Here’s Helena’s official response in reference to the “not qualified”

Too quiet.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is in China, touring supermarkets and touting California goods.

Lt. Gov. Abel Maldonado, acting governor in Schwarzenegger’s absence, is in San Bruno coordinating “state efforts” in the aftermath of the deadly September 9 natural gas explosion and fire.

The Legislature is in recess.

For it being the 72^nd day of a new fiscal year and no budget signed – let alone in sight – the mood is remarkably muted. Downright placid.

But that all changes next week.

Thirteen fundraisers are scheduled between September 13 and September 15 in Sacramento.

Some are for statewide candidates. GOP Attorney General wannabe Steve Cooley has a $2,000-a-head lunch scheduled at Spataro’s.

The ever-whimsical current attorney general, Jerry Brown, the Democratic candidate for governor, is hosting a $10,000-a-throw September 14 cocktail reception and dinner at the “governor’s mansion.”

This “mansion” would be apartment #9 at 1400 N St., across from Capitol Park, where Brown lived, sleeping on a mattress on the floor, when he was previously governor – 30-some years ago.

Clever marketing. Will guests sit cross-legged on the carpet to dine or will there be beanbag chairs?

Three out-of-town legislative incumbents, apparently feeling no shame over their performance this year, are willing to show their faces in Sacramento seeking campaign contributions.

Assemblyman Bill Monning, a Santa Cruz Democrat, wants $1,250 for dinner and the pleasure of his company at McCormick and Schmick’s seafood eatery.

Assemblywoman Mary Hayashi, a Hayward Democrat, and Assemblywoman Mariko Yamada, a Davis Democrat, have a $1,000-minimum lunch and cocktail reception, respectively, scheduled for September 15.

Most shocking are the fundraisers by people crazy enough to seek election to the Assembly.

Andy Pugno, the Republican candidate for the 5^th Assembly District centered in Carmichael near Sacramento, wants $1,000 for September 14 lunch at Frank Fat’s.

Jeff Gorell, a former writer and press aide to Gov. Pete Wilson and now part owner of a public relations firm in Ventura, is the GOP candidate for the 56^th Assembly seat. His website says he is an “accomplished attorney” and that the state needs “budgetary reform in Sacramento to prevent continued irresponsible spending.”

Lobbyists can enjoy drinks with him at Chops on September 14 for as little as $1,000.

Allan Mansoor, the mayor of Costa Mesa, is the GOP candidate for the 68^th Assembly district.

He believes “taxpayers are paying for a full loaf of bread and getting half a loaf’ and, if elected, wants to lower taxes, balance budgets and put “parents and families first.”

Hear more over cocktails at the Cosmo Café September 15 for $1,000.

The fundraising solicitations are bipartisan.

San Jose City Councilwoman Nora Campos is a Democrat running for the 23^rd Assembly district. She pledges to continue “putting people first” if sent to the Assembly. She’ll explain in fulsome detail at a September 15 $1,000-a-plate lunch at Ella’s.

Democratic 79th District Assembly candidate Ben Hueso and Roger Hernandez, Democratic candidate for the 57^th Assembly District hold dueling receptions at the L Wine Lounge on September 15. Both seek $1,000 minimum from guests. But couldn’t one just pay once and then sneak into the other event?

Hernandez, the mayor of West Covina and a fan of semi-colons, says he will have three main goals as a state legislator:

“Rebuilding California’s world-class education for our kids; breaking the Sacramento budget gridlock by advocating for long-term fixes; and, protecting open space so residents of the San Gabriel valley can have the quality of life that we have enjoyed for over 100 years”

Hueso is slightly more ambitious. He will “create quality jobs,” then “reform health care,” followed by fixing the state budget deficit and topped by providing quality education and protecting the environment.

It’s somewhat troubling that candidates advocating crappy education systems, fouling the environment, running sky-high deficits and saying to hell with health care and new jobs are so poorly represented on next week’s fundraising tour.

Don’t they need money too?

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Recently candidate for U.S. Congress from the fourth district of Kansas Raj Goyle sent out a fundraising email that distorts facts in order to stir up protectionist fears about the world economy.

The email pokes fun at Republican rival Mike Pompeo using so-called facts that were shown to be false and misleading during the primary election campaign.

The Goyle email mentions Kansans who “lost our job to Mike Pompeo’s factory in Mexico.” Goyle and his campaign believe that Kansas jobs were shipped to Mexico at Pompeo’s direction.

What was found to be true is that a company that Pompeo once managed created a small number of jobs in Mexico, at the request of a client.

Doing that not only allowed a Kansas company to gain a new contract and new business, it also created more than twice as many jobs in Kansas.

We have to recognize that manufacturers compete globally. Goyle may not recognize this, or he may not care. Free trade, too, benefits all parties. This transaction is evidence of this: creating new jobs in Mexico also created new jobs in Kansas.

Goyle may not be aware of the competitive pressure that manufacturers face. After all, his job in the Kansas Legislature can’t be outsourced.

But beyond not having an understanding of economics and the realities of the way the world works, we still ought to be able to expect one thing: that Raj Goyle will tell the truth.

If running as an unaffiliated candidate isn’t hard enough, throw in the fact that her name will not be on the ballot, and she has a double-whammy to overcome.

Whether she can do it is anyone’s guess. What is for sure is that she is out-raising her Republican and Democratic rivals almost 3-1, even when you combine their numbers.

