Twelve prominent state blogs have written an open letter to Howard Dean and the DNC demanding this oversight get fixed. Other state blogs will be signing on over the next couple of days. You can read the full letter here (PDF).

As long-time progressive state bloggers, we have now witnessed many of our well-respected colleagues from crucial states be passed over. In many states, it appears that parochial politics and hurt egos played a role in these decisions. These concerns run counter to our shared goals of using programs like the state blogger pool to "tear down the walls" in Denver -- and better connect the American people with the events on the ground.

The Democratic Party endangers its own long-term viability when it makes fealty a criterion for inclusion. Instead, the Party should act to ensure that it includes its ideological media allies, even if those allies are occasional tactical or strategic critics.

We, the undersigned, have been included in the state credentials pool, despite our own history of criticism of local Democratic actors. This speaks well to the character of our own local parties. But while our peers in other states are being excluded, we'd be remiss in staying silent.

And remember, the solution isn't to give the snubbed bloggers regular credentials. It's to give them the very credentials that will allow them to sit with their delegations on the floor of the convention.

More information on this controversy below.

The DNC started off great with their blogging credentialling process. Of particular note was their state-blogger program, which would seat grassroots-level state bloggers with their delegations on the convention floor. This was how it was pitched at the time:

2008 DemConvention State Blogger Corps

Recognizing the growth of more localized blogs, this pool is designed for those covering state and local politics. To qualify as a state blogger, the applicant's blog must have been in existence six months prior to requesting credentials and have at least 120 politically related blog posts. Bloggers must submit their daily audience and list their authority based on Technorati stats. Bloggers may also provide examples of posts that make their blog stand out as an effective online organizing tool and/or agent of change.

A press release from that time:

In November, the DNCC announced its blogger credentialing process for 2008, including an expansion of the credentialed blogger pool from prior cycles and the addition of a state blogger credentialing program. Under the DemConvention State Blogger Corps, which is designed for those covering state and local politics, the DNCC is offering the opportunity for one blogger to be credentialed from each of the states and territories. The program, recognizing the growth of more localized blogs and in line with Governor Dean's 50-state strategy, has been open for applications since December.

So how did the DNC choose to recognize the growth of local blogs "in line with Governor Dean's 50-state strategy"? Mostly, they got it right. At least in 45 states. But they blew it big time in five others, dissing some of the best state bloggers in the country.

In New York, the excellent Albany Project was passed over for a site focused on NY City corruption founded by the Politico's Ben Smith. Go to that site, and it's nothing but press releases. [Update: That press release page is a lower-level page, which I got when I clicked on the "blog" link in their navigation. They have real writers on their home page.]

In New Jersey, the inimitable Blue Jersey got passed over for PolitickerNJ -- a non-partisan, corporate owned site run by the guys who own the New York Observer. Somehow, I doubt that's inline with the spirit of Dean's 50-state strategy, online organizing, or being agents of change.

In Alabama, Left in Alabama was passed over, as was Cotton Mouth in Mississippi, passed over in favor of a site, Natchez Blog, devoted to Natchez MS, population 18,000 -- a site, by the way, that didn't have a single post or action alert on the MS-01 special election we won last week. Cotton Mouth was one of the best resources on that race (and the Senate race as well).

Finally, Michigan Liberal was given the big diss as well.

The DNC's online guy at the convention, Aaron Myers (email: MyersA@demconvention.com) claims that it's a big ado about nothing, that the snubbed blogs will be getting regular blog credentials when those are announced sometime this week.

But that's not the point.

The state blogger corps were a special program and a particularly coveted one since it allows those bloggers to sit with their delegations on the convention floor. Regular bloggers can't do that. They may "have access" to the state delegations, but they won't be sitting with them.

The solution was easy -- take the five blogs that were given their unwarranted access, and give them regular blog credentials just like most everyone else. Those are the same credentials sites like Daily Kos will have, so there's nothing shameful about them.

