Thinking about attending the Republican National Convention in New York this summer? From our pal Deb in Chicago, who got it from her uncle, who got it from...

REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE CONVENTION SCHEDULE
New York, NY

6:00 PM Opening Prayer led by the Reverend Jerry Fallwell

6:30 PM Pledge of Allegiance

6:35 PM Burning of Bill of Rights (excluding 2nd amendment)

6:45 PM Salute to the Coalition of the Willing

6:46 PM Seminar #1: Iraq Stratergies-Voodoo/DooDoo WMD

7:30 PM First Presidential Beer Bong

7:35 PM Serve Freedom Fries

7:40 PM EPA Address #1: Mercury-It's what's for dinner!

8:00 PM Vote on which country to invade next

8:10 PM Call EMTs to revive Rush Limbaugh

8:15 PM John Ashcroft Lecture: The Homos are after your Children!!

Via Atrios, who just saw some of the runners go by his local Starbucks, check out the Run Against Bush movement --find one in your area and sign up.

Run Against Bush is a grassroots campaign dedicated to removing George W. Bush from office. Members all across the country are wearing t-shirts that proclaim "Run Against Bush" as they:
-Go for walks
-Go for jogs
-Run in road races
-Go for bike rides
-Volunteer for other political organizations
-Run their weekend errands

When you join, you get this t-shirt.

We're hoping to raise some money for them. You can join through our page here.

Via e-mail from American Progress:

...the Hindustan Times of India today reports that the RNC outsourced its key fundraising and get-out-the-vote operations to firms in India. The report notes that over a 14 month period while the Republican Party was trumpeting patriotism, the RNC exported its voter info database to various call centers in India.

More details here.

TalkLeft welcomes California Democrat Barbara Boxer who has taken out an ad in our new "premium" spot under the TL logo. Ms. Boxer is a progressive Democrat. We need her in Congress.

Democrats can take back the Senate this year, but only if every incumbent gets re-elected. Help re-elect a progressive champion today!

Please be generous in giving to her campaign.

The Financial Times selects ten possible candidates for Kerry's VP slot. --along with descriptions and pros and cons.

Who among them, if chosen, would make you actively campaign for the ticket? Which of them, while getting your vote, would not get you excited enough to become involved in the election process and actively campaign or contribute? Are there any that would cost Kerry your vote?

John Edwards, North Carolina Senator
Bill Richardson, New Mexico Gopvernor
Dick Gephardt, Missouri congressman and former House Minority leader
Bill Nelson, Florida Senator
Evans Bayh, Indiana Senator and former governor
Bob Graham, Florida Senator and former governor
Tom Vilsack, Iowa Gov
Wesley Clark, retired US general
John McCain, Arizona Senator (Republican)
Max Cleland, former Georgia Senator

Our faves: Edwards and Clark, in that order.

According to a new Mason-Dixon Poll, George Bush Leads John Kerry in North Carolina--but if Edwards is on Kerry's ticket, the race is even:

President Bush leads Sen. John Kerry in North Carolina, but according to a WRAL/Mason-Dixon Poll, "if Kerry chooses Sen. John Edwards as his running-mate, the race in the state currently becomes a dead-heat."

"Statewide, Bush is supported by 48% of voters, while Kerry is backed by 41%, independent Ralph Nader draws 3% and 8% remain undecided. With Edwards as Kerry's running-mate, the GOP ticket of Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney is favored by 46%, the Kerry/Edwards Democratic ticket gets 45%, Nader draws 2% and 7% are undecided."

[link via Political Wire.] And Oliver Willis asks, "Kerry/Edwards Just A Matter Of Time?"

We sure hope so. Edwards has the people-pleasing personality, the magnetism, the honest face and the genuine smile. Kerry ought to grab him quick if he wants to make the most of Bush's declining poll numbers. A dead heat when your opponent is falling is no great shakes.

Who wouldn't want Edwards as VP? Well, Hillary for one. If Bush wins in 2004, she might not want Edwards running against her for the nomination in 2008 as the "former VP candidate." If Kerry wins in 2004, she won't want Edwards running against her in 2012 as the "vice president."

Does anybody know how much impact Bill and Hillary have on Kerry? We always thought they viewed Edwards as their man, until Clark came along. What are we missing?

If Kerry wins this year, Hillary's out till 2012. If Edwards is his VP choice, that's a tough matchup for Hillary in 2008. If Bush wins now, she can come back for the Presidential race in 2008, with relatively no baggage.

We hope some astute politico type reading this post will send us an email or post what's wrong with our almost perfect view of a Kerry -Edwards ticket.

Matt Taibbi at Media Channel.Org examines the impact of MTV's Rock the Vote, and concludes:

More than ever, the efforts of corporate-funded, youth-oriented media are part of the scenery in the televised road show of American presidential politics. But despite the increasing onslaught of advertising and celebrity events, young people are more than ever refusing to participate in the electoral process.

Matt is covering the Kerry Campaign for Rolling Stone. We really urge young people to particpate. Not only is political involvement fun, it offers an opportunity to have your voice heard, to make an impact (if not a difference) and it provides a sense of community spirit. It's also a great way to meet people. Complaining about the system via on-line forums and blogs is fine to a point, but it's no substitute for the real thing--getting your a** out there and doing something about it. As for exercising your right to vote, we have one piece of advice: Use it or lose it.

Say it isn't so...the Teamsters are pushing John Kerry to name Dick Gephardt as his VP candidate.

Meanwhile, Dennis Kucinich, down but not out, is still fighting for the Democratic nomination.

Open thread: It's Sunday. Enough of us, let's hear from you. Can Bush survive the prison and torture scandals? Will Rumsfeld go first? Will Kerry figure out how to take the ball and run with it? If Bush is down in the polls, why isn't Kerry up?

[Comments now closed, over 100 of them, thanks to all for your thoughts.]

For the first time in his Presidency, a Newsweek poll says, a majority of Americans disapprove of President Bush. Only 42% approve of the job he's doing, down seven points in the last month:

Bush's overall job approval rating in the survey conducted May 13 and 14 fell from 49 percent in the last Newsweek poll almost a month ago, while the number of respondents who say they approve of his handling of Iraq also dropped to 35 percent from 44 percent. Forty-one percent of registered voters say they want Bush reelected, down from 46 percent.

Joe Conasen at Salon writes that the group attacking Kerry for his antiwar record (the "swift-boat vet attacks") is backed by a wealthy veteran with major investments in Vietnam who is profiting from his business ties to the Communist regime.

In other Kerry news, Arianna Huffington and former Dean campaign chief Joe Trippi have teamed up to draft a web petition "calling on Democratic candidate John Kerry to inspire more voters by bringing "hope and soul" back to political discourse. "

Author Bob Zimmerman examines Bush and Kerry's records and explains why the choice between Bush and Kerry should be clear. From his email:

John Kerry said in a radio interview Wednesday he would choose Republican SenatorJohn McCain as Defense Secretary--or possibly Republican John Warner. We think Gary Hart would be a much better choice....for Defense Secretary or for Secretary of State.

McCain said "no thanks" when he heard about Kerry's comments.