A New Wave

The woman who tried to stop the financial meltdown

Maybe it's useless to lay blame for our current financial mess, but I think women, generally, would have been less willing to engage in the extreme risks that spawned financial derivatives - those toxic financial instruments that have brought the world's economy and finances to the brink of failure.

One woman in particular saw the problems posed by these instruments and their lack of regulation and took on three of the best-known (now infamous?) names in the financial sector: Alan Greenspan, Robert Rubin and Arthur Levitt.

Her name is Brooksley Born.(h/t to NWLC's blog, Womenstake) .

From 1996 to 1999 she chaired the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), the federal agency which oversees the futures and commodity options markets as well as the individuals who participate in those markets. Her reputation is one of championing the rights of consumers. 

She, a former president of the Stanford Law Review, a public-interest lawyer, and a Clinton appointee to the commission, fought them and Wall Street lobbyists.

Born wanted more regulation of financial derivatives. The other big guns did not.

Some people, notably Warren Buffett, agreed with Born. But, at the time, it was more of an inside-the-beltway power struggle than a decision that would affect the financial livelihood of millions of Americans.

We now know that the largely unregulated market in financial derivatives, particularly in credit default swaps, contributed to the economic collapse that has sent ripples into millions of American homes.

Briefly, here is what Born knew and did:

While on the commission and after becoming its chair, Born sought comments on the need to regulate derivatives, but the request was opposed by then-Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan and Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin. (Lawrence Summers also opposed the request), but it was Rubin, Greenspan and Levitt who ran the well-oiled resistance machine against Born's calls for regulation of the derivatives market, saying that any such efforts would create legal uncertainly about derivative instruments and could destabilize what had become a significant global financial market, in addition to the usual cries about how new regulation might stifle innovation and could result in moving these instruments offshore.

If all of this sounds vaguely familiar, welcome to back to the future redux.

Unfortunately, Born didn't prevail and Congress stripped the commission of any regulatory authority:

Congress inserted something into an agriculture bill that temporarily prevented her agency from taking regulatory action over the derivatives market. Beaten, Born left the commission in 1999.

A year later, Congress passed the Commodity Futures Modernization Act, which took away any power of the agency to regulate over-the-counter derivatives.</i>

This is a snippet of Born's congressional testimony on the need to regulate derivatives:

“Losses resulting from misuse of OTC derivatives instruments or from sales practice abuses in the OTC derivatives market can affect many Americans. Many of us have interests in the corporations, mutual funds, pension funds, insurance companies, municipalities and other entities trading in these instruments.”

Additional information about Brooksley Born is available here, here and here.

Doing Right By Women and Girls

The president's signing of an Executive Order creating a White House Council on Women and Girls is a small victory with great possibility for ensuring women's equality in myriad ways, from employment to health care, from education to work and family balance.

President Obama understands that this council doesn't exist in a vacuum separate and apart from the policies and programs developed and implemented throughout the federal government and that if women are ever to be on the same footing with their male peers a coordinated and interconnected effort is required at all levels of government.

The White House Council on Women and Girls will ensure that agencies across the federal government, not just a few offices, take into account the particular needs and concerns of women and girls. The Council will begin its work by asking each agency to analyze their current status and ensure that they are focused internally and externally on women.

Were the Department of Labor, for example, to develop guidelines on, say, new "green economy" jobs, there is a real possibility that women won't be forced to put up with discriminatory patterns of hiring, training, promotion and wages -- especially as they existed and became embedded into blue-collar occupations.

Or health care: imagine if HHS, Labor and Commerce were to be fully cognizant of the gender bias that exists in rates for health and other forms of insurance and finally generated changes that made such bias illegal.

Oh, the possibilities.

It's too soon to know how successful the Council will be, but Obama has the right vision: the concerns of women and girls must be integrated into every level of public policy and not treated as something separate and apart from the welfare of the country and the world.

1920-2008: Women's Rights Then and Now

Imagine the thrill and the deep sense of satisfaction among women on August 26, 1920 when Congress ratified the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, giving women the legal right to vote and thus extending voting rights guaranteed to all "men" in the 15th Amendment.

