Good morning everyone!

A few days ago I rode my first century.  A century is a 100 mile ride, though I actually clocked in at 101 miles.  I went out west for quite awhile, going through some farm country and cleared my head.  It takes a lot, I mean a lot (!), of effort and stamina to do this for the first time.  I had a lot of time to think, as I was out for over eight hours (it'll be less the next time!).

There may not have been a lot of talk about poverty and the economy in the coverage of the national political conventions during the past two weeks -- but you can bet there will be a lot of talk about it today at a national convention of community organizers and activists taking place in Los Angeles, Chicago and Birmingham, AL.

Follow me over the fold for the story of how and why more than 16,000 people from across America are coming together to ratify a bottom-up anti-poverty platform that has been more than a year in the making.

Palin's Church Promoting Conversion of Gays to Heterosexuals

Gov. Sarah Palin's church is promoting a conference that promises to convert gays into heterosexuals through the power of prayer.

"You'll be encouraged by the power of God's love and His desire to transform the lives of those impacted by homosexuality," according to the insert in the bulletin of the Wasilla Bible Church, where Palin has prayed for about six years.

What biased, left wing media source is reporting that?  Fox News of course.  

There are reasons why Palin's church bothers me more than Obama's.  Obama, while he does seem to believe in Jesus, joined his church because he was amazed at the good work he could do by being a member of that community.  Palin joined hers because she believed in it.  Obama has denounced the controversial messages of his church.  Palin hasn't said one word either way.   Obama doesn't bring up the themes of his church at all.  Palin speaks in the language of hers and makes anti-abortion legislation her most important issue.   Some of you might want to add that  I like Obama and hate Palin, and I can't deny that bias, but the reason I dislike Palin so much is because of this.  

There's a reason they're keeping Palin off the trail.  Their approach is to lay low and hope that only the right people hear about her beliefs.  If she can't be asked about them, she doesn't have to either defend them (and lose moderates) or denounce them (and lose her supporters).  It's the Internet age though and I believe the truth will get out.

I am back from vacation and back into the political arena. Next week I hope my friend, Devin Cohen, succeeds getting elected as a civil court judge in Brooklyn. And I hope another friend, Steve Harrison, gets the nomination for Congress in the NY-13 district. I hope any readers in those districts can help out! As the remnants of Gustav bear down on NYC and Hanna and Ike approach the US, I hope everyone is staying dry and safe.

Notice how Sarah Palin, not John McCain, was the big story of the week from the Repub Convention? I am so pleased that we are finally at a point in history where even the Repubs are willing to nominate a woman to VP, more than 2 decades after the Dems did. And I am pleased to live at a time when America will finally get either a woman VP or a black president. That is very real progress. But...

Well, IMO, we are almost at the moment when the die is cast.

There are probably a group of Independents who haven't made up their minds, but after both conventions, non-stop media coverage, one of the longest primaries in history, if you haven't made up your mind, what is that last bit of information you need?

Crossposted from MY LEFT WING

His first comment:

How can Obama juggle being president and a Black Man?

Intersted (sic) in hearing comments on this issue!

I mean really how can a black man handle being president?

We all know that it would be IMPOSSIBLE for a mom to be VP...right?

A My Left Wing regular responds:

what do you think
the problems would be that need juggling? What is it about being a Black man that you think conflicts with being president? Is there some job or policy about which Obama will have to say, "You know, Joe, I'm a Black man, so i can't do this one.  You'll have to take it?"

Give us a guideline by outline the problem as you see it for us.  Please.

To which I respond, with my usual irrepressible aplomb:

That giant swinging cock will get in the way, of course.

Everybody knows that.

And the possibly syphilitic troll comes back, using those tactics they probably teach in Seminars for Conservatives Who Blog:

Giant swinging cock

Well it might be more pleasing to the interns!! But see that's a positive...this thread is here to explore the negatives of being a black man and trying to juggle responsibilities.

Could it that black men are inferior to the rest of the population? You know similarly to being a women and having children...women can't multitask and juggle responsibility like a white man can..as this has been pointed out so very well in the media since Sara Palin has come on the scene.

Now... here's my response to THAT...

Senator McCain has a long in undistinguished voting record on veterans issues.  In 2006 the Disabled American Veterans awarded his a rating of 20% (versus 80% for Obama).  In 2006 the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America awarded him a grade of D (versus B+ for Obama).  Consider these specific votes:

Voted against adding $430 million for veterans's health care (Senate Vote 98, HR 4939, 4/26/06).
Voted against converting veterans' health care funding into mandatory spending (Senate Vote 63, S. Con Res, 3/14/06).

Voted against increasing veterans' health care spending by ending certain corporate tax breaks (Senate Vote 41, S. Con Res, 2/14/06).

Voted to kill $19 million for military and veterans' hospitals (Senate vote 7, HR 4297, 2/2/06).

Voted against establishing formula for veterans' health care funding (senate vote 251, HR 2863, 10/5/05).

Voted against protecting veterans, armed service members and spouces of deceased service members from new bankruptcy means test (Senate Vote 13, S.256, 3/1/05).

Voted to kill transfer of Iraqi reconstruction funds to veterans' health care (Senate Vote 379, S. 1689, 10/14/03).

McCain was at his most cynical and hypocritical worst during the debate on the GI Bill for the 21st Century.  First he opposed it.  Then he offered a bill to kill it. Then he missed the vote.  Finally, he took credit for it.

As of today, two days after the close of the RNC, Electoral-Vote.com is shpwing Obama as significantly ahead. Indeed, Ohio and North Dakota, which were leaning Republican at the height of the RNC, are now leaning Democratic.

This is in direct conflict with the McCain campaign's statements, whose web site is using figures from last June and July.

It takes 270 Electoral Votes to win the Presidency, and Obama is now projected as having 301.

With 60 days left in the race, the daily look at these poll figures will be important for the consideration of the campaigns. Couple this with the Republican strategy of keeping Palin away from the press and pushing of personalities instead of issues and it will put the onus right on the intelligence of the American voter to make a choice.

Under The LobsterScope