This regular meta-diary focuses on the best overlooked diaries (didn’t get front-paged or on to the recommended list) from the past week; it was once called “Week’s Best Diaries You Didn’t Read.” This column also includes information from elsewhere in cyberspace, blogosphere PSAs, and my own commentary. Diaries are listed because:
- they’re fabulously written & have SUBSTANCE
- they’ll educate you on candidates and states.
- newsworthy items that got lost in the mix
- there was research involved (copyright rules must be followed)
Please add to the list in the replies or email me links you’d like to see included. For previous editions, search my diaries for them. Consider subscribing to my diaries if you never want to miss an edition. Opinions expressed in the links are not endorsed by me. Archives are here as well.
I want to start by explaining the title. There have long been complaints from the right about Frist’s leadership abilities, or lack thereof. Reid is 10x the Senate caucus leader Frist is. If we have to be in the minority in the Senate, there’s no one else I’d want as the opposition’s Senate Majority leader. Some of our victories or half victories have come as a result of Reid’s leadership and a lack of leadership from Frist. As long as Frist is the Senate Majority Leader, there’ll be an imbalance of Senate caucus leadership (an imbalance in our favor).
Deepest Sympathies to MN St. Sen. Becky Lourey Minnesota State Senator’s Son Killed in Iraq, by mott street
Blue Ribbon goes to… Rep. John Tanner’s legislation to put a stop to mid-decade redistricting. It won’t pass, but it’d make for good PR for the Democrats. Fighting for a principle. 🙂
Runner-Ups:
- Senator Reid stays on the offensive. Some nice lines from Sen. Reid. Read the whole post. He’s done his part in trying to articulate the Dem vision and Dem policies. Others have to do their part. See also: MSNBC: Reid takes control of Frist’s Senate: A maddening week for the majority leader
- House Dems have positive things to say about Dean
- Bob Rubin. House Democrats get a kick in the ass and some backbone from Bob Rubin Sorely needed for this continual battle. Yes, and IA that the Democrats should be saying it loud and proud that they stopped Bush and the GOP from destroying Social Security.
- (WakeupCall) Sen. Mark Dayton (D-MN) is inviting Bush to join him pumping gas and washing windshields as he “talks with local residents” about the use of alternative fuels (Minneapolis Star Tribune). (Newsie: Glad to see that Dayton’s retirement allows gives Dayton more room to kick ass.)
- Jim McDermott, my Congressman, by mcjoan
- Op-Ed in MN Star Tribune: Courageous leaders ignoring threats of the antitaxers Me? I hate taxes. I look at a 1099 form and feel like I’m going to get hives. Some of the taxes that the Republicans want to repeal would benefit me (as of now). But you know what? I believe in a safety net. In addition, there are a hell of a lot of problems that need fixing, and if those things aren’t fixed, I’m only going to be paying even higher taxes in the end anyway or paying for it indirectly because of Republicans and their credit card abusing ways. Taxes should be as low as possible, and the Democrats should run on fiscal responsibility. You raise `em when you have to, and you lower `em when you can.
- Oklahoma First Lady Kim Henry (hubby is Brad Henry, a Democrat). Hey, when you can still get the young ones to make a pass at you, you deserve a mention in this section. (WakeupCall) “That’s right, baby, will you get crazy with me when she wins?” — ex-“American Idol” finalist Matt Rogers, as he “appeared to make a pass” at OK First Lady Kim Henry (New York Post).
Overshadowed Outrage(s) of the Week
- West Virginia minister fired for writing pro-gay newspaper column
- Falafel O’Reilly: 2 whites, 1 Hispanic, and 9 blacks on a jury are not “regular folks.”
- Right-wingers are against anti-bullying legislation
- Newsweek should apologize, but Larry DiRita, the Pentagon, and the Bush admin. Don’t have to.
All other outrages:
- Right-wingers still moving to try and consolidate power?
- GOP Ohio Coingate The OH Dems seem to have their act together on pushing this into the forefront more. Any word on how it’s being reported in other OH media outlets besides the Toledo Blade and Cleveland Plain Dealer? AmericaBlog had multiple updates on the story.
- Summary of Ohio Coingate
- OH GOP Coingate hits Governor’s Office
- NH Phone Jamming Scandal: Tobin Worked for Frist at the Time
- D.C. non-profit doles out thousands for GOP retreats (from MyDD)
- Republican mainstream likes to use those Hitler references
- Bush flip flops and lies about Social Security
- Judge says DeLay’s TRMPAC violated the law. For more, check out the Daily DeLay’s statement on the judge’s ruling. In addition, some TX newspaper coverage here.