By way of perspective, my maternal grandmother was 15 years old; my paternal grandmother was 30 years old; and my mother was 1-year old. My maternal grandmother, no doubt, danced in the streets or something equally exhilarating, since she was a feminist in every way that counted. She was my introduction to feminism and created a powerful image for me of what was possible: an independent woman who did what made her happy rather than what made her husband happy; a woman who frequently spoke truth to power, in spite of her 5-foot, 4-inch frame, and for whom nothing seemed impossible.

 

 

Bernie Mac's lowball, emotionally-stunted humor

On a scale of 1 to 10 - 1 being "really, really outrageous and twisted" misogyny, Bernie Mac's attempts at humor on Friday (at an Obama fundraiser) rank about 3 on my misogyny meter. But Joan Walsh is less incensed than I am:

Anyway, soldiers are dying in Iraq, the mortgage industry is imploding, banks are closing, our civil liberties were seriously eroded this week (with Obama's support) and we're expected to be outraged by Bernie Mac? I'll pass.

Walsh happens to like Bernie Mac's humor. I don't. He's one of a long line of (especially) Black male comedians who use women as comedic punching bags. Friday's fundraiser for Obama was no exception:

Happy 4th of July! - Part I

In keeping with the spirit of the holiday, Sen. Patty Murray has introduced legislation to provide an array of health care services at VA hospitals/clinics, for female veterans:

The legislation, the Women Veterans Health Improvement Act of 2008, seeks to prepare the VA for the unprecedented influx of female veterans who will access care there in the coming years. The legislation addresses many of the unique needs of female veterans by authorizing programs to improve care for Military Sexual Trauma (MST), increase research on the current barriers to care, and expand women veterans staff positions at the VA.

The bill was passed as part of S. 2969 – The Veterans' Health Care Authorization Act of 2008 -- a larger "omnibus" bill that incorporated a number of different veterans' health care measures.

Enough With The Roe v. Wade Arguments

Since Hillary Clinton conceded the Democratic nomination on June 7, I have read at least two articles a day by progressive bloggers telling Democratic women why it is in women's best interests to vote for Barack Obama. Of the numerous articles, these six are the most representative arguments.

In every case these purveyors of wisdom alternately chide us, berate us for being angry at the media, the Democratic Party system, and its leaders, and lecture us about throwing away our Freedom of Choice if we do not do the right thing and vote for Barack Obama.

First, let me get something out of the way: I'm a proponent and advocate of ensuring women's reproductive rights.

(Re)United In Unity

"She rocks!"

These were the words shouted by a very enthusiastic Hillary Clinton supporter yesterday in Unity, NH to mark the celebrated joint appearance of Clinton and Barack Obama.

How About A Woman For MTP?

Over at the White House Project, Marie Wilson & Co. have another great idea: how about a woman to moderate MTP?

I think it's a terrific idea. Their blog, "Change Everything" asks readers for names - which will be forwarded to NBC.

Hillary Clinton: Our New Populist-Feminist Heroine

Blogs and news sites are buzzing about John Heilemann's excellent profile of Hillary Clinton in this week's issue of New York Magazine.

Above all, Heilemann's article is real journalism and not the slash-and-burn, take-down, smackdown variety of "news" practiced by Chris Matthews, Keith Olbermann, MSNBC, FOX, and so many others.

CA Marries Lesbian Activists Martin And Lyon

Two of the nation's best-known lesbian activists enjoyed a big first yesterday. Phyllis Lyon, 84 (seated) and Del Martin, 87 became the first lesbian couple to marry under California's gay marriage law, which was upheld by the state Supreme Court last month.

Democratic Party Kumbaya, Anybody? Hello! Hello!

Not everybody in the Democratic Party is ready to make nice and unify.

Take some of Hillary Clinton's top fundraisers, who held a meeting on Thursday with Obama Campaign manager, David Plouffe. The sit-down was cordial; lots of questions were asked and answered; several fundraisers volunteered to host parties and other events for Obama and the Democratic Party. But not all:

Draining The Ocean - Part V: Unbelievable

I never cease to be amazed at our vacuous, vapid and venal purveyors of "information" and enlightenment: the media. In all its forms it fails us miserably. Individually there are a few decent examples of honest journalism. Keith Olbermann is not one of them, no matter how much in love with him progressives have fallen. Perhaps somebody should wake me when (and if) he proves why anybody should trust or respect him, ever again. There are, however, still depths to which he can and will sink:

Draining The Ocean...Part II

Well, maybe we are making a small dent in sexism and misogyny after watching the performance of media professionals (and others who will go unnamed but fall under the general heading of Liberal/Progressive) during the primary campaigns. News articles over the past four days have been filled with story after story about not only the depth and breadth of sexism and misogyny displayed, but the admiration and respect Clinton has earned - even among detractors. Some examples:

Anybody Notice The Equal Pay Act Anniversary?

