Why Aren't You Dead Yet?

Be sure to ask that question of all your republican and spineless democratic friends and politicians.

"Why aren't you dead yet?"

I mean, it's been 10 whole days since the Democrats in Congress ripped the last shreds of protection away from every American by denying telecommunications giants amnesty for criminal wiretapping.

 10 whole days that poor Smirky has had to stand by, handcuffed and helpless, while evil Brown AntiChristian Terrorists poured over the borders and detonated nuclear bombs in every city in the nation.

 10 whole days that defenseless mothers and children have burned to death, screaming in pain while laughing democrats prevented their loyal republican husbands and fathers from going to their aid.

 10 whole days that Democrats have been forcing good republican women into burkhas in preparation for their gang-rape and stoning by the evil ay-rabs.

By now, according to republicans and cowardly DINOs like Harry Reid and Ben Chandler, all loyal republican Americans should be dead and all traitorous Democrats should be praying five times a day to Osama bin Laden.

So, why aren't you dead yet?

Cross-posted at BlueGrassRoots.

Kentucky Democratic Party Elections April 5 - Bring Your Own Pitchforks

Tired of bitching about the pathetic, useless, repug-fellating Democrats In Name Only who run the Kentucky Democratic Party?

Then Throw The Bastards Out!

Seriously. On April 5, Democrats in every precinct in every county throughout Kentucky will start voting for new party officers.

And this is not the usual hopeless "election" where you get to choose between Spineless DINO One and Spineless DINO Two.

Oh, no. This party officer election, which happens only once every four years, actually gives anyone the chance to become a democratic party official at the county, congressional district or even state level.

On Saturday morning, April 5, you show up at your precinct voting place with as many friends, relatives and neighbors who are registered Democrats in your precinct as you can, and vote yourself Precinct Captain. In most precincts, so few people attend that anyone who shows up and wants it gets it.

Think I'm kidding? Four years ago, a young man in Lexington was fed to the teeth with the way Kentucky and national Democratic "leaders" had treated his chosen presidential candidate. He decided that the best revenge was to take over the party from the inside. This political novice showed up at his precinct for the first round of party elections, and ended up on the state Central Committee.

Today, he's Executive Director of the Kentucky Democratic Party.

Don't like how Jeremy Horton is handling his new-found power? Then do to him exactly what he did to his predecessors: show up April 5 and get yourself elected precinct captain.

It's not difficult, but it does require a little planning. For that, the KDP is providing the means of its own overthrow: statewide training sessions starting this Monday, March 3.

I'll even give you a little hint the KDP trainers won't mention: Double-check your precinct voting location a few days before April 5, to make sure the existing party officials haven't changed it at the last minute, which they have been known to do. Then show up at least one hour early, to make sure they don't hold a quickie early election to protect incumbents.

So go to a training session and show up on April 5, or else for the next four years, you have to Sit The Fuck Down and Shut The Fuck Up.

Statewide Trainings for the 2008 KDP Reorganization & Conventions
Starting March 3, the Kentucky Democratic Party is conducting training and orientation sessions across the Commonwealth for the upcoming 2008 Party Reorganization & Conventions.

Trainings are free and open to the public, and we encourage ALL Democrats to attend and help the KDP Turn Kentucky Blue in 2008.

Training Locations

March 3 - PaducahTime: 5:30 p.m.
Paducah Expo Center
1 Executive Blvd.
Paducah, KY 420001
Counties served: Marshall, Calloway, Graves, McCracken, Ballard, Carlisle, Hickman, Fulton

March 4 - HopkinsvilleTime: 5:30 p.m.
Pennyrile Area District Building
300 Hammond Drive
Hopkinsville, KY 42240
Counties served: Todd, Muhlenberg, Hopkins, Christian, Trigg, Caldwell, Lyon, Crittenden, Livingston