Then they could give those five state blogger corps passes in MI, AL, MS, NY, and NJ to the blogs in those states that have are TRUE reflections of Dean's 50-state strategy, those blogs that are organizing and building for a Democratic majority at the local level with little recognition virtually and no money. Those are the bloggers who are in the trenches helping make victories like MS-01 possible.

This fix could've been done quietly and without any public commotion, but Aaron Myers and whoever ultimately makes those decisions have decided to be obtuse about it. They're pretend that there's no difference between the regular credentials and the state blogger ones, a farcical position. If there was no difference between the two classes of credentials, then there wouldn't be two classes of credentials.

So why would the DNC take a program that had gotten rave reviews, and then muck it up by 1) creating an unecessary controversy, and 2) appear so uninterested in quietly fixing things? The rumor is that state parties were given veto power, and the excluded blogs all have a history of criticizing and holding their state parties accountable. For example, here's what Cotton Mouth heard:

We've been in contact with people who have told us that we were considered for the credential, but were vetoed by someone in Mississippi's Democratic Party. We are attempting to find out who that person is and why they felt we should not represent Mississippi.

This is obviously bull, as is the lack of responsiveness and outright tone-deafness to this problem by Myers and company at the convention. They've let this become a public controversy when it could've easily been handled quietly, and things will escalate, as many of the credentialled state bloggers are closing ranks around the snubbed ones and are already pitching the story (successfully, as we'll soon see) to the traditional media.

Completely unnecessary. Luckily, it's not too late to fix things, and the DNC should do so immediately.

Check this out:

Note that Clinton has essentially camped out in Kentucky all week (and the region for several weeks), while Obama has made nothing but a perfunctory visit or two. Clinton's numbers haven't budged for a month. Support for both sides in the state have solidified, and it seems as if nothing could ever pry additional numbers loose in Clinton's direction.

It's really odd to see numbers that unmoving across so many polls. I've never seen anything like it before.

After digging in his heels over the past few weeks, scandal-plagued Republican Rep. Vito Fossella has decided not to seek reelection.

From the New York Times:

After more than two weeks of damaging and scandal-filled headlines, Representative Vito J. Fossella of Staten Island has decided not to seek another term in Congress, according to several people close to him.

From Fossella's statement:

"Despite the personal mistakes I have made, I am touched by the outpouring of support and encouragement I have received from so many people. Their kind words and prayers during this difficult time mean more to me than I can express. And while many have urged me to run for re-election, I believe this course of action is best for my family and our community."

In Fossella's absence, Staten Island District Attorney Daniel Donovan is the likely Republican choice for the race. Apparently John Boehner himself has courted Donovan for the race. Another Republican possibility is State Senator Andrew Lanza.

Swing State Project reports that the Democratic frontrunner in the race, Brooklyn-based City Councilman Domenic Recchia, is likely to bow out of the race. Recchia would be an underdog despite his impressive fundraising, as the bulk of the district is based in Staten Island, and not Brooklyn.

With Recchia out, the lone Democrat in the race is attorney and 2006 candidate Steve Harrison. He is likely to be joined by a high-profile Staten Island Democrat; most of the talk has revolved around State Senator Diane Savino, New York Assemblyman Michael Cusick, and New York City Councilman Mike McMahon.

All of those three are Staten Islanders, and it's likely, as Jonah from the excellent NY13 blog says, that the state and national parties will coalesce around one of them to avoid splitting the Staten Island vote.

Race tracker wiki: NY-13

AP:

BOSTON - Sen. Edward M. Kennedy has a malignant brain tumor. Doctors for the Massachusetts Democrat say tests conducted after Kennedy suffered a seizure this weekend show a tumor in his left parietal lobe. His treatment will be decided after more tests but the usual course includes combinations of radiation and chemotherapy.

We'll have to wait for more news, including a prognosis, but of course "malignant brain tumor" is never good news. To hear it in connection with Ted Kennedy is awful.

Update: The AP has a more detailed story up, with more on the diagnosis:

Malignant gliomas are a type of brain cancer diagnosed in about 9,000 Americans a year — and the most common type among adults. It's a starting diagnosis: How well patients fare depends on what specific tumor type is determined by further testing.

