The Plum Line - Greg Sargent's blog on domestic politics and debate on the Hill - August 29, 2010

Open Thread

Hey all, I'm back (sort of; full-time blogging will resume first thing Tuesday morning). Many thanks to Adam Serwer for his excellent guest-blogging in this space. And many thanks to all you readers and commenters for helping to keep the...

By Greg Sargent | September 4, 2010; 8:31 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (99)
Categories: Miscellaneous
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Why are Dems in New York still thriving?

A few folks emailed and asked me why Democrats are still going strong in New York, despite faltering elsewhere in the country. Republican gubernatorial candidate Rick Lazio's demagoguery over the proposed Islamic community center near Ground Zero has persuaded New Yorkers the project should be investigated, but it hasn't persuaded them to vote for him against his Democratic opponent, Andrew Cuomo.

By Adam Serwer | September 3, 2010; 5:18 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (76)

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Americans aren't 'spoiled,' they're angry about not having jobs

Eugene Robinson's column about how the American people are "spoiled" ingrates unable to recognize all that's been done for them is comically ill-timed given today's dismal unemployment report, showing an economy unable to get moving.

By Adam Serwer | September 3, 2010; 1:00 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (121)

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What the enthusiasm gap is costing Democrats

I linked to this in my post yesterday about the false narrative of liberal overreach, but Public Policy Polling has tried to determine just how much the "enthusiasm gap" is affecting ten key races. A few examples of what would...

By Adam Serwer | September 3, 2010; 11:00 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (53)

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The mosque exclusion zone, quantified

A New York Times poll confirms that anti-Muslim sentiment is playing a significant role in the opposition.

By Adam Serwer | September 3, 2010; 8:39 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (64)

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End of the day links

Some links to stuff we didn't get to today.

By Adam Serwer | September 2, 2010; 5:49 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (94)

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The false 'liberal overreach' narrative

Liberals didn't overreach, they didn't reach far enough.

By Adam Serwer | September 2, 2010; 4:42 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (56)

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Jan Brewer's terribly awkward debate performance

This video of Arizona GOP Gov. Jan Brewer's debate intro yesterday is making the rounds on the interwebs.

By Adam Serwer | September 2, 2010; 3:37 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (88)

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The (D)oomed Party

Massive Democratic losses in the House are past the level of conventional wisdom -- because of the state of the economy, a GOP takeover is almost at the level of foregone conclusion. Today Larry Sabato piles on.

By Adam Serwer | September 2, 2010; 11:11 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (174)

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Are Republicans 'co-opting' gay rights?

Pro-gay rights Republicans seem to be less of an oxymoron these days.

By Adam Serwer | September 2, 2010; 9:20 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (162)

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End-of-the-day links

Don't want to deprive you guys of your happy hour thread.

By Adam Serwer | September 1, 2010; 6:26 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (84)

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ADL'S Abe Foxman denounces anti-mosque rally as 'un-American'

He has harsh words for the organizer and some of the planned speakers.

By Adam Serwer | September 1, 2010; 5:01 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (22)

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Pew: Illegal immigration down by two-thirds

The report contradicts the arguments of supporters of Arizona's new immigration law and other border hawks.

By Adam Serwer | September 1, 2010; 1:42 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (125)

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Florida Senate campaign hits Charlie Crist for Palin support

In Florida, Democrat Kendrick Meek's Senate campaign is trying to remind voters of Charlie Crist's conservative credentials.

By Adam Serwer | September 1, 2010; 11:50 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (50)

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Obama's Iraq speech: a salute, not a victory lap

The end of combat operations in Iraq was not the right time to say I told you so.

By Adam Serwer | September 1, 2010; 8:30 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (89)

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The politics of 'taking credit' for Iraq

Adam Serwer of the American Prospect is guest blogging on The Plum Line this week. David Corn asks, "Why is Barack Obama giving a speech on Iraq?" Wars are the most significant stuff of a presidency. There's not enough media...

By Adam Serwer | August 31, 2010; 4:08 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (92)

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Boehner vs. reality on national security

Adam Serwer of the American Prospect is guest blogging on The Plum Line this week. House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio), the man likely to be the next speaker of the House, is slated to give a speech on national...

By Adam Serwer | August 31, 2010; 2:50 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (42)

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Democratic bloodbath in November looking certain

The implications of a new Gallup poll are devastating.

By Adam Serwer | August 31, 2010; 11:38 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (171)

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Majority of GOP thinks Obama wants to impose Islamic Law?

Sam Stein points to a startling number in a recent Newsweek poll showing that 52 percent of Republicans think the statement "Barack Obama sympathizes with the goals of Islamic fundamentalists who want to impose Islamic law around the world," is either "definitely" or "probably" true. It's a mistake to impart too much meaning to a single poll result, but this is still a pretty strange result -- and it may be a manifestation of what Julian Sanchez has termed "symbolic belief," simply saying you believe something as a matter of hyperbolic political expression, not because you really believe it.

By Adam Serwer | August 31, 2010; 10:30 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (137)

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Orrin Hatch's defense of Park51

The Utah senator comes out in support of the right to build an Islamic community center near Ground Zero.

By Adam Serwer | August 31, 2010; 9:07 AM ET | Permalink | Comments (113)

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The risk of the 'nutbaiting' strategy

Last week, Democratic insiders told Greg Sargent that the Glenn Beck rally offered "an opportunity to push the line that the GOP is hostage to intolerants and extremists." Whatever your opinion on the crowd estimates of the event, it's not a stretch to say that doesn't seem to have worked out very well.

By Adam Serwer | August 30, 2010; 4:35 PM ET | Permalink | Comments (180)

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The Plum Line: August 29, 2010 - September 4, 2010