Smokin’ The Grass: Hempfest brings its yearly dose of advocacy, annoying pseudo-reggae. A few suggestions here.

Grassroots Running On Fumes: Obama’s organizing network running out of steam, just in time for health care battles.

We’re All Going To Die (And We Don’t Even Need A Death Panel): Tamiflu-resistant swine flu…HERE! Start freaking out now.

Another Wrinkle: Boeing’s cursed airliner suffers another setback.

Not So Fast, Gay-Haters: R-71’s error rate climbing (but probably not enough to keep it off the ballot).

WASL’s End: The maligned test releases its final results, but the new test for Washington students will be similar.

Because If You’re Going To Trust Anyone: Iran’s clerics trying to silence accusations of protester rape in prisons.

Your Neighbor Could Have Grenade Launchers Too: 4-year sentence for man’s anti-Communist arsenal.

It’s Football Season (Kind Of): Seahawks start practicing against other teams tonight.

There Can Be Only One: Mike McGinn and Joe Mallahan battle for second in the mayoral primary election. And like always, it’ll probably be decided by old people.

Speaking Of Potential Mayors: McGinn answered some questions yesterday

Or, You Could Just Vote For This Guy:

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13 replies on “The Morning News”

  3. The invalid signatures on Ref. 71 climbed to 11% yesterday which was a jump of .3% after counting only 8,000 additional signatures. With 80,000 signatures left to count that COULD mean 3% unless the “master checkers” get there hands on them.
    The Sec of State said that voters only need to register by the time the signature are checked so anti-gay groups are probably checking their list of signers and making sure everyone is registered even right now. Everyone else is in the dark since the names have been hidden from the public because of the injunction which goes against current state rules.
    One of these days the Stranger will quit covering up the fact that the judge that issued that injunction is a Republican, appointed by George Bush in 2007 with no judge experience and worked on Slade Gordon’s campaign.

  5. Why does Obama need a “grassroots” ?

    His party controls both houses.

    If he wants health care, he already has the mandate.

    What is he waiting for?

  6. “Obama’s organizing network running out of steam, just in time for health care battles.”

    Note the implicit assumption Obamahas nothing to do with this. It’s his fault.

    If he ahd gone to Iowa starting a few months ago and ASKED his base to get up and freakin’ organize, if he had told them “I need you!”
    “The nation needs you!” “The folks without insurance who are going to die becaus the insurance industry is the death industry!” and “Now please go tell Sen. Grassley we need him to come on board with this!” or “Did you know Sen. Grassley got $xxxxxyyyyzzz from big pharma!” or “hey there’s this really nice Ag Sec. named Vilsack, he’s for health care reform are you guys going to support him in taking on Grassley??”

    then heck yeah the grass roots would be stimulated.

    Instead of that he made a deal with the big pharma and Billy Tauzin a LOUSIANA POLITICIAN and guess what

    he didn’t tell them “oh yeah as part of this deal, you gotta get me the votes in the Senate”

    yup he failed at sausagemaking 101. He’s failing at grass roots organizing 101.

    He is going to succeed in getting a reform bill that Max Baucus will write, it will have great stuff and not a public option, it will be a huge advance and he will try to move forward for the next round.

    But you have to ask.

    If he spent this round telling everyone we have to work with big pharma and the so called insurance companies

    if he spent this round telling everyone single payer sucks, of course the gummint can’t run anything,

    how’s he prepared the foundation for the next stage?

    Is he suddenly going to shift and say “now America, we need a congress elected in 2010 that will support a public option!”

    Has he been secretly preparing a list of candidates and mobilizing the grass roots to make that happen?

    Um, doesn’t look like it.

    Well it’s a pretty big loaf so half a loag is pretty big and we have to give him credit for that. But really, it’s only crap the insurance industry can live with, the basic deal is they get 47 million more customers and subsdiies and more profits so they become even more strong and pretty much they will be whitewashed as having been pro reform and then how you gonna run against them next time?

  8. Since the Dems control congress and the White House I expect universal single payer health care by the end of the year or any Democrat running for office locally, statewide or nationally can forget my vote.

    Perhaps it’s time for McDermont to declare himself a Green?

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