"Only days remain before the Presidential election..." (with video)

Ben Skwiercz, Organizing For America Team Leader, with video (01:27) from BarackObamadotcom:

"Only days remain before the Presidential election. Please help us knock on doors in West Seattle or pass out the walking lists from the Uptown Espresso to elect President Obama and other Democrats. Please contact Laurence Redman 206-947-4065, wlredman@hotmail.com."

Howie P.S.: Laurence can also hook you up to other neighborhood teams in Seattle and Washington state (and the world!), if that is your preference.

"Bill Moyers: The Plutocracy Will Go to Extremes to Keep the 1% in Control" (video)

Alternet with video (49:05) from PBS:

Moyers, Matt Taibbi and Chrystia Freeland explain how the plutocrats have willfully confused their self-interest with America’s interest.--
The One Percent is not only increasing their share of wealth — they’re using it to spread millions among political candidates who serve their interests. Example: Goldman Sachs, which gave more money than any other major American corporation to Barack Obama in 2008, is switching alliances this year; their employees have given $900,000 both to Mitt Romney’s campaign and to the pro-Romney super PAC Restore Our Future. Why?
Because, says the Wall Street Journal, the Goldman Sachs gang felt betrayed by President Obama’s modest attempts at financial reform. To discuss how the super-rich have willfully confused their self-interest with America’s interest, Bill is joined by Rolling Stone magazine’s Matt Taibbi, who regularly shines his spotlight on scandals involving big business and government, and journalist Chrystia Freeland, author of the new book Plutocrats: The Rise of the New Global Super-Rich and the Fall of Everyone Else. MORE...

"Getting Grills and Growing Dreads with Mayor Mike McGinn"

"MCGINN Will sway you on the reggae issue."

Trent Moorman (The Stranger):

Seattle is a deeply musical city, and our mayor, Mike McGinn, is a devout music fan. Originally from Long Island, McGinn spent his teenage years in the context of local star Bruce Springsteen's Greetings from Asbury Park. He also had his ear pinned to the reggae sounds coming out of Queens, where Jamaicans were toasting over their records through sound systems on the streets. Earlier, McGinn's parents had immersed him in folk and big-band music—his mother strumming Woody Guthrie on her guitar. This past Sunday afternoon, the mayor was organizing his CDs and invited me over to hear some tunes. I brought selections from Lesbian, Nacho Picasso, and Tea Cozies to play for him. When I got there, the first McGinn to greet me (by licking me) was black Labrador Midge. There was no security guard, no one patting me down, and no mayoral mansion on a hill; there was Midge, wagging. I went in through the kitchen where McGinn's wife was making cookies, then to the living room where the mayor sat hunched over disarrayed stacks of CDs and CD folders. Pink Floyd wafted out of two speakers. MORE...

Howie P.S.: Are feeling Hizzoner now?

"The Dirty Dozen-The top 12 election issues nobody is talking about"

Michael I. Niman (ARTVOICE):

I’m sick of endless pontificating about body language at debates, who “connects” with voters, who’s polling better with gerbil owners, or any other nonsense that diverts us from discussing crucially import issues. I think we’re all pretty much in agreement that we’re at a scary juncture in human history, though we might disagree about what scares us. (Sometimes I think it’s mostly each other.) The reality is, if we’re going to move forward sharing a fragile planet, fragile economy, and fragile democracy, we’d damn well better upgrade our political conversation. Toward that end, I’ve put together a list of 12 issues that should be central to political debates and discussions but are being ignored or fatally downplayed by our media and politicians. MORE...

Howie P.S.: Video (04:43): President Obama in Fairfax, Virginia: "Romnesia."

"Obama Shares Vision for Second Term on 'Daily Show'" (with video)

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

Rolling Stone with video (10:05):

President Barack Obama visited The Daily Show last night for an interview that touched on his first debate performance and his vision for a second term. Obama started by giving a shoutout to "women warriors" that the USO had brought to the show, before jumping into the presidential debates. After host Jon Stewart asked if Obama performed as well as he'd liked, the president played it cool and honest. MORE...

"Rick Steves discusses pro-pot initiative" (audio)

KIRORADIO, audio (08:12):

Rick Steves joins the Ron and Don Show to argue in favor of legalized marijuana and explain why protesters disrupted the start of his statewide tour.

TODAY IN IOWA; President Obama on Romney's "Sketchy Tax Deal" (video)

naspapbms, video (01:51):

"Mount Vernon, IA, 10/17/12, Video from C-SPAN."

"Town Hall Debate Songified" (video)

schmoyoho, with video (02:41):

Obama and Romney join the would-be motown band, Crowley and the Town Hallians, in the 3rd Presidential Debate.

"Rosie Perez speaks out against Romney on immigration" (video)

MSNBC, video-Rachel Maddow (07:51):

Rosie Perez speaks out against Romney on immigration.

Howie P.S.: "US presidential debate: 60 second highlights as Barack Obama and Mitt Romney go head to head for second time," video (01:00) from the Guardian-UK.

"They told this guy not to enforce drug laws in white areas. Really." (video)

bravenewfoundation, video (02:21):

Meet Matthew Fogg, a former U.S. Marshal whose exploits led him to be nicknamed "Batman." When he noticed that all of his team's drug raids were in black areas, he suggested doing the same in the suburbs. His boss didn't take kindly to the idea.