Hillary Clinton did...

Statement of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton on the 45th Anniversary of the Equal Pay Act

WASHINGTON, DC—Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton today issued the following statement to mark the 45th anniversary of the Equal Pay Act:

"The Equal Pay Act was an important step forward, giving women the chance to be full, equal participants in the workforce and to earn equal pay for equal work. Women have shattered so many barriers in the 45 years since the Equal Pay Act was enacted. And for young women paving their way in the workforce today, the sky is the limit. But we still have work to do to truly level the playing field.

--- MORE ---

Thinking About Supporting John McCain?

I know that some of you are incredibly hurt and angry about the Democratic primary; you're pissed at the DNC and Democratic leaders for some shabby and less than progressive behavior toward the sexism that permeated the election coverage. And you are mad as hell at the arbitrariness of "da rulz." So am I. Honestly, I haven't known quite where or how to express this anger, although that is starting to change.

What I DO know is this: Hillary Clinton showed us where her values and ideals are - they are forward looking; they are progressive; they are pro-woman and pro-children and pro-family. She will always fight for these values and ideals, no matter what her future role.

Playing Catch Up

First, let's backtrack.

Here's Hillary's speech from yesterday - in full. It gets better each time I watch it. It doesn't make the pain any less, but it makes me feel proud, knowing that I support(ed) this dynamite woman. I think she has herself a movement...whether she wants one or not! She's heads and shoulders above those who vilified and demonized her without mercy. And each of us who support her can and should stand tall and stand WITH her now. Any chance we have for progress will be lost if John McCain is elected as POTUS. No matter how you feel right now (and believe me, I'm smarting at the moment, too), those of us who believe in what Hillary Clinton stands for do not honor her or these ideals by voting for John McCain.

Here are excerpts from the speech. And here is her speech in its entirety:

[SNIP]

The "Speech"

According to MyDD: Clinton will speak tomorrow, er, today! at Noon EDT (that's 9 a.m. for all of us on the "left coast"): It will be covered by all the cable news networks. CNN will start their coverage at 11 a.m. EDT.

She will be speaking at 12pm EDT at the National Building Museum, located at 401 F Street, NW, Washington, D.C.

Maggie Williams sent out this email today: Hillary Clinton's web site will be covering the speech live (in case anybody wants to bug out of the media's version of "I come to praise Hillary, not to bury her.").

There is also a "Thank You" card campaign underway, but I haven't seen any publicity of this outside of Taylor Marsh:

We are trying to get a "Thank you card campaign" started. We want to flood Senator Clinton's DC office with thank you cards. On the front of the envelope we are writing "WE ARE ONE OF 18 MILLION" and we are asking her to take it to Denver. We want to reach as many supporters as possible so it can be effective. THE ADDRESS:

THE HONORABLE HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON

UNITED STATES SENATE

476 RUSSELL SENATE OFFICE BUILDING

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20510-3202

Until later...

A Tribute To Hillary Clinton & Her Supporters

This thread is a tribute:

First and foremost: To Hillary - a terrific woman, feminist, Senator from New York, leader, mother, wife,  role-model, and 2008 Democratic Presidential candidate. We already know you're the best! But we also want you to know that when you showed the world your "true colors" we felt comfortable and safe in showing our true colors, too. It makes us stronger as human beings and more beautiful in our unique and complex individualities.

Thank you, Hillary!

Second: To all of Hillary's supporters - who worked our hearts out phone-banking, knocking on doors, blogging, broadcasting (Taylor Marsh), fundraising, talking, debating, stuffing enveloped, distributing flyers, letter-writing, yelling at MSNBC "pundits", and every other action we have taken on behalf of Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton.

(BELOW THE JUMP)

Finally: In honor of Gay Pride Week (which I noted in an earlier blog, but which got screwed-up when it was published):

HILLARY, STANDING UP FOR ALL AMERICANS STILL...

As we begin Gay Pride Month, I join the LGBT community in celebrating an historic year in which our country continues to make progress towards the fair and equal treatment of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Americans. Still, we have so much work to do. I look forward to working with the LGBT community to make sure that all Americans in committed relationships have equal benefits and that nothing stands in the way of loving couples who want to adopt children in need. We need to expand our federal hate crimes legislation and pass a fully-inclusive Employment Non-Discrimination Act. And finally, we need to put an end to the failed policy of Don't Ask, Don't Tell. Courage, honor, patriotism and sacrifice - the traits that define our men and women in uniform - have nothing to do with sexual orientation.

Hillary - You Showed Us Your 'True Colors' "Like A Rainbow...

Share your thoughts about Hillary, the campaign, her decision to "suspend" her campaign, your personal stories. ONE RULE: No trolls, no foul language, no sexist or racist crap of any kind! I will be moderating...

Lots Of News Tonight

Superdelegates Push Barack Obama Over The Top

They dripped, then drizzled, then flowed in Barack Obama's direction Tuesday. And even before the votes were counted in Montana and South Dakota, SDs gave Barack Obama the nomination. His "over-the-top" moment (2,118 delegates to "clinch") came at 9 p.m. EDT:

Sen. Barack Obama has clinched the Democratic presidential nomination, CNN projects as polls in the South Dakota primary closed at 9 p.m. ET.

So much for his campaign's early - and frequent - protests that if superdelegates were to "override" the will of voters it would be seen as an insult.

NEWS FLASH: MSNBC Is Pro-Obama

A male writer/journalist finally notices and comments on what women have been commenting on for months: MSNBC's media bias in the Democratic presidential primary campaign. Isaac Chotiner (The New Republic) has wandered into what appears to be new territory (for the pro-Obama crowd). He makes deeply intelligent observations about the "boys" pushing Hillary out of the race. Clearly this is breaking news:

Full Transcript of Clinton's RFK Gaffe

This weekend, Hillary Clinton was "savaged" by the media over a comment she made in answer to a question posed to her by Executive Editor Randell Beck of The Argus-Leader newspaper in South Dakota. Below is the complete transcript from The Argus-Leader's editorial board meeting. I have emphasized the relevant sections to put in context Hillary's comment: read on...

Intuition and Logic

Tonight I was thinking about the Tao and I-ching, after reading a lot of email and feeling angry, sad, and very disappointed about the misogyny that has so permeated this campaign - a lot of which continues to come from "progressive" bloggers, who seem to take their cues from MSNBC/NBC and the Chris Matthews of the world. The first word that came to me in my thoughts was "solace", but my 365 Tao Daily Meditations (*) did not include it and none of the closest matches fit what I have been thinking and feeling. As an idea, I turned to today's meditation to see if it might be appropriate. Turns out, it fits like a glove:

Intuition:

"Hawk doesn't think during the hunt.

It does not care for theory or ethics.

All that it does is natural."

"... Reacting to a situation by asking what is right and wrong is already too slow. One must intuitively do what is correct. There should be no foreshadowing of an act, nor doubt about oneself."

(*) Ming-Dao, Deng. "Intuition." 365 Tao Daily Meditations. San Francisco, CA: Harper, 1992. 143.

Running behind...

Update on Sen. Ted Kennedy

I couldn't help notice how vulnerable Ted Kennedy looked in one of the photos that was taken of him and his wife, Vicki, getting ready to walk on the beach the other day. Hard to believe that just a week ago most - if not all - of us held an image of him as invincible. Don't get me wrong; I know he is a fighter and will do everything humanly possible to beat this. But as word started to get out about the diagnosis, treatment options, and outcomes, it finally sank in: chances are, four years from now, Ted Kennedy won't be here (at least based on rates of survival for this type of cancer). It's pretty sobering and pretty sad to contemplate...

I did some research and found a pretty good explanation of the cancer  and how it is normally treated. I'm sure there are lots of other doctors/hospitals/ clinics with equally excellent research. Here's what I found, courtesy of NPR's Michelle Norris at "All Things Considered":

What is a glioma?

It's a primary brain tumor, meaning it starts in the brain. It's not the kind of brain cancer that's spread by metastasis from another organ. Gliomas are the most common primary brain tumors in adults. When they are malignant, they can be quite difficult to treat. We see about 10,000 to 15,000 of them newly diagnosed in the U.S. each year.

What are the treatment options?

... in general, the treatment consists of radiation and chemotherapy, given together for six weeks. Then there is a brief treatment break, followed by chemotherapy alone, in monthly cycles for six to 12 months.

