NDN Blog

Numerous news outlets are saying that Ted Kennedy has a malignant brain tumor. In light of this sad news, I ask that we not jump to conclusions about the implications this will have on either the United States Senate or the presidential election. Out of respect to him and his life of service to date, let's think of his health and his family. Nothing else.

VoteVets is focused on passing the 21st Century GI Bill, offered by U.S. Sens. Jim Webb and Chuck Hagel, that is expected to be in the Senate this week. The ads below take Sens. John McCain and John Cornyn to task for opposing the legislation, which would update educational benefits for our troops to cover the cost of college. Check them out and go to VoteVets.org for more information.

McCain:

Hagel:

Today on Morning Joe, Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman Terry McAuliffe ended his segment with a blunt ask for money, proving once again that the campaign is strapped for cash. After going through his astonishingly emphatic argument for Sen. Clinton's candidacy, he said something we've heard before but concluded with something more direct. He said, "Go to hillaryclinton.com...and send money!"

I'll put up video of the moment if I can find it.

(As a completely unrelated aside, it appears as if even the Washington Nationals are excited for the release of the new Indiana Jones movie. Shout out to Mike for pointing out the surprise in this week's schedule.)

The first part of this week's open discussion will focus on what will happen after tomorrow's contests in OR and KY. Specifically What Will Obama Say? In an e-mail to the Obama listserv, Campaign Manager David Plouffe uncharacteristically says to, "Be sure to tune in tomorrow night to see Barack's speech." Since this piece from the Politico's Carrie Budoff Brown (a fellow CYHS alum) calls into question the post-WV rumors that Obama would claim victory after May 20, I wonder what he will say tomorrow night. What are your thoughts?

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If you have any trouble doing this, please don't hesitate to contact me at tvalentine@ndn.org. I'll be happy to help, especially if it means that we'll hear from you!

(Note: if you click on the link to register and it takes you to an empty page, that most likely means you already have an account. E-mail me at the address above if you need help finding your username.)

PS - the next open discussion topic will be determined soon. In the meantime, I'd like your thoughts on these. Shout out to Ben Smith for pointing out the Obama Air Force Ones. Is an Obama "Jumpman" clothing line next?

You've probably seen the British Prime Minister's Questions on C-Span. (If you haven't, check them out because they can get rough.) The question time essentially gives Members of Parliament from all parties about 30 minutes to question the PM on any subject. It has provided those who watch it both an interesting look at government and transparency. Now, PM Gordon Brown is building upon its success and making his office more transparent to the citizens it serves.

Thanks to the help of YouTube, the Prime Minister is taking questions directly from the people via 10 Downing Street's channel. In the video below, Gordon Brown introduces "Ask the PM" and says viewers can ask questions about Globalization, Climate Change, Housing, Jobs, Health and Public Services, etc. It looks like they've got a neat submission tool, so if you're a resident of the UK check it out and let us know how it works.

This is yet another example of where the new tools can take us. We saw the CNN-YouTube debates and the potential that video has shown in opening up the process, allowing so many to participate. We've also seen it give more people the chance to weigh in on critical conversations. So I can't wait to see how this goes. As always though, we must remember that not everyone will have the chance to participate, a problem in and of itself...

Today in South Dakota, Barack Obama responded to the remarks made recently by President Bush and John McCain. (For more on what was said, check out Simon's prior posts on the subject here and here.) Check out his response below:

While it clearly seems like Obama has learned how to respond to those who question his candidacy, it seems more evident that his being the subject of such egregious attacks - then responding strongly - actually helps unify the Democratic party, thus making his candidacy stronger. I mean, did anyone see how many people had Obama's back on this subject yesterday? Come on!

Today's score: Obama: 1. GOP: -5. As my leetspeaking friends might say, the GOP got pwned.

This past Tuesday, Peter Whoriskey wrote a thought-provoking article in the Washington Post about Google's new social networking service, Friend Connect. Here at NDN and NPI, we're very interested in new tools like these, so we wanted to open up the blog to hear what others think of Friend Connect, keeping in mind the issues Whoriskey presents.

Some of us at NDN have already weighed in with our opinioin in the comments section, but we want to hear what you think. So, if you'd like to add your voice, you can post a comment. If you don't already have an existing account, you can register by clicking here.

If you have any trouble doing this, please don't hesitate to contact me at tvalentine@ndn.org. I'll be happy to help, especially if it means that we'll hear from you!

(Note: if you click on the link to register and it takes you to an empty page, that means you already have an account. E-mail me at the address above if you need help finding your username.) 

NDN's softball team has its first regular season game in an hour or so. Oh, and John Edwards is endorsing Barack Obama tonight in Grand Rapids, MI at 7pm. More from Ben Smith at the Politico. But clearly the big news is that the Trotters are making their return to the fieldi!

(Just indulge us.)

From the AP:

NEW YORK (AP) - Democrat Barack Obama has won the endorsement of NARAL Pro-Choice America, a leading abortion rights advocacy organization that has supported rival Hillary Rodham Clinton throughout her political career.

The organization was set to announce the endorsement of its political action committee on Wednesday.

...

[NARAL officials] said the board decided to back Obama over Clinton because he is overwhelmingly favored to win the nomination and to heal what the organization viewed as a growing rift between black voters and white female activists that the protracted Clinton-Obama contest may have caused.

(via Huffington Post) In the clip below, Stephen Colbert shows us that Bill O'Reilly isn't the only one who lost their temper on camera a few years back.

Just to clarify: Ron Burgundy would have never done that.