Average survival can range from less than a year for very advanced and aggressive types — such as glioblastomas — or to about five years for different types that are slower growing.

Earlier I noted the crazy good map we have this year. Believe it or not, it gets even better in 2010.

First of all, we have no threatened Democrats --

That's a whole lot of Blue territory, and North Dakota is Dorgan country, while Bayh will be senator as long as he wants to be. Lincoln in Arkansas? That could be a problem if Huckabee runs for the seat, but that's not currently likely.  

As for Republicans? It's ugly for them. Alaska, Georgia, Idaho, South Carolina, South Dakota and Utah are initially off the table. But beyond that:

A Lieberman-proof filibuster proof majority is well within reach by 2010. The maps of '12 and '14 will be much tougher, as we fight to hold on to our gains from last cycle and this one. But for now, savor the mauling we are in the process of delivering in the middle of his heavenly six-year stretch between the 2006 and 2010 cycles. It's an epic beat down, and it'll continue straight into the end of the decade.

Update: As mentioned in the comments, retirements are possible in Maryland and Hawaii. Maryland would likely be a relatively easy hold, but Hawaii has a popular Republican governor that could potentially make Hawaii a tough hold.

Finally, a traditional media outlet reports on some of the nefarious activities of Mr. Sun Myung-moon and his association with political sidekick and shadow, George H. W. Bush. Kudos to Rick Casey at the Houston Chronicle:

This isn't the first time Bush has appeared with Moon. He gave a series of speeches in Japan in 1995 at Moon's behest and appeared with him in 1996 in Argentina and later in Paraguay. Last year he spoke at a Moon event in Washington. And as reported here two years ago, the Washington Times Foundation (Moon is founder and owner of the Times) covertly donated at least $1 million to the Bush Library.

Shadowy Moonie fronts cleverly disguised as mainstream groups are well versed in deceiving lawmakers and celebrities into attending cult functions. Their goal of course is to use those appearances as tacit endorsements, and as a bipartisan veneer in the event they are exposed. But George Herbert Walker Bush knows exactly what this guy is all about and Bush can't plead he was deceived by a front group. Hell, he's been appearing right beside Moon, sharing a stage with the guy!

One thing that's important to understand about Bush's acquiescence to the "True Father" is that Moon uses these appearances to establish and maintain credibility. Because of Bush's cooperation, Moon is able to recruit new cult members into a lifetime of servitude. There are consequences, there are victims:

Bad Moon Rising -- Years ago, Moon was widely considered a dangerous madman, the next Jim Jones. He inspired TV specials with names like "Escape From The Moonies." His cult separated college students from their families, put them out on the street selling flowers, paying for Moon's mansions and yacht. Moon's control over their lives was so total, he even chose spouses for them.

Bush et al of course simply love the good Reverend's money and they're willing to compromise the judgment and integrity of themselves and the Same Old Party to get it. Moon loves the cred and the thought of wallowing in a pile of faith based government cash. It's an ugly, two-for-one parasitic relationship with We the People serving as unwilling hosts.

What little we know of Moon has come from independent investigators like John Gorenfeld. Considering the scope of his operations, we're probably just seeing the tip of the iceberg. Moon's tentacles branch out and reach deep into the conservative infrastructure and indeed around the world. When it comes to this obscene lunatic and his right-wing pals, there are almost certainly award winning stories yet to be written by any intrepid reporter willing to take the challenge.

Looking around for predictions I find:

Kentucky:

Oregon:

My predictions:

Kentucky:

Oregon:

Fresh from you-know-where. Obama under 30 percent in Kentucky and over 60 percent in Oregon are very real possibilities. Given he will win the Oregon white vote handily, and get crushed in it in Kentucky, that should make some pundit heads explode tonight.

Via Think Progress comes this Anniston Star interview with former Alabama governor Don Siegelman. And if you're not familiar with Siegelman's story, or more importantly perhaps, with why Siegelman's story ought to be considered one of the most shocking abuses of power ever perpetrated by the Bush "administration," please take a moment to catch up.