March 5 - Bowling Green Time: 5:30 p.m.
Carroll Knicely Conference Center
2355 Nashville Road
Bowling Green, KY 42101
Counties served: Logan, Butler, Edmonson, Warren, Simpson, Allen, Barren, Metcalfe, Monroe, Hart

March 6 - Owensboro Time: 5:30 p.m.
IBEW Union Hall
2911 W. Parish Ave
Owensboro, 42301
Counties served: Hancock, Ohio, Daviess, McLean, Henderson, Webster, Union

March 7 - ElizabethtownTime: 5:30 p.m.
Baymont Inn and Suites
209 Commerce Drive
Elizabethtown KY 42701
Counties served: Meade, Breckinridge, Grayson, Hardin, Larue, Nelson, Washington, Marion

March 8 - Louisville (East)Time: 10:30 a.m.
Dunn Elementary School
2010 Rudy Lane
Louisville, KY 40207
County served: Jefferson, Bullitt, Henry, Jefferson, Oldham, Shelby, Spencer, Trimble

March 8 - Louisville (West)Time: 2:00 p.m.
Central High School, Room # 214
1130 W. Chestnut St.
Louisville, KY 40203
County served: Jefferson, Bullitt, Henry, Jefferson, Oldham, Shelby, Spencer, Trimble

March 10 - Wilder (Covington)Time: 6:00 p.m.
Wilder City Building
520 Licking Pike
Wilder, KY 41071
Counties served: Carroll, Owen, Grant, Pendleton, Campbell, Kenton, Boone, Gallatin

March 11 - Maysville Time: 5:30 p.m.
Limestone Center
606 Bernard Coughlin Blvd.
Maysville, KY 41056
Counties served: Bracken, Robertson, Fleming, Mason, Lewis

March 13 - AshlandTime: 5:30 p.m.
Lawrence Co Convention Center
90 Bull Dog Ln
Louisa, KY 41230
Counties served: Greenup, Carter, Elliott, Lawrence, Boyd

March 14 - MoreheadTime: 5:30 p.m.
Commonwealth Room
Adron Doran University Central
150 University Blvd.
Morehead, KY 40351
Counties served: Bath, Rowan, Morgan, Menifee, Montgomery

March 15 - LexingtonTime: 10:00 a.m.
The Springs Inn
2020 Harrodsburg Road
Lexington KY 40503
Counties served: Franklin, Scott, Nicholas, Powell, Estill, Harrison, Bourbon, Clark, Madison, Garrard, Jessamine, Lincoln, Fayette, Woodford, Anderson, Mercer, Boyle

March 17 - PaintsvilleTime: 5:30 p.m.
Paintsville Community Center
232 Preston Street
Paintsville, KY 41240
Counties served: Magoffin, Johnson, Martin, Floyd, Pike

March 18 - HazardTime: 5:30 p.m.
Perry County Senior Citizens Building
354 Perry Park Road
Hazard, KY 41701
Counties served: Wolfe, Lee, Owsley, Breathitt, Knott, Perry, Leslie, Letcher

March 19 - LondonTime: 5:30 p.m.
Holiday Inn Express, Laurel Room
506 Minton Drive
London, KY 40741
Counties served: Rockcastle, Jackson, Clay, Laurel, Whitley, Knox, Bell, Harlan

March 20 - Russell SpringsTime: 5:30 p.m.
Lake Cumberland ADD Office
Lake Way Dr.
Russell Springs 42642
Counties served: Green, Taylor, Casey, Adair, Russell, Pulaski, McCreary, Wayne, Clinton, Cumberland

Will It Turn My Red State Blue?

While the national Democratic “leadership” is busy trying to figure out how to squeeze just one more state into the Democratic electorial vote column, on the ground here in the ignored “red” states, we’re setting our sights higher.

Twenty-four years after Mitch McConnell’s upset of Senator Dee Huddleston started the republican takeover of traditionally Democratic Kentucky, 2008 is shaping up as the year our 6-2 red congressional delegation flips to a 4-4 or possibly 5-3 blue group.

