There’s a very simple way to explain David Broder.

Bill Clinton ruined the moral fabric of his nation.

George W. Bush ruined the moral fabric of some other shithole.

And no, that’s not a joke.

Update: From Mnemosyne in comments:

Since I’ve been complaining about nutty websites, let me today point out that TalkLeft has returned to sanity and both Jeralyn and Big Tent Democrat have posted that they will support Obama wholeheartedly now that Clinton has officially suspended her campaign.

Exactly as Jeralyn said they would, and good for them.

At 5PM EST, 4PM Central, Firedoglake will be hosting a book salon for my book It’s a Jungle Out There: The Feminist Survival Guide to Politically Inhospitable Environments.  Sara Robinson from Group News Blog and Orcinus will be hosting. 

Both Sara and I will be on hand to answer questions, spur discussion, and just feminist up the joint.  Should be fun.  I’d be much obliged if Pandagon readers could come by and ask some questions/join the discussion.

Thanks to copyranter for the picture.

Jeebus, they’re scraping the bottom of the barrel with this one.

[W]hen Michelle Obama threw the dap at her husband a few days ago, I prayed a tiny little pray to my good friend Jesus: “Dear Lord in Heaven above,” I said, “If you love me the way I love you, you will let crazy right-wingers totally flip their shit over this utterly noncontroversial event.”

Well, folks, I don’t know about you, but I have proof that Jesus loves me, because not only did every square-butted news magazine in America stand agog and write a hilariously embarrassing “What is this crazy Negro fist-bump, anyway?” article, but enough Fightin’ Keyboarders percieved in the dap elements of gang affiliation, foreign nationialism or terrorist sympathy to keep me in tears all weekend…

Ben Curtis, circa 2001, for president!

Read the whole thing to see the depths of a) racism and b) social backwardness on display by wingnuts everywhere.

Clinton endorses Obama.

Mighty Ponygirl has declared it National Screw While On Contraception Day.  Yes, even if you’re “trying”.  Or you’re in a committed and tested relationship that’s not running the risk of the big knock-up because you’re gay or sterilized or pregnant or post-menopausal or whatever.  You don’t even need a partner.  Wrap a condom around a butt plug and shove it up your ass.  Or blow condoms up and decorate your house with them while running around naked singing filthy, blasphemous songs about how Jesus and Mary Magdalene got it on. 

Better yet, show up at one of the Planned Parenthoods that have been marked for abuse for distributing contraception today with a big, fat sign that says, “Thanks for all the hard work, Planned Parenthood.”  Why?  Because the American Life League is protesting Planned Parenthood today because contraception was legalized after a lawsuit filed by Planned Parenthood after one director, Estelle Griswold, got arrested for selling contraception to married couples in the state of Connecticut.  Today is the 45th anniversary of that lawsuit, Griswold v Connecticut, and the protest is, surprise surprise, based on a lie and some misdirection.  ALL is calling it “Pill Kills” day, pretending that they’re out to get just the pill and that it’s because the pill is “chemical abortion”.  Both of these points are lies, which are forbidden by god in the 10 commandments, unlike contraception.

Lie #1: That the decision in Griswold was just about hormonal contraception.

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Patterico’s Pontifications notices that unemployment rates for those ages 16-24 have risen much faster than those for other age groups, and that said rise probably has a lot to do with that age group entering the market for summer work.

For that bit of correctitude, the author gets a cookie.  It’s a nice cookie.

However, there’s a point to this observation - the reason that people in this age category can’t find employment as is easily is, you guessed it, the minimum wage:

Who does this age group represent?  How about high school and college students coming into the job market for the summer.

And what do many such job seekers get paid?  Minimum wage –which Congress increased last year from $5.15 to $5.85, and which will increase again next month to $6.55, and then again next year to $7.25.

Here’s a personal case study in how that works to squeeze workers out of the minimum wage job market:

It’s a story!  Stories always prove points!

