The latest polls are out, and Obama's now in the lead in Nevada, according to Rasmussen -- Obama 42, McCain 40.

Nevada's five electoral votes went to Bush twice -- and due to the close nature of those contests, Nevada missed opportunities to put Al Gore or John Kerry into the White House.

But the GOP never faced the sort of headwinds they're facing now in Nevada.  The Rasmussen poll's no fluke -- the Silver State's chances of going blue in November are higher than ever.

On a day in which the entire American economy seems to be collapsing; when government officials don't know what next steps to take to bail out the mortgage, banking and housing industries;  when our Judicary Committee in the people's branch has caved to politics and opposes the rule of law; I thought we should take a moment to forget about the clowns in the beltway and remember a day, a time, a period in our lives when things were a bit simpler and pay tribute to a real clown who passed away earlier this month.  

For those of us who haven't heard, Bozo the Clown has passed.

This is an ongoing series from the national tour for THE UPRISING. You can order The Uprising at Amazon.com or through your local independent bookstore.

DENVER - Last week, I appeared on Fox News to discuss the inflammatory comments by Phil Gramm (John McCain's top economic advisor) and how those comments really epitomize the Republican Party's country clubbish, let-them-eat-cake outlook on the economy.

Greed Homeowners + Greedy Lenders = Tax Payer Bailouts

Once again taxpayers are cleaning up a financial mess because an institution is too big to fail.  I am becoming quite disgusted that the only people taking responsibility for our current state of affairs seem to be the American taxpayers as generously volunteered by our elected officials.

Homeowners, irresponsible lenders, those who turned these bogus mortgages into securities, and  complete lack of functioning government regulations all share pretty equal portions of the blame.

NY Times Story Here

Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac Losses Make Them "Insolvent," former Saint Louis Federal Reserve Governor William Poole warns today in a Bloomberg article.
Over the past few days there has been an ever increased talk of systemic problems with the main two guarantors of home loans in the United States.

UPDATE: U.S. Foreclosures Rose 53% in June, Bank Seizures Almost Triple this past month according to Reality track.

http://www.bloomberg.com/...

More below the fold.

Conservative apologists are perplexed.  They can't seem to understand why Americans are so worried about their economic struggles.  After all, unemployment is down from historical highs, we haven't had a quarter of negative economic growth yet, the Dow is still high relative to prior downturns, so what's the problem?

Maybe if they actually listened to just one average American instead of figuring out ways to place the numbers in the right combination to make all look well, they'd get their answer.  Hint: it has nothing to do with what they hear on the nightly news.

Ann Shea, 47, an attorney who lives in Butte, said the nation faces hardships that trump patriotism.

"The issue is, we're paying almost five bucks a gallon in gas, we're in a war we shouldn't be in, and the current administration, which is the one McCain will carry on, is just lying to the American people to get what they want," she said. "Obama's not about that."

Here's a preview of what's coming this week in Congress. I'd love feedback in comments if you have it.

Coming up this week in the Senate are Harry Reid's latest attempts to pass the main bill containing Congress' response to the housing and mortgage crisis and a rollback of a cut in doctors' payments for Medicare services. A vote on the FISA (warrantless wiretapping) bill is also possible. The House won't be doing much.

Details and this week's committee schedules after the jump.

• A recent study has found that black men are more likely than white men and women to be unaware that they are suffering from high blood pressure, according to an article in Wednesday’s Reuters Health.  The researchers claim that this disparity stems from the fact that men are less likely than women to believe that they need to see a doctor.   Moreover, men, particularly African American men, are less likely to have access to a primary care physician:

With all the recent distress over a couple of not-completely-progressive stances -- and the requisite not-more-more-dime comments, it's probably a good idea to step back for a moment for some perspective:

Barack Obama will be the most progressive president in the history of our great nations.

I'm not here to get into historical disputes about why, given the times, FDR or JFK or whoever may prove more progressive.  My point is that, on issue after issue, Obama will be the most progressive than any President before him.  By a long shot.

We know he's going to end the war in Iraq, restore habeas, reduce the influence of lobbyists, close Gitmo, engage in tough diplomacy with our enemies, appoint progressive judges, etc.  But this just scratches the surface.  Just a quick trip through some of Obama's issues pages reveals the breadth of progressive change that he wants to bring to American

This may not be the appropriate place to post this but I'm desparate.  Does anyone here have any leads on housing available in Denver?

It is hard right now in Iowa. We have had tornados and floods that have destroyed lives and homes. But during this tough time, Obama is present in a wonderful way. I live in a town right along the Mississippi.Everyone has heard about Cedar Rapids, Iowa City and Des Moines because those are very large areas and it is hard to imagine such destruction. But tell that to the small communities along the river's edge, and some times not so edge when levees break. These lives also saw destruction. But believe it or not Obama was there.....

Native residents, guest workers and illegal immigrants who work in the Middle Gulf Coast region in the post-Katrina, post-Rita era have problems to deal with that would probably astonish a lot of people insulated from the reality of the situation because national media outlets rarely, if ever, cover the issue on television.  Anybody with a shred of intelligence could deduce many of the challenges they face, but there are a lot things that the general public just does not know about.  Violations of the human rights and civil liberties of workers in the region occur regularly, committed by not only bosses but also by some members of the law enforcement community (wittingly and unwittingly).  The absence of any credible attempt to protect the rights of everyday workers coincides with heavy handed tactics by ICE, as related to migrant workers, and the police, as related to a myriad of issues, including homeless workers and enforcement of the law on behalf of true victims.  Some of the facts, and there are no shortage of them, will either surprise you or make you feel sick.

Hello all Kossacks,

I've been selected to head to Ohio next week as an Obama Organizing Fellow. I can't wait to meet all the wonderful people excited as myself in getting Barack Obama elected as the next President of the United States! Follow me over the fold for a plea for help.

A NY Court of Appeals ruling this week puts tens of thousands of tenants in danger of eviction.  A young wealthy couple who owns a 15-unit apartment building in the middle of Manhattan is now allowed to evict all of the residents so they can convert the building into their own giant, personal mansion.

What can you do?

Two things.

1. Help the Tenants.

2. Call/e-mail the Republicans in the State Senate, who are about to lose their majority.  They are holding up legislation that would fix this loophole in the law. Scare them into doing the right thing.

As an occasional contributor to the Ku35 series, I have tried to focus on the economic issues that face us young people. If you want to understand why we are so politicized, why we are so Democratic, I believe we must begin with the truly dire economic conditions our generations faces - the worst in 70 years.

I wrote about this in February - but that was based on a California-specific study. In May Demos published the Economic State of Young America, illustrating on a national level and in stark terms the crisis we face. Tonight I want to give a quick tour of their points, and then explain what it means for generational politics.

Sad news on the economic front, folks.  CNN is reportingon a release by the Mortgage Bankers' Association on how foreclosures have passed the 1 million mark.

South Dakota and Montana have not yet had their votes tallied, but the Obama campaign is already laying the groundwork for the fall campaign.  Today the media will focus on Barack Obama's event at the site of the Republican National Convention, and on the superdelegate endorsements of the day.  Good news, welcome news, but other, lower-profile organizing is happening today that may have a larger effect on November's results...and on the party for years to come.

The Obama Organizing Fellows program (described by Steven R in an April diary) is gearing up, and you can help even if you are not a Fellow.  Read below the fold to learn how you can sign up to host a Fellow this summer.