So far, she has raised nearly $35,000 and has taken a bank loan for another $10,000. In August alone, she raised $6,715 and now has nearly $30,000 in the bank. She’s done it with no contribution larger than $200.

Republican Luke Korkowski, of Crested Butte, has raised just over $4,000 altogether, with just under $900 coming in August. He has a little more than $1,000 in the bank.

Democrat Roger Ben Wilson has raised just over $8,000 in the cycle, a little more than $5,500 in August. He has just over $5,000 in the bank. Wilson has given the campaign just over $2,000 of that total, and U.S. Rep. Jared Polis has donated $400 to the campaign.

Asked if she would become a Republican if she is elected, Curry said she would not. “I have no interest in declaring any party affiliation,” she said.

Serving in the State Legislature last year as the only unaffiliated member, she said she found that it didn’t make much difference in terms of her effectiveness.

“Most of my colleagues in the House are more concerned with the merits of a bill than they are with who brought it. Neither party will have an overwhelming majority next session, so my vote will be courted, I can guarantee you that,” she said.

She said there are more unaffiliated voters in the district than are registered with either party and that she thinks her chances of re-election are good.

“I have to get the word out on how to vote for me, that is the biggest thing,” she said.

It looks like the first 527 group ad of the general election will soon be airing in the First Congressional District. American Future Fund has purchased a media buy for the above ad hitting Democratic candidate Chad Causey and tries to tie him to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Looks for this familiar theme in ads this fall.

h/t Arkansas Times

It looks like the first 527 group ad of the general election will soon be airing in the First Congressional District. American Future Fund has purchased a media buy for the above ad hitting Democratic candidate Chad Causey and tries to tie him to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Looks for this familiar theme in ads this fall.

h/t Arkansas Times

It looks like the first 527 group ad of the general election will soon be airing in the First Congressional District. American Future Fund has purchased a media buy for the above ad hitting Democratic candidate Chad Causey and tries to tie him to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

Looks for this familiar theme in ads this fall.

h/t Arkansas Times

Today Elaine Lafferty contributes an interview with David Koch and helps to deconstruct the recent News Yorker magazine piece about him, his brother Charles Koch, and Koch Industries.

One of the most baseless claims made in the New Yorker article is that Charles and David Koch have sought to operate secretly. This charge has been made in other contexts, too. This article quotes David Koch’s assessment of this: “If what I and my brother believe in, and advocate for, is secret, it’s the worst covert operation in history.”

Lafferty also touches on a subject that needs more illumination: the political tone-deafness of those who describe Charles and David Koch as “Republican right-wingers.” One of the institutions associated with the Kochs is the Cato Institute. In describing its philosophy as “libertarianism” or “market liberalism,” the Cato website says: “It combines an appreciation for entrepreneurship, the market process, and lower taxes with strict respect for civil liberties and skepticism about the benefits of both the welfare state and foreign military adventurism.”

Any organization that believes, as Cato does, in opposition to the war in Iraq, ending the prohibition of drugs, and marriage equality, is far from what is usually deemed to be “right-wing” or even “conservative.” Many observers and commentators are not able to make these distinctions.

The article also addresses the issue of Koch Industries being a polluter, and explains David Koch’s advocacy for, and financial support of, cancer research.

David Koch Fires Back at the New Yorker

By Elaine Lafferty

David Koch is steaming.

“It’s hateful. It’s ludicrous. And it’s plain wrong.”

The object of his ire is a 9,963 word story in The New Yorker magazine, published last week which accuses David, his brother Charles, and Koch Industries of … well, just about everything: Secretly funding the Tea Party movement, secretly manipulating the Smithsonian, along with, not-so-secretly polluting the planet, stealing oil from Native American land, denying the existence of climate change, and promoting carcinogens — all in the self-interest of making further billions.

Continue reading at David Koch Fires Back at the New Yorker

With the latest polls showing Boozman leading by a nearly two to one margin, look for Lincoln to try to go on the offense and score as many points as possible.  The debate will be a chance for her to make up some ground and perhaps catch Boozman in a tricky sound bite that she can use in a television ad.  Based on her most recent talking points, I would expect her to bring up Boozman’s support for the FairTax (which she frames as a “23 percent national sales tax”) and also attempt to get him to discuss ANY changes to Social Security.  If she can get him to suggest he will change anything about the program, it will most likely go into one of her ads.

Boozman on the other hand will probably play it safe.  He is known for doing this anyway and with an seemingly insurmountable lead in the polls, he has no reason to try anything risky.  I would look for him to stick to the basic talking point on the growing federal debt and “out of control federal spending.”  He likely will look for opportunities to mention President Obama and other unpopular Washington Democrats and tie Lincoln to them.

Follow me on twitter @TolbertReport for live updates and of course check back here as well.  I may try to live stream the event or I might leave it to the professionals at Fox16.com depending on the set-up.

Charred school buses in the wake of Boulder County’s Fourmile Canyon Fire. (Photo by Eric Peter Abramson, area resident)

Touting a new Environment Colorado report entitled “Global Warming and Extreme Weather: The Science, the Forecast, and the Impacts on America,” Boulder Mayor Susan Osborne said in a release: “In light of the Fourmile Fire, this report could not be timelier. Global warming may not be the cause of the fire, but if we do not act soon, we are likely to see more fires throughout Colorado.”