"Obama Pride: LGBT Americans for Obama" (video)

BarackObamadotcom, video (05:09):

Jane Lynch, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Billie Jean King, George Takei, Wanda Sykes, Zachary Quinto, and Chaz Bono share why they're supporting President Obama and why Mitt Romney isn't the choice for them.

"‘V.P. Debate Highlights, Songified" (with video)

V.P. Debate Highlights, Songified, with video (02:51) from the New York Times:

The Gregory Brothers present a musical mash-up of the vice-presidential debate between Representative Paul D. Ryan and Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.---After watching Thursday night’s heated, partisan vice-presidential debate, we couldn’t help but think what was certainly also on the minds of millions of other disgusted Americans: “Democracy?!?  More like DemoCRAZY!!! Electoral College? More like Electoral PRESCHOOL!!!  Vice President? More like Vice GET ME OUTTA HEEEEEERE!!!”

It’s at times like these that we just wish politicians would finally learn a lesson from Mozart, Cole Porter and Rihanna. All that angst, anger and conflict might sound terrible as a spoken sentence, but when transformed into soaring melodies, human troubles can change into timeless art.

With that in mind, we present you the vice-presidential debate as it should be: Songified. It is our hope that someday, the vice-presidential candidates of the future will learn a lesson and just sing the whole thing to begin with.

The Gregory Brothers — Andrew, Michael, Evan and Sarah (who is married to Evan) Gregory — are best known for their YouTube music-video mash-ups, including the series Auto-Tune the News and Songify This!, in which they make songs out of non-songs and unintentional singers out of intentional speakers. They live in Brooklyn.

Taibbi: "The Vice Presidential Debate: Joe Biden Was Right to Laugh"

Matt Taibbi:

I've never thought much of Joe Biden. But man, did he get it right in last night's debate, and not just because he walloped sniveling little Paul Ryan on the facts. What he got absolutely right, despite what you might read this morning (many outlets are criticizing Biden's dramatic excesses), was his tone. Biden did absolutely roll his eyes, snort, laugh derisively and throw his hands up in the air whenever Ryan trotted out his little beady-eyed BS-isms.
But he should have! He was absolutely right to be doing it. We all should be doing it. That includes all of us in the media, and not just paid obnoxious-opinion-merchants like me, but so-called "objective" news reporters as well. We should all be rolling our eyes, and scoffing and saying, "Come back when you're serious." MORE...

the FIELD NEGRO: "The Andrew Sullivan's suicide watch, and a new political low."

The Field Negro:

What I am explaining is a political strategy that Barack Obama used to get elected. It worked for him because he was new, and every American was searching for that Magic Negro. Well the Magic Negro has been in power for four years, and suddenly he is not so magical anymore. Now his supporters want a fighter. They want someone to look Mitt Romney in the eye and tell him that he is a lying SOB. It's why Andrew Sullivan and others like him are so upset with his debate performance. They wanted Richard Pryor and he gave them Bill Cosby. Now, of course, we have to see if president Obama understands the dynamics of the American electorate. They don't want an angry black man, but they do want someone who is passionate and can defend his record. Mr. Obama told black folks today while talking to Tom Joyner. (Whoops, maybe I shouldn't have said that. I know how it is when you Negroes talk to each other.) He said that he was too polite during the debate. I guess that was his wink/wink to you Negroes that he is going back to being himself, and if he comes off as angry well then so be it. We will see. I am sure Andrew will be watching. Let's just hope that he isn't close to a very high bridge. If Obama loses again the poor guy might jump. MORE...

(Updated) Jimmy Fallon: "Mr. Romney's Neighborhood." (video)

 
  UPDATE: I hate to have to say it, again, but it still seems like our best political commentary comes the "comedians."
NBC via Greg Mitchell, video (05:56).   

Howie P.S.: In this video, the part of Mitt Romney is played by Jimmy Fallon. On a more serious note: "Romney runs from 47 percent tape again," MSNBC-video (10:32), starring Ari Melber, Crystal Ball and Lawrence O'Donnell (listed in alphabetical order). Michelle Obama also appears, in a supporting role.

"The Worst Debate Performance Ever, Really?"

The American Prospect:

Some of the most bitter language I’ve heard about Obama in five years has been muttered in the last five days by Obama supporters, who you would think might have ire left over for a Republican nominee as audacious as Governor Mitt Romney was in flatly denying what he’s been campaigning on for months. MORE...

ED Show: "Donald Trump joins conspiracy over dropping job rate" (video)

MSNBC-ED Show, with video (05:43):

Donald Trump has sided with conspiracy theorists over the drop in unemployment. The Nation's Ari Melber joins Ed Schultz to talk about Republican alternate reality.

Greenwald: "The US presidential debates' illusion of political choice"

Glenn Greenwald (Guardian UK):

Most of what matters in American political life is nowhere to be found in its national election debates. Penal policies vividly illustrate this point. America imprisons more of its citizens than any other nation on earth by far, including countries with far greater populations. As the New York Times reported in April 2008: "The United States has less than 5% of the world's population. But it has almost a quarter of the world's prisoners." MORE...