Three weeks ago, I would have said 4-4 was a lock, 5-3 likely and a complete reversal to 6-2 Democratic a definite possibility.

But the withdrawal of the only Democrat with a chance in hell of beating Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell makes it far less of a sure thing.

Nevertheless, we have progressive political novices courageously challenging republican incumbents in two Congressional Districts, and a wide-open race in another.

In the far-western First District, military veteran Heather Ryan is challenging seven-term incumbent Ed Whitfield. You’ll remember that Ryan was fired from her job on Mitch’s orders because her 12-year-old daughter Heaven dared to challenge McConnell on his support for the Iraq catastrophe.

Although Ryan is being studiously ignored by the Kentucky Democratic Party (KDP), and although the KDP has failed to support a challenge to the extremely weak Whitfield for six straight election cycles, the unemployed mom, whose husband is on military deployment, has the determined support of Kentucky’s progressive blogosphere.

She also, unlike some supposedly stronger candidates in other districts, has a campaign website.

In the Second District, which ridiculously stretches almost 200 miles from the western flatlands past the Bluegrass to the foothills of the eastern mountains, republicans are still reeling from the last-second decision (seriously – barely an hour before the filing deadline) of seven-term incumbent Ron Lewis to not run again.

The rural Second is pretty conservative but not stupid, which is why it kept re-electing worthless piece of furniture but real repug Lewis over the pathetic repug-lites the KDP kept putting up against him.

The good news is that now Democrats have a real chance to take back the Second. The bad news is that two Democrats are running in the primary, and neither one of them can claim to be a progressive.

David Boswell and Reid Haire are both from Owensboro, at the far western edge of the Second District. Both are experienced local politicians – Haire the Daviess County Judge-Executive, and Boswell the state senator. Neither has a campaign website up.

Boswell is anti-choice (or as Eva Destruction put it, “believes pregnant women are the property of their husbands or parents”) and Haire has contributed to Mitch McConnell’s re-election. Hard to say who comes out better in that comparison.

Two republicans initially filed to replace Lewis, but Lewis’ chief of staff has now dropped out, leaving state senator Brent Guthrie of Bowling Green with no primary challenge.

As DINOs, neither Boswell nor Haire is likely to excite Kentucky’s progressives much, so the Second District race will come down to how powerful the Democratic wave is in November.

But we’re going to have fun in Louisville’s Third District, where humiliated ex-congress critter Anne Northup is begging for another whuppin’ from Proud Liberal John Yarmuth.

Northern Kentucky’s Fourth District might be interesting, if novice Michael Kelley can get some support from state Democrats for his challenge to repug two-term incumbent Geoff Davis.

In the Fifth and Sixth Districts, incumbents are sitting pretty. DINO extraordinaire Ben Chandler of Lexington’s Sixth has two republican challengers that nobody ever heard of and will coast to re-election. As will republican Hal Rogers of eastern Kentucky’s Fifth. Eastern Kentuckians may be overwhelmingly Democratic, but they appreciate somebody who knows how to bring home the bacon, no matter how unethically or illegally. Kentucky Democrats may be none too bright at times, but they’re nowhere near stupid enough to run against Rogers.

Speaking of stupid Democrats, Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear and DSCC Chair Chuck Schumer have guaranteed Mitch McConnell’s re-election by forcing Andrew Horne out of the race in favor of Criminal and Democratic Traitor Bruce Lunsford.

How bad a candidate is Bruce Lunsford? Bruce Lunsford is so bad, that there are dedicated progressive Democrats in this state who will not vote in the Senate race if Lunsford is the Democratic nominee.

Which he probably will be, even though he technically has six primary opponents. The only one of the six who is seriously challenging Lunsford is millionaire Greg Fischer, who is already getting slammed for falsely claiming to have picked up Horne’s supporters.

