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PART 2:

Late last week, the Los Angeles Times ran a story where they profiled the organizing that is taking place on Facebook, aimed at persuading NBC executives to install a solid progressive host into the 10:00pm EST time spot. Check out the article below.

In the process, MSNBC has been criticized for melding opinion with news, even as it excited the political left.

“For years, while everyone has always talked about this liberal media bias, we haven’t seen it on cable television,” said Peter Slutsky, a Democratic consultant who started the Facebook campaign for Seder with his brother, Matthew. “I believe strongly that MSNBC has been so successful because it has decided to drive a firm position to the left.”

I really do believe that MSNBC has earned its progressive audience by engaging them with top-notch talent and firebrand hosts like Keith Olbermann and Rachel Maddow. I also believe that MSNBC will respond to grassroots organizing and from hearing their audiences opinions.

“This is the next step in the future of Internet activism,” said Seder, who has worked with Maddow at Air America. “I think there’s a real hunger out there for new voices who will speak more truth to power and who are less ensconced in the establishment machine. Someone like Maddow really represents that. She did not come up through the classic channels, and that’s encouraged and emboldened people.”

That’s what drove Slutsky to start up the Facebook campaign on behalf of Seder.

“This whole idea of going to journalism school and working your way through satellite stations — it’s a good way to do it, but stars are born all kinds of ways,” Slutsky said. “Having the power of the Internet behind you is just as powerful as having a Hollywood agent on your side.”

I also have a great deal of respect for Cenk Uygur from The Young Turks – he’s been a good friend of DoubleSpeak over the years and I would be absolutely stoked if he were to get the spot. Either way, no matter who ultimately gets the post,be it Sam, Cenk or another host,I am excited to see Facebook-driven organizing and stories about the progressive activist base in newspapers like the Los Angeles Times. This is a big step for all of us.

You can read the rest of the story here.

If you’re so inclined, you can join the Facebook group: Hey MSNBC – Bring Sam Seder To 10:00PM ET.

If you want to weigh in and tell MSNBC what you think, email them here.

I was cut-off at the end by Contessa before I could make a key point. In response to whether the Blago scandal in Illinois is “red meat” for Republicans, my reaction is simple: bring it on. If Republicans think that attacking the President-elect while his poll numbers are at 80%, his cabinet picks are being widely celebrated by both parties and our country is in a financial crisis, then they are more tone deaf and inept than I ever could have imagined.

After all, it was only a few weeks ago that American’s voted resoundingly against the very type of politics that the Mike Duncan and the RNC are pushing.

Republicans will continue to be lost in the wilderness if they continue to tack Obama to the mess in Illinois. This tactic makes them look petty and in the end is counterproductive towards what they really should be doing which is recruiting new leadership at the national level who can turn their proverbial ship around.

Enough said. Enjoy the clip.

Gov. Palin went into the debate with a pretty easy task – she couldn’t fall, she couldn’t have another deer-in-headlights moment, she couldn’t trip over words – she simply had to be Sarah Palin. To that end, she accomplished her singular goal. I don’t think she fell, she hit her basic talking points and she didn’t get lost in her words, like we saw in the network interviews.

However, she didn’t answer questions, she evaded policy issues, she brought everything back to the topics she wanted to discuss and personally, I found her folksy “Joe six-pack” lingo and overall presentation to be absolutely nauseating.

Seriously folks, we tried the slow-talking, colloquial, down home politician thing – his name was George W. Bush. How well did that work out?

Sarah Palin is out of her league, not because she is a woman, but because she’s not up to the task of running America. She regurgitated a stump speech last night and showed no mastery or command of issues. The mere thought of he serving as Vice President of the United States literally scares me. She’s not ready for prime time, she’s not ready to lead America.

For his part, Biden was good. I expected Biden to be good, he’s been at this for many years. He showed a command of policy, a leadership on important issues and even showed an emotional side when he spoke of his family and the loss of his first wife in a tragic car accident when he was 29 years old.

Last night’s debate didn’t move voters. It may have stopped the Palin slide that we’ve seen over the past couple weeks, but I don’t think anyone changed their mind based on the performance of either of these candidates. At the end of the day, I urge Americans to think past the novelty of Sarah Palin and remember that Bush is our living, breathing example that hiring someone into the executive merely on style is a mistake. Listen to what these people are saying, not just how they are saying it. This time around, I have confidence in the American people to do the right thing.

If you missed the debate, here’s the full broadcast courtesy of our friends at MSNBC.

John McCain is a creature of Washington. He is Washington – he personifies the mess that we face in this country and his support of George W. Bush nearly 90% of the time has helped to drive our economy and our foreign policy into the ditch that we find ourselves in today.

John McCain is the problem, not the solution!

As far as Sarah Palin goes, she is a change candidate, in that she is the first female VP nominee in Republican Party history. I don’t want to discount that accomplishment – I applaud her for that.

However, that is where the change stops. She’s completely anti-change when it comes to important issues that will be paramount over the coming years. She was for the “Bridge to Nowhere” before she was against (she likes her pork), she doesn’t believe in man-made global warming, she would turn the clock back nearly 30 years on the rights of women to make choices about their health and well being, she has no plans for health care reform and to cover the nearly 50 million uninsured Americans, she’s never indicated any stance on foreign policy or international diplomacy, and the list goes on and on. Yes, she’s new and exciting, but her policies are like dinosaurs – old and extinct. On top of all of this, the McCain campaign believes it’s okay to shield her from the press – the very people in this country whose job it is to ask tough questions of our elected officials and find out where they come down on issues.

Here’s the MSNBC clip:

This morning, I did a spot on MSNBC live from the Pepsi Center, which was a really cool experience. The arena looks really cool.

Here’s video of the spot.

I’ll do a longer post tonight or tomorrow about my reaction to the speech, as well as the entire overseas tour.

Today, Rep. Adam Putnam, who is a Republican and also Chairman of the House Republican Conference confirmed that even the GOP is worried about Obama’s Southern appeal.

No, U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam, R-Bartow, doesn’t think John McCain is in any real danger of losing Florida, given McCain’s natural appeal to veterans, independents, and pro-Israel voters. But the Chairman of the House Republican Conference thinks Barack Obama’s ability to turn out African-Americans voters across the south could pose trouble for some Republican incumbents in states that McCain will still carry.

“I think you’ll see House members who won their last race by 60%-65% percent lose because of the turnout model that Obama brings,” said Putnam after taping a Political Connections interview on Bay News 9. He wasn’t talking about any Florida seats, but his pick for the five races to watch in Florida: the seats held by Democrat Tim Mahoney, by the Diaz-Balart brothers, by Tom Feeney, and by Ric Keller.

On top of that, check out this Gallup headline…McCain Faces Enthusiasm Gap.

Here is the YouTube clip of a spot that I did last Friday morning, talking about Obamacans. Enjoy.