Kelly Westlund

The results of last Monday's debate between Trump and Clinton show something different than just why conservatives don't like debates.

PPP polled minimum wage as an issue in half a dozen battleground states with heavily-contested state-wide races, Iowa, Wisconsin, North Carolina, Illinois, Kentucky and Louisiana. Support for increasing the minimum wage to $10.10 was strong across the board, ranging from 61% in Illinois to 53% in Wisconsin. Opposition was strongest in Wisconsin, but still weak at just 39%.

Blue-America endorsed candidate Kelly Westlund (WI-07) is running for the massive 72-county swing district seat in the northern, ventral an western part of Wisconsin. Sean Duffy, a sad Paul Ryan stooge, currently occupies the seat, although Obama won it 53-45% in 2008 and lost narrowly in 2012, 51-48%.

Study: Wisconsin Republicans fear and loathe women even more than other Republicans doToday is the twentieth anniversary of Joe Biden's Violence Against Women Act, signed by Presdient Clinton on September 13, 1994.

Below is a copy of the letter Blue America sent out to all members letter last night.

There are quite a few of them but the ones progressives have a stake in, in chronological order, are Hawaii (August 9), Wisconsin (August 12), and then a late super-Tuesday on August 26 for Arizona, Florida and Oklahoma. That same day has primaries in Alaska, Missouri, Oregon and Vermont with interesting races but no races that pit a progressive against a shill from the Republican wing of the Democratic Party.Up top is the brand new video from one of the most grassroots campaigns anywhere, the Tom Guild campaign for the open Oklahoma City congressional seat.

Mike Krsiean (left) with his 700 pound Berkshire Boar (right), who he's named Barney FrankMike Krsiean is a Republican crackpot who envisions himself in Congress.

Yesterday the House passed the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations Act 228-295, generally along party lines. All but 4 (completely random) Republicans voted for it and all but 6 Democrats-- Blue Dogs and New Dems from the Republican wing of the Democratic Party-- voted against it. No biggie. More interesting, though, was an amendment Alan Grayson brought up.Grayson has been more successful at putting together ad hoc coalitions to pass legislation than anyone else in Congress.

Rachel Maddow does not play requests. "We will not," she explained, "stop reporting on the political actions, and the consequences of the political actions, of rich and powerful men, even if they send angry letters every time we do it." If you've read much of Thomas Frank's work, you probably have a good idea he's in the same boat.

Obama hasn't helped our country's image recover from 8 years of Bush-Cheney as much as everyone expected. In fact, the U.S. is looked at as the biggest threat to world peace-- by far.