The report concludes lower snowpack, less overall precipitation and increased temperatures will directly lead to more wildfires in Colorado. Other studies have found insect epidemics spurred on by warmer temperatures and drought will also up the fire risk.

A new report conducted by the Forest Service and published in the journal Bioscience links climate change to an increase in spruce and mountain pine beetles, which have killed more than 2 million acres of trees in Colorado and Wyoming in recent years. The bugs thrive in warmer temperatures.

U.S. Sen. Mark Udall, a Democrat whose home is just south of Boulder in Eldorado Springs, has been pushing hard for more federal funding to help the Forest Service and other federal, state and local agencies clear dead and dying trees away from communities, water storage facilities, power lines and other key infrastructure.

Udall already this year has steered $30 million to the Forest Service and other federal agencies to clear about 14,000 acres of dead trees near communities and more than 350 recreation sites in Colorado (map). And now he’s pushing for $50 million more through his National Forest Insect and Disease Emergency Act, which passed out of the Senate Energy and National Resources Committee but still needs full Senate approval.

“Wildfire is a threat Colorado communities face, in part because of the damage the bark beetle epidemic has inflicted on millions of acres of trees,” Udall said on his website. “I’m not going to rest in my efforts to secure additional funding and support to reduce the wildfire threats throughout Colorado.”

But there is ongoing debate on just how much more susceptible forests are to wildfire in the wake of the naturally occurring beetle kill epidemic and just how deep into the forest clearing of dead trees should occur. Some environmentalists, scientists and politicians want to limit that clearing to areas directly adjacent to communities, especially if new road building is required.

“Millions of acres are beetle infected and to get in there and to clear and thin beetle-killed trees is just a herculean effort, and I don’t know that our federal treasury has enough money to do that or that any governmental entity could undertake such a task,” said state Sen. Al White, R-Hayden, whose district has been one of the hardest hit by the epidemic.

White has been frustrated by the slow reaction of the federal bureaucracy to the latest outbreak, which began in earnest in the mid to late 1990s, but now he says nature may have to just run its course in some areas away from towns and key infrastructure.

“This is just a catastrophe of nature, and the best thing you can do is deal with it as best you can, and probably what that means is private property owners trying to create defensible space around their houses and out buildings and keep our fingers crossed,” he said. “I know that sounds a little fatalistic, but that’s pretty much the reality of it.”

Dr. Barry Noon, a professor of wildlife ecology at Colorado State University, argues against much more than a 100-foot buffer zone around private property.

“If the goal is to protect homes, I would focus the creation of the defensible space very locally. I know of no evidence that would argue that it needs to be more than a mile or beyond 40 meters for that matter,” Noon told the Colorado Independent earlier this year.

In Vail, where Fire Chief Mark Miller has his crews thinning a 150-foot defensible perimeter around the town, the beetle kill wildfire threat is being taken very seriously.

“There are some different studies that show beetle kill doesn’t burn any worse and we’re no more susceptible than we are with green forest. However, that’s not necessarily the case,” Miller said. “Beetle kill stands can burn with more intensity than live trees and they have the tendency to put off a lot more spot fires.”

The beetle kill epidemic is moving slowly east toward the Front Range but hasn’t yet hit the Boulder area nearly as hard as Grand County, which is just to the west over the Continental Divide. But a wet spring and summer created plenty of vegetation that dried out during recent warm, dry weather in Boulder. High winds on Monday did the rest, quickly spreading the Fourmile Fire to more than 6,000 acres.

That’s a small area compared to the state’s largest ever wildfire – the 138,000-acre Hayman Fire along the Front Range south of Denver in 2002 – but the Boulder blaze has destroyed more homes now than Hayman, and firefighters are very worried it will flare up again today before winds die down again over the weekend.

There are several new tools for tracking the Fourmile Fire, including an aggregate Google map launched Wednesday to allow residents and the general public to track and post fire updates, closure areas and photos of property damage and destruction. It’s being moderated and requires sourcing.

Project Epic, a joint scientific project of the University of Colorado at Boulder and the University of California, Irvine, is mapping tweeted reports from the Fourmile Canyon Fire.

Taran Volckhausen contributed to this report

SACRAMENTO – State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell today urged Governor Schwarzenegger to sign into law Senate Bill (SB) 847 and Assembly Bill (AB) 185 before he leaves the state tomorrow to embark on a trade mission to Asia. The two bills authorize the state to distribute federal education funds and will take effect immediately upon his signature.

“Federal and state lawmakers worked quickly to pass laws that would provide millions in critically needed funds to save education jobs in California,” said O’Connell. “Yet the Governor has not even requested SB 847 and AB 185 from the Legislature so that he can sign them into law.

“California’s students and teachers are already bearing the brunt of billions in budget cuts in the past few years, and they should not have to wait until the Governor gets back from his trip in mid-September to begin this funding process. I urge him to request the bills from the Legislature and sign them now, so we can distribute the funds to schools as quickly as possible.”

California’s Constitution requires that without a state budget, any appropriation bill, like SB 847 and AB 185, may not be sent to the Governor. That’s unless the Governor requests them by a formal letter. Once that happens, the Legislature would send the Governor the bill immediately.

SB 847 was coauthored by state Senate President pro Tempore Darrell Steinberg (D-Sacramento) and Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez (D-Los Angeles). The measure provides the California Department of Education (CDE) with the authority to allocate $1.2 billion from the federal Education Jobs Fund to school districts. SB 847 is estimated to save 16,500 education jobs in California. These funds will be distributed based on the state’s revenue limit formulas.