- White House tries to redefine filibuster deal
- Santorum says NYT in favor of Nazis… vid link
- judge owen recieves “poor” rating from houston bar , by djesno
- (Gov.com) A lawyer for Republican Gov. Ehrlich said an analysis of state computers assigned to a fired gubernatorial aide provides no evidence that Ehrlich or his top aides were involved in a political plot to damage Baltimore’s Democratic mayor, Martin O’Malley. O’Malley called the investigation “silly” and “a sham.”
- NYT swings and misses on Santorum article
- Reagan Republican Calls for Bush’s Impeachment
- Baptist Church Sign Says to Flush the Koran
- Spokane Mayor West…More allegations about him and young boys
- Video of Mayor West blaming cancer for his out of alleged control libido re: young boys
- How does Dobson stay tax exempt? By freepress4all
- Thune and his battle to save Ellsworth Air Force Base In other news, South Dakotans want Daschle back. I’d love Daschle to come back, so long as Reid gets to stay minority leader. Oh, and kudos to South Dakotans who are sending out facts and research to attack Thune.
- Rep. Chris Chocola (R-IN) gets accused of flip-flopping on Social Security. LOL.
- Rep. Duncan Hunter (CA) says that women in combat is not a sign of civilized society (video)
- (WakeupCall) “Congress has refused to halt spending on a decade-old investigation of Henry Cisneros” (AP).
- (WakeupCall) “So you had all these fresh young faces — pretty blonde girls, and guys who haven’t shaved — nodding their approval” — a WH reporter on the intern seat fillers at yesterday’s Bush and Hamid Karzai event (Washington Times). (Newsie: Many reporters don’t think they’ll get much new info, so they skip these things.)
- Business Groups Tire of GOP Focus on Social Issues
- Lincoln Chafee flip-flops on Bolton
- Bush lawyer flip flops or lies about stance on gay job protections
- Right Wingnut doctor, Hager, to leave FDA panel. He may have raped his former wife, and yet, he claims to be a God-fearing man.
- Santorum has taken money from stem cell researchers
- Info on the right-wing “Leadership Institute”
- Santorum’s Weather Bill is Criticized Those campaign contributions…
- Some right wingers attack Arlen Specter’s cancer
- Randall Terry roundup
- Ralph Reed deleted from Microsoft’s payroll Good.
- DeLay whines about L&O
- On Bolton, The Nuclear Option and The Perception Of Power – Part V: Purge The Moderates
- Family Research Council Condemns Women to Cervical Cancer, by crazymoloch
- Former NC Democratic Party chairman Lawrence Davis switches to the GOP
More blogs that frequently have posts that deal with this topic:
- DNC’s Case File. Scandal Man: A Guide to the Ethics Violations, Abuses of Power, and Corruption of DeLay
- Tom DeLay’s House of Scandal
- Jack Abramoff and Friends
- Drop the Hammer on DeLay
- Republican Noise Machine from MyDD
- DCCC blog: The Stakeholder
- First Draft
- For video on the worst of the phony Republicans, visit Crooks & Liars.
- The Daily DeLay is updated regularly & has action items.
- TAPPED from The American Prospect.
- The Fly Trap at The Gadflyer
Sen Gordon Smith gets a free trip to Ireland, by mz
Republican Funnies of the Week
- (WakeupCall) “I don’t know what he is talking about. I have the greatest life” — Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-OK), 70, on Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK) saying if you “have any type of life,” you wouldn’t want to be in the Senate past 68 (Tulsa World).
- USAToday helps you decipher Bushspeak Accurate.
Republican(s) Off Message
- Video: “See, in my line of work you got to keep repeating things over and over and over again for the truth to sink in, to kind of catapult the propaganda.” — Bush in Greece, New York, Tuesday
- James Dobson: Who does he think he is, questioning my conservative credentials?” Sen. Trent Lott, R-Miss., said in an interview. Dobson, head of the conservative group Focus on the Family, criticized Lott for his efforts to forge a compromise in the fight over the judges. Lott is still angry. “Some of his language and conduct is quite un-Christian, and I don’t appreciate it,” the senator said.
- McCain takes shot at Frist and defends the filibuster on Faux News w/poll, by Closet VB Coder
- More Republicans Who Think the Nuclear Option Sucks
- Sen. George Voinovich has been off-message on some high-profile issues. What’s gotten into his cheerios lately?