Fairview Fannie: "Pot dispensaries clouding medical marijuana's image"

(CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE)  
Maureen O'Hagan and Jonathan Martin (Seattle Times):

Seattle's first-ever Medical Cannabis Cup — part gourmet weed contest, part trade show, part smoke-in — showcased the entrepreneurial drive and explosive growth of the local medical-marijuana industry. From dispensaries offering dozens of marijuana varieties to new potency-testing labs to makers of cannabis-infused capsules and candy corn, storefronts displaying the trademark green cross dot nearly every Seattle neighborhood. The city estimates there are at least 150 marijuana-related businesses here, more ubiquitous than Starbucks. Elsewhere in Washington, business may not be as out in the open, but it's still chugging along. MORE...

Joan Walsh: "Sunday best: Chuck Todd loses it" (with video)

Joan Walsh (SALON) with video:

He blasts Jack Welch for "corroding trust in our government" while Paul Krugman drives Mary Matalin insane---What use are Sunday morning news shows in our post-truth political era? Four days after Mitt Romney lied his way through his debate with a listless, diffident President Obama, and two days after former GE CEO Jack Welch ousted Donald Trump to become Mayor of Crazytown on Foursquare, journalists and campaign surrogates had a lot of decisions to make: Would conservatives escalate, backing Romney and Welch? Would liberals fight back more effectively than Obama (OK, that’s an easy one)? And would reporters on the panels lapse into easy “both sides do it” equivalence and ignore the way the Republican campaign, including Welch and Romney himself, has ratcheted up the prevarication and character assassination to new levels? MORE...

Ari Melber; "Why won’t the GOP talk about affirmative action?"

Ari Melber (Salon):

The right's oddly silent about a Supreme Court affirmative action challenge. Maybe because they use it all the time---In a political season packed with racial controversies, from food stamps to birth certificates, the attack on one of the nation’s most significant racial opportunity programs has managed to fly below the radar. Until now. The Supreme Court, which will hear arguments challenging the legality of affirmative action next Wednesday, is widely expected to strike down the policy as unconstitutional. That would deliver a victory that Republicans have pursued for decades. So why aren’t they talking about it? Mitt Romney, the GOP’s official, if embattled, leader, ruled the topic off-limits this year. MORE...

H/t to KarenHussein Russell

"Obama Stands Up For Big Bird and PBS" (with video)

Karoli (Crooks&Liars) with video (00:44):

Thank heavens we have one candidate who will stand for Big Bird. After Romney's callous remarks about how he'd fire Jim Lehrer and Big Bird to save the United States from falling into enemy hands, the President came out roaring at his campaign rallies with some new material. Here he is in Denver, speaking to Romney's promise to hit PBS and Big Bird by cutting all federal funding. The punch line? "He'll get rid of regulations on Wall Street, but he's going to crack down on Sesame Street." MORE...

Howard Dean: Romney has "no core belief" (with video)

Lindsey Boerma, CBS News, with video (04:11):

Mitt Romney's strong performance against President Obama in Wednesday's debate "did some damage," former Vermont governor and Democratic National Chair Howard Dean admitted Friday on "CBS This Morning." But on some of his positions, Dean added, the Republican nominee came off as "a guy who will say anything to be president of the United States." MORE...

John Nichols: "In a Debate Between Romney and Romney, Obama Was the Spectator"

John Nichols (The Nation):

It was not Romney versus Obama in the first presidential debate of 2012.
It was Romney versus Romney. And one of them prevailed.
A restrained Barack Obama, who went into the debate with a solid lead in the polls, and an even more solid lead in the battleground states, often seemed to be more of a spectator than a participant.
Obama’s reluctance handed Romney an opening that the Republican took.
Indeed, Romney took it to every side of every issue. MORE...

"Mitt Romney's Debate Performance: Mostly Fiction" (with video)

BarackObamadotcom, with video (01:26).

The results are in: Mitt Romney played fast and loose with the facts.

Noam Scheiber; "The Strategic Flaw in Obama's Debate Performance"

Noam Scheiber (TNR):

But what Romney’s performance will do is re-energize the Republican elites who were on the verge of ditching him after these last four soul-crushing weeks. Without them, Romney had no hope of winning—no one to help raise money, no one to plead his case in the media, no one to pitch their constituents for him. With them, he has a fighting chance. He can hang around long enough to capitalize on an Obama mistake. That’s not exactly a game-changer. But considering that the only possible game-changer last night was a performance that ended his candidacy, Team Romney will probably take it. MORE...

"Presidential Debate Time Tonight: Live Stream, Where to Watch Online & on TV - 2012 First Debate (9PM ET)"

Jim Gardner (Christian Post):

The first Presidential Debate takes place on Wednesday evening. Coverage time is scheduled to start at 9 p.m. ET and will be televised on ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC, as well as cable news channels C-SPAN, CNN, Fox News, and MSNBC. The debate can also be watched online through an official live stream through the video player below, with coverage beginning at 8 p.m. ET. MORE...

"Tune in Oct. 2 to 'Vote 2012: Debate for Governor'"

aarp.org:

To help you make an informed vote, AARP is proud to sponsor KCTS 9’s upcoming “Vote 2012: Debate for Governor.”

