Obama and Clinton are tied so far today with 1 superdelegate each.

California Representative Pete Stark has endorsed Barack Obama
“Senator Barack Obama has captured the imagination of Americans in a way we’ve not seen for decades. He’s inspired millions of young people to register to vote and join the ranks of our Democratic Party, he’s consistently opposed the war, he advocates universal health care, and he delivers a message that transcends party politics at the same time.

“I have the greatest respect for Senator Clinton and for her many years of service, but I believe the time has come to unify our party. The outcome we need in November is a Democratic President. To achieve that, we must turn our focus squarely on Senator McCain and his quest to continue another four years of the failed Bush agenda.

“Barack Obama is the person we need as the next President of the United States of America. I’m excited to help him achieve that goal.”
Clinton gets an endorsement from California DNC member Keith Umemoto
Clinton lost a delegate based on the updated results, but she picked up a California superdelegate who made his choice public Friday after privately endorsing Clinton months ago.

Keith Umemoto of Sacramento told the AP Friday that he has endorsed Clinton.And we've now added Rep. Brad Ellsworth of Indiana for Clinton. When his support for Clinton was first announced a week ago, we, and others, hesitated to put him on Clinton's list:
But Ellsworth's support is quite qualified. So much so that ABC News is not counting him as a Clinton superdelegate, per his office's instructions.
...
Ellsworth spokeswoman Liz Farrar tells ABC News' Karen Travers that "this should not be taken as an endorsement. The Congressman is not endorsing either candidate.However, today, Ellsworth has clarified how he would like to be listed:
Some groups are still putting Ellsworth down as undecided when it comes to his super delegate vote. He doesn't see it that way. He said he's been clear all along.If the Congressman from Indiana wants to be listed under Clinton for voting purposes, who are we to deny him.

With John Edwards' endorsement of Barack Obama this evening, the question everyone is asking is, "What happens to Edwards' pledged delegates?"

Well, the first answer, is nothing. As we were reminded yesterday, pledged delegates can vote for anybody at any time. So, rules-wise, Edwards' endorsement is meaningless.

However, from a political and practical viewpoint, pledged delegates will keep their pledge to vote for the candidate they were elected for until "released" by that candidate. By endorsing Obama, Edwards finally ended his campaign, which had been "suspended" up to now, and "released" his delegates to vote for the candidate of their choice. Of course, these delegates may decide to follow their original candidate and support Obama, and Edwards will of course be contacting them to urge them to support Obama. But until these delegates speak up and say who they will be supporting, they will essentially become uncommitted delegates. Which, essentially, makes them no different than superdelegates. (We'll keep them in the Edwards column for now).

So how many Edwards delegates are there? Four from New Hampshire, 8 from South Carolina, and 4 so far from Iowa. (The names are at the bottom of the post).

But wait. That's only 16. The DCW tracker shows Edwards with 19 delegates. Why the difference? It's because Edwards is projected by The Green Papers to get 3 state-wide delegates at the Iowa State Convention on June 14. But as we learned at the Iowa Congressional District Conventions in April, these delegate projections are only estimates. And it's difficult to see the Edwards forces holding together in June. (assuming the race is still going on then). So those final 3 delegates will likely get reassigned to other candidates, leaving Edwards with the 16 delegates described above.

But we're not done yet. Edwards also won 13 delegates in Florida, all at the CD level. (He won only 14.4% of the state-wide vote, so just fell short of getting any state-wide delegates - he would have picked up 9 or 10 delegates if he had hit 15%). Whether he keeps them depends on 1) whether the Florida delegates get seated at all, and 2) under what rules they get seated. That will have to wait for the RBC meeting at the end of the month.

Finally, when the history of this nomination battle is written, one question that's going to be asked is, did John Edwards leave the race too soon? While it's impossible to predict that things would have turned out the same way had Edwards stayed in longer, there's no doubt that if Edwards has stayed in, he would have likely won a sizable number of delegates on Super Tuesday. And if so, instead of his endorsement being mostly symbolic, he might have ended up the biggest kingmaker of all, basically getting to decide whether Clinton or Obama would get his support, his delegates, and therefore the nomination.

