News Nuggets 348

From a story about tiger cubs being raised with wolf cubs. See the "Too-Cute-for-Words" nugget below. From the Daily Mail of the UK.

For those of you looking to vote in the Pennsylvania primary next Tuesday, some (like myself until recently) were looking at voting for Specter because he seemed to be the more likely to defeat Toomey. BELAY that thinking!! Here's an update from one of Connie Phillips' better connected Dem activists in the area:

"Specter's numbers have been on an uninterrupted downward slide for the past 6-8 months. In the most recent Rasmussen poll Toomey beats Specter by 12 points -- 50% to 38%. Toomey against Sestak is a statistical dead heat, 42% to 40%. In the same poll Specter's favorability rating is at an all time low -- 30%. Sestak's favorability rating is 56%.

So both the raw numbers and the trends over the past 6+ months -- with Sestak's numbers trending strongly up and Specter's going down -- show that Sestak would be a much stronger candidate against Toomey this fall. The National Journal found it "unlikely" that Specter could beat Toomey this fall and said that Sestak would be the stronger candidate in the general

election. For me, the question begins and ends there. That Sestak is also a principled, intelligent guy and a true democrat just makes the call that much easier.

Sestak is also the highest ranking veteran ever to serve in Congress. He's a relative Washington outsider. He won his race for the House in a Republican district. True Dems should line up behind either candidate this fall. It's in that vast middle -- geographically and ideologically -- that Sestak will have a huge advantage this fall.

Our best shot to keep this seat, and keep Pat Toomey out of the Senate, is to vote for Joe Sestak on Tuesday. Please share this with your lists, talk to your friends and neighbors, and make sure everybody gets out to vote on Tuesday."

And now -- back to our regular nuggets:

Good Morning and Good Luck (Roger Cohen) from the New York Times

"I think Cameron was right to follow Obama and weave the word “responsibility” into his every post-electoral statement. Like Obama in 2009, he’s taking over a battered, baffled nation."

The Rise and Fall of the GDP from the Sunday New York Times Magazine

"Economists and even governments now claim there might be better ways to take measure of a country’s wealth and happiness."

(Almost) Out of Africa: The White Tribe (Joshua Hammer) from World Affairs Journal

" It's never been easy being white in Africa. But former Newsweek correspondent Joshua Hammer reports that in recent years it's gotten even harder."

Repairing the Job Machine (Ronald Brownstein) from the National Journal

"If the economy produces jobs over the next eight months at the same pace as it did over the past four months, the nation will have created more jobs in 2010 alone than it did over the entire eight years of George W. Bush's presidency."

Obama to Critics: I Told You So (Michael Shear) from the Washington Post

"President Obama had a simple message Thursday for the Republicans who have tried to thwart his economic policies. I told you so. In a defense of the often unpopular actions his administration has taken to confront the economic crisis, Obama told employees of an expanding manufacturing company here that he was right and his critics were wrong."

Poll: Good Marks for Obama on Spill, More Drilling from the Associated Press

"The Gulf of Mexico oil spill hasn't stained President Barack Obama nor dimmed the public's desire for offshore energy drilling, according to a new Associated Press-GfK Poll."

On the oil drilling, just wait. At 70,000 barrels a day spewing forth, even the gulf coast wingnuts will take notice eventually.

AND -- speak of the devil!!

As Tar Balls Wash Up on Gulf Coast, Support for Drilling Plummets in North Carolina from ThinkProgress

"As BP attempts to once again plug the massive oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico, balls of tar have begun washing up on the “prized white sands” of the Louisiana and Alabama coasts, alongside dead dolphins, sea turtles and 600 dead catfish."

The GOP's Harsh Immigration Stance Will Cost It (Michael Gerson) from the Washington Post

"Immigration issues are emotional and complex. But this must be recognized for what it is: political suicide."

TOO LATE, DUDE1 You guys have been made!!

In Arizona, Just Say No to Latino Heritage (Eugene Robinson) from the Washington Post

"At least we don't have to pretend anymore. Arizona's passing of that mean-spirited immigration law wasn't about high-minded principle or the need to maintain public order. Apparently, it was all about putting Latinos in their place."

Bingo. If there is such a high minded principle at stake (as the law's authors claim), where is the hue and cry against St. Patrick's Day (that reprehensible anti-American screed in favor of the Irish) and Columbus Day (that biased blemish on the calendar that elevates Italians over just about everone) ?!

Arizona's Immigration Law is Degrading (Editorial) from the Tribune [of San Luis Obispo, California]

"After he produced his license showing that he lived at the spot where the traffic stop occurred, his car was searched, the contents strewn on the neatly manicured lawn as the neighbors watched. The officer even went a step further, asking him if he was a drug dealer or gang member. ... When I met him in college, he was wary of law enforcement because he knew that he could be pulled over, questioned and searched at any time, regardless of whether he did anything illegal."

Putting the Accent on Bigotry (Editorial) from the Atlanta Journal Constitution

"The education measure is much more outrageous than the immigration one. No matter what you think of the new Arizona law targeting illegal immigrants — and I happen to think it’s deeply flawed — it addresses a very real problem. ... Not so with accented teacher speech, which is only a “problem” to people who think there’s just one proper way to speak English. And I’ve got a word for those people: bigots."

TARP Traps GOP Incumbents from Politico

"The Wall Street bailout has turned into a millstone for many Republicans who voted for the $700 billion fund. The vote is proving to be a crushing burden in GOP primaries for those carrying it."

Tea Party: Dark Side of Conservatism from Politico

"The contrast with Coxey’s Army is telling. Most white Populists embraced the racist dogmas of the late 19th century. But in the 1894 depression, the Populists did something new. Instead of making scapegoats of the Chinese or other ethnic groups for taking jobs, they looked for ways to create more jobs."

Politico puts forward the question: Are Tea Partiers the New John Birchers" HERE's the roundup of the responses from many well-known commentators.

Woman Flirts with Obama: "You're a Hottie with a Smokin' Little Body'" from the Daily Mail [of the UK]

"You're a hottie with a smokin' little body': U.S. President Barack Obama hugs diner Luann Haley after she stopped him in his tracks with a blunt pickup line at Duff's Famous Wings in Buffalo, New York yesterday."

The Guardian has the video and more story HERE.

TOO-CUTE-FOR-WORDS NUGGET!!

Just Don't Tell These Guys That They are Supposed to be Fighting Like Cats and Dogs from the Daily Mail [of the UK]

"In the wild, a chance meeting between a wolf and a tiger would not be this adorable. But, seeing as they were friends since being two weeks old, these litters of wolves and tigers share a unique bond."