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The McCain campaign sends out “The McCain Update” every Friday night, a source of bemusement to me for no other reason than that in politics, Friday nights are when you do things you don’t want anybody to see.  This week’s update is headed by a “strategy briefing” from their campaign manager, Rick Davis.  By “campaign manager”, I mean “faceless raspy voice that sounds like it should have a mustache”.  (It doesn’t.)

If you’re in the mood for a deadly boring 16 minute Powerpoint presentation, then the McCain campaign has just made your Friday night.  Don’t thank me all at once.

A couple of book reviews tonight for some short, funny books.  First of all, Jen Sorensen’s cartoon collection Slowpoke: One Nation, Oh My God!.  I met Jen at the WAM! conference, and I have to say that the arch humor she showcases in her comics is exactly how she acts in person.  There’s usually some minor disconnect between what you read on the page and how someone comes across in person, but for some reason, Jen has the perfect fit going on. 

This book made me snort with laughter.  Seriously, it’s like the funniest comic ever.  (Sorry, “Get Fuzzy”.) I made Marc look at every other comic until it became clear that it would be more efficient if he just read the entire book himself.

I enjoyed that Jen’s take on politics tends to veer towards, “Am I the only person who sees how fucked up and stupid all this is? Please tell me I’m not.”  I appreciated that, for the simple reason that I often think I’m crazy, and this book reassured me that I’m not.  The added bonus to the book is that with every cartoon, she has a little paragraph of thoughts, inspiration, or background, and it’s all almost as funny as the cartoons.  Almost, because it’s hard to be funnier than these cartoons.

The other book I’ve dashed through and want to review is Jessica Valenti’s He’s a Stud, She’s a Slut, and 49 Other Double Standards Every Woman Should Know.  Where Jen is full of arch humor, Jessica is crass, but in a good way.  Seriously, coming from another person who thinks crass is funny, that’s a high compliment. 

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That was fun!  The last day, Katha and I talk about movies about child-bearing and how boring it is to cram women into such traditional roles.

There’s a new magazine out that’s pretending to be a general interest teenage magazine, but is actually an abstinence-only propaganda rag.  Guess what it’s called?

That’s right.  Abstinence: It’s just for girls.  I know the law makes them say otherwise when they’re peddling this shit in the classroom, but it’s good to know they don’t even try to hide their beliefs when it comes to non-government funded materials.

I love that one headline is “Top 8 Come Backs 4 Come Ons”.  I’m pretty sure, “Daddy and Jesus have first dibs on my hymen,” is the only one you’ll ever need.

Update: Eh, they have one for guys.  Interestingly, the cover of the guys’ magazine has them jumping around and doing stuff, whereas the girl in the cover of the girls’ one is just throwing you a “come hither” look.  You know, like committed virgins will do.

John McCain is no friend of the LGBT community. He has spent the entire primary season trying to convince the hardcore anti-gay bible-beating set that he’s a true believer. I don’t think he’s fooled anyone, but he certainly hasn’t been a maverick who bucks his party to support LGBT equality.

Scratch that; he does have friends—in the Log Cabin Republicans club. I was waiting to see how the group responded to HRC’s report on the Arizona’s long record of opposing civil equality. You will not be disappointed.

Log Cabin has had a long relationship with Sen. McCain, going back to our national office’s opening in the mid-90s.  He has had an open door to us at Log Cabin and has a record of inclusion.

We understand the general election starts today and Log Cabin will do its part to educate gay and lesbian voters about Sen. McCain in the weeks ahead.  Contrary to what many Democrats are saying, Sen. McCain is not George W. Bush.  Most gays and lesbians understand that fact.  Sen. McCain isn’t going to use gay people as a wedge issue.  He won the GOP nomination with no help (and with outright hostility) from many so-called “social conservatives.”  This is a significant achievement for all gay and lesbian Americans.

HRC glosses over McCain’s principled stand against the anti-gay federal marriage amendment.  As I pointed out in this column for the Washington Blade, McCain didn’t just vote (twice) against the marriage amendment.  He put himself on the line, bucked his own party leadership and President Bush, and took to the floor of the U.S. Senate to speak against the proposal.  In 2004, he gave one of the most impassioned speeches from the Senate floor on the issue.  That isn’t insignificant.