And if you don't want to do that, let Siegelman himself clue you in:

I think this will make Watergate look like child's play when it is fully investigated, not so much this case because certainly it's not about me. It's about restoring justice and protecting our democracy and, because this case shows the lengths to which those who are obsessed with power will go in order to gain power or retain power, it has attracted the attention of the national press.

It's much bigger than me because it's not just my case. This was not an isolated incident. This was a pernicious, political plan that was set in motion by Karl Rove to further his espoused dream of establishing a permanent Republican majority in this country, and what he left out was by any means necessary.

It is clear to me — and I think to those who have been investigating, and that's why they're so hot about this case — it is clear that Karl Rove abused his power and misused the Department of Justice as a political tool to win elections, and that is something that would happen in a police state. That is something that we might have read about in history books as happening in Russia, but it is not something that should be allowed to happen in the United States of America. And Congress, and I believe John Conyers, clearly sees this as a wrongful action against democracy in this country, and he wants to make a statement that is clear and unequivocal that this kind of abuse of power is not going to be tolerated under any administration whether it's a Democratic administration or a Republican administration.

We have got to regain control over our system of justice, and it's got to be put back in order, and not allowed ever to be used in this manner again.

That's why I've been working not just on my legal appeal, but on an appeal to the United States Congress to keep digging in and fighting for the truth.

It's that last part that ought to have you worried, and for several very different, albeit related, reasons:

1. The fact that we need to work hard to get "the United States Congress to keep digging in and fighting for the truth" means that the American public has, to this point, become so used to the idea of the politicization of the federal government that there's actually some question as to whether or not we'll ever be able to convince them that there's something fundamentally wrong with the idea of the White House sending federal prosecutors after political enemies. Republicans have, thus far, been pretty successful in selling the media and the public on the notion that rooting this sort of corruption out is "the criminalization of politics."

2. The fact that we haven't already dug in and fought for the truth means that the job falls largely to the next Congress and the next administration. If it's McCain, obviously, you can pretty much forget about it (about which, see #3). But if it's Obama or Clinton, it's entirely possible the results will be the same, but with a different methodology. There's going to be tremendous pressure for the next president -- whether a Democrat or a Republican -- to "move on" from "the past," and set a forward-looking agenda. That's going to mean an undercurrent of pressure to "forgive and forget," all "for the good of the country" (about which, see the pardon of Richard M. Nixon). And that pressure may just as likely come from the left as from the right. The right, of course, will be looking to escape exposure and/or prosecution. The left, though, will have a strong claim to the need to focus on agenda items long neglected and which may fall victim to the kind of protracted political fight that "digging in" and "fighting for the truth" will likely require.

3. The fact that what digging in and fighting there has been has not yet actually resulted in any actual accountability is a function of something we've been examining here for a very, very long time: the precarious state of the Congressional "subpoena power" against an executive branch determined to challenge its very existence.

Siegelman has a lot of faith in the determination of John Conyers to get to the bottom of this. But the fact of that matter is that so long as the president is as determined to avoid scrutiny as Congress is determined to avoid impeachment, Conyers is still going to find himself at a loss for tools capable of getting around the stonewalling. Because the simple truth is that if you "don't have the votes," you don't have either the power to compel testimony, or the ability to do anything about not getting it.

So that's another sense in which this episode will make Watergate look like child's play. In Watergate, there was -- at least at the end -- the sense that the system was going to work, and that the president's wrongdoing was going to be exposed. After all, the Congress had gotten its back up as an institution, and declared that there would be an accounting, no matter who had to go down for it.

We'll have no such luck with the 110th Congress. And in all likelihood, no such comeuppance for this president.

The Siegelman episode, and indeed almost all of the Bush "administration's" wrongdoing will make Watergate look like child's play if it's exposed. But whether it's exposed or not, the odds are that in the end, it will be treated as though that's just what it was.

Boys will be boys.

Via Think Progress, we learn of Bill Kristol's quest to become the wrongiest pundit ever to sail the wrongy seas...

