This may be the dumbest move of the election, or the straw that breaks McCain's back. Either way, Barack Obama is throwing more chips into Virginia and opening field offices in the reddest parts of the state.

I hope everyone had a great 4th of July. Jacob saw his first real fireworks display and loved it at first. We were watching from the 12th floor of a building right on the waterfront, so it was spectacular. Unfortunately, he was coming down with a fever and by the end was pretty unhappy. He is fine again now.

This was a big week, both locally where my friend qualified for the ballot for NYC's Sept. 9th primary election, and nationally where Obama's surge continued even as the Democrats once again showed less spine than we would like them to. More below.

It is difficult to feel good this 4th of July given the mess the Bush/McCain Republicans have led this nation into. This year alone 438,000 people who lost their jobs. We are well into the Bush's SECOND recession (first president ever to preside over two recessions) with almost no recovery between them. We are officially in a bear market. Food prices are rising worldwide. Oil is at record highs suggesting Americans will have a very, very tough winter. The deficit is WAY above where it has ever been before and no end in sight. And I am not even going into the inept, idiotic and completely useless Bush/McCain Iraq war.

Strange week. Saw my first McCain ad this week...and it is clear he is running as a Democrat. Healthcare, alternative energy, environment...all Democratic talking points. We have gone from Democrats feeling like they have to run as Repub-Lite to Republicans trying to hide behind a Democratic facade. You even have a Republican running for Senate in Oregon trying to claim (falsely) that Obama supports him. This is desperation for the Republicans! It sounds like racist attacks have failed them, though I am sure they will try more as time goes on.

Meanwhile yet more polls show Obama ahead in Virginia and Missouri, tied in Florida, AHEAD IN INDIANA (wow!) and within 1-2 points of McCain in North Carolina, Alaska and Georgia. Each and every one of these states was solid Bush in 2004. Now they are either leaning Obama or effectively tied.

Cross-posted at Project Vote's blog, Voting Matters

Weekly Voting Rights News Update

By Erin Ferns

Despite growing political interest among Americans, this November millions of people who "live, work and raise families in our communities" will be denied the right to elect our next president  as a result of a past felony conviction. Felon disenfranchisement has raised concerns among advocates and legislators that such laws further perpetuate disparities not only in the electorate, but also in society.

The floods in the Midwest have continued and I include some information where I can in the Illinois, Iowa and Wisconsin sections. Best of luck to all readers in the hard hit areas.

This week I return to an issue I discussed before: Republican cronies litterally killing our troops with no government oversight. This week Democratic Sentor Bob Casey is demanding an investigation of the electrocutions due to bad wiring that have been plaguing our military bases managed by a Hallibruton subsidiary. More below.

At the Virginia Democratic State Convention on June 14, 2008, Loudoun County for Obama introduced this Sense of the Convention statement in memory of Tim Russert and his outstanding service and commitment to unbiased journalism.  It was unanimously adopted at the Convention on the evening of June 14th.

The Sense of Convention Statement - Tim Russert
Virginia Democratic Convention
June 14th, 2008

In recognition of Tim Russert's outstanding commitment to the American people; To fostering clear and insightful political debate and discussion; His tremendous contribution to promoting and strengthening our democracy; And most of all, in recognition and appreciation for the example he set as a son, father, husband and American;

The delegates of this convention add our voices to those of millions of Americans and those around the globe to express our gratitude and appreciation for a life that touched and enriched the lives of all of us.

Video clip of event.

The Sense of Convention statement was given by Natasha Kotecki, a member of the Loudoun County for Obama team in Virginia's 10th Congressional District. It was written by Gail Wise who is also a member of the Loudoun County for Obama team in Virginia.

Today Rasmussen Reports has some new numbers out from the commonwealth of Virginia:

The latest Rasmussen Reports telephone survey of Virginia voters finds Obama with a statistically insignificant one-percentage point lead over McCain, 45% to 44%. Five percent (5%) favor a third-party candidate, and 7% are undecided. Last month, with Hillary Clinton still in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, McCain led Obama 47% to 44%. (See Video)

This marks the fourth time in five polls that the two candidates have been within five points of each other in Virginia, confirming the state's competitive status. The one exception came in March, at the height of the initial Jeremiah Wright coverage, when McCain was up by eleven points.

With this new polling in the mix, the Pollster.com trend projection for Virginia shows about as close to a tossup as they come, with John McCain sitting at 44.6 percent support and Barack Obama at 44.1 percent. The Real Clear Politics pure average of recent polling shows an actual tie, with both candidates securing 43.3 percent support. And at present, Nate Silver gives Obama a slightly better than not chance of winning (57.4 percent).

Now that Virginia, which no Democrat since Lyndon Johnson has carried, is in the "tossup" category, and even states like Kansas (which I will write about in the morning) and Nebraska (at least a couple congressional districts -- and thus EVs -- in the state) and North Carolina are being talked about, the near obsessive focus on the race in Florida (and even in Ohio, to an extent) seems a bit dated, mired in a mindset that seemingly made more sense four and eight years ago than it does today.