AB 185, authored by Assembly member Joan Buchanan (D-Alamo), provides the CDE with the authority to distribute nearly $904 million from two federal programs:

$416 million is provided for districts that have schools participating in the School Improvement Grant program. The participating schools must implement one of four specified school intervention models to turn around the achievement of their students.

• $488 million is for Phase II of the State Fiscal Stabilization Fund program designed to stabilize local school budgets. About $271 million will be distributed to K–12 schools, with the remaining funds going to institutions for higher education. The K–12 funds will be distributed based on cuts to district revenue limit (general purpose) funding.

# # #

The California Department of Education (CDE) is a state agency led by State Superintendent of Public Instruction Jack O’Connell. The core purpose of CDE is to lead and support the continuous improvement of student achievement, with a specific focus on closing achievement gaps. For more information, please visit http://www.cde.ca.gov or by mobile device at http://m.cde.ca.gov/. You may also follow Superintendent O’Connell (@SSPIJack) on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/sspijack.

(Editor’s Note: The press release above was issued September 8. A spokesman for the GOP governor said Schwarzenegger was “currently reviewing the bills to determine the most appropriate course of action.” Now that the governor has departed for China, Lieutenant Governor Abel Maldonado is acting governor and apparently will sign the measures within the next few days. While the funds will likely allow the rehiring of some pink-slipped teachers, the result will be still be disruptive. The school year began September 7. Hiring back teachers will mean staffing reshuffling, students moved from classroom to classroom and the attendant administrative — and parental– headaches. Signing the bills before Labor Day would have avoided the logistical mess. It also would have been a more appropriate time to send the press release.)

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8:45 p.m. That should be it. Clinton and McWherter doing a private photo-line fundraiser afterward. Crowd, press dispersing. Not too soggy and with our classic rock fix for the evening.

8:44 p.m. Clinton leaving to Tom Petty tune #3. “Won’t Back Down.” Quick photo with McWherter family before leaving stage.

8:43 p.m. Clinton: He can’t do it on his own. He can’t do it with paid ads.

8:42 p.m. Clinton: “The Tennessee governor’s race needs to be about what are we going to do now and who is more likely to do it.”

8:41 p.m. Clinton: Tells crowd to find uncommitted voters and apathetic voters. … “That’s all there is. It’s not more complicated.”

8:40 p.m. Clinton: There’s plenty of money out there to bring this country back. … We can train people to do the jobs that are out there now. … But you got to have somebody out there thinking straight asking what you’ve to do to get people working.

8:39 p.m. Clinton: You need a governor to find ways to fill jobs.

8:36 p.m. Clinton: Most potential for job growth is small business, manufacturing and clean energy. McW is the only one who has a plan.

8:35 p.m. Clinton: Huge amount of foreign money wants to come in here because they believe America is a good place to invest in.

8:34 p.m. Clinton: Got to get the banks to lend again. The recession would be over in a nanosecond if they did.

Umbrellas out. Rain is finally starting to come down steadily.

8:33 p.m. Clinton: The governors’ job is to find out where the jobs are for each state and make it happen.

8:32 p.m. Clinton: Your job is to change the subject from anger and blame to what are we going to do now.

8:31 p.m. Clinton: They only care about the budget when we’re in. Then, they want to get rid of Education and Social Security and give themselves a tax cut. … “They’re ideologues. They’re impervious to evidence.”

8:29 p.m. Clinton: Stimulus didn’t just stimulate. … Some of it went to local government. … Only one-third was meant to create jobs. … “The argument of the other party is that they had 21 months to fix the message we left them. Throw them out.”

8:27 p.m. Clinton: “The apathy is ours. … This was a complicated, unprecedentedly difficult economic situation. … There was a $3 trillion hole in our economy. … I believe both the president and the Congress have done a better job than they have been given credit for. …”

8:25 p.m. Clinton: “I get the anger. … I grew up in a working class family. … I know people are frustrated and angry, and they need to own that anger. … I ask them to remember only this. … Every time you made an important decision on an important matter when you were mad, you made a mistake.”

8:24 p.m. Clinton: McW will win if you can change the subject from anger, apathy and amnesia to what you’re going to do going forward.

8:23 p.m. Clinton: Says, more or less, that “they,” Republicans, mishandled the economy. “Now, they’d have you think President Obama was the cause of everything that’s wrong in America.”

8:21 p.m. Clinton: “There are three things we have too much off — too much apathy, too much anger, too much amnesia.”

8:20 p.m. Clinton thanks McWherters for their support of his candidacy and Hillary’s.

Clinton seems a little hoarse, more so than usual.

8:20 p.m. Clinton says he started day in Little Rock. Campaigned in Alabama and Atlanta today. “That’s not bad for a guy of 64.”

8:19 p.m. Clinton: NRMcW is one of the best friends I ever had. Helped me carrying Tennessee.

8:18 p.m. On cue, here’s “Don’t Stop.” Clinton takes stage, poses with McWherter, shakes hand of NRMcW at edge of stage.

8:18 p.m. McWherter seems to be wrapping up.

8:16 p.m. McW: We’re going to have a lot to talk about this fall and this campaign is going to take our message to the voters of Tennessee.

Crowd chants, “I Like Mike.” Slogan also appears on placards.

