Gregory Flap Cole

I've written about my problem with conservative identity politics more than a few times, but let me just expand on this point in regards to my Sarah Palin post below. Yes, it's true part of her appeal is that she speaks to a demographic category — though it isn't quite ethnic nor purely religious or regional. And absolutely, the fact that she's a woman was a factor as well, a sort of trump card for leftwing identity politics. But it's no coincidence that John McCain needed help with precisely these constituencies and demographic groups. Those overly vexed by her selection seem to forget that John McCain was actually trying to win the election. And all due respect to the potential electoral juggernaut that would have been McCain-Pawlenty '08, I just don't see a lot of merit to the effort to depict Palin into some grand symbol of conservative decay. ++++++++ Conservative identity politics not = Sarah Palin but horsetrading demographically - Gregory Flap Cole

A group dedicated to pushing Sarah Palin into the 2012 presidential race was formed last week and is already emailing Iowa Republicans. The "2012 Draft Sarah Committee" has a rudimentary website up showing the Alaska governor dishing out moose chili and appears to be composed of rank-and-file conservative activists. They've already found their way into the in-boxes of some of the opinion-makers in early primary and caucus states. David L. Kelly, apparently the group's Treasurer and Colorado coordinator, sent a mass email today that hit at least one Iowa GOP vet. ++++++ Premature..... - Gregory Flap Cole

Sarah Palin's position on illegal immigration - Gregory Flap Cole

“A lot of the speculation and reporting is out ahead of the facts here,” said the person, who requested anonymity. “She is still weighing this, independent of President Clinton's work.” Clinton, the person said, remains deeply “torn” between the possibility of serving in Obama’s cabinet and remaining in the Senate to “help pass health care and work on a broad range of domestic issues.” +++++++ Chances are it is a No go..... - Gregory Flap Cole

Newsweek, quoting unidentified legal sources close to the presidential transition team, reported Tuesday that Obama offered Holder the job and he accepted. Newsweek said Holder still has to undergo a formal "vetting" review by the Obama transition team before the selection is final. ++++++ Another Clinton retread and with Marc Rich's pardon - priceless - Gregory Flap Cole

A dentist found guilty of urinating in a surgery sink and other unhygienic practices has started a High Court appeal to save his career. ++++++ If true, this is really gross..... - Gregory Flap Cole

But how conservatives resolve their differences will also matter to Obama's success. For now, the right is divided into ideological conservatives and dispositional conservatives. - Gregory Flap Cole

There's that. But there's also disdain for the American electorate that voted in overwhelming numbers for change from the discredited Bush/McCain/Lieberman policies. But in a city known for tone-deafness, there clearly isn't a more tone-deaf group than the Senate Dems. I'm done with Reid as Senate leader. - Gregory Flap Cole

Add Mitt Romney to the list of big name Republicans who are lending a hand to Sen. Saxby Chambliss, as he fights for his political life. Chambliss is the freshman Republican senator from Georgia who will face off against his Democratic opponent, former state lawmaker Jim Martin, in a runoff election on Tuesday December 2. - Gregory Flap Cole

What will really drive them bonkers — well, more bonkers — is that the vote within the caucus was apparently 43-12 in favor of keeping Lieberman as chairman. - Gregory Flap Cole

The Republican Jewish Coalition should close its doors. Its budget, and anything else the GOP spends on wooing Jewish voters, should be equally divided between building more Orthodox Jewish day schools (thereby encouraging the Orthodox to have more children) and transporting evangelical Christians to the polls on Election Day. That would do more to help Israel and to assure Jewish survival than the money wasted quadrennially on trying to bring a message of reason to the mega-meshugeneh. - Gregory Flap Cole

We start this week with a lead of 622 votes out of 339,292 total cast, or 0.18 percent. The good news is that there are less than 1,500 ballots to tally in the only county that Brown won and over 25,000 ballots to process in the counties that I carried. We expect final Nevada County numbers to come in by the middle of this week. Once they have been reported, our lead should steadily grow as the remaining ballots from Placer, Sacramento, Butte and El Dorado counties are tallied. - Gregory Flap Cole

Law professor Brian Gray argues in this morning’s L.A. Times that California’s Proposition 8 may violate the federal Constitution — and that we could see a ruling to that effect some day, written by one Anthony Kennedy. Is he right? The answer depends on whether you believe Justices Kennedy and O’Connor, on one hand — or Justice Scalia, on the other. If you’re inclined to believe Justice Scalia, then Professor Gray may well be right: the U.S. Supreme Court might one day mandate gay marriage. I’m not sure why Gray relies on the old case of Romer v. Evans, which declined to overrule Bowers v. Hardwick, rather than Lawrence v. Texas, which did. I think Gray is drawing a parallel between Proposition 8 and the measure invalidated in Romer, because each involved a statewide ballot measure to place in a state’s constitution a provision disfavoring gays. But whether Proposition 8 would be struck down depends much more on Lawrence than on Romer, because Lawrence went much further to defend - Gregory Flap Cole

