[The Technomancer]

I finally saw that "Julia" thing. Pretty durn good. Unfortunately, some folks at the Heritage Foundation didn't seem as smitten, so they created their own version: http://blog.heritage.org/a-better-li...FWcHRQod0Gj93A

All of this stuff seems dependent on Julia's family having...well...money. I mean, the option to go to private school is great, I sure hope Obama doesn't outlaw them.

EDIT: And then it goes off the deep end
"will not be tethered to an employer or government health plan" wut? Are they saying that under Obamacare you won't be allowed to choose your own health insurance if you can afford it?

[Rocket Scientist]

From Obama's site. Copyright? lol what is that!?!

http://www.thelifeofjulia.com/ How about this one.

[Copernicus]

I finally saw that "Julia" thing. Pretty durn good. Unfortunately, some folks at the Heritage Foundation didn't seem as smitten, so they created their own version: http://blog.heritage.org/a-better-li...FWcHRQod0Gj93A

I like how nearly every slide conjure tax reform without any details, for the next 67 years.

[GhaleonEB]

[ErasureAcer]

Gold.

[Wilsongt]

Any Mormons here or know any freinds or family who are excited about a possible Mormon president?

I went to high school with a hardcore Morman girl. She is practically creaming her pants at the idea of Romney being president. I eventually had to hide all of her status updates on Facebook. Was getting out of hand.

[Rocket Scientist]

Why is this okay?

http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...tate-solution/

There is no such thing as a two-state solution. It cannot work, it has not worked, and it will not work.

The only viable solution for the Middle East is a one-state solution: one contiguous Israeli state from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea. There will not and cannot be lasting peace in the Middle East until then.

Those Palestinians who wish to may leave their Fatah- and Hamas-created slums and move to the original Palestinian state: Jordan.

Those Palestinians who remain behind in Israel will maintain limited voting power but will be awarded all the economic and civil rights of Israeli citizens. They will be free to raise families, start businesses and live in peace, all of which are impossible under current Arab rule.

The goal should not be peace at all costs. The goal should be a strong, free and prosperous Israel. The United States should not be some honest broker between two sides, but rather should stand publicly with one side - Israel. Then, and only then, will real peace truly come.

From:

http://www.theatlantic.com/internati...inians/256775/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Wal...ois_politician)

William Joseph "Joe" Walsh (born December 27, 1961) is the Republican U.S. Representative for Illinois' northwest suburban 8th congressional district.[2][5] He has served in Congress since January 2011

[speculawyer]

I finally saw that "Julia" thing. Pretty durn good. Unfortunately, some folks at the Heritage Foundation didn't seem as smitten, so they created their own version: http://blog.heritage.org/a-better-li...FWcHRQod0Gj93A

aAAARGH. The very first they write is such bullshit . . .

With conservative reforms: Julia will be a happy three year old unburdened by the federal government She will not be $50,000 in debt the day she is born, and her parents will have access to private preschool providers of choice.

WTF?!?!? Reagan, Bush, BushW1, and BushW2 RAN UP MOST OF THE DEBT! The deficit came down during Clinton's term. Obama's deficits have been large but they are at least holding steady to the size of deficit that Bush had when he left office.

And are they implying Obama is banning private preschool? WTF?

How am I supposed to take the conservative side seriously when they are so loosely tethered to reality. I understand they don't like Obama and have different policy views. But you will not get any fucking respect if your approach is to just spew lies. If your policies are so bad that you need to fucking lie then your policies are probably shit.

[quadriplegicjon]

http://www.thelifeofjulia.com/ How about this one.

Dunno, that is the same exact animation and whatnot. Maybe there is a website that allows you to make the animation? The Heritage one looks like they took screen grabs and changed the text, but who knows. Would be hilarious if they violated copyrights though.

[speculawyer]

Why is this okay? http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...tate-solution/

It is not OK.

It is racist we-need-Jews-to-rule-all-Israel-to-bring-Jesus-back Evangelical-Zionist dreck published in the far-right money-losing Mooney-Times. It is ethnic-cleansing followed by Apartheid for the the stragglers. Un-fucking-believable.

Even George W. Bush would reject that garbage. Most Israelis would reject that garbage.

Edit: LOL. I had not clicked on that Atlantic article and I see that they had the same view I did in their headline.


Well, if the Dems run a decent candidate and the Greens don't muck it up, they should be able kick him out.

