The sweat equity (literally) of Alan Grayson supporters paid off Tuesday night when he announced to a standing-room-only crowd at campaign headquarters in Orlando that he had won the Democratic nomination for U.S. House District 8.  

This is going to be a non-diary, so I apologize in advance, but I'm not the gal who can't admit when I'm wrong, so here goes:

I've read a few diaries complaining about the coverage of the Convention, and part of the criticism is the TV celebrities think it's all about them.  From what I saw, the celebrities reminded me of a pre-game or half time football show with Howie and Bradshaw.  There was no game, just their opinions and jokes about a game.

I'm no celebrity and I'm sure it comes with the territory.  It's a hard job, although it pays quite well.  And I like Olbermann and Maddow and a few others.  But I see a diary on the Rec list by Keith Olbermann about his issues with the NY Post.  Maybe on another day, it'd be all cool.  Hey, Keith's on our side.  And the NY Post sucks.

But today an African American will be nominated for President by a Party that prior to the Civil War accomodated slavery and, under Woodrow Wilson, segregated the civil service.  It's also a Party that fought in the 1960s to bring civil rights to all.

This is truly historic.  There should be diaries about Barack Obama on the Rec list.  It's his day.    

KO has a good correction to my title in the Update, which I adopted in part in the Updated version.

More, after the fold

I went into an election center tonight for our primaries in Alaska.  We had three choices for our ballots:  Republican, Democratic or ADL for anyone not registered for a particular party  - which is a large part of the state.  I'm unaffiliated, so asked for the ADL ballot.

When I got into the booth, however, I was so taken aback, it took a moment to register than they had given me the wrong ballot.  I was looking at the full slate of Republican candidates for the US Senate and our single House seat, currently held by Republicans Ted Stevens and Don Young, respectively.  The Republicans pushed through a closed primary a few years ago.  I was holding a ballot forbidden to me.

And the Winning Ticket Is -- Obama / Biden 08:

Barack Obama made an excellent choice with his selection of Delaware Senator Joe Biden to be his running mate.  On Saturday I spent the day working at the Democratic booth at the Centre County Grange Fair and throughout the day people were asking if the announcement had been made.  Everyone I spoke with expressed positive opinions about the choice.  If this is any indication of the type of qualified people Barack Obama will surround himself with as President, we can all rest assured that our country will be headed in a better direction come January of 2009.

The daily trivia question at the Democratic booth was "What Pennsylvania town was Joe Biden's hometown?"  I'm usually pretty good at trivia but Kim Bierly had to tell me the answer was Scranton PA.

There's a lot of talk about whether the Hillary Clinton supporters are going to back Barack Obama by sufficient numbers.  Polls seem to show they've already moved to back Obama by anywhere from 50% to 70%, which sounds pretty dire, but I'm not convinced that it really is.

1st Diary!! I can't believe that Hillary voters would even consider voting for McCain at the percentages some of the polls show.  If you support the issues that Hillary stands for, how could you consider voting for McCain?

Here it is:

Thoughts, and the text for those who cannot play the video, after the fold.

Cross-Posted on The Albany Project.

Warrant Issued for Suspect with "Direct Ties" to Tracey Brooks for Theft of Steck Signs

There will have to be some follow up on a breaking report from Capitol Confidential. The headline reads Cops probe theft of Steck signs and was out on the blogs just before the six o’clock news cycle.

Police are preparing to obtain an arrest warrant for a man charged with stealing congressional candidate Phil Steck’s lawn signs after the suspect refused to turn himself in, Chief Steve Heider said this afternoon.

A complaint was filed July 17 by a Steck campaign worker that signs were removed from along Route 9 in the Loudonville area. A week later the case was assigned to an investigator, Heider said.

Steck’s campaign sent out a statement this afternoon saying the person has direct ties to one of his opponents, Democrat Tracey Brooks. Kyle Kotary, Brooks spokesman, said he hadn’t gotten in touch with Brooks to comment as of 6 p.m.

More on this breaking story below the fold...

Here is some video of the PUMA spokespeople lying:

And remember Will Bower's "we don't need Obama- we have it," bull? Yes, of course you do, it was THAT laughable.

