momentary lapse. I don't know what came over me. One minute I was counting each of your ribs in my dreams and the next I was in an embrace with a man I loathe. Maybe it was the beard that reminded me so much of you or perhaps it was a momentary need to feel something besides bone beneath skin. I can only promise you it was fleeting and is now over. I am honoring the restraining order for fear that being jailed would keep me from reaching you.

In your last communique you didn't send your coordinates. I'm afraid the batteries in the GPS device must have died because I no longer find you on the radar screen mounted in my attic. You aren't trying to avoid me, are you binny baby? Am I hovering too much? Is it too much, too soon?

Please send me your coordinates as soon as you can. I must be near you. You know I would never betray you my dearest Osama. I will find a way to escape the bonds of this country and my book tour so that we can be together again. I only ask one thing of you, my sweetest, Osama. This time. Just this once. Can the camel sleep outside?


XOXOXOXOX

Ann

Myrick's Flip Flop on Illegal Immigration

Back in November 2005 I wrote a post about Sue Myrick and her lack of consistency when it has come to the illegal immigration issue. Titled, A Contradiction Named Sue, it pointed out Myrick's early years of voting to increase the spread and flow of illegal immigrants in this country. Today, The Charlotte Observer has this story about Sue Myrick and her lack of consistency when it comes to the illegal immigration issue.

Gee, guys. A little late to the party, no? Now, to be fair, the article is much more in-depth than mine and the reporters did get some interviews that I'm not sure I would have been granted, but they basically said the same thing I did. All in all, they did a pretty good job putting the story together. They also reported Myrick's responses to their questions in enough detail that they can be fact-checked. This should be a fun way to spend my day.

If you don't want to read either the stories attached to either link I'll give you the short version. Sue Myrick spent the first ten years of her tenure in Congress voting on measures that inflated the numbers of illegal immigrants and has spent the past year or two trying to undo what she had done. Is it political or a sincere shift in her beliefs? Here's a bit from the article.

U.S. Rep. Sue Myrick has made getting tough on illegal immigration her signature issue in recent years. But in the 1990s, the Charlotte Republican cast several votes that were lambasted by the same immigration reform groups that now count her as an ally.

These conservative groups, such as Americans for Better Immigration and the Federation for American Immigration Reform, praise Myrick's stands today, even giving her an A+ in one recent report card. At the same time, they say some of her votes 10 years ago helped create the problem of an estimated 12 million illegal immigrants.

That's not how Myrick sees it: She says she was actually ahead of many lawmakers in Washington in recognizing the looming importance of the immigration issue. In 1999, for example, she created a community-wide task force and launched her ongoing pursuit of a federal immigration court for Charlotte so N.C. cases wouldn't have to be heard in faraway Atlanta.

The problem then, Myrick said, is that she couldn't get many others to share her concern.

"There weren't enough members of Congress who had (illegal immigration) problems in their districts. There was not yet critical mass," she said. "Back then, North Carolina wasn't impacted -- though Charlotte was."

Now, I still don't see how Myrick justifies voting to increase spread for 10 years unless she was intentionally trying to inflate the numbers to bring more attention to the problems faced by Charlotte. She finds a justification for every vote. Here are a few samples.

What does Myrick say?

That the technology in 1996 was not as advanced as it is today. To vote for the pilot program or to make relying on faulty government databases a must, she said, could have kept U.S. citizens from getting hired.

"They had a messed-up system," said Myrick. "I couldn't see where it would work." Back then, she said, businesses had to call a toll-free number and depend on Social Security Administration workers to tap into databases that contained inaccuracies and outdated information.

Myrick said the technology today is more reliable, with businesses able to access databases through a faster, Internet-based system. It also relieves employers of cost burdens imposed by the 1996 version, she said.

"Employers are saying to me now: I want to follow the law and I don't want to make a mistake," said Myrick, who would still prefer to not make use of the database mandatory.

Even in 2006, though, some business groups -- such as the National Restaurant Association -- are still saying they can't rely on government databases. And immigration reform groups don't agree with Myrick's picture of the past. Americans for Better Immigration described Myrick as part of a "coalition of pro-business Republicans and liberal civil libertarians" who tried to kill the 1996 program. ABI's Web site dossier on Myrick synopsizes the vote, adorned with a red-and-black moving icon that says "HELP ILLEGALS" and shows a silhouetted man successfully scaling a fence.

Actually, they did a much better job than I did. It's a good article and it looks like they provide enough dots that the reasonable person is going to see that Sue is contradicting her first decade in Congress.

Here's my problem with Sue. Why not just admit that the problems weren't as wide spread as they are today and now she wants to be a part of the solution? Why all the lame justifications for previous votes. Why not just come out and say, "My earlier votes had an unintentional adverse effect on illegal immigration and made me part of the problem. Now it's time to be part of the solution." Wouldn't that be refreshing for someone to just stand up and accept responsibility for their actions? I guess that's asking to much. Sue Myrick is a Republican and accepting responsibility isn't part of their party platform.

Kissell Fundraisers Kick Off in a Big Way

Tuesday evening was the first in a series of June fundraisers for Larry Kissell. Young Professionals for Kissell, held their first fundraiser at the Thomas Street Tavern in Charlotte's Plaza-Midwood neighborhood. The back deck provided an excellent venue for the event and the great music was provided by Autumn in August. Artist Terry Thirion offered two beautiful works of art for raffle. I failed to get a picture, but her paintings and sketches can be found at Red Sky Gallery. Pictured at right are Tami V., who organized the event and Megan R., who helped Tami with the details of the event.

Larry had to run a gauntlet of eager guests and balloons as he entered the back deck. He made his way around to speak with most if not all of those in attendance. Many had purchased tickets in advance, but many more showed up at Thomas Street Tavern and bought tickets at the door.

Large platters of nibbles were scattered about the tables and most of the guests were lost in conversation until Larry was introduced to speak. While Larry was preaching to the choir, this was a particularly enthusiastic choir.


For many of us it was our first opportunity to meet another very important member of the campaign, Larry's wife Tina. Tina doesn't like the spotlight and I'm going to apologize to her up front for shining it on her yet again. Tina is funny and energetic and provides a great complement to Larry's calm demeanor

There were quite a few dignitaries and special guests. CMS school board member Louise Woods and City Councilman Anthony Fox were both there to honor Larry. Artist Terry Thirion attended as did the gentleman who spoke truth to George Bush's power, Mr. Harry Taylor.

Sponsors of the event were Gray Newman, Betsy Muse, Dan and Shelly Crawford, Jackie Matlock, John and Rebecca Autry, Lucia Fitzgerald, and Marilyn Sullins. If you recognized the name John Autry it's because he was an opponent in the May Primary for the Democratic nomination. Not only did he and his wife sponsor and attend the event, but John provided us with all of the photos included with this story. Mark Ortiz, another of Larry's opponents in the bid for the nomination was also at the event.

It was nice to meet some of Larry's staffers. Leanne Powell, Barden Culbreth, Steve Hudson and Vinod Thomas were all there on the deck. If it is true that we are judged by the company we keep, then Larry is hard-working, enthusiastic and fun.

Gray Newman, a sponsor of the event, believes Larry is right for the 8th District. "Larry represents the citizens of the 8th best because he speaks their language", Newman said. Gray was not only a sponsor for this fundraiser, he is also one of the local dignitaries attending the event. He is an elected member of the Soil and Water Conservation Board.

Many were meeting Larry for the first time. It was a chance to learn about Larry's positions and to share your thoughts. I wasn't privy to this particular conversation, but it looks like she liked what Larry had to say. She wasn't the only one. Everyone I spoke with was enthusiastic about Larry's candidacy.
Most of the guests shared the sentiment that this is the year for Democrats to take back the 8th District. Jane Whitley, pictured here with Larry and host Dan McCorkle, had this to say: "Things were so much better when we had a Democratic congressional rep in this district. We need one again. It's time to put a working man in the House, who understands the people in the district."



Tom Chumley, a local pol who has been active in many campaigns, also spoke to the group. Pictured here with Vinod Thomas, a Kissell staffer, Tom believes the District can come home to Democrats and summed it up nicely. "It's about time we had an honest, straight-shooter for District 8."

If you missed this fundraiser there are several more planned for June and a big barbeque cook-off planned at the state fairgrounds in Raleigh on August 5th. I don't have details on all of the events, but there is one hosted by the Protzman's in Chapel Hill on June 28. There is a luncheon in Charlotte on June 29 and an event hosted by Leanne in Concord on June 30. I will update this post as I receive more details on each of these events. Please post in the comments if you would like more information.

While you wait for our next fundraising event there is something you can do to help Larry. There are several opportunities to vote for Larry to receive endorsements by different progressive PACS and candidates. Please follow the links provided and vote for Larry. Thank you! Democracy for America and Forward Together Pac of Mark Warner

NC 8th Congressional District: Why are the Pundits So Far Behind?

