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What was this week's theme among your favorite social networking sites? Change. Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook are all rolling out a handful of new features. Including Twitter's addition of "most popular tweets" to its search capability, a new interactive layout for YouTube, and the introduction of language alterations and community pages from Facebook.
Facebook was especially busy, as it also acquired "Divvyshot", a program that will allow users to tag photos by event. You can expect to see this application in the upcoming months. Music artist John Forte has already gotten a head start on how this might work, pausing mid-set during his latest tour stop in Boston to snap a photo for his morning Twitter feed.
More politicians are beginning to find audiences via social media. Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty is reaching out to his constituents on Facebook. He follows New Hampshire Governor John Lynch, who did a live stream chat courtesy of the Live Free of Die Alliance a few months ago.
But beware, the power of social media is a double-edged sword. Just ask the RNC, as the release of controversial financial records and activities have been blasted to the public by an army of bloggers, as well as a video mashup of RNC Chairman Michael Steele's speeches to Fat Joe's music video "Make It Rain".
On a lighter note, April Fool's Day did not go by unnoticed. Here's a list of Mashable's favorite pranks from this year.
And of course, we couldn't resist pulling a prank of our own, which brings us to our CRUSH of the Week. Haven't heard of a Rick Roll? Let us introduce you...
Recent studies show that a more diverse electorate turned out last November, including historically underrepresented young and minority voters. Since the election, Republican operatives have continued to use the specter of voter fraud to loosen regulations on voter suppression activities while pushing policies to make voting more difficult for the crop of new voters.
It took all afternoon and into the evening, and six votes, but the new Chair of the Republican National Committee is Michael Steele (who lost his Senate bid to Ben Cardin in 2006, primarily because he refused to put "Republican" on any of his materials, but pushed his campaign to "Steele Democrats.") He was featured in an ABC report in 2006:
The GOP Senate candidate who anonymously described his Republican affiliation as an "impediment" to his electoral prospects while speaking with the Washington Post's Dana Milbank and others at a Monday luncheon is none other than Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele, ABC News learned Tuesday.
"'I've got an 'R' here, a scarlet letter,'" said Steele of his party affiliation. "'If this race is about Republicans and Democrats, I lose.'"
Tomorrow, John McCain will give his acceptance speech.
You want to watch.
You can only watch with a drink in hand.
You shouldn't be drinking alone.
Therefore: it's time for a watch party.
Drinking Liberally is working with People For the American Way on a national night of gatherings -- fittingly called "McCain on the Rocks." You can find a local get-together, or check with your area DL chapter to see if they are hosting something.
Check out the official Acceptance Speech Drinking Game. Additionally, Bill Nothstine from our exceptional Portland, Oregon chapter has created rules an alternative version you can play all night long (sip if a speaker references his POW experience; drink if McCain speaks of his POW experience; chug if anyone says how much McCain doesn't like to mention his POW experience).
Now McCain will not talk to the press
They're asking hard questions, I guess
And they're kicked off the bus
Where they can't cause a fuss
So much for the Straight Talk Express
When the RNC meets in St. Paul
It will kick off a most dismal fall
If their best hope is Palin
Their luck must be failin'
So they'll come at a crawl if at all
Protesters in St. Paul are being tear gassed. What does it look like? Well, in the YouTube age, citizen journalists come close to the action to find out and then get lumped into the crowd when special tactics are used.
In the above link, Marta and Brian, the two-person crew of the vlog Gnooze (the G is silent - www.Gnooze.com) visit the protests in St. Paul on Tuesday night. They are taking shots of the crowd when the gas starts to go off. They report to have heard no official announcement from the St. Paul police, just a word of mouth as people in the front of the protest whispered back into the crowd reports of police readying canisters.
If you've ever wondered what it might look like to have lines of authorities fire tear gas and flash grenades at you in a dark and unfamiliar city, click on the link. While the footage is disturbing, that fact that there is actually footage speaks worlds of citizen journalism.
There's no doubt about it: The Big Tent will be awesome. The folks out in Denver are pouring their souls into a remarkable hive of activity that will showcase the netroots and our partners during the Democratic Convention.
Lesser known is that there is a place for us after August 28th: The Twin Cities.
In 2004, it was the RNC week that brought bloggers, activists, protesters, performers together at The Tank. This year, a similar -- but larger -- operation will be in place in Saint Paul: a daytime work space for up to 170 bloggers hosted by The Uptake...and evening parties sponsored by the SEIU, hosted by Drinking Liberally and friends. (Details coming...stay tuned.)
I just had the chance to tour the space The Uptake is setting up -- you can see the Excel Center from the windows. You are inside the security zone. The marches will u-turn at the corner outside the building. And there will be plenty of space to create content...and I wouldn't be surprised if you could find yourself some delegates nearby.
Register now to get your spot in this center -- and stay for the evening parties (did I mention complimentary drinks)...plus the Alliance for a Better Minnesota is hosting trainings and workshops as well.
Don't forget the Twin Cities, where our progressive mark will stand out in sharper contrast. Also, these cities really can't stand the GOP. Former Saint Paul Mayor Norm Coleman didn't win a single precinct in his city when he ran for Senator. Sep 1st - 4th should be fun.
On March 5th, dailykos denizen norahc (Ben Plunkett) obtained permits in the name of "Swift Students for Truthiness" from the St. Paul Parks Department for use of Hamm's Plaza for non-partisan issue oriented expressive activity on Sept. 3d and 4th, 8AM to 8PM. Planned, a "Shutdown Guantanamo Stop Torture" event the 3d, "Stop Government Spying" on the 4th, both starting at 4:00. I'm co-ordinating the "spying" event.
Hamm's is tiny, not much more than a traffic island, so the limit of 91 in attendance at any time was acceptable.
Yesterday, Ben received a Certified Mail from the Parks Department, dated August 5th, indicating that the permits had been revoked, offering alternative space at Ecolab Plaza or Mears Park, both much less visible. Hamm's is 2 blocks from the Convention site at the Excel Center, and faces the St. Paul Hotel, a major delegate hub. I've just lined up an attorney, we'll be seeking a Temporary Restraining Order directing that the Parks Dept. honor the original permit.
Over the last few days the McCain camp has started to get desperate with all the good news for Obama. So what does a campaign run by the architect of negative campaigning do?
Do some good 'ole negative campaigning of course. Here's a recap.
How bad is it for Republicans in 2008? So bad that John McCain looks like their best candidate for this cycle. The result is that big GOP donors are so far only willing to give to him because the prospects for winning back the Senate or House seem so small:
Yesterday, the DSCC released a list of 11 races being held in GOP-held seats, and the Democrats were nearly on par or ahead in every race, according to the most recent fundraising report. Question: Are we seeing the reverse '96 effect taking place inside the GOP? In 1996, the word went out that Dole was a lost cause, and all of the GOP's resources went to saving House and Senate candidates in order to preserve their control of Congress. This cycle, the chance of the GOP winning control of either the House or the Senate appears beyond remote. Does that mean many of the professional GOP-givers are gravitating toward sending money to causes that help McCain? It sure looks like it.
Despite this, the Obama campaign is still beating the McCain campaign in fundraising. But the chance to pile on the victories comes in the congressional races where Democrats are far ahead in fundraising. Let's take a deeper look at the most recently released numbers for the Senate and House campaign committees for the Republicans and Democrats on the flip.
The Republican National Committee demanded Monday that television networks stop running a television ad by the Democratic Party that falsely suggests John McCain wants a 100-year war in Iraq.
In a blinding fit of mock outrage, they immediately fired off angry letters to NBC, CNN and MSNBC insisting that they stop airing the commercial.
Here is the ad in question.
The ad, wisely, uses John McCain's own words.
The ad says President Bush has talked about staying in Iraq for 50 years, then plays a clip of McCain saying, "Maybe 100. That'd be fine with me."
The announcer then says: "If all he offers is more of the same, is John McCain the right choice for America's future?"
So the opportunists jump into the fray. Pat Toomey, Club for Growth president and BFF of crazy Idaho Rep. Bill Sali took aim yesterday against Idaho's other representative in Congress and fellow Republican, Mike Simpson, one of Idaho's most popular Republicans.
Bill Sali as the Republican nominee would almost immediately make the ID-Sen race competitive, considering that he barely won the ID-01 last year by 5%. Even if this is still a longshot for Democrats, the need to defend Idaho will stretch already thin Republican Senate resources down to the bare bone, allowing us to win seats elsewhere. Larry Larocco for Senate.
"Much of the focus in the primary scheduling fight up to now has been on the Democratic National Committee's moves to penalize Florida by not seating its convention delegates because of the state's decision to move up its primary. But the Republican rules are just as stringent, and the national party said yesterday that it would not hesitate to enforce them."
So, if Republicans are doing exactly the same thing as Democrats, why was the press coverage so much more extreme for Democrats? Over at MyDD, Jerome explains:
Look, no hissy-fit quotes by anonymous disgruntled RNC members, no grandstanding by Rules committee members and no bad PR in Florida…. The Florida Republicans just shrugged and stated the obvious: ""I am confident that all 114 delegates from Florida will be seated," said Jim Greer, the chairman of the Florida Republican Party."
As a party, we Democrats seem very good at turning even minor, procedural disagreements into media-friendly flame wars between local water-cooler tyrants. The primary calendar dispute didn't have to look as bad as it did for us. However, we are Democrats.
KY-Sen: Kentucky AG Stumbo to Challenge McConnell
Kentucky Attorney General Greg Stumbo has formed an exploratory committee to run for Kentucky Senate. Stumbo is not the ideal choice for progressives, given that he was one-half of the ultra-conservative Lunsford ticket in the gubernatorial primary. The progressive bench in Kentucky is not very large, and it seems the better candidates (Beshear, Mongiardo) will be occupying the Governor's mansion instead of the US Senate. Stumbo is, however, the Kentucky AG, which shows he can win statewide. Even if Stumbo doesn't win, this is another major pressure point Democrats can use to win seats elsewhere. Reaching 60 Senate seats might be possible in 2008, if everything goes well and we get candidates for the strong pickup opportunities in New Mexico, North Carolina and Virginia.
SD-Sen: Tim Johnson Returns
Speaking of the Senate, Tim Johnson made his first, post-illness public appearance in South Dakota yesterday. You can watch the video of his appearance at Welcomebacktim.com.
"Congress" is an abstract concept that voters never seem to collectively punish. "Democrats" and "Republicans" are abstract concepts that voters seem to punish on a regular basis. Right now, Democrats hold gaping leads on Republicans nationwide, meaning that low congressional approval has not damaged Democratic electoral opportunities. This also means that any campaign urging Democrats to not support the same policies that Republicans support is doing Democrats a favor. Republicans are really unpopular, and Democrats who want to vote like Republicans are committing electoral suicide.
STATE BLOGS
Tomorrow, John McCain will give his acceptance speech.