[speculawyer]

Dunno, that is the same exact animation and whatnot. Maybe there is a website that allows you to make the animation? The Heritage one looks like they took screen grabs and changed the text, but who knows. Would be hilarious if they violated copyrights though.

Clearly they are copying but political debate speech is among the most protected speech and this is just "fair use" criticism.

[quadriplegicjon]

Clearly they are copying but political debate speech is among the most protected speech and this is just fair use criticism.

I understand fair use criticism, but does that extend beyond the actual content and into other things like website animations? It's not like they created something that looks like Obama's Julia thing, it looks like they flat out screen grabbed the images and changed the text. Maybe it was all done by a third party that shared the assets? I dunno, but if it wasn't, that seems a bit shady to me.

[speculawyer]

I understand fair use criticism, but does that extend beyond the actual content and into other things like website animations? It's not like they created something that looks like Obama's Julia thing, it looks like they flat out screen grabbed the images and changed the text. Maybe it was all done by a third party that shared the assets? I dunno, but if it wasn't, that seems a bit shady to me.

I've only looked at the heritage foundation one which is as you say (screen grabs but no animation). If they steal the animations it does go beyond what was needed to make their point and they could have more of a case. The best way to pursue it would be if some web design company still owned the animations and just licensed them to the Obama campaign such that the web firm could go after others.

Politically, it would be pretty petty for a campaign to go after others for copyright infringement. Look at Obama's ads . . . his best material will come from broadcasting clips from the GOP primary debates. That is copying as well but again clearly fair use.

[RDreamer]

aAAARGH. The very first they write is such bullshit . . . WTF?!?!? Reagan, Bush, BushW1, and BushW2 RAN UP MOST OF THE DEBT! The deficit came down during Clinton's term. Obama's deficits have been large but they are at least holding steady to the size of deficit that Bush had when he left office. And are they implying Obama is banning private preschool? WTF? How am I supposed to take the conservative side seriously when they are so loosely tethered to reality. I understand they don't like Obama and have different policy views. But you will not get any fucking respect if your approach is to just spew lies. If your policies are so bad that you need to fucking lie then your policies are probably shit.

Oooooh, that's what that's talking about. I sat there staring at that slide for a few minutes not knowing what in fuck's name they were talking about with a debt as soon as you're born. That's some crazy stretching, even if Obama was the one to run them up most and not Bush, etc.

[balladofwindfishes]

http://www.thelifeofjulia.com/ How about this one.

Now isn't that funny. Pretty much all of those are state issues (the 4 slides on education), besides the Social Security thing which is a straight lie.

And I'm not sure how I follow that equal pay for women means no jobs for women.

[quadriplegicjon]

I've only looked at the heritage foundation one which is as you say (screen grabs but no animation). If they steal the animations it does go beyond what was needed to make their point and they could have more of a case. The best way to pursue it would be if some web design company still owned the animations and just licensed them to the Obama campaign such that the web firm could go after others. Politically, it would be pretty petty for a campaign to go after others for copyright infringement. Look at Obama's ads . . . his best material will come from broadcasting clips from the GOP primary debates. That is copying as well but again clearly fair use.

I'm not saying Obama should go after them, but it's clearly a bit different than using broadcasting clips. I may be wrong, but I believe that the Heritage Foundation backed SOPA, which makes this a little hilarious.

EDIT

Nevermind, they actually came out against SOPA.

[el retorno]

Why is this okay? http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...tate-solution/

Its not

Lol limited voting rights. 2nd class citizenship. There's either a two state solution, or a one state with completly equal rights. What he's talking about is just Israel taking over and keeping the palestinans below jews.

[RDreamer]

http://www.thelifeofjulia.com/ How about this one.

Thankfully, the state is willing to give her a low interest loan, which hides the fact that spending $50,000 on a degree in graphic design is a terrible idea.

Hey... that's a low blow... I have a degree in graphic design and I paid about $50,000 for it :(

Julia is willing to work for less money to gain valuable experience, but can't. She discovers that the little freelance web design work she can find doesn't pay the bills. Julia blames capitalism for her troubles instead of looking at hindrances such as government.

So, she's willing to work for less money that won't pay the bills? And this would be ok?

She may have been able to afford the $5 generic pills from Target with her parent's inheritance money, but it was taken by the state through the "estate tax."

wtf? Estate tax is only taxed above 5 MILLION dollars. And the rate for only what's above that is 35%.

Julia's growing dependence on government programs makes her a perfect voting block for candidates to target in "fear campaigns."

I see a lot more fear campaigns coming from the other side....

[speculawyer]

She may have been able to afford the $5 generic pills from Target with her parent's inheritance money, but it was taken by the state through the "estate tax." wtf? Estate tax is only taxed above 5 MILLION dollars. And the rate for only what's above that is 35%. .

Yeah, that un-fucking-believeable. Julia has $5 million but she can't afford $5 generic pills.

The amazing thing is that there are lots of people stupid enough to believe that. Suckers.

I often get the feeling of "Fuck 'em . . . they deserve to suffer" if the are just going to be that stupid and fall for that.

[reggieandTFE]

Wrong thread

[adamsappel]

I really think you guys give PD a bit of a hard time. I mean he does have some funny troll posts, but I don't see what's wrong with some of the things he's posting.

You can't decide to be a half-troll. All PD's posts are trolls, now, whether he intends that or not. You pick your joke character, you stick with it (or it sticks with you).

[reilo]

I am more insulted that they think graphic designers are also web designers.

[Escape Goat]

Obama admin stance on gay rights "evolving" faster as we approach the election

Vice President Joe Biden on Sunday said that's he's "absolutely comfortable" with married same-sex couples being granted the same rights as heterosexual pairs. "I am absolutely comfortable with the fact that men marrying men, women marrying women, and heterosexual men and women marrying another are entitled to the same exact rights, all the civil rights, all the civil liberties," he told NBC's David Gregory on "Meet the Press." "And quite frankly, I don't see much of a distinction beyond that." (Msnbc.com is a joint venture of Microsoft and NBC Universal.) President Barack Obama has said his position on same sex marriage is "evolving," and he supported civil unions but opposed marriage for gay couples during the 2008 campaign. Biden noted Sunday that the "president sets the policy" and that he did not know if the administration would formally come out in favor of same-sex marriage in the president's second term should he be re-elected. But the vice president said that attitudes about gay marriage in America are changing in favor of greater tolerance for loving homosexual partners. "The good news is that as more and more Americans become to understand what this is all about is a simple proposition," he said. "Who do you love? Who do you love? And will you be loyal to the person you love? And that's what people are finding out is what -- what all marriages, at their root, are about." An aide pointed to the administration's efforts to challenge the Defense of Marriage Act and said that the vice president's comments only reiterated Obama's past support for "committed and loving same-sex couples." "The vice president was saying what the president has said previously -- that committed and loving same-sex couples deserve the same rights and protections enjoyed by all Americans, and that we oppose any effort to roll back those rights," the aide said. "That's why we stopped defending the constitutionality of Section 3 of the Defense of Marriage Act in legal challenges and support legislation to repeal it. Beyond that, the vice president was expressing that he too is evolving on the issue, after meeting so many committed couples and families in this country." Section 3 is the section defines marriage for federal purposes as between one man and one woman. Biden, who twice ran for president before accepting the job of Obama's second-in-command, pushed back on persistent speculation that he could be replaced on the 2012 ticket by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. "There's no way out. I mean, they've already printed Obama-Biden!" he said. And he quipped Sunday that he and one-time rival Clinton may run on a joint ticket in 2016. "I think we may run as a team," he said, quickly noting that he was joking. "I don't know whether I'm gonna run," he added. "And Hillary doesn't know whether she's gonna run." Human Rights Campaign, an advocacy group for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender rights, said it was encouraged by Biden's comments. Biden "rightly articulated that loving and committed gay and lesbian couples should be treated equally," President Joe Solmonese said in a statement. "Now is the time for President Obama to speak out for full marriage equality for same-sex couples."

[cartoon_soldier]

I am more insulted that they think graphic designers are also web designers.

Story of anyone who went into the computer industry.

[reilo]

Story of anyone who went into the computer industry.

"Oh hey, you are a designer, right? Can you mock up this website for me?"

*designer turns in AI files*

*headexplode*

[Flying_Phoenix]

Those Palestinians who remain behind in Israel will maintain limited voting power but will be awarded all the economic and civil rights of Israeli citizens. They will be free to raise families, start businesses and live in peace, all of which are impossible under current Arab rule.

Man talk about pushing the envelope in freedom. And its not possible under the Palestinian rule? Really?

[GhaleonEB]

http://m.lvsun.com/news/2012/may/06/...nevadas-natio/

Ron Paul supporters capture majority of Nevada’s national delegates Republican presidential hopeful Ron Paul captured the majority of Nevada’s national delegates early Sunday, overwhelming likely nominee Mitt Romney with an organized contingent who easily took control of the state convention. Paul’s supporters won 22 of the 25 national delegate slots up for election at the state convention in Sparks on Saturday. Romney won three. Another three automatic delegates are expected to support Romney, meaning Romney will have six supporters in the delegation and Paul will have 22. But while Paul loyalists will make up the majority of the Nevada delegation, Republican rules require the first vote at the national convention to reflect the results of the Feb. 4 caucus, which Romney easily won. That means 20 of Nevada’s national delegates must vote for Romney, while eight will be free to vote for Paul in the first balloting. While some Paul supporters voiced an intention to challenge the binding requirement, the campaign opted not to further antagonize the Republican National Committee, who has threatened not to seat the delegates if they ignore the caucus results and vote for Paul.

This might prove to be an unusually entertaining convention.

[Dax01]

Credit where it's due. Governator calling out the GOP: http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.co...gical-rigidity

[Chichikov]

Why is this okay? http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...tate-solution/ From: http://www.theatlantic.com/internati...inians/256775/ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joe_Wal...ois_politician)

At least he's honest.
This is the end result of Israel's policies in the West Bank, it's just that usually Israel's "friends" in Washington have enough sense to not articulate that.
God bless the Tea Party.

Obama admin stance on gay rights "evolving" faster as we approach the election

Good.
I think by 2014 Democrats will be falling over themselves to support gay marriage.

[Loudninja]

Airstrike kills senior al-Qaida leader in Yemen

SANAA, Yemen (AP) — An airstrike Sunday killed a top al-Qaida leader on the FBI's most wanted list for his role in the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole warship, Yemeni officials said. The airstrike resembled earlier U.S. drone attacks, but the U.S. did not immediately confirm it. Fahd al-Quso was hit by a missile as he stepped out of his vehicle, along with another al-Qaida operative in the southern Shabwa province, Yemeni military officials said. They were speaking on condition of anonymity in accordance with military regulations. The airstrike came as the U.S. and Yemen cooperate in a battle against al-Qaida in southern Yemen. Al-Quso, 37, was on the FBI's most wanted list, with a $5 million reward for information leading to his capture. He was indicted in the U.S. for his role in the 2000 bombing in the USS Cole in Aden, Yemen, in which 17 American sailors were killed and 39 injured. He served more than five years in a Yemeni prison for his role in the attack and was released in 2007. He briefly escaped prison in 2003 but later turned himself in to serve the rest of his sentence. A telephone text message claiming to be from al-Qaida media arm confirmed al-Quso was killed in the strike. Al-Quso was also one of the most senior al-Qaida leaders publicly linked to the 2009 Christmas airliner attack. He has allegedly met with the suspected bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab in Yemen before he left on his way to execute his failed bombing over Detroit.

http://news.yahoo.com/airstrike-kill...185236164.html

[Oblivion]

I often get the feeling of "Fuck 'em . . . they deserve to suffer" if the are just going to be that stupid and fall for that.

I'd agree, except the only problem with that is you wind up punishing the innocent along with the stupid.

[Al-ibn Kermit]

Airstrike kills senior al-Qaida leader in Yemen http://news.yahoo.com/airstrike-kill...185236164.html

Wait, he was indicted in the US for his role in the Cole bombing (where 17 sailors died) yet he was only sentenced to 5 years and allowed to serve it out in a Yemeni prison?

Apparently he was also linked to the failed underwear bomber so I'm guessing that was what made him worth killing? This is all very confusing.

[cartoon_soldier]

Wait, he was indicted in the US for his role in the Cole bombing (where 17 sailors died) yet he was only sentenced to 5 years and allowed to serve it out in a Yemeni prison? Apparently he was also linked to the failed underwear bomber so I'm guessing that was what made him worth killing? This is all very confusing.

But if Obama wins a second term our enemies will become stronger...

http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.co...t-think-he-can

Rob Gleason, the Pennsylvania Republican State Party chair, says that Mitt Romney isn’t optimistic about winning the state in November, reports The Morning Call. Gleason recalled telling Mitt Romney at a fundraiser that they would win Pennsylvania, to which Romney replied, “Really?”

[Oblivion]

But if Obama wins a second term our enemies will become stronger...

Just cause you actually kill our enemies doesn't mean you're not simultaneously coddling them.

[Copernicus]

Does that address the millions who have stopped looking for work because there are no jobs? The millions of young people who graduated and now can't find a job, even in good professions? It seems like the administration wants to make abstract cases for their economic record because they can't talk about the actual consequences of the last 4 years. The average person doesn't know what the GDP is, but they know their husband has been on unemployment benefits for months, and that their neighbor can't find work to. If Romney runs a halfway decent campaign he'll be able to reach those people

So do you copy and paste comments or are you the same poster on the comment section?

[elrechazado]

So do you copy and paste comments or are you the same poster on the comment section?

So do you address legitimate points or just make meta comments like a forum xzibit?

[Suikoguy]

http://m.lvsun.com/news/2012/may/06/...nevadas-natio/ This might prove to be an unusually entertaining convention.

Yeah, it will be fascinating ;)

[Copernicus]

So do you address legitimate points or just make meta comments like a forum xzibit?

I'm not sure why you're responding to an actual question I put forth to PD.

(I recall seeing that post verbatim in a comments section)

[Manmademan]

http://elections.nytimes.com/2012/electoral-map

And I'm beginning to see signs of the media stretching things as far as they can to make this race seem as close as possible.

PA is not a "toss up" state. Obama is polling way, WAY ahead (by 8 percent as of today) and no republican has won the state for 5 or 6 elections now. As someone else pointed out before me, not even Romney considers this state in play.

NC is "lean republican?" Obama has been 5+ points in front of Romney (and any other republican) for months now. At best it's toss up, at worst it's leaning democratic.

There's argument that VA could also be in the "leaning democratic" category, but that's just nitpicking, I think.

Fix these and Romney's path to the nomination becomes less and less plausible.

[speculawyer]

Man talk about pushing the envelope in freedom. And its not possible under the Palestinian rule? Really?

Because Arabs don't allow families or businesses or peace. Duh.

[makingmusic476]

So, with the Europeans swinging hard left with the recent string of elections, what does that imply about the U.S.?

I think had the Tea Party and Paul Ryan types had a president in power that would let them get away with anything, we would be seeing a similarly strong swing left this cycle, but with a Democrat in the oval office, people still have some ability to say "See, they're not doing a good job" given the slow recovery of the economy.

I know the House will be swinging more towards the Democrats this cycle, but the Democrats aren't all that left wing these days. Could we be seeing a stronger move leftwards over future election cycles? Or will be primarily relying on demographic shifts to spur that along?

[el retorno]

So, with the Europeans swinging hard left with the recent string of elections, what does that imply about the U.S.?

Its not really a leftward swing. Its more of throw the bums out. Its just there were a lot of rightwing parties in europe.

Spain just gave their rightwing a giant mandate back in november.

You also have neo nazis rising and the FN in france. I don't think people really know what they want.

[GhaleonEB]

http://elections.nytimes.com/2012/electoral-map And I'm beginning to see signs of the media stretching things as far as they can to make this race seem as close as possible. PA is not a "toss up" state. Obama is polling way, WAY ahead (by 8 percent as of today) and no republican has won the state for 5 or 6 elections now. As someone else pointed out before me, not even Romney considers this state in play. NC is "lean republican?" Obama has been 5+ points in front of Romney (and any other republican) for months now. At best it's toss up, at worst it's leaning democratic. There's argument that VA could also be in the "leaning democratic" category, but that's just nitpicking, I think. Fix these and Romney's path to the nomination becomes less and less plausible.

Wisconsin is not a tossup either, and Colorado is lean blue, if not solid Obama. Definitely a "it's close" narrative in the making here, despite the polling. If they had a uniform standard for how they judged states, there's no way PA and WI would be tossups, and VA, NC and CO would be lean blue.

[SouthernDragon]

Sup, dudes.

So, I'm looking at these two websites:

http://elections.nytimes.com/2012/electoral-map
http://www.270towin.com/

I want to build a map that will look like the likely outcome for the 2012 elections. Unfortunately, like we all know, the media loves to make it look close when it isn't. Thus, I dunno if I can trust the NYT's "Toss Up" section. Colorado, for example, I think is Lean Democrat.

What do you guys think? I know ya'll had this discussion like 10 pages back, but I'm wondering if anything has changed.

Edit:

Wow, we're having this discussion already! Awesome.

[Manmademan]

Wisconsin is not a tossup either, and Colorado is lean blue, if not solid Obama. Definitely a "it's close" narrative in the making here[, despite the polling. If they had a uniform standard for how they judged states, there's no way PA and WI would be tossups, and VA, NC and CO would be lean blue.

my thoughts exactly. The media is just so worthless. how did this happen?

An honest assessment would show just how lackluster a candidate Romney is and pointing out the uphill climb, not bending the truth as far as possible to show the race as even.

[makingmusic476]

Sup, dudes. So, I'm looking at these two websites: http://elections.nytimes.com/2012/electoral-map http://www.270towin.com/ I want to build a map that will look like the likely outcome for the 2012 elections. Unfortunately, like we all know, the media loves to make it look close when it isn't. Thus, I dunno if I can trust the NYT's "Toss Up" section. Colorado, for example, I think is Lean Democrat. What do you guys think? I know ya'll had this discussion like 10 pages back, but I'm wondering if anything has changed. Edit: Wow, we're having this discussion already! Awesome.

I'd take the default map and change to Democrat (at least Lean Dem):

Nevada
Colorado
Pennsylvania

Though if you wanna be brazen, you can move Virginia, North Carolina, and New Hampshire to Lean Democrat. The RCP average shows Obama up by 3 points in all three states.

Edit:

Changed some stuff up. I initially discounted Romney's polling leads in certain states.

Edit 2:

I was just checking RCP for Ohio, and apparently Rasmussen and Fox released polls in April showing a 4 and 6 point lead for Obama in the state, respectively. Can we start moving that to the Lean Democrat column?

[cartoon_soldier]

Sup, dudes. So, I'm looking at these two websites: http://elections.nytimes.com/2012/electoral-map http://www.270towin.com/ I want to build a map that will look like the likely outcome for the 2012 elections. Unfortunately, like we all know, the media loves to make it look close when it isn't. Thus, I dunno if I can trust the NYT's "Toss Up" section. Colorado, for example, I think is Lean Democrat. What do you guys think? I know ya'll had this discussion like 10 pages back, but I'm wondering if anything has changed. Edit: Wow, we're having this discussion already! Awesome.

My Swing States (I am not counting current polls, looking at what it would be come say October and in order of "swingyness"):
North Carolina (probably the purest form of a swing state this election cycle)
Iowa (For some reason I feel this will be the hardest state for Obama to recapture the percentage of white vote he needs to win)
Florida (Same as above, also, Florida Seniors seem more willing susceptible to anti-HCR arguments)
Nevada (extremely high unemployment coupled with big Mormon Population makes this a tougher state for Obama in the region than CO and NM.)
VA (I know, i know, current polls are very good for Obama. A lot depends on whether Obama can make get those voters registered and turned out for November)
Ohio (I see Obama having more issues with white voters in Ohio too)
NH (Err...not sure. They like to do things differently now and then)

[Manmademan]

I'd take the default map and: Change to Democrat (at least Lean Dem): Nevada Colorado Pennsylvania Change to toss-up: Arizona Missouri Though if you wanna be brazen, you can move Virginia, North Carolina, and New Hampshire to Lean Democrat. The RCP average shows Obama up by 3 points in all three states.

RCP also factors in Rasmussen into it's average- and considering how wildly off Rasmussen was last time, it's difficult to consider that particular pollster as unbiased.

I was just checking RCP for Ohio, and apparently Rasmussen and Fox released polls in April showing a 4 and 6 point lead for Obama in the state, respectively. Can we start moving that to the Lean Democrat column?

you'll never see Ohio solidly in the Dem column. The media spends way too much time hyping it as a make or break state (along with florida). If that state suddenly went Obama +10, the media would STILL hedge on it and say "things could go either way!" Look at Pennsylvania as an example.

That being said, Obama should take Ohio pretty easily. The GOP's anti-union antics combined with the success of the auto bailout means he takes just about the entire Rust Belt.

[PhoenixPause]

Wisconsin is not a tossup either, and Colorado is lean blue, if not solid Obama. Definitely a "it's close" narrative in the making here, despite the polling. If they had a uniform standard for how they judged states, there's no way PA and WI would be tossups, and VA, NC and CO would be lean blue.

Just a sign of how whipped the media is not only to manufacture a compelling story, but go above and beyond logic in order to appear "balanced." Saying Obama is ahead does not make you in the tank for Obama - even Rove admits Obama is leading on a pure EV scale right now

[sc0la]

http://m.lvsun.com/news/2012/may/06/...nevadas-natio/ This might prove to be an unusually entertaining convention.

Delegates could vote for who they want in subsequent votes? What would force such secondary votes?