8:15 p.m. McW: Bill Haslam wants to be your governor but he doesn’t want to release his income taxes. … Where does his business interests end?

8:14 p.m. McW: Haslam raised taxes and his business practices are pretty oily too. Says Pilot oil price gauged.

8:13 p.m. McWherter: “I know I’m in a tough race and I know I need your support. … We face an opponent who has already spent millions of dollars and millions of dollars covering up our airwaves with commercials that tell you nothing about his record.”

8:12 p.m. “He (Clinton) left first surplus since World War II. Our economy was booming, we were creating jobs, and Tennesseans and Americans got jobs, good jobs, and their paychecks grew. No president has ever left the country in better fiscal shape that President Clinton did.”

8:11 p.m. McW: Clinton, NRMcW and Bredesen all inherited financial messes. “The other party talks a good game about fiscal responsibility, but when they get power, they spend with the best of them.”

8:10 p.m. McWherter: Bredesen has promoted state around the world. State of the art factories in TN because of his work.

8:08 p.m. McWherter tells story about father’s relationship with Clinton. Ned Ray McWherter dined at White House with actress Kate Capshaw and Steven Spielberg. McWherter failed to recognize Spielberg, didn’t know “E.T.”

8:06 p.m. McWherter: Governor, you’re an example of what a Tennessee Democrat can do.

8:05 p.m. McWherter coming out. Using “I’ve Got a Feeling” as his theme song. Did the same on election night.

8:04 p.m. “These have come about in a Democratic administration. Why would you want to change course now?” There is more to that sailing analogy.

8:03 p.m. Bredesen plugs the bond rating. Draws scattered cheers.

8:02 p.m. Phil Bredesen takes the stage:  “We’re having tonight, a convocation of Southern governors.” Two former Southern governors, our current governor and our future governor.

8 p.m. Rain is picking up again. My wife texted to say the forecast if for the downpour to hold off until after midnight. This is good news. Meanwhile, enjoy a little music…

7:58 p.m. M.C.: President Clinton is on the ground in Nashville. “Is Bill Clinton worth waiting for?” Crowd doesn’t seem to have thinned.

7:54 p.m. Johnny Cash tune #3. “I’ve Been Everywhere.”

7:53 p.m. “Simple Man” is a very long song.

7:48 p.m. “Simple Man.” First Lynard Skynyrd song of the night. I congratulate the organizers on holding out this long.

7:43 p.m. Tom Petty tune #2.

7:35 p.m. They seem to be dragging this out a little bit. My guess is that Clinton hasn’t arrived yet. He had an event earlier today in Atlanta.

7:30 p.m. Playing “Ring of Fire.” Johnny Cash tunes are doing well here between Lower Broadway and the Hall of Fame.

7:27 p.m. Davis asks crowd for the opportunity to continue to serve. Links state Republican history to President George Bush.

7:25 p.m. Davis: Bredesen rebuilt the rainy day fund. “History don’t have to repeat itself. … You in this audience can prevent history from repeating itself.”

7:23 p.m. Says bond ratings improved under Ned McWherter. “What happened the next eight years?” Mentions Sundquist’s income tax proposal.

7:22 p.m. Davis reminds crowd that Republican Gov. Don Sundquist moved to repeal the Career Ladder teacher bonus program.

7:21 p.m. Lincoln Davis takes the stage. “I see at least 10,000 people out there, maybe more.” He’s exaggerating.

7:18 p.m. OK, it’s “Clocks.” I don’t know my Coldplay song titles. They never seem to have much to do with the lyrics.

7:17 p.m. Now playing “Yellow Parachutes” by Coldplay. I guess we’re waiting on someone to arrive.

7:16 p.m. Tanner: “He’s (McWherter) a good man. He’s also my cousin.” This is literally true, apparently.

7:12 p.m. U.S. Rep. John Tanner taking stage. Will be introducing Dem bigwigs.

7:11 p.m. Dean: Mike McWherter is the right partner for the city of Nashville.

7:10 p.m. Memphis State Rep. John DeBerry delivered invocation. Mayor Karl Dean on now.

6:50 p.m. I’m guessing about 1,000 people are in the park right now. Still no sign of the speakers. PA is playing “I’m Going to Jackson” in honor of McWherter, I guess.

6:49 p.m. Apparently the starlings got the word something was up. Several flocks just converged on the Hilton, Country Music Hall of Fame and Bridgestone Arena.

6:37 p.m. Seems like we should hear “Don’t Stop” before too long. That was always Clinton’s campaign song, wasn’t it?

6:30 p.m. They’ve started playing upbeat music on the PA system. Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing.” No sign of the speakers yet, though.

6:23 p.m. Word going through the press area is that a lot of rain is on its way.

6:20 p.m. Speakers tonight will also include Mayor Karl Dean, Rep. John Tanner and Mike McWherter.

5:55 p.m. A thin crowd right now in Hall of Fame Park in downtown Nashville. Sprinkling slightly. Interviewed a Franklin man who brought his 9-year-old son to see Clinton, a pair of East Tennessee State University students who made the drive from Johnson City today and a Davidson County Democratic Party committee member.

Will update periodically until start of the event. Clinton should start speaking between 7:20 p.m. and 7:40 p.m. The McWherter campaign says about 3,000 people RSVP’d for the event.

