I think a really underrated factor in why Democrats in Wisconsin came up just short of winning back the state Senate is because of that extra month on the schedule forced by the “spoiler candidates” put forward by state Republicans. The extra month did not only give Senate incumbents like Alberta Darling and Luther Olsen extra time to campaign and fundraise. It put the elections one more month removed from the outrage across Wisconsin over the theft of collective bargaining rights. Feelings have a way of fading gradually over time. And so an election in July may have had a different feel than an election in August.
There is one man in Wisconsin who can upset this dynamic, however, and bring vitality and energy to a recall. His name is Russ Feingold.

A few people asked me why the Obama Administration is so dead-set on deporting hundreds of thousands of immigrants, when they have no hope of attracting the anti-immigrant crowd from a political standpoint. Rep. Luis Gutierrez explained that to me at Netroots Nation, and I think if more people understood this rationale you’d see even more outcry than you do now:

So why have there been so many deportations, more than under the Bush Administration? Gutierrez suggested that the White House feels they have a mandate from Congress to deport 400,000 people a year. Which means they’re literally breaking up families to fulfill a budgetary authority. Congress has expanded deportation systems and given DHS more money to deport. So the contractors have been paid, and now they have to be used. That’s how Secure Communities, a real cash cow for the contractors, was created. And that’s why they don’t want states dropping out. “The fastest-growing airline in the country is the one that flies around undocumented immigrants,” said Gutierrez. In the end, it comes down to money, for detention, information sharing and the mechanics of deportation.

President Obama is now prepared to put forward jobs agenda that will likely not pass Congress, and run against the do nothing Congress when they fail to enact it.

This strategy would work best if Obama didn’t just use the do nothing Congress as purely a campaign message, but also an excuse to start creatively using the powers of the Presidency to unilaterally pursue policies to help the economy and address the still ongoing housing crisis. This would position him to take credit if the economy improves, but also blame Congress for holding him back if those measures don’t improve the economy enough.

The New York Times editorializes on the federal gas tax today, which is a bit depressing. The tax is much smaller than in other countries around the world, and yet when it expires September 30, what is normally a routine extension could turn into another hostage situation from the Tea Party crowd.

I’ve been writing about the invisible town hall revolution, where dozens of conservative members of Congress have been bombarded by ordinary citizens delivering progressive messages. This actually started after the passage of the Paul Ryan budget in the spring, and some members have figured out methods to deal with it. Some do only tele-town halls. Some throw out “disruptive” constituents asking the wrong questions. Some screen the questions. Some hold no town halls altogether. Some stack town halls with loyal constituents. And now, Paul Ryan and friends have hit on a new approach – charge money for the town hall meeting.

Paddy Power, the Irish bookmaker with licensed betting offices in Ireland and the UK, is giving Damon 100:1 odds to win the 2012 Presidential election. That gives him the same odds as Newt Gingrich, and a better chance than either John McCain or Michael Bloomberg. They put Rick Perry at the top of the Republican heap at 7:2, with Mitt Romney at 5:1. Barack Obama still has the best shot, at 4:6.

They may not, however, be the most astute judges of the American political system.

One of the most exciting and well received benefits of our membership program is our incredible webinars. Twice a month or more we are lucky enough to have guest speakers come and speak with exclusively with our members. Our guests range from Congressman Alan Grayson, to Dan Ellsberg, and Nancy Atlman, covering a wide array of topics. Last week, Michael Moore, writer and director of the highest grossing documentaries in history; Farenheit 9/11, and Bowling for Columbine, joined us unexpectedly with Dan Ellsberg and Josh Koster to talk about 2012 election strategies.

Hundreds of immigrants rights advocates in Los Angeles staged a walkout during a federal task force field hearing about the Secure Communities program, blamed for the deportations of tens of thousands of non-citizens living peacefully in America. Activists implored the members of the task force to resign their post, and recommend that the Obama Administration end Secure Communities, before exiting the meeting to a chant of “we don’t need a hearing, we need to end the program.”

A few weeks ago, Truthout published an article that examined a number of instances of water torture, including evidence of near-drowning, on prisoners held by the Department of Defense. A second article, with further documentation, including cases other cases of submersion in water and also extreme forms of “water dousing,” will be coming out soon. But not everything can be squeezed into even two articles.

Nostalgia act Snowbilly Sarah and The Grifters will be teaming up with The Man Too Crazy For Fox for a Very Special One Time Performance That You Can Tell You Grandchildren About Right Before They Place A Pillow Gently But Firmly Over Your Face. Called Defending The Republic, and sponsored by St. Louis radio station NewsTalk 97.1 as well as Hansen’s Tree Service (I shit you not), this is an event you won’t want to miss if only for the chance at a $77 commemorative t-shirt: