Mercer Co New Jersey election officials have found that 5% of their Sequoia Advantage Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) voting machines reported the incorrect post election data. Vote totals were properly reported (as well as anyone can tell from a DRE) but party totals were incorrect on 30 of the county's 600 machines. This is the same problem reported by five other counties in the state all with regards to results of the "Super Tuesday" primary. Though the vote totals may have been correct every machine attributed one Democratic vote as being a Republican vote.

I was a lurker then. I started posting only recently. My motivation was to seek reaction from HRC supporters to the Clinton's strategy in January. I was interested in a reasoned defense of the race strategy. I noted and recorded the instances of Bill and surrogates saying things that were not outright offensive but meant to cast Barack as only a candidate for black folks. I was not calling names at TalkLeft readers; I was trying to hear a reasoned reaction for an extended academic piece I'm working on. I never got a reaction, but was called a hypocrite (on the false assumption that I was not bothered by the sexism thrown HRC's way, I guess). I didn't take that bait, but carried on civil, I hope (feel free to check all of my contributions).

I stayed, keeping my head low to avoid being called names. Trying to make civil contributions, stating my principles but respecting others for theirs. I hope that I set an example of the model BHO supporter here.

Now I'm leaving for two reasons, and while most will be happy to see a BHO supporter go, I know that there are others who've made similar observations to these...

The philosophy guiding the m.o. of the blog now is difficult to operate under. It is an admittedly pro-Hillary blog. I suppose that's the right of those who actually own and operate it. But in practice, pro-Hillary commenters can be as belligerent as they like, pro-BHO comments need to be very carefully worded to avoid deletion and threats of banning. I've never come close to earning such threats, but I've seen it happen many times. It just smacks of Republicanism; it's very uncomfortable for the justice-minded leftist. I'd like to think our side sets a higher standard for openness to different opinions.

I want to avoid name-calling, but I want to characterize the behavior of one of the moderators to explain my departure and, more importantly, because I think other people are feeling what I'm feeling and maybe someday this could change...and the blog could be an exemplar of Democratic principles. This moderator mainly seems to bully people with whom the moderator doesn't agree. The moderator does not live by standard of tone and respect that the moderator demands of others. Again, one feels like one's wandered onto a Republican blog.

Well, again, my point is not to offend, but is a sincere statement of disappointment and concern over something once highly valued.

And by now, I mean now that someone like Tina Fey owns it and uses it to make the case that Clinton is the better candidate.

Shuster, Matthews, Kos, HuffPo, MoDo et al, being sexist...not so bad.  Tina Fey using the b-word...NATIONAL TRAGEDY.  It is being likened to using the n-word and lynching.  

"Leter Deutsch of Fort Lauderdale, Alcee Hastings of Miramar and Corrine Brown of Jacksonville -- had challenged the electoral certification by seeking a congressional inquiry.

Their challenge was based in part on concerns that many voters, especially blacks in Florida, had been excluded from the polls or that their votes had not been counted. The challenge faltered when no member of the Senate joined the objection.

Current law requires a member from each chamber of Congress to insist on an inquiry, before it goes forward.

Former Vice President Al Gore, who had conceded the presidential election, presided over the verification of the Electoral College vote. Resigned to defeat, Gore and Senate Democrats had decided the nation needed to unite."

This type of stuff appeals to me b/c I think it's realistic--he doesn't have magical powers to make the Repubs and special interest disappear.  I have hope, but I keep the gun powder dry (so to speak).

In any event, she's making it clear that that was no concession speech last Thursday.

And as for why she's being more aggressive now and not earlier--I think she was left with no choice as she knew the MSM will say she was being negative (like after the NH debate).  Now she has nothing left to loose, and the she's probably given up on getting any fair treatment from the MSM.  

Wonder if CNN will try to be more fair considering  SNL's skit last night?

But above all I am a Bulldog fan!

part of the problem is that the old boy's club in the Senate is stiffled with go along to get along attitude. Clinton says Sen. McCain is a friend""coleague so she won't slam him.Obama OTH, I suspect is parsing his support from big money in creative ways that wont spell outright how he is being funded. I'm too cynical to think caps and mugs'sales or $5 donations from the 'little people are getting him '(O)30 mil monthly donations. He's tapping somebody with big pockets, perhaps Oprah? She certainly has a few million to spare. And afterall, Obama is like the rest, a politician.

In the next debate should Hillary say something like;

"Taylor Marsh, a loyal democrat has raised the issue of scandals and flip-flops that the MSM has not looked into that will hurt Senator Obama in the Fall if he is the candidate.

"And I have been told that many people are upset with the way women are treated in this country as shown in the hostile coverage my campaign has drawn.

"I am ready to serve on Day One and have been endorsed by the NY Times and Akron Bugle. People know I am a leader. Get serious: Senator Obama might be ready to run for president in 2016, but this is 2008."

She might show polling information that show that Obama's support comes from Republicans and independents who are trying to secure McCain's win.

Given how badly she has run her primary campaign I am baffled as to why people think she is more electable than Obama.  The polls says she is not.  Her ability to campaign says she is not.  The fact that she energizes the republican base says she is not.  I think in the end either one of them wins, but the idea that she has some edge because she has already been a republican punching bag is just silly.  That experience led to the loss of congress, impeachment, failure of the Clinton healthcare plan, etc.  She never faced a serious challenge in NY (I was there at the time, Lazio was a joke and everyone knew it.)  There are plenty of old scandals that the Rs will pull out and who knows what kind of new ones will pop up.  Bill has been collecting money from all kinds of people.

Republican Congressman Embraces Obama Hoax Email

[Overtime, and pretty quickly now, it'll make sense to keep a list of stuff like this. On Friday night's Bill Maher show, Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA) claimed that Barack Obama refuses to say the pledge of allegiance to the American flag. This along with other bogus claims about Obama come from the hoax emails circulating on the internet.]

I like Bill Maher but he apparently has some kind of issue with Barack Obama, a few weeks ago he compared African-Americans who support Obama to those who supported O.J. Simpson, which got him plenty of boos, and he seems to be more than a little sympathetic to the Clinton campaign. In this last episode he gave the right wingers almost a free hand to go after Obama distorting his positions and record, and there was no one on the panel to rebut these assertions.

It's interesting how much better the show is now that the writers have returned, the first few episodes where Bill tried to wing it were well below the standards that Real Time usually sets.  Without his writers Maher seemed lost at times, you better believe writers matter folks.

Maher has a well-known history of dating black women, so I'm surprised that Bill doesn't have a better take on the African-American perspective and greater sensitivity to the issues that concern the Black community in this country.  Whether or not Bill Maher harbors some unresolved issues concerning Black folks can only be speculated upon, but it seems obvious that he doesn't fully grasp the nonracial post partisan approach that the Obama campaign is attempting to pursue in an effort to create unity in America.  Has Bill Maher been manipulated by the right-wing in this instance, or are we seeing some deeper manifestations of racial animus held by Mr. Maher surfacing subtly and not so subtly on his HBO show?

Many of you are chomping at the bit to write about subjects not covered in the posts. Here is your chance. Keep your comments in other posts on topic please. This is an Open Thread.

[Gardasil protects against four types of H.P.V. Two have been found in 70 percent of cervical cancer cases. The other two types account for 90 percent of genital warts, which affect both men and women. Immunization gives protection for five years.

Sometime this year, Merck will submit data to the F.D.A. seeking approval to give Gardasil to boys. In Australia, Mexico and countries in the European Union, the vaccine is approved for boys.

"We have a very clear benefit that we offer to men," said Dr. Richard M. Haupt, Merck's executive director of clinical research, referring to the warts, "even if they don't feel they need to have an altruistic reason to get the vaccine."]

[H.P.V. is the most common sexually transmitted infection. There are estimates of six million new infections in the United States each year. Yet, of more than 100 types of H.P.V., only a handful may result in disease. Most people who are infected have no symptoms and can transmit it unknowingly.

At least a half-million Americans each year develop genital warts, which can reoccur. But is Gardasil's protection against warts enough for parents of sons?

"It's not life-threatening, but it's very stressful," said Susan L. Rosenthal, a specialist in adolescent psychology at Galveston and an adviser to Merck. "Genital warts are a really yucky disease and they make you feel bad about an important, sensitive body part. Psychologically, it's not an insignificant infection."]