Politico gives us the names of the delegates from NH and SC:

New Hampshire:
District Level Delegate: Joshua Denton, (Portsmouth) - Endorsed Obama 5/14
District Level Delegate: Deborah Bacon-Nelson (Hanover)
Pledged Leader Elected Official: Senator Peter Hoe Burling (Cornish)
At-large Delegate: Representative Sharon Nordgren (Hanover)

South Carolina:
Robert Groce - Endorsed Obama 5/15
Marilyn Hemingway
E Tim Moore Barnwell
Christine Brennan-Bond - Endorsed Obama 5/15
Lauren Bilton - Endorsed Obama 5/15
Daniel Boan Kershaw - Endorsed Obama 5/15
Michael Evatt - Endorsed Obama 5/15
Susan Smith - Endorsed Obama 5/15

(we mistakenly listed John Moylan as a delegate - he is an alternate. Official list.)

Iowa:
Merci Wolff (Sioux City)
Machelle Crum (Newton)- Endorsed Obama 5/15
Arlene Prather-O'Kane (Cedar Falls)
David Redlawsk (Iowa City)

Florida: (CD districts shown)
1 Bill Vincent
2 Mary Mooney
2 E. Alan Brock
4 Deborah Courtney
5 Fred McDowell
6 Debbie Boyd
7 Joseph Beutenmuller
12 Justin M. Troller
13 Rita Ferrandino
14 Sally Gene Frederick
15 Barry Randall Birdwell
16 Linda E. Spisak
24 Gregory M. Shimkaveg

Update: NH delegate Joshua Denton endorses Obama. Sidebar will be updated after the Green Papers updates.

Update 2: From Crack the Bell:Just got an email from Daniel Boan (Edwards pledged delegate from SC):

"Sen. Edwards's endorsement will be an important factor in how I decide to vote."

Update 2A: Supposedly John Moylon and Lauren Bilton said on CNN last night they were supporting Obama. We'll try to find confirmation. More from CNN:

John Moylan, a former senior adviser to the Edwards campaign, said the former North Carolina senator's delegates "are very, very committed to John Edwards."

He said at least six of his eight delegates in South Carolina are prepared to endorse Obama.

"I think you will see overwhelming support of John Edwards delegates standing with John Edwards, and now standing for Barack Obama," he said on CNN's "American Morning."

Update 3:
The co-chair of John Edwards’ presidential campaign in Iowa, Rob Tully, said he hopes the former vice presidential candidate’s supporters in the state heed his endorsement Wednesday of Barack Obama. “I was excited to see him endorse Obama,” Tully said. “I’m certainly going to follow his lead.”
...
Tully said he would reach out to those delegates, as well as others going to the state convention, encouraging them to close ranks behind Obama. “I encourage all our Democrats in Iowa to realize this race is over,” he said. - Quad City Times
Update 4: The names of Edwards' Iowa pledged delegates have been added thanks to Avi at Politico

Update 5/15 11:30 PM: Six delegates from SC have endorsed Obama and have been moved to the Obama column. We will update potential Iowa endorsements tomorrow.

Update 5/16: Machelle Crum (IA) has been moved to the Obama column

from the Washington Post
Brand on the Run
By E. J. Dionne Jr.Friday, May 16, 2008; A19
Sen. Bob Corker, a Republican elected in the face of the 2006 Democratic sweep, understands the panic that took hold in his party this week following its loss in a ruby-red district.
Corker is familiar with the feeling. His readiness to tell his story says much about the alienation of many Republicans from the national party's stale approach to politics and the limits of negative advertising. It is also a warning to GOP strategists who think that personal attacks on Barack Obama will be sufficient to win the presidency.
# # #
Post-ABC News poll this week gave partial support to this view: While voters gave the Democrats a 21-point advantage over Republicans as the party better equipped to handle the nation's problems, McCain trailed Obama by only seven points.
Yet Obama's still-sizable lead suggests that McCain will have trouble escaping the anti-Republican uprising. Democrats are trying to limit his room to maneuver by linking the presumptive Republican nominee to Bush's policies. Fabrizio argues that McCain's urgent need to run as an independent means that "McCain could win in a landslide, and we still lose the House and Senate significantly."
In this spring of discontent, Republicans are turning on each other because even their best news is bad news. [read more here:]
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/05/15/AR2008051503543.html


United Steelworkers Endorse Senator Barack Obama for President
Join John Edwards in Growing Wave of Support

Pittsburgh – The United Steelworkers today issued the following statement of endorsement of Senator Barack Obama for President:

For Immediate Release May 15, 2008

“When the presidential primary contests began last year, our Union felt strongly that because of Senator John Edwards’s deep commitment to working people and because of our shared beliefs, he deserved our strong endorsement. His belief that unfair trade policies must be changed, his commitment to pass the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) to restore workers’ rights to freely choose workplace representation, and his proposal for universal health care were widely shared by our members.

“Today, by virtue of a unanimous vote of our International Executive Board, we find ourselves once again in agreement with Senator Edwards, this time with his decision last evening to endorse Senator Barack Obama. And thus today, the United Steelworkers enthusiastically endorses Senator Barack Obama to be the next President of the United States.

“Senator Obama’s call for a significant change of direction amounts to far more than a compelling rallying cry. It is buttressed by his record of consistent support for workers, by his call for sweeping changes to our health care system, by his unflinching support for Employee Free Choice, and by his insistence that America’s trade policies must, first and foremost, serve the interests of America’s working families.

“Senator Obama has shown his commitment to working families by proposing significant investments in the future of American manufacturing, in the revitalization of our nation’s infrastructure, and in 21st century clean energy technologies that will lead to significant growth in domestic jobs. He is clearly the candidate who can best lead our nation out of the dark period of economic decline created by the Bush administration’s allegiance to Wall Street profiteering at the expense of worker prosperity.

“We share Senator Obama’s call for significant changes to these bankrupt policies, just as we earlier shared Senator Edwards’ And all of us, including we hope Senator Clinton for whom we have the utmost respect, must now do everything we can to ensure that Barack Obama is the next President of the United States. Now is the time for contention and division to cease, and for us to unite behind the changes for which Senator Obama and our members are calling.

“America’s workers cannot afford another four years of rehashed Bush administration policies, another four years in which the National Labor Relations Board shills for corporate misconduct, or another four years of a Secretary of the Treasury who considers it his “job” to bail out Wall Street speculators at the expense of hard working families loosing their homes.

“Nor can those of us who are committed to changing the direction of the country afford any more racial profiling of an election, when either Democratic candidate would be far superior to Senator McCain’s lock-step commitment to four more years of the broken Bush economy and the broken Bush foreign policies.

“We are proud and honored to join Senator Edwards in endorsing Senator Barack Obama to be the next President of the United States. We commit ourselves to working tirelessly for his election and for a new age of cooperation among Democrats, Independents and thoughtful Republicans alike in which working Americans are restored to a place of dignity in society and in the American economy.”


Baltimore Sun Political Writer Jack Germond on Tomorrow's Preakness:
"Big Brown is just as imposing here as he was in the Derby but with a field of only 13 horses, there is little or no chance for a payoff matching that $141 exacta. I am going to key the big horse over Racecar Rhapsody, Gayego and Hey Byrn in both exactas and triples. If I don't win, I will expose the heretofore secret links between Neville Chamberlain and Barack Obama."

The Obama campaign is counting the Edwards pledged delegates. Sort of.

The RBC is going to seat some delegates from Florida and Michigan in some way, but it's still unclear what the solution will be. And remember:The committee is not bound to select the proposals offered and has authority to reinstate any number of delegates and divide them in any way. - AP
The NY Times has more on the RBC, noting that the co-chairmen, James Roosevelt Jr. and Alexis Herman, will only vote in case of a tie.

Great look from OpenLeft at which states are providing which candidate their superdelegate lead:


Go read the post for the analysis.

The DNCC has just issued the following press release:
With Saturday marking just one hundred days to go until the eyes of the world turn toward Denver and the 2008 Democratic National Convention, the Democratic National Convention Committee (DNCC) announced today that its plans remain on track or ahead of schedule for a truly historic event that promises to be an engaging celebration of the strength of the Democratic party, the diversity we embrace, the values we share and our vision for America. The Committee is entering the final preparatory stages and is now increasing focus on the executional and programmatic elements of the Convention.

"The organizational foundation has been laid, the operational framework has been built and it's now time to turn great plans into an even greater reality," said Leah D. Daughtry, CEO of the DNCC. "It's evident that our early start is now paying dividends as we enter this final stage of preparation. While there remains a significant amount of work to do in the next 100 days, I'm more confident than ever that when the gavel drops on August 25, we'll be ready to make history."

Consistent with planning cycles for previous Conventions, the final 100 days brings an increased focus on the official Convention schedule and program, ranging from delegate events and caucus meetings that take place each day to the themes, speakers and entertainment for each session at the Pepsi Center. Work on these elements continues to move forward.

"When our nominee takes the stage in August, it will be the culmination of a process that has engaged and inspired more than 35 million Americans and captured the attention of the world," Daughtry added. "Political conventions have determined the course of our nation's history. And in a few months, Denver will become part of this rich tradition."

Across all major operational areas, from logistics and transportation to construction and preparation for the media, the DNCC today provided an update on its key accomplishments and its overall readiness for the four-day event in August.

The DNCC is ready to kick off construction activities on July 7, when it has full access to the Pepsi Center. However, renovation plans to convert the Pepsi Center from sports arena to Convention hall are already underway.

• Design plans for the Convention hall are underway. Alvarado-Turner-HOK, an association of three local companies with experience in large-scale projects and events, including the 1996 Democratic National Convention, was awarded the construction management contract and is making preparations to begin renovations once access is granted.

• Audio, lighting and scenic designs are complete and initial designs for the podium and stage have been drawn up. Once we have a nominee, our production team is ready to put the nominee's stamp on the look and feel of the Convention hall.

• More than 675,000 square feet of space has been allocated. Inside the Pepsi Center facility - from backstage to suites to team locker rooms - space has been allocated for a specific purpose to support Convention operations.

• Nearly 200,000 square feet of media space has been allocated. Initial plans are complete for the media pavilions located outside the Pepsi Center that will provide workspace for many of the nearly 15,000 members of the media expected to attend the Convention.

• Space has been allocated for more than 100 production trucks, media workspace trailers and broadcast transmission vehicles.

You can read the rest of the release on the DNCC Website.

And if you read our story last month about the Mega Tent...

The Host Committee along with Humana and Bikes Belong Coalition held a press conference at the Denver Convention Center yesterday afternoon. Host Committee President Eldra Wedgeworth, Mayor John Hickenlooper and Host Committee Director of Greening Parry Burnap were on hand for the event.

In order to reduce the environmental impact brought by the convention 1000 bikes will be dispersed throughout the city. The bikes will be available to not only convention goers but also visitors and residents of the city.
Bike stations are set up at various points around participating cities, universities or corporate campuses, with each station housing a collection of bikes which are equipped with an onboard CPU which will track and convert distance traveled, duration of the ride, calories burned and resulting carbon offset. Each station is accompanied by an unattended kiosk through which participants can “check in & out” a bike. Once the user is finished, they simply return the bike to any Freewheelin station in the program.


After the convention is over Humana will donate 70 of the bikes along with the checkout kiosks to the city of Denver. They are also working with the Twin Cities' wonderful Democratic mayors to do the same thing for the Republican National Convention.


Mayor Hickenlooper, Bikes Belong's Executive Director Tim Blumenthal
and Director of Greening Parry Burnap

After the press conference I spoke to Parry Burnap the Host Committee's Director of Greening. She explained to me the differences in focus between the Host Committee's Greening Team and the DNCC Greening Team. The DNC is in charge of greening at the Pepsi Center and transportation to and from Denver. The Host Committee is focusing on transportation to and from the hotels and events as well as overall greening efforts throughout the city.

Burnap said that shuttle buses will run back and forth between the various locations but that the delegates can get back and forth however they like. This includes bikes, light rail or any other form of transportation they can find.

Parry told me that she's familiar with DCW and had some nice words to say about the site.

After the biggest non-superdelegate of this year's primaries endorsed Obama last night it should be interesting to see how it plays out today. Obama leads today with 4 superdelegates to Clinton's 0.

Washington Representative Jim McDermott has endorsed Obama

Rep. Jim McDermott on Thursday became the fourth U.S. House member from Washington to endorse Barack Obama for president.

The Seattle Congressman told the P-I's Joel Connelly that Obama is his pick because "I am confident as president he will end the war in Iraq and bring our sons and daughters home."


California Representative Henry Waxman has endorsed Obama
“Senator Obama’s vision for change has inspired tens of millions of Americans,” Chairman Waxman said. “And he’s also proved that he has the experience, judgment, integrity, and toughness to bring real reform to Washington. Our nation faces big challenges. We need to bring our troops safely home from Iraq. We need to solve global warming and finally enact universal health care legislation. And we need to create new jobs and strengthen our middle class. Senator Obama is the leader we need both here and around the world. He will be an extraordinary President, and I look forward to working with him to make his vision for change the new reality in Washington.”
California Representative Howard Berman has endorsed Obama
“Barack Obama has laid out a foreign policy vision driven by principle and conviction, and he understands that our moral authority and our safety as a nation go hand in hand,” Chairman Berman said. “I spoke with him about a number of foreign policy issues that most concern me. He assured me that he shares my views. The moment President Obama takes office, we’ll send a powerful message to the world that America is back and ready to lead again—that we haven’t abandoned the values that made us the light of the world, and neither should anyone else.”

DNC member Larry Cohen a DC superdelegate has endorsed Obama.

“I’m convinced that Senator Obama’s message of hope and ‘change we can believe in’ has resonated across our country. He is building a broad base of support, inspiring new voters to join in the political process and demonstrating great appeal to all those who are looking for positive leadership to move us beyond politics-as-usual in Washington."

Catholics and Muslims united to help Buddhists on Wednesday, as South Florida religious leaders announced a joint collection to benefit cyclone victims in Myanmar.

The collection is set to start this weekend at 18 mosques in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties, plus the 120 parishes and missions in the Archdiocese of Miami.

Their goal is raising funds for Myanmar, a mainly Buddhist nation hit May 3 by Cyclone Nargis. The United Nations expects the death toll to reach 100,000, and nearly 2 million people need emergency aid.

read more

The Rev. John Hagee, the fiery evangelical pastor who endorsed John McCain, issued an apology to Catholics for disparaging remarks he made, including accusing the Roman Catholic Church of supporting Adolf Hitler.

The letter received praise from some Catholic leaders but it reintroduced other subjects of Mr. Hagee's inflammatory comments. It also reignited questions about the relationship between Sen. McCain and Mr. Hagee, which has been compared to that of Illinois Sen. Barack Obama and his former pastor, Rev. Jeremiah Wright.

read more

The potential repeal of a century-old Florida law barring state funding for religiously affiliated organizations is to be put before the voters there this fall, at the end of a lobbying battle that has attracted the attention of President Bush and has engaged a coalition of liberal or secular educational groups.

The vote is widely considered the first of numerous state battles over the funding ban. It exists in 36 other states but has been targeted by the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, a Washington-based law firm, and by activists in the states.

read more

The brief policy statement on embryonic stem-cell research that is to come before the U.S. bishops at their June 12-14 meeting in Orlando, Fla., is designed to set the stage for a later, more pastoral document explaining why the Catholic Church opposes some reproductive technologies.

"While human life is threatened in many ways in our society, the destruction of human embryos for stem-cell research confronts us with an issue of respect for life in a stark new way," says the statement drawn up by the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

read more

Hundreds of years ago, there was a tiny religious minority so despised and persecuted that it was forced to build its own educational, social-welfare and political infrastructure just to survive in the city of New York. Improbably enough, this subculture ultimately seized power from the entrenched majority, became the city’s largest Christian group, created institutions that affected everyone in the five boroughs and permanently changed what it meant to be a New Yorker.

read more

The United Way of America, alarmed at the nation's fraying safety net, will announce today that it will direct its giving toward ambitious 10-year goals that would cut in half the high school dropout rate and the number of working families struggling financially.

The nonprofit organization also wants to increase by one-third the number of youths and adults considered healthy. The announcement comes as it releases a report detailing a precipitous decline in key education, personal finance and health indicators.

read more

We noted earlier this month that current Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper and former Denver Mayor Federico Pena were the two candidates running for the Colorado add-on position to be picked on May 17. Pena supports Obama, Hickenlooper was Uncommitted, and the winner was in doubt.

Well, we were told today that Hickenlooper has withdrawn his name for the position, which guarantees it for Pena, and will give the add-on vote to Obama once it becomes official on Saturday.

Update: Here's the story from the Denver Post.

Imitation is the Highest Form of Flattery

Stealing from the Obama campaign’s theme of change (and their own bankruptcy of ideas) the Congressional GOP adopted the slogan “The Change You Deserve” in hopes this phrase will reverse their disastrous performances so far in three special elections held in conservative Republican districts.
I guess when trying to negatively link the Democratic candidate to Barack Obama actually causes him to win MORE votes in conservative, Republican districts, it is smart to reverse the strategy and now sell Republicans by embracing the Obama campaign theme.
One small problem, the phrase “The Change You Deserve” is the trademarked slogan of the drug Effexor XR, which is used to treat depression, anxiety and other disorders the GOP must think the American public is suffering (and with a third Bush term, we very well may be in a depression).
Unfortunately, the Republican cure also causes nausea (I know I feel it when I listen to them), headaches and sexual dysfunction. It is also said to cause memory lapse, which is a good thing for the GOP because if the American people remember what is was like when they ran Congress, they are in deep trouble.

