As politicians sharpen their message for the stretch run, but also as we think about creating political support around progressive issues in whatever circumstances result from these elections, and looking forward to 08, I'd like to suggest the beginning of a different way to approach those issues, and the electorate.

I suggest we look behind "issues" and particularly turn away from focusing on "values," which we can only talk about as ambiguous abstractions. I suggest we look to what motivates people to vote on values issues, and on other issues as well.

I believe that people vote on the basis of what makes them feel virtuous. And the candidates that convince voters that voting for them is the expression of virtue will win. The "virtue" over "values" also explains why many people who voted Republican in recent elections are turning against the party this year. But it also could be a way to reorient and reposition progressive efforts in the future.

The RNC launched their new ad campaign with a lot of PR.  It is an ad (available on their web site which is just pure fearmongering.  The whole point of the ad is There are terrorists who want to kill your family! Boogity Boogity Booooo.....

They never mention their failure to capture these terrorists, or Dubya's flip-flopping on hunting down OBL (dead or alive...don't think about him...on the hunt...it's difficult...we know exactly where he is ...we have no idea where he is...etc.)  They certainly don't mention their role in creating the newest generation of terrorists.  Heck, they have stopped even pretending they are going to capture or kill these terrorists.  After all, why kill a meal ticket?

Why do I say that? Because browsing the rest of the RNC site (down at the bottom of the page on the right) is a poll... and in that poll we learn what REALLY scares Republicans.  The results of this official RNC poll are clear.  Republicans fear accountability more than terrorists.  Details on the flip....

Like a lot of other folks I hopped over to various news sources the second I heard NK had passed the point of no return.  However, it appears all the sources cited are simply quoting claims.  One anonymous source in SK is  quoted as citing seismic data showing an event registering 3.5 on the Richter scale.  That's a problem as you will see later.

Basically, we are looking for seismic data to show there was a nuclear blast.  That data is easy to get.

If that sucker is big enough to register a 4 on the Richter scale, I found a way we can all follow this story in real time from our own PCs!  (UPDATE: A seismic event in North Korea showed up on my PC around 04:30 UTC registering 4.2 on the Richter scale from  01:35 UTC).  That is about 10x what the SK source cited and makes it a little less than 1 kiloton.     HOWEVER I am not sure the real time telemetry backs up either claim.   I have uploaded telemetry from nearby Inchon Korea, as well as Beijing and the Solomon Islands.  In all cases, you see the Tonga quakes earlier in the day, but nothing around the time or after for the claimed NK blast.

Many years ago, I went to Taos, New Mexico and found myself standing outside an adobe church much like the one Stieglitz photographed in his famous picture.  I walked across the road to find a good angle for a photo.  After I took my picture, I realized I was standing in the entrance of a modest cemetery, so I wandered in.

About half way to the back, I noticed most of the head stones were very small.  Then I looked at the dates on the headstones and understood why.  Most of the dead were children.  As I turned around towards the entrance I saw all the dead children I had walked past without noticing.  It was very disturbing.  I got out of there as fast as I could and pushed it out of my mind.

I haven't thought about that for almost 20 years.

"[Tom Reynolds' opponent ]Jack Davis is interested in protecting the jobs, families and values of western New York. Tom Reynolds is interested in protecting his power and position in Washington."

-- Davis spokesman Curtis Ellis

A poll released on September 28th, by Survey USA, shows Tom Reynolds leading Jack Davis by a margin of 45% to 43% with the Green party candidate receiving 8% support and 4% undecided. However, a court has just ruled that the Green party did not submit enough valid signatures, so their candidate will be stricken from the ballot.

I bet you can see where I'm going with this;)

The machinery is failing. The gears are exposed. The rust is gathering.

NRCC Chairman Tom Reynolds (NY-26), Speaker Dennis Hastert (IL-14), Majority Leader John Boehner (OH-08), John Shimkus (IL-19), Rodney Alexander (LA-05)  -- the Cover-up Kings -- are fighting for their political lives -- with each other.

These are battles that could mean the effective end to the GOP in NY, IL, and OH -- states where the party already struggles as a shell of an age now passed.

And these won't help...

(Related: I invite each and every one of you to join my family, friends and me along with the ALS Foundation as we work to counter the effects of Bush's lethal decisions and facilitate the fight for Stem Cell Research!! (Details down below)

Needless deaths from Bush decisions are not limited to Iraq.

As of Today, 2,705 U.S. troops have been killed. 19,910 have been injured. And scores more of non-military personnel, including children and the elderly (conveniently known as 'collateral damage') have been killed as a result of Operation Iraqi Liberation (O.I.L.).

These horrific numbers have rightly been the subject of thousands of articles, millions of debates, and innumerable tears.

But with all the discussion and outrage expressed about the unnecessary casualties resulting from the Bush Administration's 'War of Lies', there has been seemingly little room or energy left to deal with the potential death and devastation that will likely result from Bush's other decisions.

Which ones, you ask.

Tomorrow (Monday 9/25) is the big day everybody!

Come join us in NYC, Los Angeles, and Berkeley (See details below) to support and celebrate the candidacy of Kossack Brian Keeler (NYBri), State Senate Democratic Candidate for the 41st District of NY.

JUMP for the Details -- and a couple surprises!!

They'll be premiering at Brian's Fundraiser Monday night in Manhattan (Details Below). So be sure to show up and bring a friend. We'll have a great time as we give it one FINAL PUSH! We're almost there! So put on your party shoes and...

...leeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee et's ROCK!!!

EVENT: "Blograiser II" -- a Fundraiser for Brian Keeler, Democratic Candidate for NY's 41st Senate District.

OVERVIEW: Netroots candidate Brian Keeler is running for New York Senate and he is HOT!!! Spitzer, Clinton, and Schumer have all given him their hearty endorsements and the NY DSCC has moved his race to the 'Top Tier' level. He is a true inspiration and a proud progressive Democrat who has an outstanding opportunity to up-end the mini-Bush incumbent Republican and help hand the Senate back to the Democrats.

With Bush so anxious to compare the trials of our own time to the challenges of World War II, and others on the right ready to equate what we're now facing with the greatest dangers of the past, it only seems appropriate that we see how Bush stacks up against the man who led us through those days.

That's right, folks, it's time for Presidential ThunderDome.  George W. Bush vs. Franklin Delano Roosevelt.  Two preseidents enter, one president leaves!

Kossacks across America unite! Join us in a national event -- a simultaneous 50-state Kossack meetup to support the candidacy of the one true Netroots candidate, Brian Keeler (aka NYBri).

Here's the deal. As many of you already know, one of our very own, Kossack Brian Keeler, is running to unseat incumbent Republican Steve Saland from the State Senate seat in NY's 41st District (WAIT...okay, so he's a NY candidate and you're not from NY, but please continue reading because we need your help to make this work -- whether you're from Boise, Cheyenne, Tampa, or Houston. This is critical to our movement. So please hear me out. And please see toward the bottom for the reasons why Brian's candidacy is critical to EVERYONE!)

On the evening of Monday September 25th (That's next Monday) we will be holding a transnational 'Blograiser' for the Keeler candidacy.

But we need YOU to help us make it a blazing success -- and what we ask is very simple and VERY FUN:)

This is what will happen and what we need from YOU:

1. First, there is the PRIMARY PHYSICAL FUNDRAISER Monday, September 25, 2006, 7:00 - 10:00 PM EST, @ Prey NYC (Online and beyond) 4 West 22nd Street. If you live near Manhattan, we want you ALL there that night. I guarantee you will have a great time -- just ask those who came to the event back in July!!

2. KOSSACKS ACROSS AMERICA: Second, we need volunteers to organize local Kossack meetups on Monday 9/25! So far opendna has volunteered to spearhead the organization of a Los Angeles satellite. But we're looking to every corner of the nation. Take the reigns! Contact your fellow regional Kossacks and get together on 9/25! Whether it's 5, 25, or 200 supporters -- a house party, a formal gathering or a few beers at a bar, it's all good! Just drop a comment below to let us know you are organizing for your town/area. I'll contact you soon thereafter or you can contact me first at TomBall@Keeler2006.com. Anything you can do will be appreciated!!

