{"id":12887,"date":"2014-05-31T00:06:00","date_gmt":"2014-05-31T07:06:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/?p=12887"},"modified":"2014-05-31T00:06:00","modified_gmt":"2014-05-31T07:06:00","slug":"open-thread5312014","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.politicsplus.org\/blog\/2014\/05\/31\/open-thread5312014\/","title":{"rendered":"Open Thread–5\/31\/2014"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019m writing for tomorrow and am feeling quite tired out after the exertions of yesterday and today.  I arose at 3:00 AM and spent several hours completing my most hated chore, and I still have lots to do to prepare for my two-day prison volunteer trip next week.  I have had a couple cat naps since.  Day 40.<\/font><\/p>\n

Jig Zone Puzzle<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n

Today\u2019s took me 3:49 (average 5:41).  To do it, click here<\/a>.  How did you do?<\/font><\/p>\n

Short Takes<\/strong>:<\/font><\/p>\n

From Daily Kos<\/a>: <\/font>OR-Sen, -Gov<\/strong>: PPP’s first post-primary poll of Oregon<\/a> finds both of the state’s top Democrats, Sen. Jeff Merkley and Gov. John Kitzhaber, with comfortable leads over their GOP opponents. Merkley currently beats physician Monica Wehby, whose public image has recently taken a hit thanks to stalking allegations, by a 50-36 margin. Wehby’s favorables stand at just 26-40, while Merkley sports a decent 41-34 job approval score.<\/p>\n

Except for one impossible-to-believe survey from Republican pollster Vox Populi, Merkley’s always had double-digit leads<\/a>, so PPP’s numbers seem plausible. However, as Tom Jensen notes, most of the undecideds don’t like Obama (even though this is a blue state), so the race will likely tighten.<\/p>\n

Kitzhaber, meanwhile, holds a similar 49-35 advantage over state Rep. Dennis Richardson, even though Kitz earns just a 42-46 approval rating. Richardson is little-known, though, and again, things are likely to tighten up. But Oregon’s demographics simply make victory for Republicans, especially against incumbents, very difficult.<\/p>\n

The undecided voters that don’t like Obama are mostly further left than he is, so there is no danger of them voting for a billionaire loving stalker like Wehby, as Merkley is one of the most progressive Senators in the US. The danger is that too many may stay home.<\/font><\/p>\n

From NY Times<\/a>: <\/font>President Mahmoud Abbas of the Palestinian Authority asked Rami Hamdallah, the prime minister, on Thursday to form a \u201cgovernment of national consensus\u201d that would unite warring Palestinian factions for the first time in seven years and could send Israeli-Palestinian relations into a tailspin.<\/p>\n

The new government, made up of politically independent professionals, would formally ally Mr. Abbas\u2019s Palestine Liberation Organization, which is dominated by the mainstream Fatah faction, and its rival, Hamas, the Islamic militant group that controls Gaza, under the terms of a unity pact reached last month<\/a>. Palestinian officials said the new government would most likely be announced in the next few days, with Palestinian elections to be held in about six months.<\/p>\n

I see this as a good thing for the Palestinians, as Israel has been using a divide and conquer approach to achieve a one-state solution by attrition, in clear violation of the Helsinki Accords.   Without a united Palestine to negotiate for all Palestinians, there can be no hope for lasting peace in the middle east.<\/font><\/p>\n

From Upworthy<\/a>: <\/font>Maya Angelou was a poet, novelist, and public figure who became an American treasure in her 86 years on earth. Her work has received accolades, and in particular, her autobiography "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" \u2014 about her early life overcoming racism and trauma by turning to the written word \u2014 has become a literature classic. Listen to a popular poem of hers, one I distinctly remember reading in the newspaper as a child, below.<\/font><\/p>\n