Cross-posted at Facing South

Have you filled out your bracket at the Consumerist blog yet?

There's a long-standing debate in Democratic Party circles about how to win over "swing states."

One view -- which usually comes from moderates and conservatives, like those in the once-influential Democratic Leadership Council -- argues the trick is to move to the political center to lure wavering Soccer Moms and Reagan Democrats.

The other side, coming from the party's more liberal/left wing, believes the winning formula is to hold firm on a solidly progressive agenda, and mobilize more voters who embrace that agenda -- like young voters and African-Americans.

The Chicago Tribune today gives ammunition to the progressives, showing that even modest gains in youth and African-American voter turnout could turn nine swing states Democratic in 2008 -- including three in the South:

Cross-posted at Facing South

It's been 10 years since three white men in Jasper, Texas beat 49-year-old James Byrd, chained him by the ankles to the bumper of a Ford pickup, then pulled him three miles down a country road because he was black. As MSNBC recalls:

Byrd's remains were found scattered in 75 places along the twisting path that cuts through a pine forest. His head and right arm were discovered about a mile from his mangled torso.

The following is part of Facing South's ongoing coverage of voting rights issues in the 2008 elections. - Chris

Today, Kentuckians hit the polls for the final Southern primary in the 2008 election season. Turnout should be strong; voter registration has surged, especially among Democrats. Since last November's election, over 13,000 Dems have registered and 2,500 Republicans. Democrats now make up 57% of the state's electorate; Republicans are 37%. The remaining 6% can't vote in the primary.

But there's an important backdrop to the election that few are talking about: the impact of the state's harsh felon disenfranchisement laws.

The following is the latest installment in the ongoing controversy surrounding Women's Voices Women Vote, first surfaced at Facing South and DailyKos two weeks ago. We believe the following piece is important because it confirms that, contrary to the claims of WVWV and several of its defenders, the voter confusion resulting from WVWV's tactics is not the product of a "mistake" or isolated error, but the predictable result of a conscious strategy. -- Chris and Sue, Facing South

TWO UPDATES at bottom

The controversy that recently erupted in North Carolina over confusing, misleading and at times illegal voter registration tactics used by Women's Voices Women Vote has not discouraged the D.C. nonprofit from continuing similar efforts in mountain states with primaries this month.

The following is an update on where our investigation into illegal and deceptive election practices and Women's Voices Women Vote stands. A special thank you to the DailyKos community for paying close attention to this story. As you can see, the basic facts of the investigation have not been challenged, and many questions remain unanswered. We will continue to pursue this story until the truth is brought to light. Thanks again. - Chris, Facing South  P.S. -- Please rec this story, keep it alive! Also, see important update at bottom.

It has been a week now since Facing South and the Institute for Southern Studies published our first investigation into the mysterious "Lamont Williams" robo-calls (listen to the audio file here) that blanketed North Carolina on the eve of the state's critical primary elections.

Over the past week, our ongoing investigation has ignited a national firestorm. We'd like to take a moment to reflect on what brought us here, and offer our best sense of where the issue stands.

UPDATE: Please see the important update at the bottom!

UPDATE II: I've asked Adam B for the chance to respond to the answers Sarah Johnson of Women's Voices gave to his front-page interview. They've given their side, I'd like to have a chance to respond to several inaccuracies in their statements on the front page. I am still waiting for Adam's response.

[Promoted by DHinMI: Robocalls in North Carolina are confusing voters and have the appearance of voter suppression.  It turns out the source of the calls is a Democratic-leaning non-profit.  The director of the organization apologizes for the "confusion" caused by her organization, but as this diary makes clear, the organization has had a series of problems prior to primaries.  And it should be pointed out that a non-profit group focusing efforts on registering unmarried women in presidential primaries has to know that their activities will almost certainly help Hillary Clinton, as unmarried white women is probably her strongest demographic.  Clearly we need to hear more of an explanation about this pattern of problems.]  

Yesterday, I posted a recommended diary here about thousands of deceptive, anonymous and likely illegal robo-calls blanketing North Carolina shortly before the state's primaries on May 6.

The follow-up below is the result of hours of investigative work over the last 24 hours, including helpful tips from DKos members. Thank you for your assistance in helping us tell this important story.

Please note: Women's Voices Women Vote appears to be a legitimate organization; people we respect support their work. However, we believe that the tactics revealed in our story, as well as the effect they are having on confusing and potentially disenfranchising hundreds of thousands of voters -- especially right before critical primaries -- are cause for deep concern and raise critical questions about ethical election practices. -- Chris

Cross-posted at Facing South

As reported yesterday in the Raleigh News & Observer, African-American households are receiving anonymous robo-calls with misleading information about voting. Facing South has now learned that those calls are very similar to tactics recently used in Virginia and Ohio, suggesting they may be linked to a national voter deception strategy.