Last year, I wrote that the Democratic win in the Kentucky governor’s race was a good omen for Democratic wins statewide and nationally in 2008.

I still believe that, even though Governor Beshear has proven not to be the Great Democratic Hope I thought he was.

Cross-posted at Watching Those We Chose.

A Precautionary Tale for Progressives

As we all suspected, the withdrawal last week of Andrew Horne from the race to unseat Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell was the tip of a huge, ugly, downright evil iceberg.

As well as we have all learned the lesson of the 2007 "Democratic" majority in Congress - that Democrats in power cannot be trusted as far as you can throw them - what happened to the Senate race in Kentucky proves that it's even worse than you thought.

Progressive bloggers in Kentucky have been chewing nails and spitting rust on this all week, but MediaCzech of Kentucky's first progressive blog, BlueGrassRoots, nails the backstabbing bastards to the ground in a passionate polemic that every progressive in the country should memorize.

What we have is Paul Hackett: the sequel. Only worse. In Paul Hackett’s case, the establishment threw their weight behind a progressive candidate with a great chance of winning. Here in KY, they’ve just rigged the system to nominate a slimy, DINO, government defrauding, nursing home slumlord with no chance of beating Mitch McConnell in an election this November.

OK, I know what some of you are thinking now… “How dare you give Mitch McConnell a free pass?!”

Well, let me tell you something. It does the progressive movement in KY NO GOOD to sugarcoat the situation and live in a positive fantasy world. What we need is a healthy dose of reality to let KY progressives know where we are, what we’re up against, and be able to form a coherent strategy for how we’re going to take the KDP and our state government back.

Trust me: it just gets better. Read the whole thing.

Then check out Chuck Schumer's pathetic, whining response.

Cross-posted as Watching Those We Chose.

How Chuck Schumer Guaranteed Mitch's Re-election

All the details aren't in yet, but it's clear that Chuck Schumer of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee and Kentucky's new Democratic Governor Steve Beshear forced retired Marine Lt. Col. Andrew Horne out of the race to challenge Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.

They deliberately and knowingly forced out the only Democrat in the state who had a chance of beating McConnell.

And they did it in favor of Criminal, Democratic Traitor and Two-Time Electoral Loser Bruce Lunsford, one of the most hated politicians in the state.

PageOneKentuckyhas a great round-up of the current coverage and speculation.

The power brokers of Kentucky and Washington, D.C. just made a decision for you, Kentucky, and that decision is one which says you’re too stupid to select your own candidate.

Read up. Get fired up. Don’t settle for strongarming.

Don't miss the comments. Lots of anger and lots of fun rumors, including speculation about a 527 fund connected to Lunsford that funneled big bucks to Beshear.

One of the more stupid excuses for the strongarming is a recent poll that tagged Lunsford's name recognition in Kentucky at 44 percent and Horne's at 14 percent.

What that poll didn't show, however, is how many of those 44 percent "recognize" Lunsford as the person who:

- threw poor, sick, old people out of his nursing homes to make room for higher-paying patients;
- bankrupted thousands of Kentucky investors in his nursing-home company;
- donated tens of thousands of dollars to republican politicians, including - wait for it - Mitch McConnell;
- spent $8 million on ads attacking the 2003 Democratic Gubernatorial nominee, then endorsed the republican candidate and eventual winner, and
- wasted $17 million on two state-wide election campaigns that he lost by double-digits.

Yep, that's the Bruce Lunsford Kentuckians love to hate. We know him well, and hate him even more than that.

If you surveyed Kentuckians on the name recognition of Satan, you'd get a positive response of damn close to 100 percent. That doesn't mean Satan could garner many votes here. Although if Satan were running against Bruce Lunsford, Satan might win.

Lunsford has six opponents left in the democratic primary, all of whom are so lame they actually make Lunsford look slightly less than horrific.