- Video of Voinovich’s Senate floor speech: Bolton’s the WRONG guy for the job
- Republican factions aren’t happy with each other. The tears on this side of the computer screen are tears of happiness (snark).
- House Republicans are suddenly interested in oversight.
- Saddam Pants headline Hilarious.
- Republican admits that business goal is not necessarily to create jobs
- Sunday Morning Talk Guests & Panels
- C-Span: “No Knowledge of Downing Sreet Memo”, by For Dean in Dixie
- Let’s Slam CNN Headline News, by Black Max Re: David Rosen trial, and Novak’s political “analysis”
- AJC News division embarrasses Ralph McGill, by Jeff Boatright
- Newsweek Unveils New Policy On Anonymous Sources, by Addison
- WaPo Op-Ed writer responds to my e-mail! By Susan S
- Media News Monday 5/23/05, by Newsie8200
- Penndit’s RWCM Watch & Media News Link Listing
TiVo Alert Nightline to do “Fallen” Again on Memorial Day (Monday) It’s bound to be a tearjerker and eye-opener.
- jotter lists all Downing Street Memo diaries
- Anti-U.S. Rallies Erupt Over Pentagon Report of Handling of Quran, by SusanHu
- AEI ‘Doctor’: PTSD not ‘too’ likely for Iraq Vets, by Benito
- Blow out those daydream candles, laura, by Miss Devore Laura Bush’s Middle East visit doesn’t go so well.
- Karzai: Newsweek Article Did Not Cause Riots, by catnip
- Senate: Galloway who?, by jaysea
- Reporters Find Fresh Mass Graves in Uzbekistan (Why Did They Protest?), by SusanHu
- NYT: U.S. Proposal in the O.A.S. Draws Fire as an Attack on Venezuela, by JoeWpgh
- Bush Chortles While Navy SEAL Is Hung Out to Dry, by SusanHu
- SC’s David Wilkins New US Ambassador to Canada, by catnip
- Two intelligence agencies who did a shitty job get praised anyway One way to prevent the usage of faulty intelligence is to NOT reward the people who were responsible for faulty intelligence. Of course, in Bush world, incompetence is rewarded. George Tenet gets a medal, and these guys get a pat on the back.
- WA Times Says Admin telling Senators No to NSA Data, by dweb8231
- CSM: Afghans left out of their own rebuilding
- Tillman’s Dad: “They Blew Up Their Poster Boy”, by BarbinMD
- WaPo: Prewar Findings Worried Analysts On A26?! WTF?!
- Rep. Walter Jjones (R-NC) on the Iraq war
- U.S. faces growing clout of new rival: The EU now competes with the U.S. as an economic and political force, a development both welcome and worrisome.
- Shocker: Pentagon spokesman DiRita LIES
- DOD Personnel Impersonated State Dept. Officials at Gitmo
- OSI, Safire, and Facts Fixed Around Policy, by BooMan
- A look back at pre-war intelligence
- Laura Bush in Egypt Shows (Again) That the Bush Admin. Knows Nothing About the Muslim and Arab Worlds
- One Nation Under Surveillance: Homeland Security’s friends in U.S. industry
- Clark and his influence on Democrats & Foreign Policy/National Security issues Interesting read.
- Pentagon spokesman Larry DiRita LIES Par for the course.
For more on these issues, check these out:
PDBs from Soj Fantastic daily resource. Subscribe to Soj!
Daily War News from a veteran
Laura Rozen’s blog War and Piece
Juan Cole’s Informed Comment
The Washington Note
Flogging the Simian by Soj
- Nuclear Option round-up in scrollbox below.
- Fact-Checking FactCheck.org on Abortion Rates, by mcjoan
- Yuan Revaluation May Hurt More Than Help, by bonddad
- GM & Ford: Why it’s Management’s Fault, by pacified
- Kraft Foods Tells American Taliban to F#@* OFF! by AZnomad Buy Kraft stuff, and send the company a note of thanks for standing up for what is right. Contact form in the replies.
- Sen. Ken Salazar Pulls a Good One!, by environmentalist Co-sponsoring some good environmental and alternative energy bills.
- MI: Prof at Christian College Endorses Same-Sex Marriage, by Dump Terry McAuliffe
- Owens/Ehrlich: The Homophobia Veto Dance, by JamesB3
- Oklahoma House Passes Anti-Gay Books Resolution, by weirdmusic657
- Student Identified As ‘Black Girl’ In Yearbook, by RandyMI The diary itself isn’t substantial, but the replies and subject matter are why this is listed.