AARP has a 26-year history of non-partisan voter education. We don’t endorse candidates, we don’t give money to campaigns and we don’t have a political action committee. Our priority is ensuring you know where the candidates stand before you cast your vote this November.

KCTS 9 and KYVE 47, in collaboration with the Yakima Herald-Republic and the Association of Washington State Hispanic Chambers of Commerce (AWSHCC), will produce and broadcast this live, one-hour gubernatorial debate between Jay Inslee (D) and Rob McKenna (R) Oct. 2, at 7 p.m. from the Yakima Convention Center.

The candidates will answer questions posed by a panel of journalists including KCTS 9’s Enrique Cerna and the Yakima Herald Republic’s Frank Purdy and Leah Ward. Enrique Cerna will moderate the debate. Inslee and McKenna will also be given “challenge cards” where they can directly challenge or rebut something stated by their opponent.

Make sure the candidates discuss the issues you care about.  Submit your questions to the candidates to vote2012@KCTS9.org or yakimaherald.com/askthecandidates.

Vote 2012: Debate for Governor will air live Oct. 2, at 7 p.m. on KCTS 9 in Seattle and KYVE 47 in Yakima. The debate will also air live on KSPS, KWSU, KTNW, and Northwest Public Radio. The program, like all KCTS 9 local productions, will be available via Comcast Video On Demand after its initial broadcast, and will be available for streaming and viewing online at KCTS9.org and also at yakimaherald.com. MORE HERE...

"How Howard Dean’s bid gave birth to Web campaigning"

Steve Friess (Politico):

Almost every innovation now commonplace in politics — search ads, social networking, online video hubs, do-it-yourself grass-roots tools — has traceable roots to a ragtag bunch of techies whose dream candidate was a loser. (SNIP) The most visible alum is the Obama 2012 campaign’s chief digital strategist, Joe Rospars, 31, whose key innovation for Dean for America, by some accounts, was his craftsmanship in writing email fundraising solicitations, a skill clearly evidenced in the Obama team’s prolific and intensely successful email program. MORE...

SEATTLE SEXY LIBERALS BACKSTAGE AT THE PARAMOUNT (PHOTO)

John Fugelsang (‏@JohnFugelsang--photo):

With Ron Reagan, Stephanie Miller, Dan Savage & Hal Sparks backstage at the Paramount in Seattle.

SNL: "Weekend Update Thursday - Sept. 27" (video)

NBC-SNL, video (21:24).

"Table - Obama for America TV Ad" (video)

BarackObamadotcom, with video (02:03):

During the last weeks of this campaign there will be debates, speeches and more ads. But if I could sit down with you in your living room or around the kitchen table here's what I'd say: MORE...

"SAMUEL L JACKSON WAKE THE FUCK UP OBAMA AD 2012" (video)

DJFBI NYC, video (03:41).

Rebecca Solnit: "A Letter to My Liberal Allies"

Rebecca Solnit:

Dear Allies---Forgive me if I briefly take my eyes off the prize to brush away some flies, but the buzzing has gone on for some time. I have a grand goal, and that is to counter the Republican right with its deep desire to annihilate everything I love and to move toward far more radical goals than the Democrats ever truly support. In the course of pursuing that, however, I’ve come up against the habits of my presumed allies again and again. MORE...

"President Barack Obama; First Lady Michelle Obama on The View 9/25" (video)

ABC.com, video (37:18).

Joan Walsh; "'What's the Matter With White People?'" (audio)

"forum" (KQED.org) with audio (52:00):

Joan Walsh grew up in an Irish middle-class family in New York. But she says they went from "Kennedy Democrats to voting for Nixon." So why did so many working class families defect from the Democratic Party? And why does Walsh think their vision of the American dream has kept the country from becoming "a truly multiracial America"? Joan Walsh joins us to discuss her new book, "What's the Matter With White People: Why We Long for a Golden Age That Never Was," and how she thinks white middle class America will impact the elections.

Host: Michael Krasny

Guests:

• Joan Walsh, author and editor-at-large for Salon.com

ED Show: "Is Romney running out of time?" (video)

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

MSNBC, video (07:12).

 Howie P.S.: Ari Melber and Ted Strickland join ED.

David Neiwert: "I wonder how Clint Eastwood feels about having his piece of impromptu acting serve as grist for a lynch mob."

(CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE)
David Neiwert (Crooks and Liars:

You may recall that there were a couple of nooses displayed as protests of Barack Obama in right-wing precincts the night he was elected in 2008, and there have been effigy hangings of the president here and there since. They quickly were swept under the rug, everyone moved along, and that was that. But obviously, those sentiments among racist rednecks have, if anything, intensified in recent years.
And now that it's clear he is about to win re-election, it's coming back out -- with clear references to Clint Eastwood's speech at the GOP convention included. MORE...

"The 47 Percent: Seniors" (video)

BarackObamadotcom, video (02:11):

Romney thinks more than half of senior citizens don't "care for their lives." We talked with Americans who disagree.

"Likes Obama/Hates Obama" (video)

BuzzFeedVideo, (00:54):

Celebrities: Some of them really love Obama. And some of them really don't.

