Thursday Open Thread [10.13.11]

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I already cited the Time Magazine poll showing how President Obama is doing against the top three Republican contenders. We have also already see the PPP poll showing Cain talking the lead in the GOP race. Now we have a new NBC/WSJ poll released today also showing Cain as the new frontrunner also finds President Obama leading the field. He beats Cain by a 49%-38% margin, Romney by a 46%-44% margin, and Perry by a 51%-39% margin.

Crossing the Line

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We've all done it. We here at DL, and our friends over at DP have both crossed the line from time to time when putting up posts. The most recent incident occurred a couple of weeks ago when Fay Voshell put up a post at DP that she thought was funny. The post included a video from a movie that included Hitler in it. Except in Fay's version, Hitler was really President Obama and his advisors were telling him that the Attack Watch website was a failure. I took exception to the video, in the comments section of Fay's post and here. And we are not blameless, as back in 2008, we ran a blog post using the very same video to mock the downfall of the economy during W's regime. (This was before my time here as a contributor). I find any post that mock's the Holocaust extremely unsettling. I lost relatives in the camps. My family only found out this information after the fall of the Berlin Wall and the opening of archives in East Germany and the old Soviet Union. Aunts, uncles, and cousins who decided to stay in Eastern Europe when the rest of my family immigrated between 1892-1907 perished. And now, the Anti-Defamation League has weighed in. In a letter sent to David Anderson, the ADL has advised him that the use of the video was inappropriate.

Checking in on the President

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The Obama Campaign raised $70 million last quarter ending September 30. 98% of that was from donors giving less than $250, with an average donation of $56. A new Time Magazine poll shows that despite a 44% approval rating and negative feelings about the country's direction, the President leads new GOP frontrunner Herman Cain 49% to 37% in a new poll, as well as two other plausible nominees: 46-43 over Romney and 50-38 over Perry.

Remembering Matthew Shepard

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Thirteen years ago tonight, Matthew Shepard died from a beating at the hands of two homophobes. Although both were convicted and faced the death penalty, it was through the grace of Judy and Dennis Shepard that their lives were spared. Matthew was targeted for this beating because he was gay. He was taken to a desolate spot outside of Laramie, Wyoming, tortured and beaten, and left for dead. When his body was discovered, the person finding him thought he was looking at a scarecrow. On October 28, 2009, President Obama signed into law the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd Hate Crimes Act, in memory of two victims of hate crimes that were murdered in 1998. For those who think the we've come a long way since Matthew's death, you're wrong. Hate crimes against gays, lesbians, and transgender individuals continue to rise, especially in major metropolitan areas. Just last month, a DC police officers was arrested for assaulting a transgender woman. We must never forget Matthew Shepard, James Byrd, and the hundreds of other victims of hate crimes that have been murdered. Never Again!!!

Cain Leads

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A new Public Policy Polling survey finds Herman Cain leading Mitt Romney in the GOP presidential race nationally, 30% to 22%, with Newt Gingrich at 15% and Rick Perry at 14%. Now, if somehow Cain wins both Iowa and New Hampshire and then South Carolina, he may very well steam roll towards the nomination. I just can't see it. But this little boomlet has been sustained for several weeks now, so maybe, just maybe, Cain is really in this thing.

Wednesday Open Thread [10.12.11]

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NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg doesn't want any tax increases on the wealthy and has been an opponent of the Occupy Wall Street movement...... and Ralph Nader wants him to run for President, a few weeks after praising Sarah Palin's intelligence. Other than Republicans, there is no politician I hate with a blinding passion more than Ralph Nader.

Tom Kovach should stop lying to the people.

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Kovach says he is not a career politician even though he has participated as a candidate in three elections for two offices and preparing to run in another election for another higher office. He has won twice and lost once. Likewise, John Carney has participated as a candidate in four elections for three offices, and we assume he is running for reelection. He has won three times and lost once. They both look like career politicians to me. And only one of them is lying to pretend he is not.