The tumor is said to be in the left parietal lobe. What does that tell you about prognosis and function, since this lobe controls sensory comprehension and visual control?

In general, the left parietal lobe is thought to be primarily important for sensory function on the right side of the body and also for visual sensation on the right. Because the parietal lobe is rather large and because every individual has somewhat different brain anatomy, it's very difficult to say in any individual case exactly what might be affected. 

Because of high blood flow to the brain, is there worry that the tumor might be fast growing?

In general when one speaks of a malignant glioma, which is what they're calling Sen. Kennedy's tumor, we're talking of a tumor that is fast growing. Gliomas are graded on a scale of 1 to 4 by the World Health Organization, and grades 3 and 4 are also called malignant gliomas. That doesn't mean that they spread, but that they have the potential to grow quickly.

Associated Press writer Glen Johnson spoke with physicians at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston about Kennedy's prognosis:

[snip]

"As a general rule, at 76, without the ability to do a surgical resection, as kind of a ballpark figure you're probably looking at a survival of less than a year," said Dr. Keith Black, chairman of neurosurgery at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

[snip]

Malignant gliomas are diagnosed in about 9,000 Americans a year. In general, half of all patients die within a year.

"It's treatable but not curable. You can put it into remission for a while, but it's not a curable tumor," said Dr. Suriya Jeyapalan, a neuroncologist at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston.

Senate Banking Members Reach Foreclosure Accord

[snip]

A major part of the legislation would allow the Federal Housing Administration to insure $300 billion in new loans for at-risk borrowers if lenders agree to write down loan balances below the appraised value of borrowers' homes.

The new FHA program could benefit an estimated 500,000 people. It could cost as much as $500 million, which would be paid for by Fannie and Freddie. If it turns out the costs fall below that level - that is, should few if any borrowers default on their new FHA loans - the funds from Fannie and Freddie would be redirected back to the affordable housing trust fund.

The bill would also provide stricter oversight of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae - the federal agencies that guarantee the purchase of home mortage in secondary lending markets. Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT) was upbeat about Senate passage, but was less certain about a veto. Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) has introduced similar legislation in the House of Representatives, but the president has threatened a veto of this measure.

House (Sort of) Overrides Bush Veto Of Farm Bill 

[snip] The New York Times reports on the peculiar route this bill will take:

The 316-to-108 House vote was far over the two-thirds needed to overcome a veto, meaning that the president’s criticism of the bill as bloated and wasteful won few, if any, converts. But a procedural foul-up basically made that vote meaningless, and the bill must now take a temporary detour before it can become law.

[snip]

There was, however, a problem. Seems the House forgot to include "an entire section of the farm bill, Title 3 covering trade programs and foreign food aid, from the package that was sent to Mr. Bush for his signature." Thus, the measure will "be corrected then sent to the Senate and on to President Bush for yet another veto, after which it will return to Congress again for override votes." Got it?

It's All About Democratic Ideals...

Excerpts from Clinton's Victory Speech in Kentucky:

Now, I have one more request to all of my supporters tonight, to the people I've met along the campaign trail, to everyone who has knocked on doors and volunteered and put up signs and donated to this campaign. Keep working. Keep fighting. Keep standing up for what you believe is right, because that is exactly what I'm going to do.

I'm thinking about Andrea Steagall, a strong and composed young woman, 20 years old, who drove across Kentucky to meet me. Her husband, Justin, is deployed in Afghanistan . And she told me how important it is that we have a president who will always stand up for our veterans. And I am honored by her support, and by her family's service and sacrifice.

And I'm thinking again about Dalton Hatfield, the 11-year-old from Kentucky , who sold his bike and his video games to raise money to support my campaign. And then he asked others to give, too, and he was able to really give me a boost. And this week, I finally had the chance to meet him in Prestonsburg and to say, Dalton , thank you so much .The $422 you raised helped carry the day in Kentucky .

Democratic Ideals...

Count the Vote and Seat the Delegates in Florida and Michigan 

Public to Journalists: Don't Interfere

The American Public Gets It

According to the latest PEW Research Center public opinion survey:

"Barack Obama may be building an insurmountable lead in the Democratic primary race, but the public is sending a strong message to journalists and pundits: It is too early to declare, as some already have, that the race is over."

"Fully 72% of the public - including comparable percentages of Democrats, Republicans and  independents - say that journalists should not be anointing Obama as the Democratic nominee at this stage in the race. Just 20% say that journalists should be doing this."

[snip]

"Since mid-March, the amount of news coverage devoted to Clinton compared to Obama has fluctuated in concert with events on the campaign trail. However Obama has consistently been the more visible candidate to the public. On average, more than half of the public has pointed to Obama as the candidate they have heard the most about in the news recently. About 30%, on average, have named Clinton. Consistently, fewer than 10% have named John McCain as the most visible candidate in the news during this period."

Latest Polls

In Kentucky, Clinton leads by 30.5 points:

RCP Average: Clinton - 60.3; Obama - 29.8

Oregon, however, is a different matter:

RCP Average: Obama - 52.6; Clinton - 40.2

ARG shows a much tighter race: Obama - 50; Clinton - 45

Clinton Draws Strong Support in Colorado

It seems that Hillary's supporters have a far different view of the nomination process than does Barack Obama:

COLORADO SPRINGS — The state's Democratic Party brought its convention to this Republican stronghold Saturday and demonstrated that the faithful are more divided in their support of presidential candidates than the state's caucuses suggested.

Though Coloradans gave Barack Obama 67 percent of the vote during the Feb. 5 contests, supporters of his rival, Hillary Rodham Clinton, made up close to half of the conventioneers. A record crowd of more than 6,000 delegates and alternates attended.

Check out Hillary Supporters' Latest T-Shirt Design

I haven't seen any of the other designs, but this was put up on the Taylor Marsh web site because she thought it was (one of) the best.

I think this was Chelsea's idea -- and as far as I know the contest is still going on. Got a great idea? Submit it for consideration.

Renewable Energy Bill Moves Forward

"WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Legislation that would renew billions of dollars in tax breaks for solar, wind, biomass and other renewable energy sources and extend a proposed new tax credit for ethanol fuels not produced from corn advanced in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday."

"The bill approved by the Ways and Means Committee by a vote of 25-12 would extend about $54 billion in expiring tax breaks for renewable energy sources, education and a number of business expenses including research and development."

"Tax breaks for investment in coal gasification projects would also be expanded under the legislation, which comes as oil hit a record just below $127 a barrel this week and hovered above $124 a barrel on Thursday."

"To help pay for the cost of extending those and other tax breaks, the bill would close a tax loophole that allows hedge fund managers to defer taxes on their pay by sheltering it in offshore tax havens. The bill also would raise money by delaying for 10 years proposed rules affecting the way multinational corporations account for interest expenses."

Hillary Gets It

Touring rural areas in Kentucky, Montana, South Dakota and Oregon, Hillary has laid out a comprehensive 8-point plan to address numerous concerns specific to rural communities across the country, including access to broadband, investment in renewable energy research, development and use, expanding access to capital for small business entrepreneurs, expansion of tax credits and breaks to help family farms, and Farm Bill measures to keep the food supply safe.

"Clinton worked to include several provisions in the bill. She fought for Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) for meat and produce in the United States; helped develop legislation that was the basis for the Healthy Food Enterprise Development (HFED) program, an initiative to bring healthier food to new markets and underserved parts of the country; worked to expand the Community Food Grants Program to $50 million; and helped push for a commission to create and implement a Comprehensive Rural Broadband Strategy, an idea Senator Clinton proposed as part of the Rural Broadband Initiative Act." 

Senate Votes "Yes" On Limiting Media Ownership

"The Senate Thursday night voted to nullify a Federal Communications Commission
rule that allows media companies to own a newspaper and a television station in
the same market."

"The unusual 'resolution of disapproval,' sponsored by Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., and 26 other senators, was approved by a voice vote. The measures sponsors include both Democratic candidates for president, Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York and Barack Obama of Illinois."

"Dorgan said the FCC action opened a 'gaping loophole for more mergers of newspapers and television stations across the country.'"

"Commerce Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye, D-Hawaii opposed the FCC's action."

"'In recent years, we have seen an increase in coarse and violent programming, coupled with a decrease in local news and hard-hitting journalism,' Inouye said Thursday night. 'To say these trends are not in the best interest of the American people, and especially our youngest citizens, is clearly an understatement.'"

Video Of The Day

Help Hillary Win Kentucky And Oregon

Donate $5, $10..................whatever you can give.