With all of the good news coming out of North Carolina's 8th Congressional District for Larry Kissell, I haven't had an easy time trying to figure out why the national political writers and pundits are so far behind in marking this district as competitive. I've looked at all of the other races Hayes has run and haven't come up with much that supports their position. It all still looks very good for challenger, Larry Kissell.

In 1998 Robin Hayes ran against Dr. Mike Taylor. It was a non-presidential year, but John Edwards was challenging Senator Lauch Faircloth in a nasty race. I haven't been able to find out much about how the 8th voted in the Senate race, but Faircloth had started out his political life as a Democrat, so may have mirrored many of the conservative Dems in the district. It was a tight race for Hayes though and he won with only 50.7% of the vote having spent more than four times that of his challenger, Mike Taylor.

In 2000 Hayes and Taylor went at it again in a presidential election year. This district tends to vote for Republican presidents, so that helps the Republican candidate. This election Hayes spent more than twice what Taylor spent and came out with 55% of the vote. The percentage of vote has pretty much stayed the same in the past three races regardless of the challenger's credentials or the amount spent.

Chris Kouri was the next challenger in 2002. This year saw a senatorial race between Erskine Bowles and Richard Burr. Burr was seen by many as a moderate Republican and Bowles as a more liberal Democrat from Charlotte. Hayes spent almost four times the amount the Kouri campaign spent and he had to lend himself $150,000. A poll taken in October showed that Hayes was ahead of Kouri by 12 points, but interestingly enough he was not running above 50%. He ran saying that he had brought jobs to the region. Kouri was young and inexperienced, but still captured 45% of the vote.

In 2004 Beth Troutman also took 45% of the vote after Hayes outspent her by about $1.2 million. The presidential election helped Hayes with Bush winning the district at 54%. Troutman's challenge was made more difficult by her youth and the fact that her career on the set of The West Wing made her look like an outsider. The Hayes campaign made certain she looked like an outsider. A poll completed in August showed Troutman running 19 points behind Hayes with a little more than two months left in the campaign.

What is different in 2006? How can some of us be so certain that Larry Kissell is the candidate to finally provide a real challenge to Hayes? The first, and I feel most important aspect of this race, is exactly what puts the outside pols and pundits at a disadvantage.

#1. He has the personal characteristics and qualities that make him a perfect Democratic candidate for the 8th Congressional District. This isn't anything that can be measured. It's something you sense or feel when you meet a person. Larry is getting out there and will spend the entire summer meeting the voters.

#2. Larry Kissell spent 27 years in the textile industry. He's one of the working guys who started a new career as his was being shipped to Mexico. He's not a millionaire who hangs around with other millionaires. He's just like the voters.

#3. Larry is a deacon at his church and is dedicated to his family. He's an avid cyclist and works as a high school teacher.

#4. There is no top of the ticket campaign to bring voters out. In the past Hayes has been helped by presidential and senatorial voters. This time he has no help.

#5. Two separate polls show Larry Kissell leading or in a statistical dead heat with months left to go in the campaign. Hayes has his worst poll numbers ever this year.

#6. The reason for number three is the votes on CAFTA and Fast-Track. Hayes can no longer claim to have brought jobs to the district. He broke very public promises he made to vote against CAFTA and Fast-Track, legislation that has hurt the textile industry in the district. When he voted for these two measures he voted against the workers in his district. These broken promises will hurt Hayes, possibly more than anything else.

#7. Hayes has sided with Bush on most issues and the voters in this district have soured on Bush. I don't think they care so much about the "culture of corruption" since it doesn't impact their lives or they don't feel the direct impact. The bad decisions made by the President do impact the lives of 8th District voters and his waning popularity will bring Hayes down.

There are probably quite a few other reasons why this year is different and why Kissell will win. National attention would help bring some much needed fundraising to the campaign, so it would be nice if the outsiders could see what I and others here see. My guess is they look at the difference in money raised for the race and they assume Larry can't win.

I think they're underestimating 8th District voters.

Saturday Morning Funnies

Once again, I've searched far and wide for something funny to start off Saturday morning. I know I've been scarce this week, but the painting has started and it's a bit difficult to run to the computer to research and write. I did have some time last night to play, though. Enjoy!

The George Bush you never wanted to know...that's just sick.

Have you ever wished George Bush would just tell the truth. Here's your chance to get him to do just that...or at least something close. I don't know if this saved the speech I wrote for him, but give it a try. Emily and I had a blast last night. She wrote him a doooooozie.


Not political, but come on guys, you know you want to.