Is his record perfect?  No.  But it’s inclusive and shows positive signs.  We will hear more about his priorities and record in the months ahead.  Stay tuned…

Let’s provide some reality-based eduction. Click below the fold.

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Ezra is talking transit:

Reich suggests making transit funding a major part of the next economic stimulus package, which is a terrific idea. When you’re dealing with an economic downturn heavily related to skyrocketing energy costs, countercyclical spending on transportation alternatives is about the world’s most perfectly tailored policy response. It addresses both the short-term pain and the long-term cause.

One of the things that both Reich and Ezra overlook in the larger scheme of spending more money on public transportation is that lots of cities have such bad and underfunded public transportation not just because of the macro amount of money spent on transportation itself, but because of the decisions made at the municipal level of where and how to structure the transportation they have.

Let’s use Columbus, OH as an example.  It’s a growing, sprawling city that’s both trying to revitalize its core areas and keep the new suburban ring development prosperous.  White flight doesn’t help, nor does the inability to attract new staple businesses to match the new housing in the downtown urban areas.  (We won’t even get into the streetcar.)

It also has a citywide bus line - a line that’s failing because it fails to serve those who need it, which in turn means that those who don’t need it per se but could still benefit from it have little to no incentive to use it.  One of the main reasons? 

The bus line, which is funded largely by a sales tax, rarely if ever goes near new commercial development. 

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It’s amazing the schisms that have broken open in this campaign season. Bil Browning of The Bilerico Project has an eye-opening post up, “Why is EMILY’s List endorsing anti-semitism, racism and homophobia?”  EMILY’s List, an organization that promotes and helps fund women who run for public office, the primary goal is to ensure that pro-choice candidates are elected.

In one Congressional race (Tennessee’s 9th district, which includes Memphis and environs), EMILY’s List is backing a candidate, Nikki Tinker, who is up against a pro-choice, pro-LGBT incumbent, Steven Cohen. Tinker’s campaign and surrogates have engaged in disturbing tactics that show how conflicts between core Democratic constituencies have erupted into ways difficult to paper over.

Rep. Steve Cohen, who is Jewish, was attacked in a flier (left, “Memphis Congressman Steve Cohen and the Jews hate Jesus”) distributed by a black homobigoted pastor from Murphreesboro who is not even from Cohen’s district, Rev. George Brooks. Tinker, who happens to be black as well, and was called to condemn the flier. (WaPo):

[T]he literature encourages other black leaders in Memphis to “see to it that one and ONLY one black Christian faces this opponent of Christ and Christianity in the 2008 election.”

The Commercial Appeal wrote an editorial in Wednesday’s paper condemning Tinker for not speaking out against the anti-Semitic literature.

“What does Nikki Tinker think about anti-Semitic literature being circulated that might help her unseat 9th District Congressman Steve Cohen in the Democratic primary next August?” the editorial asked. “The question goes to the character of the woman who wants to represent the 9th District, and 9th District voters deserve an answer. But Tinker declined to return a phone call about the flier.”

The Memphis Baptist Ministerial Association, an organization of black pastors that has backed Tinker’s campaign as well, has openly criticized Cohen for his support of hate crimes legislation. Why is this not an issue for EMILY’s List? Certainly its resources can be spent more effectively in another race, given incumbent Cohen’s pro-choice record. Why back such a divisive candidate if your primary issue is already supported? Is there something missing from this picture that we should be aware of?

You can read more over at Bil’s pad. He concludes that in this case, for EMILY’s List, it has placed working to elect a pro-choice woman above any concerns about anti-Semitism or homophobia pouring from Tinker’s campaign and supporters.

Mars, bitches!

If you’re going to try to run away from Bush, try not to embrace one of the most memorably pointless moments of his presidency.  Also, it really does help not to compare your opponent to a losing candidate that no living American could have voted for.