PRIMARIES ARE TUESDAY: Make Calls to Kentucky and Oregon Voters

BREAKING NEWS, KY Polls, Hill Update & More

BREAKING NEWS:

Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-MA) was rushed to a Massachusetts hospital earlier today after he suffered a "seizure" at the Kennedy family compound in Hyannisport:

(CBS/AP) "Sen. Edward M. Kennedy was airlifted to a hospital Saturday after suffering a seizure at his home, and did not appear to have had a stroke as initially suspected, his spokeswoman said.
The 76-year-old Kennedy, a liberal Democratic icon and the lone surviving son in a famed political family, was undergoing tests at Massachusetts General Hospital to determine the cause of the seizure, spokeswoman Stephanie Cutter said."

"'Senator Kennedy is resting comfortably, and it is unlikely we will know anything more for the next 48 hours,' she said. Kennedy's wife, Victoria, was with him at the hospital, Cutter said."

"...New York. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, also issued a statement. 'My thoughts and prayers are with Ted Kennedy and his family today,' she said. 'We all wish him well and a quick recovery.'"

While I disagree with Sen. Kennedy's endorsement of Barack Obama and I thought that his comments last week were unfortunate regarding Sen. Clinton's campaign and a possible VP spot should she not win the nomination, Kennedy is a champion for progressive values and goals in the U.S. Senate. Along with others, I offer my thoughts and prayers for his recovery.

Calling All Older Voters

Jeralyn at TalkLeft has some informative thoughts and stats about older voters and their significance in this year's presidential election.

"When it comes to electability arguments for the superdelegates, however, I think there's something they need to consider -- that caucus results vastly undercount one particular segment of voters who will vote in big numbers in the general election: The elderly and infirm, including nursing home residents who weren't mobile enough to attend a caucus but who can vote by absentee ballot in primaries and the general election."

"If unable to attend caucuses, and most likely were, their preferences were excluded. This is one more reason I don't think that a superdelegate can equate a caucus win in a particular state with a win in that state against John McCain in November."

I went to the U.S. Census Bureau to get some numbers on older voters and to size up what they might  mean for a GE in November. Here's what I found:

Voters ages 65 and up number 37.5 million, or 16.6% of the voting-age population. Voters between the ages of 45 and 64 number 76.5 million (33.6 percent). I include this age group because they are, by and large, more likely to support Hillary Clinton, as evidenced by exit polls - and a trend that is in line with Andrew Kohut's finding that older voters (those 45-years old and up) haven't been enthusiastic Obama supporters.

Additionally, older voters comprise a slightly larger share of the electorate (114 million), than do voters ages 18-44 (113 million); and older voters have been a more reliable voting demographic than younger voters in past elections.

Looking at caucus/primary results from three states, Nebraska, Texas and Washington, it becomes apparent that something has occurred between the caucus votes and the primary votes:

"Nebraska: Obama won the caucuses. He got 26,000 attendees to Hillary's 12,000. In yesterday's (May 13) primary, the vote was Obama 46,000 to Hillary 43,000, or 49% to 47%. One explanation for the sharp decline in support is buyer's remorse. Another, more probable explanation is that the caucuses were unrepresentative of the state's voters."

"Washington: Obama won the caucuses with 21,000 preferring Obama to 10,000 preferring Hillary, but in the primary held two weeks later, he only won 51% to 46%, 353,000 votes to 315,000 votes. Only the caucus votes were used to determine delegates."

"In Texas: Hillary won the primary vote 51% to 47% and by more than 100,000 votes, while Obama won the caucuses, perhaps by as much as 60% to 40%."

It could be, as Jeralyn notes, that "buyer's remorse" has set in with respect to Sen. Obama's margin of victory in the caucuses and his narrower victories (or losses) in primaries. Or (Jeralyn again), it might be that caucuses are not representative of a state's voters.

Where Superdelegates Are Located

Here's a cool and informative map (does not include Alaska and Hawaii, though why I don't know. Perhaps Barack has now subtracted these two from the "57 states" comment he made last week when speaking at a campaign rally). The "map" shows where superdelegates are located, by state and by which candidate they have declared their support for. Blue and shades of blue are Hillary states and SDs. Green and shades of green are states from which SDs have not declared, or where some have declared but not all (thus the minus percentages). The map also utilizes "category circles" that are sized according to the percentage of superdelegates in each state - and where they are located within the state - who have declared support.