Howie P.S.: Infotainment meets 'Electing The Leader of the Free World.' Going viral unless something bigger shows up.

Horsey: "Cowboys and millionaires are in Mitt Romney's income-tax-free 47%" (with cartoon)

(CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE) 
David Horsey (LA Times):

In the imaginary universe of Mitt Romney, the 47% of Americans who pay no income tax are loafers, shiftless bums and welfare queens who will all vote for President Obama in November. In the real world, that 47% includes the working poor, the newly unemployed, handicapped people, the elderly, veterans, 4,000 millionaires and the nation's greatest icon, the American cowboy. MORE...

"Bill Clinton Daily Show Interview Includes Remarks On DNC Speech, Criticism Of Mitt Romney" (with video)

The Daily Show
Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

Paige Lavender (HuffPo) with video from Comedy Central in two parts:

Bill Clinton looked back on his energizing speech from the 2012 Democratic National Convention on The Daily Show Thursday night.
“I was just determined to get the facts right and to simplify the argument without being simplistic,” Clinton told host Jon Stewart. “I didn’t want to talk down to people. I wanted to explain what I thought was going on.”
Clinton's speech was widely praised, even prompting President Barack Obama to joke about recruiting the former president to help with "explaining stuff."
“After he spoke, somebody sent out a tweet that said “you should appoint him 'secretary of explaining stuff.' I like that!" Obama said to supporters in Florida. MORE...

Josh Feit: "Jay Inslee’s Turnaround"

Josh Feit (seattlemet.com):

Jay Inslee defies initial dismissals that he didn’t have what it took to beat Rob McKenna in the 2012 Washington state governor’s race.---They hadn’t been planning on a primary election night party. But one broke out anyway. Standing by the life-size cutouts of Barack and Michelle Obama in the back corner of the bland phone bank room at Democratic campaign headquarters in early August, the spokeswoman for gubernatorial candidate Jay Inslee high-fived a colleague, her feet momentarily leaving the ground as she reached to slap his hand. They had something to be psyched about: The latest returns had just put Inslee ahead. It was a surprising turnaround that mirrored the arc of the last 12 months. Inslee had been trailing his Republican opponent, Washington State attorney general Rob McKenna, by four points earlier that night and had defensively told reporters that his campaign was “going to count the numbers in November when they matter.” MORE...

H/t to Sandeep.

"Why Obama Is Right About Change, Wrong About the Outside Game"

President Barack Obama reaches for a pen as he signs the health insurance reform bill in the East Room of the White House, March 23, 2010. (Official White House Photo by Lawrence Jackson)  

Ari Melber (The Nation):

My point here is not to rehash old debates about how healthcare—a policy achievement that eluded several other presidents—made it through Congress. But the president brought it up and, typically, the first attacks have mischaracterized the part he got right, that outside pressure is key, while missing the more interesting question, whether Obama really doesn't realize that healthcare was an inside job. MORE...

"Obama: ‘You Can’t Change Washington From The Inside’" (with video)

Noah Rothman (MEDIAite with video (00:43) from Univision:

Asked at a Univision forum on Thursday what he has learned in the nearly four years since his inauguration as president, Barack Obama said that he has been surprised by how resistant the American political system has been to the change he ran on in 2008. “You can’t change Washington from the inside,” Obama said. “You can only change it from the outside.” MORE...

Jon Stewart: "Chaos on Bulls**t Mountain" (video)

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart	Mon - Thurs 11p / 10c
Chaos on Bulls**t Mountain
www.thedailyshow.com
Daily Show Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog The Daily Show on Facebook

The Daily Show, video (03:54):

The entitlement society enabled by President Obama allows welfare queens like ExxonMobil, AT&T and GE to live off the government dole. Fox News argues enough is enough.

(Updated with video) "Barack Obama On Mitt Romney Video: 'Not A Lot Of People' Think They Are 'Victims' "

 
UPDATE: Here's the video (04:27)from NBC.
 

Matthew Daly (HuffPo):

Rebuking Mitt Romney, President Barack Obama said Tuesday that Americans are not "victims" and that anyone seeking the presidency ought to be working for "everyone, not just some." Obama's remarks came after a secretly taped and newly released video of the Republican presidential nominee showed Romney describing "47 percent of the people" as Obama supporters who depend on government and believe they are victims. MORE...

Eli Sanders (SLOG): "The Exact Phrase Was: "Rob McKenna Still Doesn't Give a Shit About Women's Health" (with video)

Eli Sanders (SLOG) with video (03:46) from InsleeForWA:
Just a small clarification to this Jay Inslee campaign video that was shown at Saturday's fundraiser with Bill Clinton. The video ticks through some classic McKenna-related Slog headlines, including...

Jay Inslee Supports Washington's Proposed Reproductive Parity Act. Does Rob McKenna?
Still: Where Is Rob McKenna on the Reproductive Parity Act?

...and then it amusingly renders a January 30 Slog headline as "Rob McKenna Still Doesn't Give a $@&# About Women's Health." Cienna Madrid's actual headline was: "Day 19: Rob McKenna Still Doesn't Give a Shit About Women's Health."