On Tuesday night, while the G.O.P. Congressional candidate was losing in a Mississippi district George Bush carried in 2004 by 25 points, Barack Obama was being trounced in the West Virginia Democratic primary — by 41 points. I can’t find a single recent instance of a candidate who ultimately became his party’s nominee losing a primary by this kind of margin.

Oh, mercy. As Room Eight says, it's not hard to come up with examples. It's not even hard to come up with examples from the last four months. Feb 5th, the GOP primary in Utah:

Romney 255,218 90%
McCain 15,264 5%
Paul 8,295 3%
Huckabee 4,054 2%

That's an eighty five point loss. That's not even a loss -- that's political composting. Utah mulched their gardens with the shredded detritus of McCain's campaign efforts.

Now, I'll admit. I don't have a column in the New York Times, which means that America is not obligated to listen to my every utterance as if it meant something. But when Kristol is not just wrong, but spectacularly wrong, and about something that, as a political pundit opining about the state of politics, he most certainly should be expected to know -- what the hell? Does he have no editors? Do his editors not care? Is being a movement conservative something like having a license to kill, so that anyone with the proper conservative credentials can wander the countryside, strangling wayward facts with piano wire?

How do you get to the point where you can just say things that are stubbornly, muleheadedly wrong -- that go against facts that anyone, anywhere can look up with little effort -- and manage to make yourself a tidy living being a professional pundit?

As Think Progress also points out, that wasn't even the only such loss McCain suffered on that very Tuesday. He also lost by over forty points in Arkansas and Colorado. Now, we could take the opportunity to mock Kristol for that -- managing to achieve three strikes of wrong in a single wrongy, wrongy phrase, but I'd rather use the opportunity to reflect on how wildly unpopular McCain was/is among some GOP constituencies.

While we've had months of handwringing about Obama and Clinton fighting it out, and how that core dissent is fracturing the party, McCain's the one with the fractured party. Most of the GOP activists hate him. The evangelicals hate him. McCain is inextricably tied to Bush policies, especially the Iraq War. His base is about as energized as a roadkilled raccoon with a triple-A battery up its -- well, you get the picture.

At the same time, Obama can stage rallies and have 75,000 people show up. So if Kristol intends to paint Obama as the weak and damaged candidate, he's going to have to step his flagrant butchering of reality up yet another notch or two. After all, being a conservative pundit -- even one at the supposed upper echelons of the profession -- means never having to succumb to actual facts when made-up nonsense will do just as well.

Myrtle Strong Enemy, 101, waits for US Democratic presidential candidate and US Senator Barack Obama, (D-IL), to speak in Crow Agency, Montana May 19, 2008. Strong Enemy is the oldest woman in the Crow Nation. REUTERS/Rick Wilking

From the GREAT STATE OF MAINE...

In our latest installment of Yes, We're All Staring at YOU! (now available on marble slabs at fine cemetery monument dealers---I wanted to try a new distribution channel), Daily Kos stalwart DavidNYC takes a grillin' in the chair that makes farty noises when you move around in it:

What first attracted you to Daily Kos?
The fact that Markos deliberately set out to create an environment where you could have interesting discussions about political strategy without the inevitable descent into a left-right flamewar. Prior to discovering blogs, I used to spend some time on the message boards at Slate, and political conversations there always wound up as holy wars between liberals and conservatives. Daily Kos was a haven from all that---something I was grateful for almost right away.

You've been a contributing editor at Daily Kos for eighty percent of half a decade. What has surprised you most about its evolution?
In fact, I've been hanging around DK since 2002, which is about 99 Internet years ago. The changes the site has undergone have been nothing short of amazing over that timeframe, but what has surprised me most is that now, we matter. Back at the start, I think a lot of us felt like we were voices in the wind, too few in number and unpopular in our views to ever be heard. Today, we're the largest political community in the country, we've helped to elect great candidates to office, and people take us very seriously indeed.