This just came in from the DNCC. Congrats to all of the blogs that got in!


DNC CHAIRMAN GOVERNOR DEAN ANNOUNCES BLOGS SELECTED FOR 2008 DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION 'STATE BLOGGER CORPS'Party Chairman Notifies Selected Blogs Via Online Video MessageDENVER - As part of the Democratic National Convention Committee's (DNCC) commitment to engaging a broad spectrum of audiences in the 2008 Democratic National Convention experience using new technology and other creative means, Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chairman Howard Dean today announced the blogs selected to participate in the DemConvention State Blogger Corps during the four-day event in August. Governor Dean notified the blogs selected via an online video message available at www.DemConvention.com .

"Similar to the record-breaking voter turnout our Party has seen during the primary season, the demand for these coveted blogger positions is yet another indicator of the tremendous interest in this historic Convention," said Governor Dean. "The Internet has played a critical role in connecting Americans to elected officials and candidates seeking office. The DemConvention State Blogger Corps will continue to foster this dialogue - in all 50 of our states and our territories too - as we head towards this year's historic election and elect a Democrat to the White House."

The DNCC previously announced an expansion of the credentialed blogger pool from past Conventions and the addition of a state blogger credentialing program. As part of the new DemConvention State Blogger Corps, designed for bloggers covering state and local politics, bloggers will receive unparalleled access to state delegations and the floor of the Convention hall. In a truly unprecedented move, the DNCC will seat these bloggers with their respective delegations during the historic four-day event, providing even greater access for local coverage and perspective. Highlights from these blogs will also be featured on www.DemConvention.com

"The members of the DemConvention State Blogger Corps represent a broad spectrum of voices that illustrate the 'big tent' nature of our Party," said DNCC CEO Leah D. Daughtry. "Many of these blogs are vibrant communities, well respected in their home states and committed to ensuring that all voices can be heard in the political process. I'm excited about the roles these bloggers will have in engaging an even broader, more diverse base of people from around the country in conversations not only about the Convention, but about the future of our nation."

More than 400 applications were received from bloggers across the United States and multiple territories. Some of the blogs selected for the State Corps are full-time, professional endeavors while others are the work of individuals, who through their own efforts have become recognized authorities on state and local politics. Bloggers had to submit daily audience information and provide examples of posts that made their blogs stand out as an effective online organizing tool or agent of change, a demonstration of both the reach and impact blogs have had and will continue to have on the 2008 election. The program recognizes the growth of more localized blogs and is in line with Governor Dean's 50-state strategy.

In addition to the State Blogger Corps, the DNCC will soon credential a General Blogger Pool, to include local, state and national political bloggers, as well as niche and video bloggers from across the country. All applicants not selected for the State Blogger Corps are now eligible for selection as part of the General Blogger Pool.

The DemConvention State Blogger Corps is listed below.

STATE - BLOG NAME - BLOG URL
in the lead up to and during the Convention.

ALASKA - Celtic Diva's Blue Oasis - http://divasblueoasis.blogspot.com

ALABAMA- Doc's Political Parlor - http://www.politicalparlor.net

ARKANSAS- Under The Dome.com - http://www.underthedome.com

ARIZONA - Ted Prezelski - Rum, Romanism and Rebellion - http://www.rumromanismrebellion.net

CALIFORNIA - Calitics- http://Calitics.com

COLORADO -SquareState.net - http://squarestate.net

CONNECTICUT -My Left Nutmeg - http://myleftnutmeg.com

DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA- DCist.com - http://dcist.com

DELAWARE - TommyWonk - http://tommywonk.blogspot.com/

DEMOCRATS ABROAD - Democrats Abroad Argentina - http://www.yanquimike.com.ar

FLORIDA - Florida Progressive Coalition - http://flaprogressives.org

GEORGIA- Tondee's Tavern - http://www.tondeestavern.com

GUAM - No Rest for the Awake - Minagahet Chamorro - http://minagahet.blogspot.com