Michael Lewis (Vanity Fair): "Obama’s Way"

Official White House Photograph by Pete Souza. BEST FOOT FORWARD Michael Lewis and President Barack Obama in the Colonnade of the White House, heading toward the Oval Office.

Michael Lewis (Vanity Fair):

To understand how air-force navigator Tyler Stark ended up in a thornbush in the Libyan desert in March 2011, one must understand what it’s like to be president of the United States—and this president in particular. Hanging around Barack Obama for six months, in the White House, aboard Air Force One, and on the basketball court, Michael Lewis learns the reality of the Nobel Peace Prize winner who sent Stark into combat. MORE...

Howie P.S.: My favorite part of the article (Obama's words):

When I lived in Hawaii, I’d take a drive from Waikiki to where my grandmother lived—up along the coast heading east, and it takes you past Hanauma Bay. When my mother was pregnant with me she’d take a walk along the beach. . . . You park your car. If the waves are good you sit and watch and ponder it for a while. You grab your car keys in the towel. And you jump in the ocean. And you have to wait until there is a break in the waves. . . . And you put on a fin—and you only have one fin—and if you catch the right wave you cut left because left is west. . . . Then you cut down into the tube there. You might see the crest rolling and you might see the sun glittering. You might see a sea turtle in profile, sideways, like a hieroglyph in the water. . . . And you spend an hour out there. And if you’ve had a good day you’ve caught six or seven good waves and six or seven not so good waves. And you go back to your car. With a soda or a can of juice. And you sit. And you can watch the sun go down …

"The 2nd Great I-502 Debate - HIGH TIMES Medical Cannabis Cup Seattle 2012" (with videos)

Russ Belville, with video in two parts:

The discussion on whether to support a legalization initiative on the Washington ballot. For I-502 Alison Holcomb - ACLU of WA, New Approach Washington, Chief Petitioner Pete Holmes - Seattle City Attorney Against I-502 Douglas Hiatt - Seattle criminal defense attorney Jeff Steinborn - NORML Board of Directors, Seattle criminal defense attorney.

Howie P.S.: Part One, video (12:00) is here and Part Two, video (59:27) is here.

"Bill Clinton: Brief, on time, and on Mitt Romney's case" (with photos)

Former President Bill Clinton speaks with conviction as he promotes Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jay Inslee during a campaign fundraiser at the Washington State Convention Center on Saturday, September 15, 2012. The event, described by speakers as one of the largest political gatherings Seattle has seen, brought in roughly $750,000 and about 3,000 people. Photo: LINDSEY WASSON / SEATTLEPI.COM 

 Joel Connelly (seattlepi.com):

The Bill Clinton-Jay Inslee luncheon on Saturday was the mother of all Seattle fundraisers, drawing 3,000 people to hear the 42nd president return Mitt Romney's mockery about climate change and say Jay Inslee will lead Washington to "the next great frontier of economic opportunity." The luncheon, at the Seattle Convention Center, witnessed a pair of political miracles: The notoriously tardy Clinton was actually early. He walked on stage four minutes before the advertised 2 p.m. And the notoriously long-winded former president was brief and to the point. Romney, in his Republican convention speech, mocked President Obama's promise "to begin to slow the rise of the oceans" while saying his mission was to "help you and your family." Clinton took after Romney, displaying the killer instincts of a mongoose. MORE...

"Bernie Sanders on the Independent in Politics" (video)

billmoyers.com, with video (29:02):

Bill welcomes to his studio Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who’s been an independent in Congress for 21 years — longer than anyone in American history. Sanders talks about jobs, the state of our economy, health care, and the unprecedented impact of big money on the major political parties. “What you are looking at is a nation with a grotesquely unequal distribution of wealth and income, tremendous economic power on Wall Street, and now added to all of that is big money interests, the billionaires and corporations now buying elections,” Sanders tells Bill. “I fear very much that if we don’t turn this around, we’re heading toward an oligarchic form of society.”

Michelle Obama: "Reach Back" (photo)

(CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE)

"133 VOTES"

Washington Conservation Voters produced the above graphic. (CLICK ON THE IMAGE TO ENLARGE)

"Romney tries to turn any situation into a political profit" (video)

Martin Bashir (MSNBC), video (04:36);

The Nation's Ari Melber and the Washington Post's Jonathan Capehart discuss why Mitt Romney feels it's necessary to profit from any delicate foreign policy issue- from the tragedy Tuesday at the Libyan embassy to the fate of a Chinese dissident.

Howard Dean: "The Case for Obama" (video)

videonation, video (04:35):

Howard Dean, former presidential candidate and chair of the Democratic Party from 2005-2008, met with The Nation's Ari Berman on Wednesday in Charlotte for a conversation about Obama's chances, Paul Ryan's lies, the impact of unlimited Super PAC money and new voting restrictions on American democracy, and the status of the "Democratic wing of the Democratic Party."

Mary J. Blige at the DNC (video)

 C-SPAN, video (09:33).

