Makes it all worth it:

A sweeping voter registration campaign in heavily Democratic areas has added tens of thousands of new voters to the rolls in the swing states of Ohio and Florida, a surge that has far exceeded the efforts of Republicans in both states, a review of registration data shows. The analysis by The New York Times of county-by-county data shows that in Democratic areas of Ohio – primarily low-income and minority neighborhoods – new registrations since January have risen 250 percent over the same period in 2000. In comparison, new registrations have increased just 25 percent in Republican areas. A similar pattern is apparent in Florida: in the strongest Democratic areas, the pace of new registration is 60 percent higher than in 2000, while it has risen just 12 percent in the heaviest Republican areas.

Wal-Mart Watch: I’m sure we’re all relieved to know Wal-Mart has against the message of the Protocals of the Elders of Zion:

The description, now withdrawn from the Wal-Mart Web site, said, “If … The Protocols are genuine (which can never be proven conclusively), it might cause some of us to keep a wary eye on world affairs. We neither support nor deny its message. We simply make it available for those who wish a copy.” In a statement e-mailed to Reuters, a Wal-Mart spokeswoman said, “Based on significant customer feedback regarding the book titled ‘The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion,’ we have made a business decision to remove this book … from our site at http://www.walmart.com.” Wal-Mart had no immediate response to questions on whether the company wrote the description of the book on the Web site or if it came from the publisher.

When Democrats change position with half the speed or flagrancy the Bush team has on Iraqi elections, we call it a flip-flop…

Looks like the Republicans have figured out that trying to sell Latinos on “Viva Bush” is a lot harder than trying to disenfranchise them:

To an immigrant, Arnold Schwarzenegger told delegates at the Republican convention last month, there is no country “more welcoming than the United States of America.” And most of the time, that’s true. But it wasn’t true last week in Miami Beach, where the Department of Homeland Security attempted to ban a nonpartisan voter registration operation from setting up tables on the sidewalk outside a massive naturalization ceremony at that city’s convention center. The DHS complained that Mi Familia Vota would be blocking the doors at the swearing-in. But last Thursday, U.S. District Judge Adalberto Jordan ruled that the right to register voters was protected by the First Amendment, though he did stipulate how much space the group’s tables could take up.

If that arrangement seems to you the kind of compromise that Mi Familia Vota and the DHS could have arrived at themselves without making a literal federal case out of it, you underestimate the Bush administration’s aversion to voting by new immigrants — particularly new Hispanic immigrants. (The DHS didn’t respond to Mi Familia Vota’s request for a meeting.) In states such as Florida and Nevada — battleground states with Republican election officials and burgeoning Hispanic populations — the activities of groups such as Mi Familia Vota have been challenged by GOP officeholders, though it’s a new wrinkle to have the DHS join the fray.

The Center for American Progress separates fact from fiction on Florida’s Living Wage ballot measure.

LaNitra Walker reports from South Africa on the kind of sex ed social conservatives have made impossible in this country:

From bubble gum wrappers to clothing and cartoons, South African culture is inundated with red ribbons and images of condoms. When you drive into Cape Town you pass dozens of colorful street murals depicting condoms in a multitude of colors with slogans such as “Condoms make it safer” or “Choose Life.” Despite their kitschy aspects, the messages are moving and affecting — and a constant reminder of how widespread the problem of AIDS is. Classroom discussions about the “two Ps” — prevention and protection — are now as important as the “ABCs” in preparing students to function in South African society. And to support parents’ and educators’ efforts to integrate AIDS awareness into the school curriculum, the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC)’s education division has created youth programs that confront the cultural effects of HIV/AIDS in different communities. It’s a tough assignment.

Many of us have been arguing for a while now that the Democrats need a Contract With America – a statement of a bold, succinct, alternative agenda and a clear plan should voters entrust them with their votes. Looks like the Democrats agree:

…tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. the House Democrats are going to unveil a big splashy new position package, along the lines of the old GOP revolutionaries’ Contract With America (only, you know, without all the horrible ideas). I heard that the Dems were originally thinking about actually calling this thing the Democratic Contract With America, but they appear to have thought better of the idea and are now calling it the New Partnership for America’s Future. This, just like Newt Gingrich’s old Contract, seems primarily to be a marketing gimmick, but here’s why you might want to get excited about it: The Dems who’ve been working on this for months are apparently very, very interested in improving the party’s effectiveness in framing issues and packaging positions in ways that resonate with voters. They’ve studied a lot of what Republicans have done over the last two decades and are making a conscious initial effort here to present a coherent, simple, bold agenda — just six points, I hear — that the caucus can get behind and promote and try to hammer into voters’ minds (it’s also a handy platform for congressional candidates to run on in November, just as Gingrich’s army of GOP freshmen did with the Contract in 1994).

Yale’s Police approve their contract settlement:

Forty-two members of the University’s police union voted to accept the proposed contract, with only 12 union members voting to reject it. The new eight-year contract will bring a large rise in officers’ pension benefits and a wage increase, though it does not include the substantial overhaul of long-term disability compensation, overtime and discipline the union wanted. Members of the Yale Police Benevolent Association — which represents 58 officers and detectives — had been renewing its contract on a monthly basis since it expired 26 months ago. Christopher Morganti, the YPBA’s chief steward, said he was pleased Yale police finally have a new contract. “Obviously the membership spoke and they’re for it,” he said. “I’m glad [the vote] wasn’t really close because really close wouldn’t have been good for the membership.”

Alyssa sketches the contours of a more progressive partnership between Yale and New Haven:

The best way to determine the needs of the city’s diverse residents is to talk directly to the people who represent them, and to show a real willingness to strike reasonable, productive deals, whether the negotiations center around union contracts or the sites of new parking lots. Alexander’s comments are representative of what seems to be the prevailing attitude in the Yale administration: the starting assumption is that anyone who asks Yale for anything is selfish, compromises only reward bad behavior, and that only a few, select community leaders are worthy of a place at the table.

When Yale sets those parameters for debate, is it any wonder that those who seek a more just, equitable and open relationship between New Haven and its largest employer feel that they have to make their voices heard in other ways? Make no mistake about it, no matter how much the University may deny it, Yale is in talks with the City of New Haven today at least in part because of the pressure community leaders have brought to bear on the University. The same thing happened last year when the Yale Corporation extended the University’s Homebuyer Program to the Fair Haven neighborhood. When a coalition of student groups echoed community calls for an end to redlining in the program at a press conference, they were quickly invited in for a meeting at the Office of New Haven and State Affairs.

That’s right: this is, according to Google, the top site for

laundry of the year

And for the record, I did mine last Friday. I just have to put it in the drawers now.