More on his money lies:

• Will Bower's millions of dollars myth debunked
• More on Will Bower and his scam
• More lies from Will Bower

Well, now we can OFFICIALLY say that Will Bower was FULL OF IT! How can pumas sit back and allow this man to lie while they kiss his feet?! Ugh, I suppose when you're buds with Andy Martin and Jerome Corsi there is no level of stooping that you won't go to.

Oringinally Posted on The Albany Project

    I first met Paul Tonko outside the first candidate’s forum in late March, shortly before he announced his candidacy for Congress in New York’s 21st Congressional District.  I was hanging out after the debate had ended, determined to not only get back on the blogs to cover the event unlike any mainstream media outlet, but also because I’d had a crazy idea:  why not set up some extensive interviews with the candidates as well?

For a college student wearing long hair, a scruffy beard, and a Bob Marley tee-shirt, I can see where the candidates might have seen me as going out on a limb.  After I asked Paul Tonko, a 20-plus-year veteran of the Assembly who’s name is synonymous with the politics of the Capital Region, I wondered myself just what I’d gotten myself into.

The rest of the Soundpolitic Interview with Paul Tonko is below the fold as it appeared originally on The Albany Project.

Reuters is reporting that McCain now has a five point lead over Obama.  Like all polls, this one is just a data point, and people should not get too high or low over any one poll.

In a sharp turnaround, Republican John McCain has opened a 5-point lead on Democrat Barack Obama in the U.S. presidential race and is seen as a stronger manager of the economy, according to a Reuters/Zogby poll released on Wednesday.

McCain leads Obama among likely U.S. voters by 46 percent to 41 percent, wiping out Obama's solid 7-point advantage in July and taking his first lead in the monthly Reuters/Zogby poll.

Poll shows McCain in 5-point lead over Obama

More, after the fold.

Campaign Receiving Important Endorsements:

As we move into the fall campaign season, the McCracken for Congress campaign is receiving several important endorsements.   Earlier this month we were honored to receive the endorsement from the Pennsylvania AFL-CIO.   This is a key endorsement from an organization that is a leader in supporting the rights of the working people, not only in the 5th district, but in Pennsylvania and across the nation.

Cross-Posted on The Albany Project

Candidates Debate at Two Forums - Tonko, Democrats Release Energy Plans
New Endorsements for Tonko, Brooks - Internet Poll Gives Lead To Steck

With about 25 days to go before Primary Day, the Democratic race in the 21st Congressional District saw one of it's busiest weeks ever in the past seven days.  Two major candidates' forums were held, people's mailboxes are overflowing with mailers, signs are popping up everywhere, and the airwaves are beginning to see a bombardment of advertising.

Given the competitive nature of the race and the strength of the candidates, it's likely that we ain't seen nothin' yet.  Go below the fold for a wrap-up of the bigger events and the odds and ends that may have whizzed by you in the past seven days.

On Tuesday, five of the seven candidates for Congress met at the the Unitarian Universalists Society in Albany.  Democrats Tracey Brooks, Phil Steck, Joseph Sullivan, and Paul Tonko and Republican Steven Vasquez were all in attendance.  The debate's moderator, Dr. Robert Fropp, introduced himself as the chair of the Capital District Alliance for Universal Health care, recieving plenty of applause when he announced "I am definitiely not running for Congress."

One Democrat, Darius Shahinfar, and the other Republican, Jim Buhrmaster, were both absent from the forum.  Shahinfar because his wife was giving birth to his second child at the time, and Buhrmaster to cast votes in his capacity as Schenectady County Legislator.  The five candidates that remained were then given several questions that devled deep into one of the biggest issues of the primary.

Below the fold, a full report of the questions and answers in yet another debate in this hotly contested primary.

Just a quick glimpse of dedicated people working hard for the Himes campaign  in Connecticut ~

Do we look worried?

I recommend reading The Front-Runner's Fall. by The Atlantic's Joshua Green

I enjoyed reading it. After reading it, i felt relieved that Hillary Clinton is not our nominee for reasons i will explain.

That said, every one is entitled to their opinion.

Nobody really asked, but here's mine.

Drill Here, Drill Now -- But What Are The Oil Companies Planning?

Nationally, Drill Here, Drill Now seems to be the only issue where Republicans are gaining any traction with voters during 2008.  For those who don’t know, Drill Here, Drill Now started on the website www.americansolutions.com.  A couple of mouse clicks on the American Solutions website will take you to a screen with friendly welcome from none other than former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich.