Can Al Gore be VP again? Legally speaking?

Yes. But it's not likely to happen.

Posted at August 21, 2008 12:48 PM in response to McCain Campaign Response: Obama Worries About Arugula, Vacations In Hawaii

jb7 wrote I'm sure overhead costs in direct mail operations are sizable, but 90% seems excessive.

I don't know about mail, but I knew people in the 1970s who did telephone solicitation (for a fundraiser who worked for police/fireman type "charities"), and 90% would be in the ballpark of what their company kept. The worker got a percentage, the shift boss got a percentage, the manager got a percentage, the owner got a percentage. It was pretty sleazy.

The frontline workers I knew spent most of their share on drugs.

Posted at July 7, 2008 10:48 PM in response to North Carolina Republican says Fundraising Firm "Screwed Me"

What do folks think about the whole elite schools thing anyway? As someone who went to one I feel a bit conflicted criticizing it.

As someone who also went to one, I don't have any problem at all criticizing it.

Of course, I also got kicked out. But that wasn't really their fault.

Posted at July 3, 2008 3:21 AM in response to One Small Step For Equality

What do folks think about the whole elite schools thing anyway? As someone who went to one I feel a bit conflicted criticizing it.

As someone who also went to one, I don't have any problem at all criticizing it.

Of course, I also got kicked out. But that wasn't really their fault.

Posted at July 3, 2008 2:35 AM in response to One Small Step For Equality

electoral-vote.com is another good site for poll information, from a more progressive perspective. They're both good sites for data.

Posted at May 29, 2008 3:37 PM in response to What's Obama's Route To The White House?

I don't think it is reasonable to judge by his radio broadcasts. It's a talk show host's job to keep the juices flowing, and Franken is an actor. (Frankly, I didn't like him much as a talk show host, but it may just be that I hate talk shows.)

As to whether he's an attack dog or not, I dunno. It would be nice to see some Dems who weren't collaborationists.

His main Dem opponent, Cirisi, is a wealthy trial lawyer whose politics seem ok (past legal cases have included Dalkon Shield, Union Carbide-Bhopal, and the tobacco industry) but who's not very exciting (he lost the Dem endorsement in 2000 to Mark Dayton, who's not very exciting himself, but whose family is well known in Minnesota).

Posted at February 19, 2008 8:26 PM in response to Rasmussen: Al Franken Takes Small Lead Against Norm Coleman

If your senator did have enough spine to vote yes, it's important to let them know you appreciate that vote. There are some weak reeds there (I was worried about mine, but she did come through), and we need to thank them for good votes as well as chastise them for bad ones. There's always another battle coming, and we want them to remember that progressive voters are paying attention, and recognize the good as well as the bad.

Posted at February 12, 2008 12:42 PM in response to Senate Votes to Give Retroactive Immunity for Telecoms