Over at Iowa Independent, Jason Hancock published this story about a handful of college activists for Hillary Clinton who have either endorsed John McCain or are considering voting for him.

As regular readers of this blog know, I am the last person to sing Barack Obama’s praises. I have deep concerns about him as a candidate and as a potential president.

I am also very familiar with the feeling that the Democrats nominated the “wrong” person. I have been politically aware for eight presidential cycles, and the candidate of my choice has won the nomination exactly once.

I would encourage any Democrat who strongly opposes Obama not to box yourself in by declaring now that you’ll never vote for him.

I also hope that Obama supporters will back off and give their fellow Democrats some space. This passage in Hancock’s article seemed particularly important to me:

Jordan Levine, who served as co-president of the Grinnell College Students for Hillary, said he, too, may support McCain in the fall, but has not made up his mind. In addition to not liking where Obama stands on the issues, he also said the actions of his fellow Democrats are turning him off to their nominee.

“They are being belligerent and trying to push me into supporting Obama,” he said. “That should be a serious concern. I have every right to vote how I want.”

Many of us have heard alienating and counterproductive comments from Obama supporters, but don’t give them more power over your decisions than they deserve.

Levine said his indecision on Obama has nothing to do with emotion and everything to do with issues.

“I just don’t like where he stands,” he said. “One of my main issues is health care, and Obama’s plan has some very big differences with Clinton’s.”

Take it from Elizabeth Edwards, who also preferred Clinton’s health care plan to Obama’s: McCain’s health care proposal would be an expensive disaster. Spend a few minutes browsing the writings of nyceve at Daily Kos for more specifics on why McCain is very wrong on health care.

If nothing else, I hope you will keep the Supreme Court in mind when you vote for president. Making the case for John McCain earlier this year, former Republican presidential candidate Gary Bauer noted that six of the nine Supreme Court justices will be at least 70 years old on Inauguration Day 2009. If that’s not a reason to be a yellow dog Democrat this year, I don’t know what is.

I received a fundraising letter from Congressman Leonard Boswell’s campaign recently. It contained a healthy dose of the misleading spin I have come to expect from Boswell’s mailings this year.

I’m not going to retype the whole text, but this passage made me laugh (emphasis is in the original):

My republican opponent has had four months to raise money and plan for the general election; an election that I am only able to focus my attention on now. While I was competing against an opponent for the Democratic nomination, the republicans were getting ready to once again challenge us in this competitive district. This time they have the advantage of a large head start.

Get real. Iowa’s third Congressional district is not on the National Republican Congressional Committee’s list of 2008 targets.

CQ Politics has rated IA-03 “safe Democrat”, in part because the Republicans are not targeting the seat.

The latest Cook Political Report of competitive U.S. House races makes no mention of IA-03, which means that seat is considered safe for the incumbent.

Similarly, IA-03 is nowhere to be found on Swing State Project’s list of competitive U.S. House races.

What about that big “head start” the Republicans supposedly got while Boswell was facing a primary challenge? The most recent Federal Election Commission reporting, based on the May 14, 2008 filings, show that Boswell had raised about $1.16 million this election cycle and had about $709,000 cash on hand.

Republican candidate Kim Schmett had raised about $54,500 so far this year and had just under $33,300 cash on hand.

Let Red Brannan and the others who funded the smear campaign against Ed Fallon replenish Boswell’s campaign coffers.

Democrats in the third district should vote for Boswell in November, but don’t be a sucker–plenty of other Democratic candidates need and deserve your donations more.

Speaking of which, I have given Becky Greenwald $100. Go here if you would like to contribute to her campaign. A strong fundraising number at the end of the second quarter would give her a boost against Tom Latham.

UPDATE: Another worthy candidate is Iowa native Heather Ryan, who is running against a horrible incumbent Republican in Kentucky’s first district. RDemocrat’s latest post on that race is here.

Earlier this month the Iowa Department of Public Health released draft regulations for implementing the smoking ban that will go into effect on July 1. You can view the draft regulations here.

The Des Moines Register reported a few days ago that the people who have always opposed the smoking ban are furious about the IDPH’s draft rules:

“In my mind and in the minds of just about every single legislator I’ve talked with in the past week – and that’s about 20 or so – this is an absolute perversion of the legislative intent. Period,” said Rep. McKinley Bailey, a Webster City Democrat who voted against the bill in April.

The state’s administrative rules are intended to help clarify and implement laws and spell out details of enforcement. The Legislature’s Administrative Rules Review Committee discussed the proposed rules for the smoking ban Wednesday.

The Legislature this year approved a ban on smoking, effective July 1, in almost all indoor public places, including bars and restaurants. One provision in the law allows bar owners to permit smoking in their outdoor patio areas but prohibits restaurants from allowing outdoor smoking.

The rules, also effective July 1, say that bar food is limited to ice, pre-packaged snacks, popcorn, peanuts and the reheating of commercially prepared foods that do not require assembly, such as frozen pizza.

Under that definition, bars that have a grill and serve a burger, for example, would be considered a restaurant.

McKinley Bailey is a good Democrat, but I think he’s wrong on this issue. A restaurant is commonly understood to mean “a place where meals are served to the public.” I looked that up in several dictionaries.

If you look up definitions of “bar,” you will find that it refers to a counter or an establishment where beverages, especially alcoholic beverages, are served. Some of the definitions mention that food may be served at bars as well. The IDPH draft regulations account for this, by explaining the types of food that a bar may serve.

If you allowed every establishment that serves drinks to evade the smoking ban, you’d have hundreds of restaurant owners placing a few tables outside and declaring themselves to be “bars.”

It seems reasonable to say that if a business is serving the public food cooked to order, that establishment is a restaurant subject to the smoking ban.

I want to address this part of the Register article as well:

“This is a clear case where a state agency is going beyond the scope of the intended legislation,” said Tom Baldwin, owner of Drink, a Clive bar.

Roughly 3 percent of Drink’s sales are from food. But because of the proposed rules, the facility would be considered a restaurant for the purposes of enforcement of the statewide smoking ban, he told the rules committee Wednesday.

Baldwin has a simple choice to make. If he thinks that his business depends on letting patrons smoke, he can stop serving meals cooked to order and serve pre-packaged food instead. By his own admission, food accounts for only about 3 percent of his business’s sales.

Or, if he feels that cooking food for customers is vital for his business, he can go smoke-free.

Either way, I don’t think his argument about legislative intent holds water.

As I’ve written before, the research on smoking bans suggests that they do not hurt the bottom line. This report is worth reading in full, but here is the main conclusion:

A significant body of scientific research has been accumulated on the economic impact of smoking bans on hospitality business, particularly bars and restaurants. The only research that shows any long-term negative effect on bar or restaurant sales is unscientific research that has been sponsored by the tobacco companies.

All independent published studies conducted in the US and Canada that used tax data in the analysis concluded that “smoking restrictions do not impact negatively on hospitality sales, employment, or tourism activity in the long run.”

The current economic climate, with rising costs for food and transportation hitting restaurants and forcing many consumers to reduce their discretionary spending, is a genuine threat to the hospitality industry. In contrast, restaurant and bar owners’ anger over the new smoking ban is misplaced.  

George Eichhorn conceded the GOP Senate primary on Friday, clearing the way for little-known Christopher Reed of Marion to get walloped by Tom Harkin this November.

It had to hurt for Eichhorn. Not only did Reed win by less than 1 percent of the vote, he only barely crossed the 35 percent threshold. If no candidate had won 35 percent of the vote, the Iowa Republican Party’s state convention would have selected the nominee. With his background in the state legislature, Eichhorn would have been the favorite to win among the GOP’s state delegates.

I’m guessing Harkin will spend a lot of time this fall campaigning on behalf of other Iowa Democrats.

We don’t make a huge deal out of “Hallmark holidays” in our family, but I still want to congratulate Mr. desmoinesdem. This man can wear a baby in a sling as well as building impressive structures with Legos and wooden blocks.

I’m also thinking of Nate Willems, Democratic candidate in Iowa House district 29. He and his wife welcomed their first child into the world a few weeks ago. I hope they are staying dry in Linn County.

Congratulations also to Iowa City blogger John Deeth, who became a first-time grandfather this spring. He must be exhausted from sandbagging his home and helping out in other parts of town.

Use this as an open thread for discussing any father you’re thinking of today.

A John Edwards supporter who is a delegate to the Iowa Democratic Party’s state convention received this letter from Edwards and posted it on a bloggers’ e-mail loop. She said the letter arrived on Barack Obama letterhead:

June 10, 2008

Dear State Convention Delegates and Alternates:

I want to thank you for all that you have done to support Elizabeth and me over the years. It has been an honor to have your support.

We are now at a critical time in this nominating process. And I know that Barack Obama is a good man who will stand up for what matters for the future of this country. I know he carries the same hope in his heart that you and I do. The hope to make this country better, to end 8 long years of division, and to build one America instead of two.

I am asking you today to join with me in publicly supporting Barack Obama. We need you in this cause and in this movement. I always said that our campaign was not about me — it was about a vision for true change in American and the strength to fight for it.

In their search for a candidate to fulfill this vision, the Democratic voters in America have made their choice — and so have I. Barack Obama is the leader we need, and it’s up to each one of us to make sure we elect him President. I hope that I can count on you to join me in this cause.

Again, many thanks for all your past and continued support.

Sincerely,

John Edwards

The Iowa Democratic Party’s state convention was to have been held today, but it was postponed because of the catastrophic flooding in many parts of the state. Party leaders have rescheduled the event for June 28 in Des Moines.

Edwards delegates were able to form viable groups at four of the five district conventions held in Iowa two months ago, but that was before Edwards endorsed Obama.

David Redlawsk, an Edwards supporter from Iowa City who is also a delegate to the Democratic National Convention, had previously said he would encourage Edwards delegates to stay together at the state convention. Redlawsk explained that although he will vote for Obama at the DNC in Denver, he wants to help get more Edwards supporters chosen as Iowa delegates to the convention.

An e-mail from Senator Tom Harkin reminded Iowans that there is an “Iowa Concern” hotline for those in need.

If you have been affected by the recent severe weather and flooding, you can call 1-800-447-1985.

More information is here on the ISU extension’s website:

http://www.extension.iastate.e…

Back in 1992 my family had just moved to Ankeny from Charlotte, North Carolina and we arrived in town and spent the next week living in the Best Western hotel on the corner of 1st and Deleware. Like every other child I would wake up in the morning on Sundays and watch whatever cartoons and kids shows were on.  However that week was different because we were all in one room and with only one television I watched what my parents wanted to watch and that was Meet the Press with Tim Russert and I was hooked.  We moved into our house on SE Peterson, but our moving truck had still not arrived so my family slept on the floor of our living room and while the rest of the week was filled with working to get our house in order we still watched Meet the Press with Tim Russert on Sunday and I had watched it nearly every week since.  Throughout the years my family moved to different houses in Ankeny, we watched T.V. in different rooms and our tastes in other shows grew and faded, but Meet the Press remained constant.

This was before the internet, 24 hour news stations, and before I knew the difference between a Republican and a Democrat.  I learned the language of politics from watching Tim Russert and the became a critical thinker by learning to question what I was being told and to be able to seperate what was someone giving their facts or their opinion.  It was not flashy and it didn't need to be.  There was nothing to distract us from issues that really mattered and questions that we ourselves asked.  We learned about the person being interviewed but we also learned about ourselves.  While every other part of the news media has changed,  Meet the Press had remained the same.  I learned about politics from the good to the bad and everything inbetween.

 I had the honor of meeting Tim Russert at last year's  Jefferson Jackson Dinner in Des Moines.  He had been talking with a few people and I was standing by waiting for them to finish their conversation and Tim saw me waiting patiently and after he finished he approached me and we chatted.  Other than introducing myself and thanking him for talking to me, I can't remember one thing I said, but I remembered that he acted more excited to talk to me than I was to talk to him.  He asked me questions about where I was from and who I was supporting and why I was supporting them and would wear an expression on his face as if what I said really mattered to him.  I remember thinking that my opinion really mattered to him and that he held on to every word I said.  He thanked me for getting involved in politics and said I would be watching a part of history that night. 

This Sunday Meet the Press won't be on and Tim Russert has passed on but I will always remember how he has touched my life.  The biggest thing I have taken away from Meet the Press with Tim Russert is that politicans have to follow the facts, the facts can't follow the politican.

NBC commentator and "Meet the Press" host Tim Russert died today of a heart attack at the age of 58. It's a frightening reminder that no one can ever be certain of living to see the sun rise tomorrow.

Post your thoughts and memories of Russert's work here.

UPDATE: MisterOpus1’s diary is worth reading: “Tomorrow, Doc. I know what I have to do. I’m starting tomorrow.”

http://www.dailykos.com/storyo…

Commenting on my latest post about John McCain’s problems with conservative Republicans, Bleeding Heartland user johnnyschad, a onetime young Republican inspired by Ronald Reagan, wondered, “What is a good way to discuss the GOP implosion with die-hard Republicans?”

I wouldn’t know the answer, but Daily Kos user Press to Digitate, a former Republican activist, wrote a good piece on “How to Market Obama to Your Republican Friends.” I didn’t see it when he first published it, but he brought it to my attention in the comment thread below my diary on how to talk to skeptical Democrats about Obama.

Press to Digitate’s diary on “Why Have All the Republicans Gone?” is a useful backgrounder that may give you some ideas for talking to disaffected Republicans.

Devilstower cites a report by the non-partisan Tax Policy Center, which concluded that Obama is proposing a much larger middle-class tax cut than McCain.

Finally, it couldn’t hurt to let Republicans know that Obama picked a “free trade” advocate distrusted by labor unions to be his chief economic policy adviser.

Use this as an open thread to discuss effective talking points to use with Republicans.

Daily Kos user DemocraticOz put up this diary about the unprecedented flooding in Cedar Rapids. Click here for photos, maps and important information about evacuation areas and the water supply in Cedar Rapids:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/…

Stay safe, everyone.

Though you wouldn’t know it from reading various blogs that support Barack Obama, the Democratic nominee was barely distinguishable from Hillary Clinton on most issues.

TomP reminded me of this in his diary yesterday about Obama choosing “centrist economist Jason Furman as the top economic advisor for the campaign.”

Click the link to learn why labor unions and many progressive organizations, such as Wake Up Wal-Mart and Public Citizen, are “seething” over Obama’s selection of Furman. Among other things, Furman has defended Wal-Mart’s business model and published a 2005 paper labeling Wal-Mart “A Progressive Success Story.”

The Steelworkers’ Union and AFL-CIO are not happy either about Furman’s support for global trade agreements and other writings as head of the Hamilton Project (a centrist economic group started by Bill Clinton’s Treasury Secretary, Robert Rubin).

Some Obama supporters say choosing Hillary Clinton as his running mate would undercut his whole message of getting beyond the 1990s.

Until Obama demonstrates that he is committed to getting beyond Clintonomics, that argument won’t be very convincing.

Obama talked a good game in his speech last week to the Service Employees International Union, but actions speak louder than words. Wall Street and other corporate interests have too much power in the Democratic Party already. Putting Furman in charge of Obama’s economic policy team is a very worrying sign.

By the way, Colin Kahl is still the chairman of Obama’s advisory task force on Iraq:

Kahl is one of the authors of [the Center for a New American Security’s] new report, “Shaping the Iraq Inheritance,” which proposes a policy called “conditional engagement” for Iraq that would leave a large contingent of American forces in Iraq for several years, and which would make America’s presence in Iraq contingent on political progress in Iraq toward reconciliation among the country’s ethnic and sectarian groups and parties.

It’s been two months since reports emerged about Kahl’s support for leaving 60,000 to 80,000 U.S. troops in Iraq at least through the end of 2010. Why won’t Obama fire this guy?

I learned from Congressman Bruce Braley’s office that the House approved the 2008 Amtrak Reauthorization Bill on Wednesday. The bill includes funds proposed by Braley that will promote passenger rail links like the ones that may connect Chicago with Dubuque and the Quad Cities.

I appreciate Braley’s efforts to invest more in alternative transportation. Many Iowans will one day benefit from his work on the House Transportation Committee.

Now if Congressman Leonard Boswell would pick up the ball, maybe my family will be able to take a train from Des Moines to Chicago five or six years from now.

By the way, John McCain has long opposed Amtrak and would like to shut it down if elected president.

The full text of the press release from Braley’s office is after the jump.