Monday, September 25, 2006, 7:00 - 10:00 PM EST, @ Prey NYC (Online and beyond (See below)) 4 West 22nd Street.

Leeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet's  ROCK!!!!!

Sprint to the finish! Kossack Brian Keeler (NYBri) has been BUSTING HIS ASS over the past months, working tirelessly to take our progressive hopes and dreams into public office as a State Senator from the 41st District of NY.

Now there's just 50 days to the election when NYBri tosses incumbent Republican Steven Saland OUT of the NY State Senate.

ONE LAST PUSH...

The least we can do is give him our fervent support by attending his FINAL Blograiser  (Either online or in person) and coughing up a few bucks for the one Netroots candidate that has been a driver of the Netroots movement BEFORE he became a candidate.

If you were fortunate enough to join us either in the Big Apple or online at the Big Orange (DKos) for the Brian Keeler 2006 campaign 'Blograiser' back in July, then you know what an amazing time it was -- the aura of excitement that surrounded the campaign -- the feeling of camaraderie that pervaded the like-minded and like-hearted community of Kossacks and other progressives that attended.

NOW IS YOUR CHANCE

And to celebrate Brian's candidacy and his unique status as a national 'Netroots Hero' (Markos 5/26/06), this Blograiser is going national -- and not just online. We're working to have local 'satellite' Blograisers in a town near you -- essentially DKos Meetups across the nation getting together to support the original Netroots candidate, Kossack Brian Keeler (NYBri). See below to see exactly how this would work.

By now you have probably heard about the Princeton Video that shows yet again how easy it is to compromise the Diebold systems.  Here is a picture of our heroes: Dr. Felten and his students, Feldman and Halderman

As you can see, not all patriots are firebrands from central casting.  They are normal folks like you and me.  And that is important because Diebold is starting to push back... and it is going to take normal folks like you and me to help our heroes keep Diebold's feet to the fire.  Let's look at where Diebold is vulnerable and how Diebold is trying to defend itself ...

I'm a technically savvy guy.  I've had my own PC since the 8088 days when DOS was putting the final nails in the coffin of CP/M and Leading Edge was getting flak for cracking the compatible wars wide open.  I was online before BIFF stole his brother's Commodore 64.  Before spam.  Before nuking. Before Gopher. I know the answer to the UNIX riddle, "Why a mouse?"  (actually there are two surrealist punchlines to that joke). I even know the plural for VAX (hint:it's not VIXEN).  

When it comes to computers, I know Jack. So trust me when I tell you, "To err is human, to really $#@#!!*& things up you need a computer."  I say all that to underscore the fact that my discomfort with electronic voting machines is not borne of ignorance.  My contempt is a direct result of my familiarity with the technology.  

I have got some bad news for you....

The Republican echo chamber attacks anyone who disagrees with their madness and derides them as pawns of the HollywoodLiberalElite®.  Never mind the fact Hollywood entertainers hold more clout in Republican policy circles. Facts are tedious, boring things. Besides, a few well timed jokes about Michael Moore's weight and you can keep folks laughing and distracted for days.  

That difference in approach captures the basic problem with public discourse.  We want to talk substance, they want to talk personalities.  Like it or not, people prefer their approach. There is no point denying human nature; we need to embrace reality and use it to our advantage.

Fortunately, this election season the Republicans have provided a perfect opportunity for us to beat them at their own game.  I'm talking about the Corrupt Bastards Club.  Here's the best part... you can play too.

I remember when Richard Pryor dropped the n-word from his routine.  It was after he went to Africa.  He realized there weren't any over there...even though the continent was chock full of black folk.  He came back and decided to label himself, his brothers and sisters in a more dignified and respectful way.

What we call ourselves says a lot about how we view ourselves and how we want others to view us.  

We do the same thing with political labels.  Democrats become "Liberals" become "progressives" become "reality-based."  Republicans have gone from calling themselves "Conservatives" to being members of the "GOP," the "Party of Lincoln," or more recently, the "Corrupt Bastards Club."  This is not an epithet I am hurling around like "fascist" or "liar."  I wish I had thought of it... but I didn't.  This is a term Republicans used among themselves behind closed doors...