- WA-Gov Election Contest Day Five: LIVE Trial Diary PART II, by archerhouse Other live threads posted by this diarist throughout the week.
- If you care about biodiesel, please read, by KumarP
- Carpetbagger Report notes that The Hill reported that Specter had communicated to GOP leaders that he would vote FOR the nuclear option. This would have made it even more difficult for Democrats to get the votes needed to win a floor vote on the nuclear option.
- DHinMI on the Nuclear Option deal here and here. First link also goes to DemFromCT’s thoughts about how this is a victory for the center.
- WaPo’s EJ Dionne article
- MyDD reaction
- Crooks and Liars round up of blogosphere reaction to Nuclear Option Deal
- (WakeupCall) A polling company (R) poll shows that 68% of adults correctly believe a filibuster is a legislative procedure. Some alternative responses: 4%, a medical procedure; 2%, a household appliance; 2% a sports team; 1% a breed of horse and 1%, a type of sandwich (release).
- (WakeupCall) Conan O’Brien: “This week the Senate finally reached a compromise to allow the President’s candidates to be voted on without a filibuster. In a related story, President Bush still thinks a filibuster is a chocolate-covered peanut bar” (“Late Night”).
Other:
- MyDD: “Pro-privacy, pro-choice”
- Stem-cell living will Interesting.
- “The interesting thing about this is not the prediction that non-OPEC oil production will peak shortly. That’s fairly common knowledge. The interesting thing is that ExxonMobil is saying it.”
- Right Wing Dishonesty in Stem Cell Debate
- Stem cell polling numbers round up at Next Hurrah
- Assets will bar many low-income elderly from getting drug benefit
- Black legislator: Anti-black prejudice is the same thing as anti-gay prejudice Link to video included.
- Housing bubble?
- Health care problem: Groups from Across the Political Spectrum Meeting to Find a Solution
- Protesters Using Modern Publicity Techniques
- Beatty: “Bulworth Takes on the Terminator”
Series & Roundups
- Sunday Talk Roundups & Poll Screencaps, by Al Rodgers
- Jerome a Paris economic & international events diaries
- Investment Club, by CA Pol Junkie Link to first diary on this, titled “The Basics.”
- Healthcare News Round-ups by the holy handgrenade
- Daily Pulse, by dhonig Roundup of smaller newspapers.
- Reasonable Conservative bloggers
- CrooksandLiars’ blog roundup
- Basie’s interviews with prominent Democrats.
- DKos Diary Series: A Compilation
- NYers United to Portect Social Security
- DCCC: Privatize This! Anti SS Privatization website
- AARP Social Security Blog
- For the latest on Wal-Mart’s crimes, click here for JR Monsterfodder’s diaries.
- For the day’s Greatest Hits, Progressive Pundit Picks from baldandy
- For your LGBT news, please read pamindurham’s LGBT news roundups.
- For all your economy news, please read bonddad’s diaries and economic news roundups.
- For all your religious news, please read PastorDan’s religious news roundups. You can also check out his blog, Faith Forward
- Other meta-diaries: Tomtech’s this week in facism, SeattleLiberal’s Nerd Network News (Science Diaries), and jotter’s jotter’s Most Recommended Diaries.
Campaign News Round-Ups Here:
(instead of the old scrollbox)
- 2005, 2006, 2008 Campaign News, Notes & Analysis for 5/15 to 5/27
- Democratic Candidates Coming Out of the Woodwork: 2006, by MrLiberal
From other Kossacks & other places:
- The Ongoing GOP attack on Congressman Jim McDermott, by SeattleLiberal
- NC Dem Chair posts at MyDD about the party building they’ve been doing
- GOP group runs TV ads bashing Reid, by daveweigel
- Tom Daschle is a Class Act, by usmeagle69 Daschle is supposedly a great person, but he’s too classy for Senate Minority leader. I wish he were still in the Senate, but not as leader of the Democratic Senate caucus.
- Michigan Politics: The Week in Review, by Dump Terry McAuliffe Posted on Saturdays every week.
- Colorado Political RoundUps, by Ralph (Posted everyday, Mondays to Fridays)
- dKos Reader Blogs Alphabetized by State, by JenAtlanta
- List of blogs on all kinds of subjects.
- Issues, Activism, Political Info, and General Political Blogs & Websites
- Donate to the DNC
- Donate to the Democratic Governors Association
- Donate to the DSCC
- Donate to DCCC.
- Be a Monthly Donor to DCCC
- Donate to College Democrats
- To Donate to Specific Campaigns, find a campaign site here and donate directly…or check out ActBlue.