Tuesday Morning Open Thread

Good morning.

Nineteen weeks -- 133 days -- til Election Day. Nineteen weeks -- 133 days -- til we change America. Given the dire state of the GOP at every level, it's going to get ugly, really ugly. So, the candidates better be prepared -- and we all better be ready to fight back.

One big question is how the traditional media deals with the smears and attacks from the GOP-types this year. Will they just regurgitate the false charges, which is their usual pattern? Or will they actually report the lies and falsehoods? Last night, on MSNBC, Dan Abrams was giddy about some book coming out in August that will smear Obama -- and Abrams seemed sure it will hurt the Democratic nominee. (Hint for Abrams: It won't hurt Obama if the media types, like Dan Abrams, don't give it any attention.) But, the way Abrams was talking was an indicator of what's to come. My bet is they'll fall for the smears -- again. Remember, the King of the Conventional Wisdom, David Broder (and his wannabe sidekick, Chris Cillizza) both think McCain can do no wrong. They'd all rather be sitting on the McCain bus eating Dunkin Donuts (that's his favorite, as Liz Sidoti from the Associated Press knows, but the rest of us, as the little people, don't.)

Battle stations everyone. Seriously.