"HARDBALL" host Chris Matthews and the other "castratos" at MSNBC shouldn't hold their breath waiting for a Hillary Clinton interview. Matthews, who once opined that men who supported Clinton were "castratos in the eunuch chorus," forgot the cardinal rule for those who are often mentioned on Page Six - he didn't take a good look around on the Acela train from Philadelphia to Washington Saturday before he started bad-mouthing the New York senator. +++++++ Chris Matthews is a moron and to think he may run for the US Senate. - Gregory Flap Cole

And the clearest opposition to the Clinton appointment comes from Obama's backers on the left of his own party, whose initial support for him was motivated in part by a distaste for the Clinton dynasty, and who now view her reemergence with some dismay. "There's always a risk of a Cabinet member freelancing and that risk is enhanced by the fact that Hillary has her own public and her own celebrity and that she comes attached to Bill," said Robert Kuttner, a Clinton critic and co-editor of the American Prospect whose new book, Obama's Challenge, implores the president-elect to adopt an expansive liberal agenda. "The other question is the old rule – never hire somebody you can't fire. What happens if her views and his views don't mesh?""The silver lining, for those of us who are skeptical, is that it drastically limits the number of other Clinton administration alums that he can appoint, and that's a blessing," Kuttner said. - Gregory Flap Cole

"Gay is the new black" is one of the mottos of the movement to redefine marriage to include two people of the same sex. The likening of the movement for same-sex marriage to the black civil rights struggle is a primary argument of pro same-sex marriage groups. This comparison is a major part of the moral appeal of redefining marriage: Just as there were those who once believed that blacks and whites should not be allowed to be married, the argument goes, there are today equally bigoted individuals who believe that men should not be allowed to marry men and women should not be allowed to marry women. - Gregory Flap Cole

To help promote its ideas, CAP employs 11 full-time bloggers who contribute to two Web sites, ThinkProgress and the Wonk Room; others prepare daily feeds for radio stations. The center's policy briefings are standing-room only, packed with lobbyists, advocacy-group representatives and reporters looking for insights on where the Obama administration is headed. +++++++ The RIGHT needs to step it up ...... - Gregory Flap Cole

Many gay-rights activists are wary of the current Supreme Court, but five of the justices who formed the majority in Romer vs. Evans remain on the bench. As with so many cases, a ruling likely would hinge on the views of Kennedy, and there is no reason to believe that his judicial opinion has changed in any fundamental way. Besides, any constitutional challenge will take years to make its way to the U.S. Supreme Court. By that time, the broader political change that swept over the nation Nov. 4 may have reached the Supreme Court as well. But even if it hasn't, this 12-year-old precedent from a conservative high court could be the key to reaffirming that fundamental civil rights must be available to all citizens, regardless of race, sexual orientation or other intrinsic human qualities. +++++++ Then, the federal constitution will be amended. 30 states have already signed onto a ban. Need just a few more. And....the two issues as presented here are quite different - Gregory Flap Cole

Now David Frum, a prominent conservative writer who enmeshed himself in a minor dustup during the campaign by turning negative on Governor Palin, is leaving, too. In an interview, he said he planned to leave the magazine, where he writes a popular blog, to strike out on his own on the Web. “The answers to the Republican dilemma are not obvious and we need a vibrant discussion,” he said. “I think a little more distance can help everybody do a better job of keeping their temper.” ++++++ Don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out, Frum. - Gregory Flap Cole

Had the protesters organized a march and sought the proper permits, Los Angeles mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, LAPD chief William Bratton, the city council, the police commission, indeed the entire municipal apparatus, nearly all of whose members are left-leaning and sympathetic to the same-sex marriage cause, would have moved heaven and earth to accommodate them, bringing large sections of the city to a halt if necessary, just as they have done to facilitate large-scale marches on behalf of another politically favored group, illegal aliens. - Gregory Flap Cole

PROPOSED INTERVENOR CAMPAIGN FOR CALIFORNIA FAMILIES’ PRELIMINARY OPPOSITION TO PETITION FOR EXTRAORDINARY RELIEF - Gregory Flap Cole