“The Beebe campaign was contacted by the University today and has readily agreed to remove the two photos,” said Steve Voorhies, spokesman for the Univeristy.  “It is a policy of the UA spirit groups that businesses, political campaigns, etc. may not be endorsed (directly or indirectly) while students are in uniform, and this has been reinforced with students.   Photos taken of current squad members should not be taken as an endorsement by the University or its athletics program.”

So case closed on that one.

Eariler post with background on this story on the jump….

This week the University of Arkansas expressed concern over John Boozman’s use the Razorback logo in his campaign ad which focused on his time spent playing football for the Hogs. So I asked UA spokesman Steve Voorhies if there was any concern about any online use of the logo in promotion of candidates, specifically whether several pictures on the Mike Beebe for Governor official campaign Facebook page such as the one with Arkansas mascot “Sue E” holding a Beebe for Governor sticker or a UofA cheerleader wearing a Beebe sticker crossed the line.

Voorhies said that he had not seen this but that the university administration would look into it. He said that his initial take was that the pictures were documenting campaign events that had taken place and were not the same as a campaign ad such as Boozman’s ad. He said that whether the University expresses concern is “a matter of degree” but that they will take a look and make a final determination. “Online campaigning is a new realm we will have to consider,” said Voorhies.

But it brings up an interesting question. If the University of Arkansas was uncomfortable with Boozman’s television ad, where does the line cross in the new internet age of political campaigns.

Voorhies was not sure but added, “If the (Beebe for Governor) profile picture had him standing in front of Old Main, we might have something to say about that.”

Three local TV news stations fact checked the segment of a Michael Bennet ad stating that Buck “wants to ban common forms for birth control,” and each station came up with a different conclusion.

7News called it a fact, lumping it together with Buck’s position against abortion, even in the case of rape and incest, and stating that “this is Buck’s position on abortion.” (No citations are provided.)

News4 called it opinion, using this logic: “Buck’s position is, life begins at conception. By far, the most common forms of birth control, condoms and the pill, work before conception. And Buck is not opposed to those.” (News4 provided no citations.)

9News got uncharacteristically squishy on us and couldn’t decide if the statement was true or false. 9News told viewers that the veracity of Bennet’s ad “likely depends on what you consider common forms of birth control.” (As with all of its Truth Tests, 9News did provide detailed citations, one of which cited an email from Buck’s campaign stating that Buck opposes birth control methods that “would keep a fertilized egg from implanting, like hormone-based birth control methods, some other forms of the pill, IUDs, RU-486 and what’s known as the morning-after pill.” )

To get the facts on the table about the impact of birth-control measures on fertilized human eggs, I emailed Nanette Santoro, MD, chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, at the University of Colorado.

She agreed to provide information, as long as I emphasized that she does not advocate any political position but instead provides current scientific thinking on the topic.

I asked her which human birth control methods don’t damage a fertilized egg.

She emailed me this list of barrier methods: Condom, diaphragm, Essure method of blocking the fallopian tubes. She also included vasectomy and tubal ligation.

I asked which methods cause damage to fertilized eggs.

Her reply:

“Combination birth control pills [made with hormones progestin and estrogin], vaginal rings, or patches interrupt ovulation and do not harm fertilized eggs. Eggs are not released in these cases.

Progestin-only pills, or implants, had been long thought to cause a hostile environment to the fertilized egg. The lining of the uterus is rendered unreceptive in this line of reasoning, and that is why women do not conceive. This conceptualization has led to the belief that these methods interrupt a fertilized egg. Therefore, a person who believes that life begins at conception would understandably be averse to such a method. However, newer research indicates that progestin-only methods make it harder for the sperm to get to the egg by affecting cervical mucus permeability to sperm, and may also interfere with the motility of the fallopian tubes, making it hard for sperm to get up there or for the eggs to get down. Therefore, the accumulated data now weighs more in favor of these methods not interfering with fertilized eggs. This is an important change in thinking.

Methods like the progestin IUD, Mirena, may also act this way and may not inhibit the fertilized egg but may prevent fertilization from occurring. The copper IUD is more likely to interfere with fertilization.”

I asked her: When you say the data “weighs more in favor” of progestin-only pills “not interfering” with fertilized eggs, do you mean that they could potentially interfere but probably won’t? This would be important to those who believe life begins at conception.

She replied:

“I think it’s unlikely but there is never any definitive evidence in that regard. So if I were a sort of ‘agnostic’ on this question of when life begins, I would feel comfort at the fact that my progestin-only method was unlikely to be interfering with a fertilized egg, and would sleep well at night. However, if I were a very black-and-white thinker, and could not tolerate the possibility that a fertilized egg might be interfered with by my birth control method–no matter how small the possibility–it would be best for me to choose another method.”

I did a bit more research and then asked her this question: Even if taken properly, the combination pill that stops ovulation has a failure rate, meaning that sometimes ovulation occurs and an egg is fertilized accidentally. Very rare, I know. But if ovulation occurs, is implantation affected? In other words, is the accidental fertilized egg less likely to be able to implant in the uterus of a woman who’s been taking anti-ovulation pills?

Santoro replied:

“It’s not known with certainty what happens when a woman who uses birth control pills regularly ovulates. Usually there is an error or an interaction with another medication that lowers the pill’s potency. Because the pill contains both estrogen and progesterone, the lining is likely to be receptive to the fertilized egg. But in some women, the lining is actually stimulated by too much progesterone. In these cases, it gets relatively thin and might be inhospitable to a pregnancy. It is hard to know whether this is even a credible mechanism, though, because the pill also inhibits sperm entry into the uterus and alters tubal motility.”

I asked her one last question: What kind of birth control pill is the most common, combination or progestin-only? Or are they about the same in popularity?

Her reply: I think they are all about the same in popularity.

So you can interpret Santoro’s facts for yourself, since Santoro is not taking a political position here. She’s just offering information.

But as I interpret it, if you believe that killing a fertilized egg is murder, as Ken Buck does, then you wouldn’t tolerate even the most remote chance that your birth-control pill could cause murder by potentially stopping implantation, in rare cases, of a fertilized egg that otherwise could have implanted in the uterus.

So based on Buck’s campaign statement to 9News that he opposes birth control methods that “would keep a fertilized egg from implanting,” then he would logically oppose all types of birth-control pills, which are the most common type of birth control in America (pdf), because all of them could potentially do this.

In an excellent paper released Aug. 31, Ari Armstrong and Diana Hseih arrive at the same conclusion stating:

“While most often the pill acts to prevent fertilization, sometimes it can prevent a zygote from implanting in the uterus,” they write, adding that the birth-control-pill manufacturers, Ortho Tri-Cyden and Trinessa, state that their pills alter the lining of the uterus.”

So as you can see below, only the fact checkers at 7News appear to have properly evaluated the segment of Bennet’s ad addressing birth control.

7News reported categorically that it’s true that Ken Buck wants to ban common forms of birth control, properly combining his abortion position with his birth-control stance. That’s correct.

9News was half right, pointing out that Buck opposes birth control methods but failing to dig deeply enough into the matter to understand that all birth-control pills would be opposed by Buck, based on his own criteria for protecting fertilized eggs.

And News4 got it wrong by claiming Buck doesn’t oppose the pill when, in fact, he has said he opposes some types of birth-control pills as well as any birth-control method that makes implantation less likely, which could include all pills, at least in rare instances.

Now reporters should ask Buck himself what he has to say to women who are using forms of birth control that he opposes. About 17 million women in America who use the pill (pdf), plus millions of others who use forms of the IUD and other methods, and would like to know.

PARTIAL TRANSCRIPTS OF LOCAL TV NEWS STORIES ON BENNET’S TV AD

News4 Reality Check: Bennet Jumps in with Attack on Buck

News4: The final claim in the ad is aimed at Buck’s pro-life stance.

AD: Ken Buck even wants to ban common forms of birth control.

News4: That’s opinion. Buck’s position is, life begins at conception. By far, the most common forms of birth control, condoms and the pill, work before conception. And Buck is not opposed to those.

7News Investigators: “Fact or Fiction: Is Ken Buck too Extreme?”

AD:

Narrator: “Ken Buck wants to ban common forms of birth control. And his view on abortion?”

Buck: “I am pro-life and I’ll answer the next question, I don’t believe in the exceptions of rape or incest.”

FACT:

This is Buck’s stance on abortion. He has said that the only exception is when the life of the mother is at risk. During an interview with Craig Silverman on KHOW radio, Buck reinforced his position on abortion.

“If you believe that life begins at conception, which I do, then the exception of rape or incest, you’re taking a life as a result of the crime of the father, and even though I recognize that it’s a terrible misery that that life was conceived under, it is still taking a life in my view, and it’s wrong,” said Buck.

9News “Truth Test: More Context for Buck’s comments.”

QUOTE: Does Ken Buck speak for you? Buck supports banning common forms of birth control.

TRUTH: This likely depends on what you consider common forms of birth control.

Buck believes life “begins at conception,” so birth control methods that don’t impact that (i.e. condoms, some forms of the pill) are fine with him. Others that would keep a fertilized egg from implanting like hormone-based birth control methods, some other forms of the pill, IUDs, RU-486 and what’s known as the morning-after pill, are not supported by him. (Source: E-mail from Buck spokesman Owen Loftus to 9NEWS, Aug. 26)

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the latter category included at least 5.2 million women in America between 2006 and 2008 (Source: CDC website: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nsfg/abc_list_e.htm#emergency)

By Catherine Atkin

Each week, we hear new reports about candidates’ efforts to reach out to the Latino community, which accounts for 1 in 5 registered voters, and their messages about creating jobs, fixing our schools and building a brighter future for California.

Left out of these proposals, however, is an important first step in education reform – providing access to high-quality early learning programs that help lay the foundation for our children to start school ready to learn and succeed. This is a critical issue for Latino children, who account for more than half of all children under age 5, and who by 2025, will make up almost half of the new labor force in California.   

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By Willie Pelote

A recent article entitled “Eliminating Tax Breaks Could Cut Deficit” puts the lie to the claim that public pensions are the source of the state’s budget woes.

According to the article, Sacramento could produce a budget surplus simply by closing loopholes in California’s tax code, which replicates many federal tax breaks and creates an additional 36 loopholes of its own.

Among the many wasteful tax expenditures and incentives that should be done away with are the state’s failed enterprise zone program, which costs taxpayers $500 million a year, and $3 billion worth of tax breaks granted to multinational corporations in 2009 as a condition of passing the state budget.

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By Steven Maviglio

Hot off the press this morning is an independent analysis of California’s Proposition 23 that says the initiative would create legal uncertainty, reduce California state revenue, and jeopardize new and existing clean energy jobs. The white paper, released today by Berkeley Law’s Center for Law, Energy&the Environment, reports Prop. 23 would also slow California’s efforts to reduce climate change and could have a domino effect on other states. Here’s the press release.

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By Randy Shaw

Remember when, amidst all the excitement over Barack Obama’s inauguration, Rush Limbaugh announced that he hoped Obama would fail? Limbaugh argued that the Republicans’ best strategy for revival was to “just say no” to everything proposed by Obama, regardless of the negative impacts on the nation. Limbaugh was attacked for his negativism at the time, but less than two months before the midterm elections his strategy has played out perfectly. Republican obstructionism has left many voters disenchanted with Democrats failure to achieve “change,” sufficiently depleting enthusiasm to potentially create the low-turnout midterm election upon which Republican success now depends. A President willing to paint Republicans as obstructionists from the start could have defeated Limbaugh’s strategy, but President Obama chose a different course.

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By Viji Sundaram

OAKLAND, Calif.—When a 35-year-old uninsured Korean American was told by personnel at Highland Hospital here that he would have to wait six months for a screening test to determine the cause of a lump on his neck, he promptly caught a flight to his homeland to get the test done there.

A battery of tests at Seoul National University’s medical school revealed that the man had thyroid cancer.

With the results in hand, the man returned to Highland and told doctors there to begin his treatment.

“Had he waited for six months, he might have died,” observed Dr. Nick Nelson, a primary-care resident in internal medicine at Highland, who declined to identify the man. “He did a wise thing going back to Korea for screening.”

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How bad do candidates want to be Republicans in Saline County? So bad they are willing to go to court to get it on the ballot.  Two municipal candidate in Bryant and one write-in candidate for Saline County Collector have requested to have “Republican” included as part of their name.

Jill Dabbs is running for mayor in Bryant and has challenged the ruling of the three member Saline County Election Commission – made up of two Democrats and one Republican – that have ruled she cannot be listed on the ballot as “Republican Jill Dabbs.”  Heather Kizer who is running for city clerk in Bryant says she is ready to join her.

“On Tuesday, August 24, I filed as ‘Republican Heather Kizer’ as my ballot name. A few days later, I received a letter from the Saline County Election Commission stating that my name would appear on the ballot as ‘Heather Kizer,’” said Kizer. “In my case, I actually work for the Republican Party of Arkansas and have previously served as Secretary of the Saline County Republican Committee. People know me as ‘Republican Heather Kizer’ and I believe the law is clear on this issue to allow my name to appear on the ballot as I filed. I am prepared to file to Intervene in Mrs. Dabb’s lawsuit.”

Doug Curtis is an elected Republican Justice of the Peace and has requested being listed as “Republican Doug Curtis” in his write-in race for Saline County Tax Collector.  Normally the Republican and Democratic Parties are able to select a nominee for this partisan office but due to the timing of the resignation of the former Tax Collector Chris Villines, only the Green Party was able to nominate someone for office at their convention in July.  Curtis is supported by the county Republican Party and wants any write-in votes for “Republican” to count for him.

“I will not support additional spending in a second stimulus package. Any new transportation initiatives can be funded through the Recovery Act, which still contains unused funds. Public-private partnerships that improve our infrastructure are a good idea, but must be paid for, should not add a dime to the deficit, and should be covered by unused Recovery Act dollars,” Bennet said in a statement.

Of the $787 billion in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, $275 billion has yet to be paid out, according to Recovery.gov.

President Obama endorsed Sen. Bennet — Bennet ran ads during the primary showing clips of the endorsement — in his bid to maintain his seat. Obama also taped a robocall in support of Bennet. Now, Bennet is running in a tied race against Republican Weld County D.A. Ken Buck, who calls the stimulus “counterproductive” for its “huge new debt.” Bennet appears to be trying to neutralize Buck’s anti-deficit message.

Bennet did agree with the president’s other economic proposals, including making a $100 billion research-and-development tax credit permanent and $200 billion for companies to deduct the full cost of capital investment next year.

In Colorado, the Medicaid eligibility expansion comes about as a result of the Colorado Healthcare Affordability Act (HB 1293) passed in 2009 and the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (HR3590) passed in March 2010.

The government’s health reform laws have been the subjects of heated partisan debate and the target of dis-information campaigns. Colorado Republican candidates are running hard against the new health legislation, saying it will expand government control and limit free market choice, even as vital programs like the expansion of Medicaid are beginning to address major frustrations and anxieties that have plagued citizens in their everyday lives for years.

Federal health care legislation or “Obamacare,” for example, has been a major topic in the close race for Colorado’s Fourth Congressional District, where GOP state Rep. Cory Gardner is running against Democratic Congresswoman Betsy Markey. Tea party groups are well-organized and influential in the district and rallies have featured anti-health reform speakers and literature created by national anti-health reform lobbyists. Gardner has strongly opposed this year’s federal health reform legislation. Markey ultimately voted in favor of the legislation after expressing concerns about its potential to expand the federal budget deficit in its early iterations.

In the Fourth District, the new Medicaid expansion makes insurance available for 25,936 struggling Coloradans. That’s roughly a quarter of the population of Fort Collins, the largest city in the district. In Gardner’s home county, Yuma, 412 uninsured hard-pressed residents are now eligible for Medicaid coverage.

In the Fourth District, where roughly 250,000 people will cast ballots in November, 26,000 newly eligible recipients of Medicaid coverage is a significant voting bloc.

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