A MEME that screams — ok, calmly repeats — “Mine Safety” over and over again?

GO TESTER!!!!!!!!!!!!

thanks for visiting Matt.

hope the junior g-man did’t mind

Interesting point.

And not a bad electoral strategy. The mainstream media has been bleating about Red State values — and a lot of folks have bought right in, as though all points between Nevada, North Dakota, and West Virginia are just completely alien.

Yet this characterization is very far from accurate. Prairie populism and progressive politics didn’t just arise out of thin air. It’s still out there. Christy’s WV post was right on, if You all (i.e., everyone else) doesn’t bother maintaining the connection to people deeply rooted to place, that connection’s not going to take care of itself.

The Red State myth was invented to keep us afraid and divided from “them.” Well, them is us.

Bottom line, let’s flip the strategy on its head. The disproportionate electoral strength of sparsely populated Plains states should be turned to our advantage. We’ve complained about it: now let’s use it.

As Singer notes, these are not expensive media markets. So it’s cost effective. There are fewer people to meet, and fewer to persuade. So it’s not as insurmountable as it might seem. There’s a Jon Tester in every state.

And the way I heard some old die-hard Republican life-long local guys talking in Tennessee, back more than a year now, it shouldn’t take much more than the right candidate, using the right approach, to swing many a state.

Hate to change the subject, but any more news on any possible Rove indictments?

The rumor mill seems to have quited down a bit.

Johnson County Elections Commissioner Brian Newby confirmed that Mark Parkinson, the state GOP chairman from 1999 to 2003, came to the office and switched his party affiliation shortly before noon.

Parkinson’s name has been widely circulated as Sebelius’ choice for a running mate as the Democratic governor seeks a second term. Current Lt. Gov. John Moore – another former Republican – is retiring when his term expires in early 2007.

Sebelius spokeswoman, Nicole Corcoran, would not comment about Parkinson, but said an announcement of the governor’s choice of running mates was scheduled Wednesday not far from Parkinson’s home in Olathe, a Kansas City suburb.

“Traditionally, you do see that the first stop would be in or around that person’s home base. It would be safe to assume that she would be choosing someone from the Johnson County area,” Corcoran said.

Parkinson didn’t immediately return calls seeking comment.

Johnson County District Attorney Paul Morrison also switched parties from Republican to Democrat to challenge Attorney General Phill Kline, a Republican, in the November election.

Republican House Speaker Doug Mays said he was disgusted by Parkinson’s lack of loyalty to the party that made him chairman, but he isn’t surprised by the rift.

The Republican Party, which has dominated Kansas politics since statehood, has shifted to the right in recent years and it inevitably will shift back to the left, he said. Instead of defecting to challenge one another, though, Republicans need to find common ground, he said.