San Francisco, CA – Today Liberty Counsel filed its preliminary opposition summarizing its position regarding why the California Supreme Court should not consider petitions seeking to overturn the California Marriage Protection Act (Proposition 8). The Court has asked each party to provide these today. Liberty Counsel previously filed a motion to intervene on behalf of Campaign for California Families, and Liberty Counsel is submitting its preliminary opposition proposed by interveners. For the second time in eight years, more than 50 percent of California voters have confirmed that what has been true for thousands of years still remains true today: Marriage is the union of one man and one woman. And, for the second time in eight years, same-sex marriage advocates are seeking to thwart the will of the people by asking the California Supreme Court to overturn Proposition 8. Liberty Counsel argues that the Court should dismiss the petitions, because Proposition 8 is an amendment - Gregory Flap Cole

You've gone to the dentist for some needed oral maintenance. But after the drill's whirrrrr has quieted and you're out the door, the anesthetic lingers on in your unfeeling cotton mouth. Talking is very difficult while the mouth is anesthetized. Safety is also a concern ---- without the warning sense of pain, some patients are prone to bite their tongues. A new drug from Novalar, a Carmel Valley-based dental pharmaceutical company, solves this familiar problem. Called OraVerse, it's due to reach the market in October, coinciding with the American Dental Association's annual meeting in San Antonio. OraVerse speeds the time for recovering normal sensation by more than 80 minutes, as measured in human clinical trials, reducing the recovery time by about half. The drug was approved for sale in the United States in May. ++++++++ Routinely used - probably not..... - Gregory Flap Cole

Let's see if I got this straight: Hundreds of supporters of gay marriage, opponents of California Proposition 8, have picketed a Mexican restaurant in L.A. and shouted vulgarities at innocent customers just because one employee - a daughter of the owner - gave a modest $100 donation in support of the measure protecting traditional marriage. Opponents of Proposition 8 have threatened and harassed several other businesses - including a radio station, a theatre, and a chain of health food stores - because employees gave money in support of Prop 8. Opponents of Prop 8 have knocked a cross from the hands of an elderly woman and stomped on it during a demonstration in Palm Springs. Suspicious white powder has been sent in an envelope to a Mormon temple in Westwood. (Mormons were big supporters of Prop 8.) +++++++ And, the Yes on 8 folks won an election. - Gregory Flap Cole

Everybody, all together now: "All statements from Barack Obama come with an expiration date. All of them." +++++++ Bet so..... - Gregory Flap Cole

The official proponents of Proposition 8 and the campaign committee responsible for its enactment by voters today urged the California Supreme Court to accept original jurisdiction of three cases challenging the measure's validity and have petitioned the Supreme Court to intervene in the cases as Real Parties in Interest. Expressing confidence that the Supreme Court will uphold the validity of Proposition 8, the authors of the measure urged the Supreme Court to deny requests to stay implementation of Proposition 8 pending resolution of the legal issues. - Gregory Flap Cole

1. The Republican Party suffered a death blow. 2. A wave of black voters and young people was the key to Obama's victory. 3. Now that they control the White House and Congress, Democrats will usher in a new progressive era. 4. A Republican candidate could have won the presidency this year. 5. McCain made a huge mistake in picking Sarah Palin. - Gregory Flap Cole

You may remember the document widely circulated during the weeks leading up to November 4th entitled, “The Six Consequences if Proposition 8 Fails”. It was used by Prop 8 supporters to remind voters that changing the definition of marriage would have far-reaching consequences. It wasn’t a simple vote about giving a group equal rights. Well, look where we are now! Twelve days after the election (Can you believe it’s only been twelve days?) and even though Proposition 8 passed, it feels like we’re in worse shape than before. Let’s review “The Six Consequences” in light of recent events: +++++++ And Proposition 8 passed! - Gregory Flap Cole

An unreleased, experimental track by The Beatles could be made public 41 years after it was recorded at Abbey Road studios, ex-member Paul McCartney has said. McCartney, one of two surviving members of arguably the most successful pop band in history, told BBC Radio that "Carnival of Light" was The Beatles at their most free, "going off piste.""I said it would be great to put this on because it would show we were working with really avant-garde stuff," McCartney told Radio 4's Front Row culture show in an interview to be broadcast on Thursday. - Gregory Flap Cole

The good news for supporters of marriage equity is that -- and there's no polite way to put this -- the older voters aren't going to be around for all that much longer, and they'll gradually be cycled out and replaced by younger voters who grew up in a more tolerant era. Everyone knew going in that Prop 8 was going to be a photo finish -- California might be just progressive enough and 2008 might be just soon enough for the voters to affirm marriage equity. Or, it might fall just short, which is what happened. But two or four or six or eight years from now, it will get across the finish line. ++++++++ Don't count on passage anytime soon, Nate. - Gregory Flap Cole