The Dish

The Clintons push the envelope again – on the Michigan and Florida delegates. Ed Morrissey and Josh Marshall come together. Maybe the Clintons can bring the country together again – in revulsion at their expediency. Jon Chait crosses the anti-Clinton Rubicon for the first time:

Something strange happened the other day. All these different people — friends, co-workers, relatives, people on a liberal e-mail list I read — kept saying the same thing: They’ve suddenly developed a disdain for Bill and Hillary Clinton. Maybe this is just a coincidence, but I think we’ve reached an irrevocable turning point in liberal opinion of the Clintons.

Wakey! Wakey!

An unfortunate moment in investigative journalism:

"Bill Clinton is not a racist, but he is crafting a message that unleashes the demon of racism into the Democratic primary because it will help him win. He has unleashed this demon: this base appeal to our fears and divisions. It is done and it can not be put back into the bottle.

It will be a part of the 2008 election regardless of who wins. And it has and will hurt Democrats in 2008. Bill Clinton’s released meme is dividing the Party and I do not see a way back to unity," – a Kossite, reflecting growing disgust in Democratic ranks at the tactics of the Clintons.

An editorial worth absorbing:

The Clintons are in the process of doing the impossible: making the 2008 election a referendum on them, rather than on the Republicans. And the Republicans are inching towards nominating their one candidate, Mr McCain, who has broad popular appeal. If what ought to be a stroll in the park in November becomes a real fight, then the Democrats will know who to blame.

The Rasmussen tracking poll shows a sharp tightening of the national race, with Obama within 3 points of Clinton. It’s one day and it’s Rasmussen – so the usual caveats. But I wonder: is Bill provoking a backlash?

A must-read Ambers report on how the Cliton and Obama campaigns will be spinning the next couple of weeks. At least.

As Cartman might say, why the fuck not? I like this sentiment from an empowered woman who has the courage of her own desires:

Most of the time, when they end, I think, What an ass. If it’s going to turn out like that anyway, I’d rather it be a fine-looking ass.

Exactly.

This thing won’t quite go away. A reader writes:

Some people have enhanced the first "he raised taxes" whisper using audio technology and have discovered that there was actually more to it than just "he raised taxes".  They’ve disconvered that more can be heard: "He raised taxes, I’m not gonna…".  Listen to the full enhanced audio yourself.  Go out and get a tape and enhance it yourself if you think this is wrong.

This is even greater proof that there is something going on here.  If this is correct, then it’s not just a microphone malfunction, but an ACTUAL answer to the question Romney was given: "He (Reagan) raised taxes.  I’m not going to raise taxes."

Go after this!  After being lied to about the war, about WMDs, about torture, about absolutely everything from the GOP powerhouse, this cannot be left for us to figure out at a later time once Romney is in the White House!

I really don’t know what happened. But I have yet to hear a convincing explanation either.