I guess I don't understand California politics. The outstanding Barbara Boxer in trouble? Time for Obama to hit the campaign trail with her.

On another subject, Kudos to David Shuster in his interview with Shadegg!!! Chris Matthews... not so much. Mike Pence was on Hardball yesterday. I don't watch the show because Matthews makes me crazy, but as I was flipping through channels Chris showed the video of the Parkinson's man and that caught my attention. Pence agreed that the anti-health care protesters were out of line in their actions, but then said something like 'I can understand their frustration at the prospect of government-run health care'. "Government run"??? Matthews said *nothing* to challenge that remark. "Hardball" my arse.

It looks like Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) is even more vulnerable than previously thought. A new Field Poll shows her trailing Tom Campbell (R) by one point, and leading the other GOP candidates by narrow margins.

Given that the droolers in the California Republican Part are too stupid to actually elect an intelligent for-real conservative like Campbell, but will likely go with their second-favorite CEO-scumball bimbo, Carly Fiorina (first favorite being Meg Whitman, the least-qualified candidate for public office in California in the last 100 years), Barbara Boxer will once again give the California right the ass-whipping she's been administering to these morons for the past 30 years.

Wrong-side-of-history Stephanie Herseth Sandlin is also a traitor to progressive Democrats who worked like hell to get her elected...only to have her turn to shit...

I'm with ya, TCinLA!

I'll be volunteering for Boxer once the campaign kicks in. Fiorina is a disaster.

* It looks like Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) is even more vulnerable than previously thought. A new Field Poll shows her trailing Tom Campbell (R) by one point, and leading the other GOP candidates by narrow margins.

Its stuff like this, though, that makes me wonder when progressives get frustrated with Congressional Democrats and Obama. The notion that they can govern much farther left is presumably predicated on a sense that there is some silent progressive majority out there that has the officials' backs, if only they'd cast progressive votes.

I've long argued that before progressives can really expect to pull strings in DC (and certainly before progressives have any right to give up on the process in frustration) they need to do the groundwork -- change opinions one person at a time at the grass roots, organize and educate in communities, train future candidates through holding school board and city council seats, fill county party committees with progressives, etc.

When good progressives like Boxer are vulnerable in California which, while not as progressive as its reputation, is still more progressive than most of the states, how can we really expect primaries from the left will succeed in less progressive places? How can we expect representatives of less progressive jurisdictions to vote well to the left of their constituents?

The "I'm done supporting Democrats" wing of the progressive movement, instead of being defeatist, needs to get less emotional about the federal level for a decade and recommit themselves more than ever to growing a larger, more vibrant progressive movement in their city, county, and congressional district. Over time, the upstream levels will take care of themselves. But probably not until.

I recall the Daily Kos-led push for Herseth Sandlin. They knew she was more conservative than their taste, but felt that she was an appropriate fit for South Dakota. If she's become too conservative to endure... well, that's what a primary is for.

Yeah Hildebrand!

John Runyan to the GOP, eh?

As one of the dirtiest NFL players ever to play the game (for the Eagles), somehow his party choice does not surprise me.

I have a hard time believing SD will elect an alternative Democrat to Herseth Sandlin. Much more likely to send a Republican instead.

And to the boobs who say 'what's the difference?' -- have you ever read anything about how Congress works?

...have you ever read anything about how Congress works? -Ed Whitson

No, but I've been reading a ton about how it doesn't work lately.

That doesn't make any sense, 'doubtful'.

I'm a California voter and I just don't see what accomplishments Barbara Boxer has made in all the time she's been in the Senate. I will vote for her because I would not want another Republican in the Senate, but Barbara needs some serious marketing to change the tide.

"Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) is even more vulnerable than previously thought"

Feel the Kausmentum!

"It looks like Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) is even more vulnerable than previously thought. A new Field Poll shows her trailing Tom Campbell (R) by one point, and leading the other GOP candidates by narrow margins."

I can't decide who to vote for in the primary. Would it be easier for her to defeat a Teabagger like DeVore, or a failed women CEO like Fiorina?

I think I'm going for DeVore because Fiorina will get the breast cancer vote.

"It looks like Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) is even more vulnerable than previously thought. A new Field Poll shows her trailing Tom Campbell (R) by one point, and leading the other GOP candidates by narrow margins."

I can't decide who to vote for in the primary. Would it be easier for her to defeat a Teabagger like DeVore, or a failed women CEO like Fiorina?

I think I'm going for DeVore because Fiorina will get the breast cancer vote.

Sorry for the double post.