Iraq combat veteran Horne soared so far above the seven dwarves it wasn't even a contest. Which is, of course, why Schumer and Beshear had to force him out. Probably they just made it clear he wouldn't get a dime or minute of support from the state or national party, although other threats are not out of the question. Horne has a wife recovering from cancer and two minor children - far be it from me to judge his decision.

But it leaves Kentucky progressives depressed, angry and in no mood to help Beshear and Schumer re-elect Mitch.

This Senate race is about as FUBARed as politics gets in Kentucky, which is saying quite a bit.

Cross-posted at Watching Those We Chose.

Mitch Wins

UPDATE Below

It's over. Nobody seems to know what happened, though we've all got our ideas. Each one more depressing than the last.

Dear Friend,

I'm writing you today with some disappointing news. This afternoon I informed Governor Steve Beshear of my decision to withdraw from the United States Senate race.

This decision was difficult for many reasons, not least because of the major challenges facing our Commonwealth and Country. Millions of Americans live without quality health care, we have shamefully disregarded the needs of our veterans, our education system is deeply flawed, and we remain embroiled in a mismanaged and ill-conceived war. Through it all, Mitch McConnell is more interested in expanding the scope of his own power than using his office to benefit the hardworking families who make our country great.

I cannot begin to tell you how grateful I am for everything you have done to support me in this campaign. I won't be the Democrat challenging Mitch McConnell next November, but our work is far from done. We must continue to fight for the values that brought us together. I look forward to working with you for many years to come.

Again, thank you so much.

Sincerely,

Andrew

UPDATE, 5:29 a.m: For an idea of how this decision is already splitting progressives in Kentucky into warring camps, check out the comments at PageOneKentucky and BlueGrassRoots.

Brokaw's "BUST!"

I didn't read The Greatest Generation, so maybe it will come as no surprise to those who did read it that BOOM!, Tom Brokaw's take on the Sixties, is just about the shallowest, most cliche-ridden, controversy-avoiding, centrism-worshipping waste of good trees I've ever read.

618 pages on the Sixties and its aftermath and not one single word about gay liberation.

Interviews with 95 separate people, not one of whom is poor, homeless, in prison, a current substance abuser, suffering from mental illness, bankrupted by a callous health care system, working three minimum-wage jobs, an atheist, a Muslim, an immigrant, a woman who is happily child-free, or a veteran of any military conflict later than Vietnam.

Discussion of environmentalism is confined to the tree-hugging ramblings of Carl Pope, head of the Sierra Club, for pity's sake. Not a peep about Love Canal, Cancer Alley, global warming.

Dolores Huerta on the good old days of the grape boycott with the Farm Workers, but nothing on how repugs have made it impossible for American workers to organize and bargain for decent pay and conditions.

One light-weight page and a half on how the social liberation of the Sixties politicized religious fundamentalists, but nothing on the horrifically catastrophic results.

(More after the jump.)

Plenty on the Voting Rights Act and the political power it brought to African-Americans, but nothing on how republican lies about "voter fraud" have disenfranchised tens of millions of minorities and cleared the way for blatant republican election fraud.

A nice profile of a Vietnam-era resister who went to Canada and stayed, but nothing about the Iraq veterans imprisoned for refusing third and fourth deployments or committing suicide because of untreated PTSD.

Lots of his own journalistic war stories, but no analysis of how the degradation of network news has helped destroy rational political discussion.

Time after time, he lets his wealthy, well-known, comfortable interviewees get away unchallenged with the most outrageous evasions and lies.

A cute "separated at birth" comparison of Bill Clinton and Newt Gingrich that completely avoids any discussion of the extreme damage Gingrich's scorched-earth tactics have done to the country.

No questioning of the Cato Institute founder's claim that all we need to create strong third political parties is to eliminate all restrictions on campaign contributions.

No slapdown of the mogul of superstore chain bookstores who claims he didn't kill independent booksellers; they committed suicide.