HAWAII - iLind.net: Ian Lind Online - http://www.ilind.net

IOWA - The Iowa Independent - http://iowaindependent.com

IDAHO - 43rdStateBlues.com - http://www.43rdstateblues.com

ILLINOIS- Prairie State Blue - http://www.PrairieStateBlue.com

INDIANA- Blue Indiana - http://www.blueindiana.net

KANSAS - EverydayCitizen.com - http://everydaycitizen.com

KENTUCKY - BlueGrassRoots - http://www.bluegrassroots.org

LOUISIANA - Daily Kingfish - http://www.dailykingfish.com

MASSACHUSETTS - Blue Mass. Group - http://www.bluemassgroup.com

MARYLAND - The Center for Emerging Media - http://www.centerforemergingmedia.com

MAINE - Turn Maine Blue - http://www.turnmaineblue.com

MICHIGAN - Blogging For Michigan - http://bloggingformichigan.com

MINNESOTA - Minnesota Monitor - http://minnesotamonitor.com

MISSISSIPPI - The Natchez Blog - http://natchezms.blogspot.com

MISSOURI - Fired Up! LLC - http://www.firedupmissouri.com

MONTANA - Left in the West - http://www.leftinthewest.com

NORTH CAROLINA - BlueNC.com - http://bluenc.com

NORTH DAKOTA - NorthDecoder.com - http://www.northdecoder.com

NEBRASKA - New Nebraska Network - http://www.NewNebraska.net

NEW HAMPSHIRE - Blue Hampshire - http://www.bluehampshire.com

NEW JERSEY - PolitickerNJ.com - http://www.politickernj.com

NEW MEXICO - Democracy for New Mexico - http://www.DemocracyForNewMexico.com

NEVADA - Las Vegas Gleaner - http://www.lasvegasgleaner.com

NEW YORK - Room 8 - http://www.r8ny.com

OHIO - Ohio Daily Blog - http://www.ohiodailyblog.com

OKLAHOMA - DemoOkie - http://www.DemoOkie.com

OREGON - BlueOregon (blog) - http://www.blueoregon.com

PENNSYLVANIA - Keystone Politics - http://www.keystonepolitics.com

PUERTO RICO - Jusiper - http://jusiper.blogspot.com

RHODE ISLAND - Rhode Island's Future - http://www.rifuture.org

SOUTH CAROLINA - CracktheBell.com - http://www.crackthebell.com

SOUTH DAKOTA - Badlands Blue - http://www.badlandsblue.com

TENNESSEE - KnoxViews/TennViews - http://www.knoxviews.com

TEXAS - Burnt Orange Report - http://www.BurntOrangeReport.com

UTAH - The Utah Amicus - http://utahamicus.com

VIRGINIA - Raising Kaine - http://www.raisingkaine.com

VIRGIN ISLANDS - Democratic Party of the US Virgin Islands - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/democratvi

VERMONT - Green Mountain Daily - http://greenmountaindaily.com

WASHINGTON - HorsesAss.org - http://www.horsesass.org

WISCONSIN - Uppity Wisconsin - http://www.uppitywis.org

WEST VIRGINIA - West Virginia Blue - http://www.wvablue.com

WYOMING - Hummingbirdminds blog - http://hummingbirdminds.blogspot.com

We're still waiting for the general blog credentials which will hopefully be announced soon. If your blog isn't on the list you still can get in.

While Democratic presidential hopeful Barack Obama has struggled with the Rev. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr., GOP foe John McCain's own pastor problem has festered.

But yesterday, pastor John Hagee, a McCain supporter whose controversial comments about Catholicism angered church leaders, issued a letter of apology to the president of the Catholic League, who heartily accepted it.

read more

A federal immigration raid at a kosher meatpacking plant in northeast Iowa was the largest such operation in U.S. history, with nearly 400 people arrested, federal officials said Tuesday.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said at least 390 people were arrested on immigration charges as part of a raid Monday morning at Agriprocessors Inc. in Postville. The plant had about 900 workers before the raid.

Most of the 314 men and 76 women arrested are from Guatemala and Mexico, but some were from Ukraine and Israel.

read more

Different societal ills command the national spotlight when they threaten to migrate from the underclass to the middle class. It was that way with illegal drugs like LSD and marijuana 40 years ago, and it is that way today with poverty.

read more