You're a life-long New Yorker and Democrat. Why do you think there isn't a federal Martin Van Buren holiday yet?
You know, except for Al Gore, Martin Van Buren was the only Democrat ever to win a presidential election directly after another Democrat (in this case Andy Jackson) had been elected to and served two full terms. They should do a joint holiday for Old Kinderhook and Al, Jr.

What kind of music makes you feel invincible to the GOP horde?
This is kind of embarrassing to admit, but just the other day, I was at the gym and, while I was on the elliptical trainer, the Faulkner Howard Dean remix (MP3) came up on my iPod. Listen to it if you haven't yet. I swear that I got seriously charged up and totally upped my pace. The good doctor was good for my cardio workout! Otherwise, there's nothing like Elvis Costello for pumping me up.

You're an attorney. Which is more stimulating: prosecuting or defending?
I'll go with prosecuting. Some day, someone is gonna march Karl Rove into the courthouse in handcuffs. When that day comes, every Democratic attorney, myself included, is going to wish they had applied for that DOJ job way back when.

You're the publisher of the Swing State Project. As it stands now, how many House and Senate seats do you think we'll pick up in November?
In the wake of all of our special election victories---especially Travis Childers in MS-01---I'm feeling really good. I think we could take another 30 House seats and another 6 Senate seats, like we did last cycle.

What have been the best and worst things about the 2008 election season for you?
Same answer for both: There are just so many amazing Democrats running so many amazing races around the country, I can't possibly follow them all. Mind you, this is a very good problem to have. But sometimes I feel like I'm gorging on candy---or crack.

What's the one book every Kossack must read?
The Watchmen, by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. So awesome, and with a fascinating alternate history political backdrop as well.

You're a Mets fan. Are you gonna win all the marbles this year?
I'm a Mets fan, a Democrat and a Jew, so that means I'm a pessimist by nature. I'm breaking with tradition by being so rosy about the Dems this year, so I'm going to have to play my usual role and be a total wet blanket about the Mets. Wait 'til next year!

Finish this sentence: In the kitchen I make a mean...
Sous chef. My wife is the cooking genius in our family. I have developed excellent peeling, chopping and dicing skills, though. When she needs that bowl of sliced tomatoes, I am at the ready!

What do you do for fun when you're not workin' the blogs?
I have become way too addicted to Guitar Hero on the Wii. Expect a showdown between me and Scout Finch at Netroots Nation.

If you were in charge of messaging for the Democratic presidential candidate, how would you position John McCain?
McCain sure has lost his bearings on the way to the nomination, hasn't he? :) That line definitely got under their skin. I'd keep at it relentlessly.
No waffling here: dogs or cats?
I'll go with dogs. Though I am not at all a pet person, I admire their loyalty---I've always considered myself a "Yellow Dog" Democrat!

What are your favorite blogs besides Daily Kos and the Swing State Project?
I like a lot of the smaller blogs which focus on politics at the state level---sites like The Albany Project (NY), Blue Jersey (NJ), and Cotton Mouth (MS), for instance.

I have one question left, but I'm late for my Elitist 101 class (today's lesson is Emergency Elbow Patch Repair).  Please ask and answer the final question yourself...

Someone asked me today to name two sleeper races this year, one in the Senate and one in the House. I thought that was a great question. For the former, I really dig Andrew Rice in Oklahoma. He has an appealing bio, has raised good money (especially for a small state), and is running against one of the number one demons in the Republican caucus---global warming uber-denialist Jim Inhofe. Rice could definitely gain some traction here.

On the House side, I like a ton of candidates, but one semi-under-the-radar race I'm keenly following is Rabbi Dennis Shulman's in NJ-05. Like Rice, he's got a compelling personal story, has done pretty well with fundraising, and is going up against Scott Garrett, who is probably the most conservative Republican in Congress north of the Mason-Dixon line. In a blue year like this one, Shulman could do well.

Many thanks to all the front-pagers who have taken time out of their busy lives to be a part of this series so you can get to know them better. (Wait'll they hear about my slumber party idea!) Cheers and Jeers starts in There's Moreville... [Swoosh!!] RIGHTNOW! [Gong!!]

