John McCain was out on the campaign trail last December in New Hampshire, when he uttered these words of wisdom. I'm sure glad that a Presidential canidiate knows important sources of information like the "cables" and bloggers. But what does McNasty think of "the bloggers"?

Happy Independence Day! Hope you all are enjoying it. Unfortunatley, I'm stuck at work, but the holiday pay cushions the blow of having to work, and I'll get off in time for fireworks. But our question today is a natural one: with all the recent claims of "concern trolling" against contributors who have always been of a good value to the discussions we've had, and now with a diary on the rec list touting how we all just need to shut the hell up on FISA and abortion, has MyDD jumped the shark?

More great news on the polling front--it appears our 50 state strategy is working. A new poll out today from Rasmussen Reports details this strikingly--for the first time in a long time, we will have a Presidential canidate who is competititve in the Deep South. We've heard about Georgia already, but now Mississippi is well within range for Senator Obama, with news out from the first post-primary poll of the state:

(after the flap)

Well, what we've heard from the concern trolls locally is that the Obama campaign is essentially doomed because of the steadfast blowback from groups like PUMA, Just Say No Deal, Citizens for McCain. For some bizarre reason, the media seems to be carrying this as a narrative, however, the numbers and the math don't lie: I don't think we have much to be concerned about, and actually, the level of unity at this part of the campaign is pretty much on par, if not a touch better than otheR years at the same point in time. Let's look at some polling after the flap.

It appears that Cindy McCain is now hitting Michelle Obama on the campaign trail, as evidenced by this recent CNN interview with her, where she defended her comment about "always" been proud of her country, an obvious and and intentional cheap shot at Senator Obama's wife:

As the presidential campaigns of John McCain and Barack Obama tangle over which is unfairly dragging the prospective first ladies into the general election battle, Cindy McCain sent a signal this morning that she's not about to step out of the fray.

The wife of presumptive Republican nominee John McCain stood behind her initial response to Democratic counterpart Michelle Obama's comment that for the first time she was "really proud" of her country. She told CNN's John King that her own remark - that she had "always" been proud of her country - had been a spontaneous response, not a planned attack.

As talked about in another thread, I figured this needed some expanding today. Howard Dean came out in support of the accusiation that the media has been using sexist biases in this campaign, from CBS News:

http://www.cbsnews.com/blogs/2008/06/02/ politics/horserace/entry4146386.shtml

There has been an enormous amount of sexism in this campaign on the part of the media, including the mainstream media...there have been major networks that have featured numerous outrageous comments that if the words were reversed and they were about race, the people would have been fired....What you don't get over is deep wounds that have been inflicted on somebody because they happen to be a woman running for president of the United States.

Well, looks like the "Straight Talk Pony" is back, ironically going after yet another member of the Obama vetting team.

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/200 8/06/12/mccain-goes-after-second-obama-v p-vetter/#more-7836

(CNN) - The day after Jim Johnson resigned from Barack Obama's vice presidential candidate vetting committee, John McCain set his sights on Eric Holder -- one of the two remaining members of the committee.

"I think people in the media and observers will make a decision as to whether these people, individuals, should be part of Senator Obama's campaign," McCain told reporters in Boston. "I think it is a matter of record that Mr. Holder recommended the pardoning of Mr. [Marc] Rich."

Well, it appears that we are settled on the question of Florida and Michigan, in what seems to be, for the most part, a fair assessment for each person running in the race. It's now time to move on and deal with some of the more disturbing bits of today's news, like the talk of "going to Denver", which really worries me, and the behavior of some people at the meeting today.