And I can't bear to write about Brokaw's sickening love notes to Karl Rove and Dick Cheney.

It's probably not fair to expect anyone to completely cover the Sixties and its aftermath in 618 pages - or 618,000 pages for that matter.

But how about a more honest subtitle than "Personal Reflections on the Sixties and Today?"

How about "A politically-neutered, substance-free summary of what my privileged friends and I think about the Sixties."

Cross-posted at BlueGrassRoots.

Snark Quote of the Day

From Andrew Sullivan, regarding the Clinton camp's "so what" spin on Obama's crushing wins on Saturday:

Two words come to mind when assessing Clinton's apparent strategy to wait the primaries out till bigger, more fertile states: Rudy. Giuliani.

Loved Edwards? Then Vote for Obama

The day before Barack Obama fought Hillary Clinton to a draw on Super Tuesday (or by some calculations, actually won decisively), Ben Carter and Joe Sonka of BlueGrassRoots wrote a brilliant analysis of why Edwards supporters should change their allegiance to Obama.

There's a lot of crap on the Internet right now from fanatic Clinton and Obama partisans, as well as the usual gag-making pablum from the usual DLC mush-mouths.

This, however, is the kind of sharp, clear, make-no-bones endorsement that once upon a time graced the nation's finest newspapers. It strikes the perfect balance between practicality and idealism, avoiding both cynicism and cult hysteria.

I trust Ben and Joe will forgive me for excerpting most of their post here, because it's just too well-written and closely reasoned to edit.

We believe America has a fight on its hands. Entrenched powers have trillions of dollars riding on maintaining the status quo and if Americans want cleaner energy, more wholesome food, safer and cheaper prescription drugs, and a health care system that treats all of us like we’re human beings, well, we’re going to have to fight for it.

In this Democratic primary, there have been two (viable) candidates that have advocated for these changes—John Edwards and Barack Obama. The difference between them, from what we can tell, came only in their envisioned means of change. As John Edwards said, “(Obama) believes you can create change by bringing everyone to the table and talking about it. That drug companies and energy companies will voluntarily give up their power. I don’t think it works that way. I think we’ve got a fight on our hands.” Amen.

With John Edwards out of the race, we turn to Barack Obama. We are hopeful, especially because of something he said after the New Hampshire primary. In response to John Edwards, he said, “I believe everyone deserves a seat at the table, including drug companies and energy companies. But that doesn’t mean you let them buy every chair.”

This rhetorical flourish provides an appropriate transition to the other reasons why we are supporting Obama, some principled, others pragmatic. First, the man can inspire. Wow! We see in Barack Obama the same kind of transformative political figure for the Democratic Party as Ronald Regan was for the Republicans. We believe he has the ability to forge a new American majority and achieve change, not through half-measures, triangulation, and compromise, but by inspiring the American people to demand the kind of fundamental change we need. Instead of doing only what is politically possible, we believe he can expand the field of what is possible by tearing down fences on the political landscape so long established others accept them as natural.

Second, Barack Obama was right on the war. He was right in 2002 and he’s right today. The war in Iraq has been America’s greatest foreign policy disaster in a generation and enabling it is the Democratic Party’s great shame. Related to this issue is America’s desperate need to restore its image abroad. To use the language of Madison Avenue: we have a branding problem. We believe Barack Obama can enunciate to the world a vision that resonates across cultures, across nations, and across religions. Amen.

Third, we mentioned some of our reasons were pragmatic. Above, we spurned the cynical view that politics was the art of the possible. However, the tension in politics must always be between that cynicism and idealism. We temper our idealism with pragmatism. We may support Dennis Kucinich, but we could never support him. Our support of John Edwards stemmed in part from our desire to have a candidate who could put all fifty states into play for the Democrats. We believed a John Edwards candidacy could have reclaimed part of the South for Democrats, and a strong Southern Democrat would certainly have made life more difficult for Mitch McConnell in this fall.

While we are reticent to use a term crafted in the bowels of the DLC—electability—at this point it would be foolhardy not to look at the dynamics of the race ahead. It is clear to us that the Republican’s only hope of retaining the White House is John McCain. They seem to be figuring this out, as well, and we presume he will be their nominee this fall. Against McCain, we believe Barack Obama is our only chance.

A Clinton/McCain duel would be fought along conventional lines with conventional weapons and we believe McCain wins that duel. Hilary Clinton is too polarizing to inspire, too entrenched in traditional political calculus to adapt, and too wedded to big business to convincingly articulate a different vision for America. Against McCain, we will need someone who can change the political calculus and inspire new alliances.

Barack Obama, his communications staff, and his campaign managers have demonstrated a remarkable ability to craft a message that endeavors to create new political realities. This work requires courage, creativity, and conviction, all of which Barack Obama has in abundance. BlueGrassRoots is proud to endorse Barack Obama for President of the United States.

Cross-posted at Watching Those We Chose.

Andrew Horne at Firedoglake

Mitch McConnell nemesis Andrew Horne was live-blogging at Firedoglake yesterday, and it's worth a read to get a sense of the man's democratic principles, self-confidence and humor (don't miss his answer to Who Would Daniel Boone Vote For?)

You can still chat with Andrew, who logged off with this invitation:

For everyone who would like to be involved in our campaign I would also encourage you to join the Netroots for Horne google group. This is a great way for me to get feedback from the Netroots and work with you all as our campaign moves forward.

Andrew's wife Stephanie has a great diary up on Daily Kos.

If it's fair to judge candidates by their spouses, then Andrew Horne has already won this one by a landslide.

Dear Remaining Primary States: Please Let Our Votes Count. Love, Kentucky

At the risk of tempting fate, I have to finally articulate the hope I've been harboring since Iowa:

It's possible that 2008 will see the first time since 1988 that primary votes cast in Kentucky will actually count in determining the Democratic nominee.

Kentucky's presidential primary is May 20, the same third Tuesday in May on which every Kentucky primary election is held. Oregon also votes on May 20, then Puerto Rico in June, and that's it.

But for Puerto Rico and the Pacific Time Zone, Kentucky primary voters are dead last in the nation.

We haven't seen a presidential candidate during an actual election year since Lexington homeboy Henry Clay ran in 1852.

In 1988, a wild hair got into the ass of somebody who moved our primary to Super Tuesday. About 14 people - obviously confused by the winter weather - actually voted, so the presidential primary was quietly moved back to almost Memorial Day.

I remember fighting back tears in May 2004 as I cast my defiant but meaningless vote for Howard Dean. If only we'd had a February primary, Howard, we could have saved you!

But now Super Tuesday, instead of crowning the usual hopeless establishment loser, has given us the priceless gift of an actual tie between two strong candidates. And the very real prospect of staying a tie right through Memorial Day.

As Josh Marshall noted after the results were in:

But I think all these competing scenarios make one point clear. The only arguments for one side or the other being a winner here come down to airy and finally meaningless arguments about expectations. And the result tells a different tale. It's about delegates. It's dead even. You've got two well-funded candidates who've demonstrated an ability to power back from defeats. And neither is going anywhere.

The flip side of the proportional representation in delegates is that not only does it allow a challenger like Obama not to get put away early, it also makes it difficult to put away an opponent late. The conventional wisdom is that Obama will do well in this weekend's and next Tuesday's contests. But if he does, proportionality will reign there too. It's hard to see where this doesn't go all the way to the convention.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, party split, help the repugs, wasted money, blah, blah, blah.

I don't care. Just this once, I want my presidential primary vote to count. I don't think that's too much to ask.

Virgina? Ohio? Texas? Pennsylvania? What do you say?

Cross-posted at BlueGrassroots.