James Parks, a blogger for the AFL-CIO news blog, writes at Alternet:

^{Young workers are being squeezed by high costs and stagnant wages, and they want the government to do more to solve today's economic mess.}

The Economic State of Young America by Demos presents a statistical study of the economic condition of young workers, and The Progressive Generation: How Young Adults Think About the Economy by the Center for American Progress (CAP) analyzes public polling of young workers. ...

The two reports paint a picture of young workers who are faced with a combination of declining incomes, growing debt, high costs of education, homeownership and health care. In fact, say the reports' authors, this generation of young workers could be the first not to surpass the living standards of their parents.

One key finding is that young workers understand the role of unions in building economic and political strength to make changes in public policies and the workplace. In the CAP study, young workers gave unions an average ranking of 60 on a 0-to-100 scale (with 0 indicating a negative view and 100 being a positive view), the second-highest level of support of any age group in the more than 40 years the question has been asked.

From both reports, Parks culls some statistics:

* No matter what their level of education, incomes have declined for most young workers. The only young workers whose income rose between 1975 and 2005 were women with a college degree. Their incomes rose 10 percent, while incomes in all other education groups fell or remained stagnant.

* Even though their wages are declining, young workers' debts are rising. The average college graduate has a nearly $20,000 debt; average credit card debt has increased 47 percent between 1989 and 2004 for 25- to 34-year-olds and 11 percent for 18- to 24-year olds.

* Although more than half of women with a child under age one are in the labor force (up from 31 percent in 1976), public policy supports for young families are still lacking. Only 39 percent of women received paid maternity leave. Child care is expensive. Full-time care for a toddler ranges from $3,794 to $10,920 annually, while full-time care for an infant rages from $4,388 to $14,647 annually. In every region of the country, child care for two children exceeds the median rent and is as high or higher than the median monthly mortgage payment.

* Not surprisingly, young workers are more likely to support universal health coverage than any age group in the 30 previous years the question has been asked, with 57 percent of 18- to 29-year-olds saying that health insurance should come from a government insurance plan.

From Harper's Index for June:

Percentage of Republicans and Democrats, respectively, who believe in Hell: 69, 52

Percentage of Independents who do: 45

The Overnight News Digest is posted and includes an article from Spiegel Online International: Negotiators Gather in Dublin to Ban Cluster Bombs.

This evening's Rescue Rangers are Louisiana 1976, shayera, vcmvo2, grog, Wes Opinion and jlms qkw (thanks for the save), with jennyjem as editor.

Here are the diaries up for rescue tonight:

• DWG alerts us to a pending environmental rape bigger than anything ANWR would be in Pebble Mine: The biggest environmental threat in Alaska. (grog)
• In A moment of silence for China and Burma, mofembot reminds us that today marks the first of three official days of mourning in China for the victims of this latest disaster. (vcmvo2)
• pkgoode reminds Kossacks that although Katrina and the flooding caused by the failure of federally-maintained levees happened close to two years ago, the disaster is still current reality in the lives of many in New Orleans in Witness. (Louisiana 1976)
• JedReport tells Kossacks about McCain's soft spot on terrorism: Opposed clinic bombings ban. (shayera)
• admill recommends that Kossacks use a form of transportation that is not only "green" and economical, but also good exercise and just plain fun, in Bike to Work Week/Day. (Louisiana 1976)
• Jeff Huber vividly describes just how close General Petraeus came to "proving" Iran was supplying arms for al Sadr's Mahdi Army but his case fell apart, yet the MSM Fumbles Iran Narrative Again. (vcmvo2)
• DCLaw analyzes and gives Kossacks some more information On the GOP "Brand" (Updated). (shayera)
• Whether or not Dick Morris is an idiot is up for debate, although XStryker gives us an excellent example of why he could very well be considered an idiot of colossal proportions in Dick Morris: Wrong on Iran. (Wes Opinion)
• shirah reports that the latest Bush Administration plan to modernize the system for security clearances is long on detail but short on security in Let's Go Shopping for Security Clearances. (vcmvo2)
• iampunha continues a series of excellent historical reviews in May 19, 1795: A man for all people is born. (jlms qkw)
• Karen Hedwig Backman comes to the realization that maybe she's not as peace-loving as she thought in Confessions of a Pro-War Anti-War Demonstrator. (Wes Opinion)
• aimeeinkc challenges us to act in Is McCain going to kick our ass? (WDYDTW?) (jlms qkw)

jotter has High Impact Diaries - May 18, 2008.

va dare brings Top Comments 5.19.08 "Subdivided We Fall".

Enjoy and please promote your own favorite diaries in this open thread.

::

Our Saturday update, which had Obama +2, doesn't appear to have included the additions of two add-on delegates -- from Colorado and Kansas -- to Barack Obama's total.

On Sunday, California chose its add-on delegates, with three going to Hillary Clinton and two to Obama:

The additional superdelegates pledged for Clinton are: Carolyn Doggett, executive director of the California Teachers Association; former state Assemblyman Dario Frommer; and Dora Rubio, wife of Kern County Supervisor Michael Rubio, a former aide to state Sen. Dean Florez, D-Shafter.

The two pledged to Obama are William Quay Hays, an entrepreneur and developer from Pacific Palisades, and Lou Paulson, president of the California Professional Firefighters. - Mercury News

Sunday night, Washington State Democratic Party Chair Dwight Pelz announced support for Obama. Beyond his respect for Obama:

"At this point in time, however, I feel the voters have spoken," Pelz said, "that Sen. Obama will be our nominee, and that it is time for us as Democrats to begin the final stretch of this historic 2008 campaign to take back America. It is time to unify our party around one candidate."

Kansas Democratic Party Chair Larry Gates also added to Obama's tally:

Senator Obama inspired record numbers of voters to turn out to the Kansas caucuses, which not only strengthens our Party but also the whole political process. He is the best candidate for Democrats to stand behind as we work to take on John McCain – who supports the war in Iraq and Bush’s tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans – in November.

On the heels of the West Virginia primary, Senator Robert Byrd endorsed Obama as well:

"As people all across this great nation know, I have been one of the most outspoken opponents of the Bush administration's misguided war in Iraq and its saber rattling around the globe," Byrd said.

He said he had "no intention of involving myself in the Democratic campaign for President in the midst of West Virginia's primary election. But the stakes this November could not be higher."

And two Alaska DNC members also endorsed Obama.

So the totals (according to what I've found) are Saturday, Obama +4; Sunday, Obama +3 and Clinton +3; and Monday, Obama +4. Obama therefore gained 8 on Clinton for the three-day period.

Not too surprising.

Geraldine Ferraro, the outspoken former Democratic vice presidential candidate and a supporter of Hillary Clinton's White House bid, told the New York Times she may not vote for Barack Obama should he be the party's nominee.

From that NY Times story:

Cynthia Ruccia, 55, a sales director for Mary Kay cosmetics in Columbus, Ohio, is organizing a group, Clinton Supporters Count Too, of mostly women in swing states who plan to campaign against Mr. Obama in November. "We, the most loyal constituency, are being told to sit down, shut up and get to the back of the bus," she said.

The racist Ferraro couldn't have said that better.

What You Missed on Sunday Kos ....

• DarkSyde reviewed Microcosm by master storyteller Carl Zimmer, who takes readers on a learning adventure about some of the world's tiniest and most incredible life forms.
• DavidNYC laid out an unlikely, but possible, path to victory for the presumptive Democratic presidential candidate in Could Obama Win Mississippi?.
• Devilstower explored the history and interplay of racism and sexism in his masterful We Reserve the Right ....
• DHinMI suggested an interesting vice presidential choice for Barack Obama in Barack Obama's Running Mate. How interesting? More than 700 comments' worth (and counting) of interesting on a Sunday afternoon.
• brownsox came to neither honor nor praise (but he did kinda celebrate) in The Death of the Permanent Republican Majority.