Joan Walsh tells us what happened when the Romneys went to "Meet David Gregory"

Joan Walsh (Salon):

The GOP nominee immerses David Gregory in a lukewarm bath of platitudes, a couple of lies and a splash of news--With a “Juntos con Romney” placard placed strategically behind him, the presidential candidate currently attracting 26 percent support from Latinos told David Gregory he’s fighting for “the middle class that have been crushed under this president.” But he stumbled when asked if he ever spent time with the unemployed, telling Gregory “Well– actually– just– last night it was. I was with– a person who is facing some challenges.” He was then unable to describe those challenges.
In an interview widely derided for a shortage of follow-up questions, Gregory actually got Romney to make some news. MORE...

Ari Melber takes us backstage at MSNBC at the DNC (video)

MSNBC, video (02:40).  

Howie P.S.: Did I mention that Ari was "born and raised" in Seattle?

"Former Fla. Gov. Crist says Romney, Ryan 'aren't up to the task'"

Marc Caputo (The Miami Herald):

The biggest Florida speaker at the Democratic National Convention wasn’t a Democrat. Yet. After former Republican Gov. Charlie Crist’s speech Thursday night, it’s only a matter of time before he officially joins the party’s ranks in a slow march to running for governor in two years. Crist’s high-profile role disturbed many Florida delegates, but it furthered President Obama’s campaign message — that the Republican Party is too extreme. “As a former lifelong Republican, it pains me to tell you that today’s Republicans — and their standard-bearers, Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan — just aren’t up to the task,” Crist said. “They’re beholden to ‘my way or the highway’ bullies, indebted to billionaires who bankroll ads and allergic to the very idea of compromise.” Crist’s speech was as much a condemnation of today’s Republican Party as it was an explanation of why he’s officially moving toward the Democratic Party and away from the conservative positions he once espoused. MORE...

Sam Seder: "The DNC is the New RNC?" (video)

SamSeder video (06:07):

Jeff Smith, our Occupy Wall Street correspondent, calls into the show to talk about the Democratic National Convention this past week and how the grandstanding looked an awful lot like the the old RNC.

Howie P.S.: OK Sam, but don't tell me you're going to vote for the Green candidate.

"President Obama Lays Out His Agenda For A Second Term In DNC Speech" (with video)

MEDIAite with video in Two Parts:

President Barack Obama made the final speech of the week at the Democratic National Convention, in which he acknowledged the difficulties still facing the United States four years after he was elected to the presidency. Obama told the crowd that the choice in November is not between two parties, but a choice “between two fundamentally different visions for the future,” and delivered a personal rebuttal to the agenda Republicans laid out at their convention last week. MORE...

Howie P.S.: Money quote: "Feel a cold coming on, try a tax cut!"

Joel Connelly: "Obama's convention leaves the right wing writhing"

Joel Connelly (SeattlePI.com):

With superlative staging and red-blooded themes, the Obama re-election campaign has left its right-wing opposition writhing and whimpering and seeing red:  It has gone over the heads of SuperPACs, Fox News and talk radio, and engaged America.
Scenes in Charlotte were curiously reminiscent of successful Republican conventions past -- chants of "USA! USA!" and a refrain that dates back to Nixon:  "Four more years!"  Vice President Biden delivering a red meat answer to the are-you-better-off question:  "Osama bin Laden is dead and General Motors is alive."
President Obama, a pickup basketball player, is a big-play politician.  He showed it at the 2004 and 2008 Democratic conventions, and again on Thursday night.
The Charlotte convention was a masterful two-step.  Three days of speeches -- with star turns by Michelle Obama and Bill Clinton -- were devoted to warming up a somewhat remote president, both to Democrats in the hall and TV viewers.  He sweats the tribulations of ordinary Americans, the First Lady told us. MORE...

"DNC 2012: President Obama Calls Supporters Shut Out Of Convention Speech" (with audio)

Amanda Terkel (HuffPo) with audio (12:43):

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Tens of thousands of the most loyal Democratic activists won't get to watch President Barack Obama's big convention speech on Thursday, after organizers decided to move the stadium event indoors into a smaller venue due to predictions of severe thunderstorms. To make up for it, the president held a conference call with the shut-out convention-goers to apologize and encourage them to stay engaged. MORE...

Barack Obama: "Promises Kept" (video)

BarackObamadotcom, video (05:26). H/t to Greg Sargent.

"Bill Clinton’s math lesson for the DNC: Why Obama adds up to a good president" (with video)

Chris Moody (Yahoo News with video (48:56):

CHARLOTTE -- Former President Bill Clinton, once a political foe of President Barack Obama, made a strong case that he's one of the nominee's best surrogates Wednesday, especially when it comes to bringing independents into the Democratic re-election effort. In a speech that was repeatedly interrupted by standing ovations and often veered from the prepared remarks on his Teleprompter, Clinton took on nearly every criticism that Republicans leveled at Obama last week at their party convention in Tampa. Clinton's wide-ranging speech defended several aspects of Obama's record, including his health care law, the controversial Recovery Act, the restructuring of cash-strapped American auto companies and even his choice of Joe Biden as vice president. "We believe 'we're all in this together' is a far better philosophy than 'you're on your own,'" Clinton said in a speech that went on for nearly an hour. "I want to nominate a man who's cool on the outside but burns for America on the inside." Clinton even took on the question that Republicans have used in their convention counter-programming this week, arguing that the country is better off than it was when Obama first took office. MORE...

Howie P.S.: Clinton's secret for balancing the federal budget: "Arithmetic"! We can't double-down on trickle down!

"First Lady Michelle Obama Delivers Love Letter With Substance At Democratic National Convention" (with video)

Tommy Christopher (MEDIAite) with video (25:27):

First Lady Michelle Obama took the stage to thunderous applause at the Democratic National Convention Tuesday night, and delivered a speech that hit all the right personal notes, but was also surprisingly long on substance. While recounting the values that she and “Barack” grew to share, Mrs. Obama also made important connections between those values and President Obama‘s achievements. MORE...

"A tribute to Senator Kennedy" (video)

DemConvention2012, video (07:08):

 "The work begins anew. The hope rises again, and the dream lives on." - Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, 1932-2009."

"Democratic National Convention 2012" (with live streaming video)

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

HuffPo with live streaming video:

The Democratic National Convention is finally here after the Republican National Convention wrapped up in Tampa, Fla. last week. Michelle Obama's Tuesday night speech will command the spotlight, while President Barack Obama won't formally accept his party's nomination at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. until Thursday. Below a live blog of the latest developments to unfold at the Democratic convention.

"New site for Democratic Convention watch party in West Seattle"

West Seattle Blog:

Just after updating the WSB West Seattle Events Calendar with word that Skylark Café had tech troubles canceling Thursday night’s Democratic National Convention watch party, we got word of a new location – Howie Martin says the party’s been moved. New location: Heartland Café (4210 SW Admiral Way), 5-8:30 pm Thursday (September 6), with President Obama‘s acceptance speech expected between 6:30-7:30 pm. (As reported here over the weekend, our area has a sizable delegation at the convention.)

"First Lady Strives for Caring Image Above Partisan Fray"

"Mrs. Obama made a video Monday with the actor Kal Penn in Charlotte, N.C."  

Jodi Kantor (NY Times): CHARLOTTE, N.C. — This is how Michelle Obama delivers a hug: The nearly six-foot-tall first lady envelops her target, her long arms often wrapping all the way around the recipient’s back. She leans in close, unafraid to press her body against a stranger’s. Working crowds with her husband, she sometimes falls behind him, because he is more of a hand-shaker or high-fiver, and in the second-to-second choreography of a rope line, the Michelle Obama hug takes time. MORE...

Joel Connelly: "Can Obama re-connect again? Thursday will help tell the story."

"President Obama departs Boeing Field after his latest Puget Sound fundraising foray. He did two posh events, spent the night in Bellevue, and held no public events. The rock star of 2008 has turned into a surprisingly aloof president."
Joel Connelly (SeattlePI):

The speech Thursday in Charlotte must reignite enthusiasm among low-turnout groups that voted big for Obama in 2008 -- young people, working women, minority and low-income voters. The Obama campaign seems to get it: "Over and over, they made the point: 'You are Barack Obama. Obama can't win without you'," Andrew Villeneuve, a 25-year-old Democratic Convention delegate from Redmond, said Monday after a youth council meeting of the Democratic National Committee. MORE...

Laura Flanders: "You could choke on the irony in Charlotte this Labor Day." (with video)

Truthout with video from GRITtv:

You could choke on the irony in Charlotte this Labor Day. The United States' faux labor holiday falls on day one of the Democratic National Convention. While the Democrats will no doubt tip their hat to working people and imbibe a beer or two on labor's campaign tab, the ragged edge of organized labor's relationship with the Democratic Party will be on painful display. After all, it's supposed to be a holiday. Will Barack Obama win this November? Probably. In 2008, the unions spent at least $300 million to elect him president. As will be obvious in Charlotte, they're likely to spend even more this year. The Democrats are up against far bigger spenders - men like Sheldon Adelson and the brothers Koch - but it's hard to believe the GOP bankrollers will ultimately hoodwink enough of the American electorate to win, while Republican extremism, on everything from women to wages, gives moderate voters every reason to be rattled by Romney and Ryan. What's harder to see is how working Americans actually benefit from the situation that will likely squeak Obama back into the White House. MORE...

"Rep. John Lewis, Civil Rights Icon, on the Struggle to Win–and Now Protect–Voting Rights in U.S." (with video)

Democracy Now! with video (59:02):

We spend the hour looking at the bloody struggle to obtain — and protect — voting rights in the U.S. with the civil rights icon, now 13-term Georgia congressmember, John Lewis. During the 1960s, Rep. Lewis was arrested more than 40 times and beaten almost to death as he served as chair of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, marched side by side with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., helped organize the Freedom Rides, campaigned for Robert Kennedy’s presidential bid, and spoke at the 1963 March on Washington. He has just written a new memoir looking back on his more than 50 years of political involvement, "Across That Bridge: Life Lessons and a Vision for Change." Having risked his life marching for the right of all Americans to vote, Lewis reflects on the ongoing struggle for voting rights today, when 16 states have passed restrictive voting laws that critics say target people of color. "It is so important for people to understand, to know that people suffered, struggled," Lewis says. "Some people bled, and some died, for the right to participate. The vote is the most powerful nonviolent tool that we have in a democratic society. It’s precious. It’s almost sacred. We have to use it. If not, we will lose it." [includes rush transcript]

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