Any questions? There will be a test on this...

Visualize The Popular Vote

Hillary is ahead in the popular vote, with results from Florida and Michigan. According to ABC News, she leads Obama by 43,579 votes. Here are the tallies:

CLINTON: 16,691,639

OBAMA:  16,648,060

Although the Democratic National Committee and Sen. Obama continue to balk at including any results from these two states, the votes were counted and certified by the secretaries of state in each of these states. A meeting is scheduled on May 31 at DNC headquarters in Washington, D.C. to hear appeals from both states, after which a determination will be made on seating delegates. At this time the issue of popular vote will also be raised. My best guess is that since delegates are apportioned based on voter preference for candidates (through primary or caucus results), the DNC must count the popular vote. As to whether they will depends on how much pressure is put on Howard Dean and members of the Rules Committee.

If you have not yet made your voice heard on Michigan and Florida, please take a moment now to do it.

MICHIGAN AND FLORIDA: MAKE SURE THEY HAVE A VOICE

Looking At Another Blowout Win In KY

I could make a wisecrack here about John Edwards' endorsement of Barack Obama with an eye toward getting the blue-collar working class voters to stampede to Barack. But I won't. I don't need to. Exit polls throughout this primary season have told and continue to tell the story. John Edwards managed to eke out only about 7 percent of these voters before he dropped out of the race. Hillary Clinton has been winning them all along, since Iowa.

And with that, here are the latest Kentucky polls:

Research2000: Clinton - 58%; Obama - 31% (with this tidbit):

[In a GE matchup with John McCain]: "McCain leads Obama by 25 percentage points
and Clinton by 12."

"This is a tough state for a Democrat for president," said Del Ali, president of the firm Research 2000, which conducted the surveys. "If Obama's sitting down with (his chief strategist) David Axelrod going over the electoral map in the fall, Kentucky isn't part of the equation. I think with Hillary it could have been."

Rasmussen: Clinton - 56%; Obama - 32%

SurveyUSA: Clinton - 62%; Obama - 28%

RCP Average: Clinton - 58.7; Obama - 30%

In Oregon it's anybody's guess, but RCP Advantage gives Obama a 14-point lead. Voters who have already mailed in their ballots were split 50-50 in their support. I don't have a clue if this "means" anything and I'm not going to predict...

NARAL BLOWBACK:

Unless you've been living under a rock the past few days, you probably know about NARAL's endorsement of Barack Obama. I'm not going to provide the link to that story, but I will provide the link to NARAL's "home" site, where you can register your (ahem) comments about this disrespectful act.

Apparently, NARAL heard from so many women after they put up a "webchat" with Nancy Keenan, NARAL's president, that they had to put it in overdrive to keep up with all the comments, most of which were decidedly NOT supportive of their decision.

Turns out, this probably wasn't a smart move. A number of their state affiliates pushed back, issuing their own statements rebuking NARAL for making this decision and for making it without first consulting with its state affiliates.

"NARAL Pro-Choice America affiliates in key swing and primary states are openly distancing themselves from the decision by NARAL Pro-Choice America to endorse Illinois Sen. Barack Obama over Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton to be the Democratic nominee for president."

"Since yesterday's announcement, NARAL groups in Pennsylvania, Missouri, Oregon, Washington, Texas and New York -- Clinton's home state -- have issued statements signaling their continued neutrality in the Democratic race and emphasizing that the national group did not speak for them on this matter. These groups represent nearly a quarter of NARAL's state chapters."

Tell me again who are the ones "in touch" with the will of the people...

Can You Say, 'Hypocrite'?

I found this gem on The Carpetbagger Report. It's not being publicized much (and my little blog probably isn't going to give it much traction), but it's worth noting because it is hypocritical on the part of the Obama campaign, which has said for months that Florida (and Michigan) should not be included in delegate or popular vote counts. (There are all sorts of hypocrisies in that stance, also, but to go into them would take another post). Now, however, since Barack believes he has the nomination "in the bag" Florida delegates count - particularly if they support him.

Speaking of Obama: "A Florida Democratic Party source says that, by their count, at least 8 of the state’s 13 Edwards delegates are switching to Obama, and none to Hillary. The delegates don’t, currently, count, but that could change…."

Finally (I bet you never thought we'd get here), here's our video of the day/week/whatever: