Several progressive sites are quite happy with Paul Hackett's loss in the special OH-2 US House election yesterday, because lost by four points in a district that normally goes Republican by 40-50 points. AMERICAblog says that Hackett lost the battle...

But, boy, did he change the rules of the game. He lost by a 52% - 48% margin.

Clermont County went to Schmidt by a 58 - 42.

If the GOP can't win by a romp in Ohio's Second District, they are in big trouble. And four points in this district is big trouble.

Let's just hope that the Democratic Brain Trust here in DC learned something from this election. You have to play to win. You have to fight to win.

Great job by Paul Hackett...he has started the campaign for 2006 and has given us all great hope.

While all of this is true, I keep thinking this:

A clear plurality of OH-2 voters chose batshit-crazy, lying, ethics-free Republican over any Democrat. If Jesus Christ himself returned and ran as a Democratic candidate, they'd vote Republican.

Just as Markos reminded people in 2004 that progressives have to hold their breath and vote for DINOs like Brad Carson, the GOP's strongholds know that they have to vote for every Republican, no matter how odious. The 30% of voters at either end of the number line will not change their minds - the campaigns are about convincing the middle 40%.

Not pandering to them, not "moving to the middle" to appease them, but convincing them.

Update: Wow - just hours after I wrote that, Markos posted his litmus test for candidates, and the first item is:

Does candidate 'distance himself' from the party and/or its leaders, or is he proud to be a Democrat?

One commenter has already pointed out that Brad Carson failed this very first test, but Markos backed him anyway.

By the way, I love Daily Kos and Markos. He breathes fire because it burns within him for a better, safer, more equal America. I'm user #16 on the current (second) iteration of Daily Kos. I understand why he asked us to vote for Brad Carson, and I know how important Carson's support was to Daily Kos when the 101st Fighting Keyboarders tried to destroy the site.

I don't intend to rub his face in a big pile of Carson. I just think that, in advocating the "50-state strategy," activists need to realize that the work has to start now so there are more campaigns like Paul Hackett's and fewer like Brad Carson's. I still hold out hope that Carson may, someday, have an Al Gore-like ephphany and be a proud progressive instead of a simpering "I'm nearly conservative, don't hurt me" liberal stereotype. Then I'd have fun voting for him.

The above link is to the Woot! blog entry for today, because you can't really link to a Woot! except at Woot! But this is the bread machine I have, and it's pretty darned good. It normally sells in catalogs for $100, but Woot! has it shipping to you for $75.

With his PDA-style touchscreen and LCD control panel, Breadman responds in a flash to any emergency bread shortfall. His 24-hour delay timer means he always acts when he's needed. He absorbs any fruit or nuts you can throw at him, and he can bake a hefty 2.5-pound loaf in a single bound. Throw off the shackles of that artificial corporate bread! Breadman will lead the way and save the day!

It also makes a pretty good, fast, pizza dough. I'd prefer to use Good Eats Pizza Dough, but I swear something is wrong with that recipe other than the salt - I've never made it when it didn't need at least half a cup more flour than mentioned in the recipe, and the recipe doesn't bother to mention that the "2 cups of flour" are by the "scoop-and-sweep method" that AB almost never uses for baking.

Oh, and on the salt, "Cook's Illustrated" figured that out a while back:

2 units table salt = 3 units Morton Kosher Salt = 4 units Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt

If people were putting in one tablespoon of kosher salt and finding it "way way too salty," then AB and Food Network probably used Diamond Crystal brand. Morton's is more easily available nationwide, but is more "salty" (that is, 3 teaspons of Morton's Kosher Salt weighs as much as 4 teaspoons of Diamond Crystal). People who used Morton's instead would be getting 33% more salt in their dough.

That means you should probably use 2 1⁄4 teaspoons of Morton Kosher Salt, or 1 1⁄2 teaspoons of table salt. The Baker's Catalogue sells a 2 1⁄4 teaspoon measure because that's equivalent to a 1⁄4 ounce packet of active dry yeast.

If only understanding that would make the dough work. I've about convinced myself he meant 1⁄2 cup of water. Sigh.