This is my first entry and will keep it pretty short.  I am the Democratic candidate in Ankeny running for the seat previously held by Carmine Boal.  I have a long hard road of raising money and knocking doors, but I have been working hard introducing myself to as many people as I can.  I am finishing up school at the University of Iowa and have a long history of working on issues important to Iowans here in the state that I will go into at another time.  I'm happy to share some of my thoughts and views here and hope that anyone that has any questions will get in contact with me.  Thanks and have a great day. 

Just got this e-mail from One Iowa:

As many of you know due to the worsening flooding situation in Des Moines, Capital City Pride, in consultation with Des Moines authorities, has decided to postpone major weekend PrideFest 2008 events until September 13 and 14, including the Saturday Night Street Party, Pride Parade and Festival, and Pride Lecture Series. However, Thursday night’s showing of “For the Bible Tells Me So,” Friday’s Des Moines Gay Men’s Chorus concert, and Sunday’s Pride Brunch will proceed as scheduled.

One Iowa would like to thank the many volunteers that have signed up to help at this weekend’s Pride events. We appreciate your time, spirit, and commitment! It is times like these that we need the support of friends and allies like you.

Gay, straight, married, single, young and old – we all have a stake in this journey toward equality. We ALL must do our part to ensure fairness and equality in Iowa. How can you celebrate Pride?

Host a House Party: Ask your friends, family, and colleagues to join you for a great cause! Host the type of party that’s right for you – whether it’s evening cocktails, a weekend brunch, a formal dinner, or an afternoon with good friends! Sign up here to get a house party toolkit!

Talk to Your Legislator: Your personal story is the most convincing tool we have to impact the hearts and minds of legislators. Gay or straight, married or straight, parent or student, Democrat or Republican – your story will make a difference! Let your legislator or candidates know that you support equality and fairness for all Iowans! Sign up here to receive more information!

Donate: Contribute your time, money, and talent! Any donation, no matter how big or small, helps us on this journey toward equality and justice for all Iowans. Click here to donate – or email organize@oneiowa.org to volunteer with One Iowa!

Celebrate Pride this month! For further information contact One Iowa at 515-288-4019.

One Iowa Team

This just came in:

Contact: Brooke Borkenhagen

June 12, 2008                                                                              515-974-1680 (office)                                                                                                        507-317-4104 (cell)

Iowa Democratic Party Postpones State Convention

Des Moines – Chairman Scott Brennan announced today that the Iowa Democratic Party has postponed its State Convention due to the massive flooding and severe weather across Iowa.

“In the interest of public safety and out of concern for Iowans impacted by the flooding and severe weather, we have decided to postpone the Iowa Democratic Party State Convention,” said Brennan.  “As Iowans, we encourage everyone to work hand in hand with their neighbors on flood relief efforts across our state.”    

The Iowa Democratic Party will announce a new date and venue for the convention in the coming days.

Sensible decision. They can plan the state convention for the same weekend as the rescheduled Hall of Fame dinner.

A little bird has told David Yepsen that social conservatives are not happy with Iowa Republican Party chairman Stew Iverson:

Religious conservatives, led by Iowa Christian Alliance president Steve Scheffler, are unhappy that more mainline party leaders, led by state GOP chairman Stewart Iverson, want to install some moderates and big donors, such as Marvin Pomerantz, as delegates to the national convention.

The social conservatives, who have never been very happy with McCain, want delegates to make sure that he selects a vice president who is acceptable to them and that the platform reflects their views on abortion, gay rights and immigration. […]

“If he doesn’t get a huge percentage of our people, John McCain can’t win,” Scheffler said. “It’s simple arithmetic.” In a letter to fellow religious conservatives, Scheffler wrote “there is a very serious threat to our issues and the pro-family agenda. The country club Republicans, which involves some of those in Republican Party leadership positions, are making a concentrated effort to dilute and rid the Republican Party of individuals like you who consider themselves social conservatives.”

His group held a meeting Tuesday night at a Windsor Heights church to plot strategy, and some party leaders showed up uninvited. Some spirited shouting matches ensued, according to several in attendance who said they were surprised at the profanity that got used inside a church building.

I don’t envy McCain the task of choosing a running mate. He needs to pick someone to shore up his support from conservatives, but which conservatives? In last week’s South Dakota primary, McCain only got 70 percent of the GOP vote, with 17 percent favoring Ron Paul and 7 percent favoring Mike Huckabee.

A running mate with a more libertarian bent might prevent Libertarian presidential candidate Bob Barr from taking a lot of votes from McCain in swing states like Nevada. But that wouldn’t help McCain with the religious conservatives who want one of their own on the ticket.

I think McCain can’t choose Huckabee, who is hated by business conservatives and joked at the recent National Rifle Association convention about someone pointing a gun at Barack Obama.

But if McCain chooses some other white southern evangelical as his VP candidate, he may alienate the Ron Paul wing of the party as well as some suburban swing voters.

Some have suggested he should choose a woman, like Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas, or a person of color, like Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal.

Use this as an open thread to discuss which VP candidate would give McCain the best chance of winning, and which VP candidate you’d most like to see him choose.

P.S.- An interesting tidbit from Yepsen’s column is that one of the names being floated as a possible replacement for Iverson is the Iowa blogosphere’s own Real Sporer, aka Polk County Republican chairman Ted Sporer.

UPDATE: At least 14 Republican members of Congress have so far refused to endorse McCain:

http://www.mydd.com/story/2008…

Katie Couric stated the obvious, which is that Hillary Clinton had to contend with a lot of sexist media coverage, some of it coming from NBC reporters and commentators.

For that Keith Olbermann calls Couric “the worst person in the world.”

I’ve written before about why Hillary lost the Democratic nomination, and I don’t think sexism was the main reason.

But you have to be blind and deaf not to acknowledge that a lot of sexist coverage and commentary was directed at her, and MSNBC personalities were among the worst offenders:

For a thoughtful analysis of how sexism affected Clinton’s campaign, read this essay by Trapper John.

We’ve been fortunate to have just a little bit of water in our basement in the past week. The devastation in northern and eastern Iowa has been incredible. Mason City is without potable water. A major bridge in Waterloo was destroyed, all bridges in downtown Cedar Rapids are closed, and Dubuque Street in Iowa City is under water near the Mayflower dorm.

Our CSA (community-supported agriculture) farmer couldn’t deliver her veggies to Des Moines this week, because the only road out of her farm near Kanawha is under water.

The Lefty Blogs Iowa page culls posts from quite a few blogs, and right now you’ll find a lot of coverage of the flooding there:

http://www.leftyblogs.com/iowa

The Iowa Democratic Party has postponed the Hall of Fame dinner scheduled for this Friday because of the flooding. I will let you know when they pick a new date for that event.

Use this as an open thread to tell us how you’ve been affected by the weather. Where you live, is it worse now or not as bad as in 1993?

So I was catching up with the blog of a “crunchy conservative” mom I know in Des Moines, and I read this post describing a recent exchange on Dr. Laura’s radio show. (She often listens to right-wing radio while she makes cloth diapers and baby carriers for her home-based business.)

Dad calls in. Son is 3. Likes to play with his train set. Dad is “not into that.” Dad is not sure if he should suck it up and spend time with his son playing trains.

What kind of loser is too selfish to spend a little time playing trains with his three-year-old? Not only that, he seeks permission from an outside authority on whether it’s ok to refuse to play trains with his kid.

What does Dr. Laura advise?

Dr Laura says, he’s the dad. he is the parent. he is the head of his household. the kid does what he says. the kid can do something dad likes.

Great idea! Teach that kid who’s the boss. Except that the lesson the kid will probably learn is that his dad doesn’t enjoy doing things with him and doesn’t care about what’s important to him.

As Mr. desmoinesdem observed, the same dad will probably call Dr. Laura 13 years from now wondering why his sullen teenager never wants to talk to him or hang out with him.

To her credit, crunchy conservative Des Moines mom was as horrified by Dr. Laura’s advice as I was.

But it’s pretty sad when a leading voice of conservative talk radio advocates a power play like that with a young child. Would it kill this father to spend a little time doing something his son loves?

Being a parent doesn’t mean you let your children call the shots, but if your kid is really into trains or Legos or Play-doh or puzzles or whatever, don’t deny him or her the pleasure of sharing that with you.

If anyone is seeking parenting advice, I’d stick with the Sears family or Marguerite Kelly.