The Boston Phoenix’s Steven Stark, noting Hillary Clinton’s ongoing efforts to portray Brack Obama as a wimp, observes: [D]oubts about a candidate’s masculinity would spell trouble regardless of the opponent. But it’s especially problematic when, well, it’s a woman who’s pointing out what a wimp you’ve become. There is a well-accepted role in American life for the “tomboy” – a role, say, inhabited in pop culture by Seinfeld’s Elaine –

At FDL, Jane Hamsher is on Code Red alert status: According to the ACLU, there is rumor of a backroom deal being brokered by Jay Rockefeller on FISA that will include retroactive immunity. I’ve heard from several sources that Steny Hoyer is doing the dirty work on the House side, and some say it will be attached to the new supplemental. Rep. Jerry Lewis (R-Heylaydee) said last week that he would

Vanity Fair has an amusing article by James Wolcott about bloggers waging war over Hillary and Obama, entitled “When Democrats Go Post-al.” Mr. Wolcott has in the past performed psychosexual ananlysis on this onion bulb, here. Among the cast of characters are: Match them with their descriptions: a) accused Hillary of cult membership in “the sinister heart of the international right.” b) celebrity clubhouse of Obamamania. c) managed to annoy

Broad-minded San Franciscan, demonstrating his inclusivity by reporting that he is friends with a conservative Catholic woman, despite her “unfortunate” choice of religions and politics. Read it at Michelle’s. I wrote a short missive to the reader’s rep: You know, I’d kind of like him for his outsized bigotry if he weren’t such a spectacularly liberal secular humanist cunt. Keep up the good work, Dan Collins Monkton, VT

Having touched on the different ways of sampling public opinion this morning, it was a happy coincidence to find results from the latest Gallup Panel survey, which asked respondents to describe in their own words “what comes to mind” when they think of the three leading presidential candidates.  The results regarding all three are interesting in their own ways, but I am focused on John McCain here because a similar February

passes into, like, whoa!  totally other dimension! Godspeed, and thanks for the pseudo-memories

Now that Barack Obama has specifically denounced some of the worst of Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s comments, the L.A. Times has deigned to ask black ministers about the controversy: African American ministers in Los Angeles expressed angst and concern Tuesday that a fresh round of comments by Sen. Barack Obama’s former pastor was hurting the Democratic presidential candidate’s campaign and skewing public understanding of the black church. *** “This didn’t have anything

They smile in your face All the while they want to bait your race Those B’rackstabbers.

At RCP, Jay Cost revisits the ongoing discussion about whether Barack Obama can win working class whites in the general election, from two different but equally interesting perspectives. His first take on the issue circles around a look at Clinton’s primary victories in the counties of metropolitan Pittsburgh compared to the general election performance of Republican candidates dating back to 1972.  He presents a chart showing that: (a) Reagan did not

Docweasel(s) take(s) the Pandagate handwringers to the woodshed, here. But here, I completely agree with the post.  I stopped being at all interested in perusing the Victoria’s Secret catalog when they started using Adriana Lima, who looked disturbingly 15ish.  Anyway, my daughter’s 13, and I won’t even let her watch Friends.  That’s how hung up I’ve become about this stuff.