Cross-posted at Facing South

How is Hillary Clinton honoring Passover this evening?

As you'll remember, Passover is very important to Sen. Clinton. When CBS and Sen. Barack Obama proposed holding a presidential debate tonight, April 19, in North Carolina, Sen. Clinton at first vacillated, and then ultimately condemned the idea, suggesting it would be offensive to Jewish families who will begin celebrating Passover at sundown today.

(The Obama campaign countered that Clinton didn't like the April 19 N.C. debate merely because she wanted more campaign time in Pennsylvania before this Tuesday's primary.)

UPDATE: Please recThanks for rec'ing this -- I think we've just been given a golden political opportunity to change the debate back onto the corruption of Bush politics, of which John McCain is a natural extension. Also, we'll be doing follow-up coverage at Facing South, where we've been tracking Jackson for his role in derailing post-Katrina plans for affordable housing.MORE UPDATE: Other outlets are confirming the news.

This is huge news. Aside from bad ideology and policy, sheer corruption has undermined the ability of this administration to address the issues facing this country, in this case the housing crisis.

The Wall Street Journal reports:

This is the first in a series by Facing South and the Institute for Southern Studies covering the upcoming North Carolina primary elections, which will be held May 6. Come back for regular updates!

CORRECTION: We had an Excel problem which botched our figures on party registration. We correctly reported that 46% of new North Carolina voter registrations since January were Democrats. However, only 17% of the new registrations were Republican. The remaining 37% were Unaffiliated.

Like other states, North Carolina has witnessed a surge in voter registrations this Election Year. Nearly 89,000 new voters have registered to vote in the last three months, according to new statistics released last Friday.

Who are these new voters, who will be deciding the now-critical North Carolina primaries on May 6?

Today, Fox News Sunday anchor Chris Wallace did a wonderful thing. Yes, a Fox News anchor.

After his Fox and Friends colleagues Steve Doocy, Brian Kilmeade, and Gretchen Carlson spent multiple segments sensationalizing and ridiculing Barack Obama's comment about his mother being a typical white person, they turned to Wallace for him to talk about his upcoming show.

But instead of talking about his show, Wallace spent five minutes chastising his co-workers for unfairly attacking Obama. See the transcript below (courtesy of Think Progress):

Cross-posted at Facing South

It's been over a week now that the sermons of Rev. Jeremiah Wright -- Sen. Barack Obama's pastor in Chicago -- have been the top media headline of Election '08.

The question of whether one should judge politicians by the company they keep is valid, but the media's sudden interest in such guilt-by-association is a bit surprising.

For example: Where was the media's zeal for connecting politicians and the outrageous statements of their friends after Hurricane Katrina?

Cross-posted at Facing South

Mississippi voters head to the polls today, their 40 delegates -- 33 unpledged, seven supers -- suddenly important thanks to the tight Democratic race.

In a state where 55% of the Democratic primary electorate is African-American, Obama is heavily favored. If he wins, it will be Obama's fifth Deep South victory (he's taken Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana and South Carolina; Clinton succeeded in the periphery states of Arkansas, Tennessee and Texas).

Obama's ability to run up huge primary victories in the Deep South leads to a bigger question: could he make the South competitive for the Democrats?

Cross-posted at Facing South

Pundits are working themselves into a dither about whether the U.S. is, or isn't, officially "in a recession." But for at least one segment of the country, the question is settled: African-Americans are deep in recession, and have been for a while.

In fact, black America is in what should be called a permanent recession.

Cross-posted at Facing South

In the aftermath of Super Tuesday, we've seen lots of analysis about what groups voted for Sens. Clinton and Obama. One of those is the "race gap," as evidence by the fact that Obama drew a resounding 82% of the African-American vote, compared to Clinton's 17% (and in turn, Latino voters heavily supported Clinton).

But what about those who voted AGAINST the candidates because of race? Or to put it another way, how did racism impact Super Tuesday?

Cross-posted at Facing South

Of the several interesting story lines coming out of the post-Super Tuesday South, by far the most striking was former Gov. Mike Huckabee's total sweep of the five Southern Republican primaries.

Despite earlier losses in South Carolina and Florida, Huckabee knew the South was his natural base and he made it a priority, barnstorming through the region. It paid off big time: he locked up 228 delegates with victories in Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Tennessee and West Virginia.

What does this mean for Election '08?